A third Republican candidate has qualified to run for Pike County sheriff, while the Democratic primary is still shaping up to be a one-man race, according to the latest batch of candidate qualifying papers.
Sheriff’s investigator Robbie Roberts made his candidacy official and will go up against current Chief Deputy Brad Bellipanni and Coroner Wally Jones in the GOP primary on Aug. 8. Former Magnolia Police Chief Ray Reynolds is the only Democrat running for sheriff so far.
The winner of the Nov. 7 general election will replace Republican James Brumfield, who is not seeking a second term.
Feb. 1 is the qualifying deadline for candidates.
In other contested county-wide races, Democrats Brenda “Denise” Robinson and Johnny Scott and Republican Natalie McMahon are running for circuit clerk to replace the retiring Roger Graves, a Republican.
Robinson is a current employee of the circuit clerk’s office. Scott is a former chief deputy for the sheriff’s department and has run for the office in the past. McMahon is the director of Southwest Mississippi Community College’s library and is making her political debut.
Republicans Chan Thomas and Anthony Varaksa, along with Democrat Keyon Daniels, have qualified for the corner’s race to take Jones’ place.
Thomas is a deputy coroner and firefighter, Varaksa is a McComb police officer and Daniels is a transport deputy for the coroner’s office and works in the funeral industry.
In supervisor races, three of the five sitting board members have challengers.
In District 1, longtime Supervisor Tazwell Bowsky faces Justin Lofton in the Democratic primary.
In District 3, first-term incumbent Robert Accardo faces Dwain Brister, who ran four years ago, in the Republican primary.
In District 5, Republican Lee Fortenberry, also in his first term, faces Democrat Eddie Simmons Sr., who has run for the office multiple times.
Jake Gazzo, the Republican incumbent in District 4, and Sam Hall, the Democratic incumbent in District 2, have no challengers so far. Both are in their first term.
Some countywide offices have only one candidate. Angela Gardner Washington is hoping to replace retiring Tax Collector Gwendolyn Nunnery, also a Democrat. Republican Ben Gilbert is looking to make his recent appointment to county prosecutor more long term. Chancery Clerk Becky Buie is unopposed, as is tax assessor and fellow Republican Laurie Allen.
No one has filed to run against any of the incumbent justice court judges or constables, who are Judge Aubrey Rimes and Constable Oliver James in the Southern District, Judge Loretta Thompson Conerly and Constable Mark Thompson in the Central District and Judge Fulton Brewer and Constable Denny Johnson in the Northern District.
