Mississippi House District 31 Rep. Sara Thomas announced her upcoming retirement from that seat on Friday, and on Saturday, a former Indianola city alderman announced his intention to fill that seat.
Otis Anthony II, an Indianola native who served as Ward 3 Alderman from 2010-14 confirmed to The Enterprise-Tocsin that he will be throwing his hat into the ring as soon as the retirement is made official.
“As soon as the governor (Phil Bryant) accepts her resignation and sets a special election, I will be filing official papers,” Anthony said.
Thomas, who is a Democrat, makes this announcement in the middle of the current term and during her 21st year in the House.
Anthony did unsuccessfully challenge Thomas previously in the 2011 Democratic primary.
Anthony is currently the pastor of two churches in Lexington in Holmes County. He said he has been there for over eight years and has 17 years in the ministry.
He also told The E-T that he and his wife both are independent representatives for Primerica Financial, where they “help families save for retirement, college funds for their children and properly protect their income.”
Anthony noted that on top of his previous political career, his father also held the alderman seat in Ward 3 and was appointed as the first African American mayor of Indianola after the death of Tommie McWilliams.
