The field started with 23 candidates running for posts on the Clarksdale Democratic ticket and that number has been whittled down to eight.
Clarksdale voters head to the polls on Tuesday to pick their next Democratic candidate for mayor and three of the city’s four wards will also return to city precincts to pick their commissioner. The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. at traditional precinct locations in Clarksdale.
Tuesday’s election will see Bubba O’Keefe face off against Orlando Paden for the Democratic nominee for Mayor and move on to the General Election June 3. The mayor’s race will be on every ballot Tuesday.
Ward 1 will see incumbent Bo Plunk go against Ray Sykes.
Ward 2 saw incumbent Jimmy Harris gather the majority of the votes in the First Primary and he automatically advances to the General Election.
Ward 3 will see incumbent Willie Turner take on Eddie Earl.
Ward 4 has Linda Downing and Kim Seals seeking the post held by current Ward 4 Commissioner Ed Seals, who is not seeking re-election.
Incumbent and two-term Mayor Chuck Espy is also not seeking re-election.
Winners in Tuesday runoff election will face independent candidates in the General Election.
Milton Gardner and Scotty Meredith have qualified as Independent candidates for Mayor.
Independent Shannon Dixon will face Democrat Harris in the Ward 2 General Election.
Darron “Gucci” Griffin is running as an Independent candidate for Ward 4 in June.
City Hall will be open for absentee voting through noon Saturday. Mail-in ballots must be post marked Tuesday April 22 to be accepted.
State law says candidates were to submit their first campaign finance report listing donor contributions and expenditures to the City Clerk by March 25, a second one by April 25 and a final one July 27. Campaign Finance reports are public record and failure to file can result in $50 fines accruing daily and the State Attorney General shall file suit and prosecute the delinquent candidate and appropriate political committee.
Mississippi Code 23-15-811 states persons who fail to file campaign finance disclosures “shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine in a sum not to exceed Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00) or imprisoned for not longer than six (6) months or by both fine and imprisonment.”
The statute goes on to note that, “No candidate who is elected to office shall receive any salary or other remuneration for the office until he or she files all reports required by this law that are due as of the date the salary or remuneration is payable.”
Candidates for municipal office must complete and file with the State Ethics Commission a Statement of Economic Interest within fifteen days of becoming a candidate for public office.
The law also disqualifies a candidate who has not filed campaign finance reports from the ballot.
Candidates for city office must also clear up any outstanding fines, taxes or warrants from the municipalities they represent.
All candidates must be qualified voters of the city or ward they represent and must not have been convicted of certain felonies that resulted in incarceration, unless they have received a full pardon from the State of Mississippi. Candidates who have been pardoned must present that proof to their respective party and the City Clerk to qualify. Convicted felons wishing to receive a pardon must wait seven years before having their voting rights restored.
Candidates must also have lived in the city or ward they represent for the past two years and be able to prove that fact through voter registration rolls, Mississippi driver’s license or homestead exemption. Fraudulent filing of homestead exemption is a federal tax offense.
Candidates cannot have been legally declared mentally incompetent.
The Clarksdale Mayor has a current salary of $122,421.92 per year and Commissioners are paid $46,650 per year. Both Mayor and Commissioners get a monthly mileage and travel expense plus a home office expense, despite having office space at City Hall.
The annual compensation for Mayor went from $86,421 to $122,421.92 and Commissioner went from $26,650 to $46,650 on the city first meeting following their election in June 2021.
State law allows retirement to be based on the top four years of pay in the Mississippi Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) that is not able to sustain itself. City, county, school and all state employees qualify for PERS and must be at state employee to be fully vested.
Current Clarksdale City Commissioners may vote to reduce their salaries as they leave office.
