Starkville’s Ward 2 race saw a wholesale change before Friday’s qualification deadline, as incumbent Lisa Wynn, who previously qualified this year as a Democrat, shed her party affiliation and is now running as an independent candidate. Meanwhile, Jesse Carver, the brother of Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver, declared as a Republican.
To qualify as an independent, a candidate must have at least 50 registered voters sign off on the bid.
Wynn turned in a list of 60 signatures to City Hall before Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline, City Clerk Lesa Hardin said. The clerk was unable to vet those signatures by the end of the working week but is expected to do so Monday.
If Wynn, 48, hits the threshold of 50 qualified signatures, she and Jesse Carver will face former Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk, a Democrat, in June’s general election.
Wynn did not give a reason for ditching her Democratic Party affiliation but said she and her supporters are “excited about the path forward.”
Jesse Carver, 32, said he decided to run for alderman as a way to give back to the community.
A former Mississippi State University baseball player, he now works as an agent with New York Life Insurance Company.
“I want to be an alderman who is reachable when residents have a problem, and I want to be a voice for my constituents. A lot of leading is about using common sense to make decisions. In complex situations, it boils down to common sense,” he said. “I want Starkville to be fiscally sound and for people to be held responsible and accountable for the actions they take. I found myself questioning a lot of the decisions that were being made. I said ‘If I have questions, why not go out and do something about it?'”
If both Carver brothers are elected, they would sit next to each other at the table of each board meeting. Jesse Carver said he is focused on the city’s issues and hasn’t given much thought about serving on the board with his sibling.
“I’ve spent my whole life effectively disagreeing and accomplishing compromises to create productive outcomes. I guess that’s what it would be again,” Jesse Carver said. “I don’t think, in a way, it’s going to be one of those things where ‘He’s my brother.’ We have the same last name, but we’re two different people.”
Sistrunk, 66, served one term as Ward 2’s alderman before Wynn unseated her in a 2013 runoff election. The two candidates first tied with 181 votes each in that year’s Democratic Primary before Wynn edged Sistrunk out 217-191 in the next race.
“I look forward to campaigning as I always planned,” Sistrunk said after Friday’s shakeup. “I will continue visiting with voters in the ward and talking about those things that are important to us. A lot of that conversation will be about keeping taxes low and building a stronger financial position; expanding our economic development strategy to focus on infrastructure and amenities that make Starkville the place people want to live and work; and conducting the city’s business in an open and transparent way to build trust in government.”
Walker now challenged in 4
Ward 4’s race will also be decided in June, after Republican W.B. “Pete” Ledlow Jr. qualified for the race Friday.
Walker, 42, is an associate professor within Mississippi State University’s Department of Landscape Architecture and was elected to his first term in 2013.
Ledlow declined to comment Friday.
Other ward races
Two incumbents face primary and general election battles to secure re-election, while a three-way race will decide Ward 5’s next alderman.
In Ward 1, incumbent Ben Carver will face Starkville Planning and Zoning Commissioner Jason Camp in the Republican primary, and the winner of that race will face Democrat Christine Williams in June’s general election.
Carver, 36, is seeking his third term, while this municipal cycle marks Camp’s and Williams’ first bids for alderman.
Carver works for Insurance Associates; Camp, 29, is employed with the Mississippi State University Extension Center for Government and Community Development; and Williams, 44, is a graduate teaching and research assistant at the MSU Department of Political Science and Public Administration.
A similar three-way race is set in Ward 5 as two Democrats and a Republican are vying to replace outgoing Alderman Scott Maynard, who chose not to seek a second term.
The winner of May’s Democratic Primary between Kayla Gilmore and Patrick Miller will face Republican Chase Neal in June.
Gilmore, 33, is a former city election commissioner who vacated her position to run for office. She is the owner of KMG Creations Dance, Fitness and Productions.
Miller, 26, also serves as a Starkville Planning and Zoning Commissioner and works at the MSU Extension Center for Government and Community Development.
Neal, 33, is an independent social media brand manager who served seven years with the Mississippi Air National Guard and most recently worked about a year as an employee of the MSU Office of Public Affairs.
In Ward 7, Alderman Henry Vaughn faces an intra-party challenge from Democrat Margaret “Ann” Moore.
The winner of the primary will then face Republican Roben Dawkins.
Dawkins, 49, works as a senior pilot at the MSU Flight Department.
Moore is a 59-year-old Westside Drive resident who has worked with the Mississippi Ability in Healthcare for the past 12 years and the health care industry for more than 25 years.
Vaughn, 64, was first elected in 2009 when he unseated incumbent Janette Self in that year’s Democratic Primary.
Little, Perkins lock up re-election bids
No new candidates for Wards 1, 3, 5, 6 or 7 emerged Friday, which means Ward 3 Alderman David Little and Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins have effectively locked up their re-election bids and will run in their respective primaries unopposed.
Perkins, a 60-year-old attorney who has practiced law for more than 28 years, will begin his seventh term July 1.
Little, a 51-year-old claims manager with Mississippi Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company, secured his second term Friday.
Mayoral race
May’s three-way Democratic Primary will decide Starkville’s highest elected seat after no Republicans or independents qualified Friday.
Running for mayor are attorney Johnny Moore, Sitel human resources recruiter Damion Poe and former Starkville Chief Administrative Officer Lynn Spruill.
A runoff election will be held May 16 if a candidate fails to get more than 50 percent of the vote.
Johnny Moore, 56, has practice law in Starkville for three decades and owns Moore Law Office. He is a Mississippi State University graduate and went on to receive his law degree from the University of Mississippi.
Poe, 26, previously served in a human resources capacity from 2010-16 with the Mississippi Army National Guard.
Spruill, 64, served as CAO under the administrations of Mayor Parker Wiseman and former Mayor Dan Camp. She also served as the mayor of Addison, Texas, from 1988-93.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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