The slate is set for the Clarksdale Municipal Election with 15 candidates seeking the offices of mayor, commissioner and party posts
All four city commissioners’ posts and the Mayor’s office are up for election and qualifying opened Jan. 4 and closed at 5 p.m. sharp, on Friday, Feb. 5. Primary elections, which are traditionally held in June, will be Tuesday, April 6 this year with the primary runoff, if needed, April 27. The General Election is June 8.
This spring’s Clarksdale Municipal Election will be conducted by the city. This year absentee and affidavit ballots will be counted up to five days after the election and the election will be certified at that time.
The Mayor of Clarksdale is paid $86,421 a year, plus expenses. Commissioners get $26,650 annually, plus expenses.
To run for a City of Clarksdale office, the candidate must be a qualified voter and not have been convicted of certain crimes or misdemeanors.
All candidates must have lived in the city limits of Clarksdale for two years. The Mayor is elected at-large and Commissioners must live in the ward they represent.
Candidates who have officially filed with the Clarksdale City Clerk as of Friday’s deadline, post sought, political party and if they are an incumbent (i) are:
MAYOR
• Chuck Espy, Democrat (i)
• Scotty A. Meredith, Democrat
• Cassandra Wilson, Indepen-dent
WARD 1 Commissioner
• Kerry Lee, Democrat
• Bo Plunk, Democrat (i)
• Ray Sykes, Democrat
WARD 2 Commissioner
• George Hines, Jr., Democrat
• Ken Murphey, Demo-crat (i)
• Jeff Simmons, Demo-crat
WARD 3 Commissioner
• Buster Moton, Demo-crat
• Willie Turner, Democrat (i)
WARD 4 Commissioner
• Greg Hoskins, Demo-crat
• Ed Seals, Democrat (i)
WARD 1 Election Commissioner
• Gregory Neely, Jr., Democrat
WARD 4 Election Commissioner
• Birley C. Gipson, Jr, Democrat
And elections don’t come cheap. The Clarksdale Board of Mayor and Commissioners voted Monday to pay the following 2021 city election expenses:
• The city authorized paying the Resolution Board during the Primary, Runoff and General Election, $125 for each day they meet. This will be the board that certifies all ballots – regular, affidavit, and absentee – in specific elections.
• Authorized paying poll workers during the Primary, Runoff and General Election, $125 for the poll managers and $145 for the returning and receiving managers; in addition, poll worker training pays at a rate of $10 per hour.
• Authorized paying General Election Commissioners during the General Election process at a rate of $100 for every five hours not to exceed $800.
• The city acknowledged there will be approximately nine poll workers working at each ward during the Primary, Runoff and General Election.
• The city voted to enter into an agreement with ES&S for election support to make sure election machines are working properly during the Primary, Runoff and General Election.
State law says anyone who seeks to influence the vote of any person by absentee ballot or offers anything of value for a vote, or destroys absentee ballots can be charged with voter fraud and upon conviction be fined not less than $500 and not more than $5,000 and be sentenced from one to five years in the state penitentiary, or both. The statute also includes those who offer to submit a ballot for something of value.
Questions or concerns about voting issues, policy and procedure for any election should be directed to the Secretary of State’s office at (601) 359-1350.
Questions or concerns about candidate qualifications, ethics and conduct while in office should be directed to the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Division at (601) 359-4258.
Qualifications vary from office to office but the main requirements are to be a resident and qualified voter from the ward, district or county they plan to represent. Candidates may not have been convicted of a federal crime or certain Mississippi crimes defined as felonies punishable by incarceration in a state penitentiary, unless they have received a full pardon. They also may not be convicted of a crime in another state that is considered a felony under Mississippi law.
Candidates cannot have been legally declared mentally incompetent.
Candidates must fill out a statement of economic interest online within 15 days of qualifying with the Secretary of State and routinely throughout the year. The next campaign finance report deadlines are March 30, April 20, and June 1 for any contribution over $200. Failure to file these reports can result in fines and possible removal from office.
For additional voter information, visit yallvote.ms.
