Commerce voters will select a mayor and two city council members in Tuesday’s municipal elections, and voters throughout the area will choose mayors and city council members.
Early voting is under way through Friday. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
As of 3 p.m. Monday, 201 ballots had been cast during early voting in Commerce. Early voting takes place in the conference room at City Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but on Tuesday all voting will occur at the J. Nolan Spear Jr. Public Safety Complex on South Elm Street.
During statewide elections, Minish District (which includes Commerce) votes in two precincts, but since this is a city election, all the polling Tuesday will be done on the fire department side of the public safety complex.
Three candidates vie to replace longtime Mayor Charles L. Hardy Jr., who decided not to seek re-election. They are Clark Hill, currently the Ward 4 councilman; Tommy Stephenson, a former mayor, county commissioner and state representative; and Donald Wilson, a former Ward 2 councilman.
The only other contested races are for council seats in Ward 3, where incumbent Mark Fitzpatrick faces Paul Vickery; and in Ward 4 where Chris Bulls and Steve Perry seek the seat held by Hill.
Johnny Eubanks is running unopposed for re-election in the Ward 5 council seat, while school board members Bill Davis (District 3), Rodney Gary (District 4) and Paul Sergent (District 5) are all running unopposed.
Other Municipal Elections Set
Elections elsewhere in Jackson County on Tuesday include the following:
Nicholson: Incumbent mayor Ronnie Maxwell faces a challenge from council member Lamar Watkins. For the two at-large council seats, former council member Faye Seagraves, Jan Webster, incumbent Chuck Wheeler and Vernon Wilson are all on the ballot.
Maysville: Former mayor Richard Presley, council member Lynn Villyard and Donna Chesonis are running for mayor to succeed Jerry Baker, who did not seek re-election. Running for city council seats are Clay Dorsey and Kathleen Bush, Ward 1; Clyde “Junior” Hardy and Jerry C. Parr, Ward 2; and Ricky Akins and former council member Scott Harper, Ward 4. Charlie Howington is running unopposed in Ward 3.
Jefferson: District 1, Steve Kinney and Robert Yates; District 5, Roy Plott, incumbent, and David Parks. Steve Quinn is running unopposed in District 3. In the school board races incumbents Angela McKinney (District 1), Willie Hughey (District 3) and Guy Dean Benson (District 5) are all running unopposed.
Pendergrass: Incumbent Monk Tolbert will run unopposed for mayor, while incumbents Hilda Gee and Thomas Marlow, plus William Ellis, will run for the two at-large council seats.
Braselton: Richard Mayberry (District 1) and Tonny Funari (District 2) are running unopposed. Braselton voters will decide on whether to allow the Sunday package sale of alcohol.
Hoschton: Incumbents Scott Butler (Post 5), Theresa Kenerly (Post 6) are running unopposed for council seats, as is David Poteet (Post 4). Hoschton voters will also decide whether to allow the Sunday sales of alcohol by the package.
Talmo: Because only the incumbents (Myra McEver, Seat 1, and Dana Woods, Seat 2) qualified, no election is necessary.
No elections are scheduled in Arcade for this year.
