A Monday hearing determined all three candidates for the Ward 2 council seat are qualified to run despite challenges to each of their candidacies.
Ward 2 incumbent and Vice Mayor Joseph Mickens challenged the residencies of his two opponents, Laisha “Ms. She-She” O’Neal and Roderick Smith. A separate challenge accused Mickens of failing to file a campaign finance report.
State law requires candidates to reside in the ward they are qualifying to run in and submit an annual campaign finance disclosure by Jan. 31.
With all three being Democrats, the local party committee had to hear the challenges and clear the candidates for qualification. The municipal election commission then certifies the ballot.
Lowndes County Democratic Party Chair Kabir Karriem said Mickens had successfully filed that report before the Jan. 31 deadline.
“He rectified that at the 11th hour, and so that was null and void,” Karriem told The Dispatch after the hearing. “As far as the residency is concerned, we felt the merits (of the challenges) were not met. … We discussed it thoroughly, and that’s the conclusion that the municipal committee came to this morning.”
During the hearing, Smith presented his license tag registration, a bank statement and income tax return information. O’Neal presented a lease agreement for her residence. She said she has several properties that are listed as Airbnbs, including the house where Mickens claimed she lives.
Neither Smith or O’Neal expressed concern over the challenges, maintaining they met residency requirements.
“No weapon formed against me shall prosper,” O’Neal told The Dispatch.
Mickens told The Dispatch after the hearing he intends to take the complaint to the next level. According to state law, he is allowed to file a petition for judicial review to the circuit court within 15 days of the date the petition was originally filed.
“Then not only must they live there, the statute says with the intention to stay there,” Mickens said. “They got to live there with intention of staying there and neither one of them live at their addresses, and it will be proven, whether they accept it or not. I will take it to the next step.”
The city election commission met Monday afternoon and approved the candidate certifications.
Party primaries are April 1. The general election is set for June 3.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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