Four of Amite County’s five supervisor seats will be on the ballot in Tuesday’s general election.
District 2 is the only seat in which a winner has already been determined. Democrat Guy McNabb won it outright in the August primary to replace retiring supervisor Will Powell.
Here’s a look at the candidates:
District 1
Democratic incumbent Warren Leake is running for a third term and faces independent challenger Nelson D. “Firecracker” Etheridge Sr.
Leake advanced to the general election after defeating Jeff Freeman in a runoff in August.
Leake, 58, has served as District 1 supervisor since 2012. He is the owner and operator of an insulation company in Liberty and manages the county’s central repair station.
After receiving the nomination in August, Leake said his record over the past eight years is a strong defense of his candidacy. He noted the county is in good financial shape and has a low tax rate and said supervisors have been making progress repairing roads and bridges.
Leake was recovering from a medical operation and was not available for comment for this article.
Attempts to contact Etheridge were unsuccessful.
District 3
Independent incumbent and current board president Jackie Whittington faces business owner Robert “Cash” Spillman, a Democrat.
Whittington, 66, of Gloster, has served on the board since 1996 and is its longest-serving member.
Whittington said his years on the board have seen advancements in road and bridge repair, a senior living center in Liberty, ballfields at Ethel Vance Natural Area and the construction of a new hospital in Centreville.
His economic development platform consists of advocating for tax incentives for businesses to help bring badly-needed jobs, saying an uptick in the oil business is good for the county but the area needs more diverse industries.
He noted that Amite County is the only county in Mississippi unburdened by debt and it maintains the state’s second-lowest millage rate. He said the board is able to maintain favorable conditions in part by applying for grants and using county crews to perform much-needed work instead of contracting jobs.
Whittington also cited his business background, having operated a timber and logging company for 32 years.
“You have to spend like it’s your own money,” he said.
He said being a supervisor is a 24/7 job and he often receives calls late at night notifying him of a fallen tree in the roadway or otherwise hazardous debris within his district that needs tending to.
“When you get that call, you’ve got to go deal with it,” he said.
Spillman, 55, of Gloster, is the owner of Cash’s Air Conditioning and Refrigeration which he founded in 1994.
Spillman said keeping taxes low is his main goal and one of the reasons why he chose to run.
“My main concern is keeping taxes down,” he said.
He said he has some concerns about the Amite County School District, which recently received another F rating from the state and narrowly avoided a state takeover in a vote last spring.
Spillman said the school district’s poor performance would make him leery of voting to raise school taxes.
In terms of philosophical differences with current supervisors, he said he doesn’t have any specific criticisms and he’s not interested in changing how county affairs are handled.
“I’m not looking to make any major changes,” he said.
Spillman said he will focus his efforts toward improving rural roads, spending more on maintenance and repairs.
He said his experience as a business owner has prepared him to become an effective supervisor.
“Most people know me, and I’m easy to get along with,” he said.
He said he will work hard to be accessible for his constituents.
“I’d like them to talk to me, to call me,” he said. “I’ll be willing to help.”
District 4
Democratic incumbent Melvin “Butch” Graves is seeking a third term and faces Republican challenger Steve Brady.
Graves, 71, of Liberty, has served since in 2012. He was the owner of Quality Body Shop in McComb.
Graves was not available for comment.
Brady, 50, of Liberty, is a lifelong cattle farmer. He graduated from Amite School Center and attended Southwest Mississippi Community College before going to Northwest Mississippi Community College on a rodeo scholarship. He earned a degree in cattle science at Mississippi State University.
Brady said he decided to run because he cares about Amite County and is concerned about its future. He said he has two sons, one in college, and he wants the best for residents.
“Everything always has room for improvement,” Brady said.
He said two concerns that prompted him to run are the financial shape of public schools and the state of infrastructure.
“Roads are always an issue,” he said. “We always need to address it. Some roads in the county haven’t been paved and some paved roads are in need of repair.”
He said by investing in infrastructure, the county may see improvements across the board, such as with emergency services and their response times to rural areas.
Brady said he will focus his efforts on attracting jobs, saying supervisors should do more to make conditions more favorable for businesses.
He said county residents want to feel comfortable enough to bring issues to their respective supervisors and he is not only approachable and accessible but dedicated to addressing those needs.
“Remember the people who got you where you are,” Brady said.
District 5
Former supervisor Max Lawson is trying to get his old seat back and faces Democrat Tony Patterson, who defeated one-term incumbent Rickie Williams in the Democratic primary by one vote.
Lawson, 67, a cattle farmer from Gillsburg, served six terms before Williams unseated him in 2015.
His father, Ed Lawson, represented Amite County for 20 years before him.
Lawson, an independent, said he decided to run because people asked him to.
He said he intends to focus on roads and bridges, pointing to River and Quentin roads as already being on his radar.
Lawson said he successfully focused on infrastructure when he was on the board and resurfaced more than 125 miles roads.
Lawson said his experience navigating county government is an advantage and will help him achieve his goals as a supervisor.
“We’ve done it before,” he said.
Lawson said he will be a responsive representative for residents.
“Voters know when they call, I’ll help,” he said. “And they know I’ll respond.
“I think they already know everything they need to know about me. I’ve been getting calls the last four years even though I wasn’t the acting supervisor.”
Efforts to contact Patterson were unsuccessful.
