West Point citizens living in Wards 1, 3 and 4 will head back to the polls Tuesday to determine who will be occupying the selectmen”s seats in those areas for the next four years.
Runoff elections are called when no candidate receives 50-percent-plus-one of the vote in the general primary. The two candidates who receive the highest percentage of the vote face one another in the runoff.
Because only Democrats are running in the seats called into question, the outcome of the election will not have to be determined by a general election.
In Ward 1, Linda Hannah, who has served as selectman for the past 16 years, will face first-time candidate Rod Bobo, a sales representative for Mitchell Automotive. During the election earlier this month, Hannah received 35 percent of the vote compared to Bobo”s 42 percent. 653 voters in Ward 1 took part in the election.
In Ward 3, where no incumbent is running following longtime board member John Cummings” decision to not pursue re-election, Charles D. Collins and Hubert Caston will face one another. Collins and Caston received 45 and 29 percent of the vote out of a turnout of 586, respectively.
Finally, in Ward 4, incumbent Keith McBrayer is challenged by John Caskey. McBrayer was only a few votes away from clinching the seat during the past election. He received 49 percent of the vote compared to Caskey”s 42 percent out of 1,036 participating.
Polls for all three elections will open Tuesday at 7 a.m. at the West Point Civic. They will remain open until 7 p.m.
Wards 2 and 5 were decided by the general primary election. In Ward 2, Homer Cannon ousted incumbent Marion “Bubba” Wilkerson and in Ward 5, Jasper Pittman narrowly defeated Joe H. Michel.
Mayor Scott Ross overwhelmingly won the mayoral race and will face the election”s sole independent candidate — Harold Lathon — in the June 2 general election.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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