TUPELO â¢Â Three city council races are headed to runoffs, with challengers trying to oust incumbents in Ward 6 and Ward 7 and two fresh-faces to local politics vying for an open seat in Ward 1.
In Ward 1, Amanda Angle and Chad Mims will meet in an April 27 runoff. Ward 6 Councilman Mike Bryan will face challenger Janet Gaston. Ward 7 Councilman Willie Jennings will face challenger Rosezlia âRosieâ Jones.
After Republican primary results were tabulated, nearly-complete but still uncertified results showed that in Ward 1, Mims nearly won the four-person field outright with about 48% of the vote, while Angle captured about 38%. Of the other Ward 1 candidates, Eric Hampton had about 8% and Megan Kessler had about 4%.
TUPELO ⢠Voters in the All America City will cast ballots today that will shape the next four years of municipal leadership.
Tupelo will see contested primaries in Tuesdayâs elections for mayor, as well as a number of city elections.
Few races will be settled by primaries, however.
In the mayoral race, for example, Todd Jordan and Markel Whittington are competing for the Republican nominee, with the winner set to face Democrat Victor Fleitas in a June 8 general election.
Whittington is an incumbent City Council member and local businessman seeking the cityâs top elected position. He has run on his experience in city government, including the economic successes of the last two terms.
TUPELO ⢠Four candidates are competing in the Republican primary for the Tupelo City Councilâs Ward 1 seat, an open race that has drawn a competitive field of candidates
The current councilman representing that ward, Markel Whittington, is running for mayor. That means no incumbent candidate will appear on the ballot.
The candidates â Amanda Angle, Eric Hampton, Megan Kessler and Chad Mims â will face off in the Republican primary, which occurs on April 6. If no single candidate receives a share of the vote that exceeds 50%, a runoff will occur between the top two vote-getters on April 27.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democratic candidate Geraldine Brinkley during the June 8 general election.
TUPELO ⢠Megan Kessler, a Tupelo realtor, recently qualified to run for the Tupelo City Councilâs Ward 1 seat as a Republican, making her the fourth person to enter an increasingly crowded race.
Kessler, 41, has lived in Tupelo since she was 10 years old and graduated from Tupelo High School and the University of Mississippi. After college, she has worked in sales for most of her adult life.
In a statement to the Daily Journal, Kessler said if elected to the council, she would like to continue to revitalize certain neighborhoods, support local educational institutions, and unify the community through supporting local businesses.