McComb’s elections were thrown into disarray on Friday after officials learned a Democratic primary wouldn’t be held, requiring most candidates to start the qualification process all over again just days before Tuesday’s deadline for candidates to file for office.
City Clerk Elisha Ford confirmed Friday that there will be no Democratic primary on May 3 after three of the six members of the executive committee — chairperson Vernell Simmons, Barrett Pickett and Linda Hill — resigned Feb. 14.
Candidates who filed to run in McComb’s Democratic primary will run as independents in the June 21 general election instead, Ford said.
The Republican primary will be held May 3. A runoff will be May 17, if necessary.
Party officials are in charge of running primaries.
Candidates who qualified as Democrats will need to get 50 signatures from qualified electors to run by Tuesday’s 5 p.m. qualifying deadline.
Democrats are the only candidates who had filed to run for every city office, with the exception of Ward 1 selectman. Republican Tommy McKenzie and Jeffrey “Jay” Wilson, an independent, were the only candidates who have filed for that seat as of Friday.
Ford said she thought county election officials would run the Democratic primary after the party officials resigned.
“On Monday, the county said that they would run with the primary. Today I received a call saying that they would not be,” Ford said Friday.
Ford said she contacted the Secretary of State’s Office, and officials there told her to contact the Democratic candidates and have them qualify as independents.
This means they’d have to start the process of qualifying all over again the weekend before Tuesday’s deadline.
Qualifying opened on Jan. 1, so instead of two months, the vast majority of candidates have just four days to get their paperwork in order.
The filing fee is still $10 to run as a Republican and there is not a cost to run as an independent, Ford said.
Democratic candidates were:
• Mayor: Incumbent Quordiniah N. Lockley, current Selectman at-large Donovan Hill, current Ward 4 Selectman Shawn Williams and Trischell L. Veal.
• Selectman at-large: Donald A. Burks, Monica Dillon, Tabitha Felder Isaac, Melvin “Joe” Johnson.
Ward 2 Selectman: Lynn D. Martin.
Ward 3 Selectman: Incumbent Devante Johnson, A.C. Butler and Terri Waterman-Baylor.
Ward 4 Selectman: Gerald “Baldy” Barnes, John L. Bates and Eddie Thompson.
Ward 5 Selectman: Incumbent Ronnie Brock, Bruce Mullins.
