This Tuesday, August 8, election primaries for local races will be held throughout the state. These elections include state senators and representatives, local supervisors, sheriffs, chancery clerks, justices of the peace, coroner and a variety of other local elected positions.
Local elections can be quite confusing. There are a variety of districts, often for each type of position. For instance, county precincts and districts differ from the state ones. These districts and precincts often cross city and county lines. It is confusing.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that voters must choose which primary to vote in, Republican or Democrat. This can be very challenging, especially if you strongly favor different candidates in different parties. There’s been much debate over the years moving to an open primary system, but as it stands, you must pick one or the other, Democrat or Republican.
I find it amazing that private partisan parties dominate the electoral system in America. George Washington is surely rolling in his grave.
I encourage every citizen to find out what precinct and district they are in and educate themselves about the candidates and races. We are all busy, but it doesn’t take that much time, especially in the age of the Internet and search engines. With a minimal effort you can discover your precinct and district, what races are competitive, what the issues are and the qualifications of the respective candidates.
One easy search is to Google “sample ballot Madison Mississippi election 2023.” This will quickly produce a sample ballot. You can then do individual searches for the candidates and learn something about them.
If you are not willing to put forth this minimal amount of effort, do us all a favor and don’t vote. An ignorant vote is worse than no vote at all.
More than half of all the positions are uncontested, typically held by incumbents. This cuts down on the workload required. I would guess that with some basic computer search skills, you can be a valuable voter with an hour of effort.
I have long argued that elected officials should be paid far more money. This would lead to more competition, higher quality of candidates and less temptation to use their office for financial benefit.
One important contested local race in our area is the Democratic primary for Hinds County sheriff. Hinds County being dominated by Democrats, the primary will decide the next sheriff, either incumbent Tyree Jones or challenger Marshand Crisler.
I have written columns about both candidates detailing their positions and background. You can go to northsidesun.com and search “Wyatt Emmerich and Tyree Jones” and read these in-depth articles.
Both men have extensive experience but I would recommend incumbent Tyree Jones, especially given Crisler’s recent federal indictment for bribery. Crisler says he is innocent. The trial is set for this fall.
Democratic state senator David Blount has competition in district 29 which covers parts of Jackson. Blount has represented that district since 2007 and had no competition in his last race. He is vice chairman of the Democratic senate caucus and serves on numerous important committees.
I know David personally. His parents are very involved in my church, Covenant Presbyterian. David is an outstanding public servant. He is a ten on a scale of one to ten. I urge everyone in his district to put forth an effort to show up and re-elect him.
I have nothing negative to say about Blount’s challenger, Dewayne Pickett, a local pastor and father of five. But I know David Blount and can vouch for him.
Northside Sun Jackson readers are mainly in Hinds County District One. Incumbent Robert Graham has two challengers in the dominant Democratic primary, Eva Crisler, wife of Marshand Crisler, and Luigia Hodge.
Hodge is a former project manager with Dale Partners overseeing $180 million in construction. She is currently a minister at New Jerusalem Church.
Eva Crisler is a long-time social worker who now manages her own real estate properties.
Crisler and Hodge are credible opponents to Graham but I expect Graham’s incumbency and experience to carry the day. Graham has been a bridge builder and has widespread popularity on the Northside.
Mississippi House of Representatives District 64 covers most of northeast Jackson and south Madison County. Incumbent Shanda Yates, having switched from a Democrat to an independent, won’t face a primary race. Nor will she face a Democrat in the general election Nov. 7. None qualified. She will face Amile Wilson who is running unopposed as a Republican.
House Districts 67 and 65, which are on the periphery of northeast Jackson, have no opponents. Expect Democratic incumbents Earl Banks and Christopher Bell to return to office.
House District 72, a Democrat district that includes a good chunk of Ridgeland, has a very competitive four-person race between Justis Gibbs, Synarus Green, Rukia Lumumba and Ailean Stingley. Rukia Lumumba is the sister of Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba. This will be a good test of his current popularity.
House District 58, in the heart of south Madison County, features a competitive three-man race in the dominant Republican primary: Bob Anderson, Jonathan Berry and Jonathan McMillan. There are no Democrats running. Incumbent Joel Bomgar decided not to run for re-election. Bomgar is leading an effort to build a charter city on the Caribbean island of Roatan.
Bob Anderson is an aerospace engineer turned successful real estate entrepreneur with a love for airplanes and conservative ideology. His credentials are impressive.
Jonathan Berry is CEO of his own construction company and the father of five children (four girls and then a boy!). He describes himself as a “God fearing businessman and father.”
Jonathan McMillan works for Deviney Construction. His Facebook page is full of videos and information. Looks like he has been campaigning hard.
This is one of those races that is going to depend on so many variables that are impossible to predict. All three candidates look viable. May the best man win!
There are many Northside candidates unopposed: state representative Jill Ford in district 73; state senator Walter Michel in district 25; Madison sheriff Randy Tucker; Madison circuit clerk Anita Wray.
There is a competitive Republican primary for Madison tax collector between C. J. Garavelli and Shelton Vance. Vance is a CPA who worked as director of accounting for a local manufacturing company. He most recently served as the Madison County administrator. Garavelli is currently chief tax appraiser for Madison.
There are three Republican primary candidates for Madison County district one supervisor: Casey Brannon and Arlette Thompson have websites that can be located through Google. All have Facebook pages. All three seem like solid candidates with the potential to win.
There are numerous justice court and constable races. These seem unimportant until you have to deal with one. Then they are real important. I met Monique Montgomery who is running for Hinds County justice court judge district two which includes Belhaven. She was most impressive and an attorney, a rarity for justice court candidates. In Mississippi you don’t have to be an attorney to be a justice court judge.
Eddie Fair has an opponent for Hinds Tax Collector. Fair has reduced the wait and been consumer oriented. For that alone, he gets my vote.
The big primary for statewide office is the Republican primary for lieutenant governor between Delbert Hosemann and Chris McDaniel. There are many reasons I urge you to vote for Hosemann, one of which he’s a local son for Northsiders. Hosemann is one of the most competent public office holders I have witnessed. He’s getting up there in years, but he’s still sharp as ever. He understands that politics is about compromise as well as ideology. He’s been a great lieutenant governor and deserves reelection.
