LIBERTY — Fourteen people, including Amite County’s chief deputy, Gloster’s police chief and other county law enforcement officers, have qualified for the Amite County sheriff’s race to replace incumbent Tim Perkins, who is not seeking another term.
Qualifying for county and statewide elections closed Tuesday. The party primary elections are Aug. 2, with runoffs, if needed, on Aug. 23. The general election is Nov. 8.
Only two county officials, Northern District Justice Court Judge Roger Arnold and Southern District Constable Jerry Bruce Bates are unopposed.
Candidates are Amite County Chief Deputy Bill Vallely, Gloster Police Chief Tommie Lee, jailer Michael J. Blalock, Gloster police officer Tyrone Green Sr., sheriff’s deputy Murdock Reeves, former sheriff’s deputy Joe Hampton, Tim Wroten, a probation and parole officer with the Mississippi Department of Corrections and a former Amite chief deputy, Dale Causey, M.L. Causey III, Ronnie Clark, Justin Dawson, Julius O’Brien, Ronnie Reeves and Chad Toney.
Dale Causey, Green, Hampton and Murdock Reeves are running as independents. The other 10 candidates are Democrats.
Another election with a large field is the race for District 1 supervisor, which has 11 candidates running for the seat held by Dale Sterling, who is in his fifth term and is not seeking re-election.
Candidates include Democrats Aubrey Cain, Mike Larimore, Warren Leak, John E. Spring, Ken Swims, Will Terrell, Tim Toler and Troy G. Wicker; independents Ray Lofton and Glenn Wilson; and Republican Johnny L. Tynes.
In other races:
• Chancery Clerk Ronny Taylor is challenged by Lisa Sullivan, the county’s solid waste department clerk. Both are running as Democrats
• Deputy circuit clerk Debbie Reid Kirkland and Amite County NAACP President Jerry White are running to replace Circuit Clerk Sharon Walsh, who is not seeking re-election after five terms. Both candidates are Democrats.
• Coroner James “Jim” Magee’s re-election bid is challenged by former deputy coroner William “Cam” Sharp. Both are Democrats.
• Democratic incumbent Superintendent of Education Deborah “Debbie” Brown Hopf’s bid for a second term is challenged by four candidates — vocational center teacher Sandra Huff, a Democrat and Amite County Vo-Tech Center director Augustus Russ Sr., Amite County High School teacher Scotty H. Whittington and Johnnie Lee Vick, all of whom are running as independents.
• Four candidates are running to replace Tax Assessor/Collector Jennifer Lindsey, who is not seeking re-election. Deputy asses-sor/collector Eunice Blake, Amite County Justice Court Clerk Melanie Brantley Netterville and Jesse Pepper Mabry are running as Democrats. Gerald Honea is running as a Republican.
• Incumbent District 2 Supervisor Will L. Powell is challenged by Sheila L. Thompson. Both are Democrats.
• District 3 Supervisor Jackie Whittington has two challengers, Racheal Davis and James L. Whittington. Jackie Whittington is running as an independent. Davis and James L. Whittington are running as Democrats.
• Six people are running for the District 4 supervisor seat now held by Travis Taylor, who served three terms and is not seeking re-election. The field includes Democrats Charles Adams, Todd Carruth, Melvin “Butch” Graves, Greg McCall, Johnny Wayne Nevels and independent Thomas D. Fenn.
• District 5 Supervisor Max Lawson has two challengers for his seat. Lawson and Daniel Williams are running as Democrats, and Norman Stevenson is running as an independent.
• Southern District Justice Court Judge Louis Green, a Democrat, will face independent Shirline Perry Hampton.
• Northern District Constable Murry Toney will face Richard “Dicky” McDaniel. Both are Democrats.
