More election qualifiers announced

By David Lazenby

While some local politicians this week got a first-time look at their opponents with election qualifying completed Tuesday, several municipal officials now have the relief of knowing their positions are secure.

In West Point the only person who qualified to run for town council who is not already on the board, Steve Link, is running to fill the seat of an official who declined to seek re-election, Pat McKenzie.

“We won’t be having an election,” said town clerk Joyce Sapp.

Garden City officials find themselves in the same position.

“Everybody in office has now qualified and there is no opposition,” town clerk Pam Leslie said.

West Point incumbents who will remain in office after the Aug. 26 election are Mayor Kenneth Kilgo and councilors Vivian Woods, Gerald Schaefer, Jeana Hines and Jerry Smith. Garden City officials who will keep their jobs for four more years are Mayor Harden Davis and councilors Joe Chafin, Tim Eskew, Rufus McAnnally and Scott Arnold.

Fairview is another town where an election will not be necessary because of the absence of challengers to the incumbent mayor, Randall Shedd, and current council members Hubert Phillips, Norman Dye, Paula Edge, Steve Callahan and Cindy Miller.

Not all town officials are so lucky. Colony Mayor Earlene Johnson will face opposition from Morris Fitts. Also in Colony, Donnis Lee is challenging incumbent John H. Turner for his seat on the council. Also running for council is Patrick C. Moore, who will run unopposed for Seat 3 on the board. Incumbent Penny Turner is not seeking re-election.

Colony incumbents who are running unopposed are William L. Turner, Alicestine Green and J.C. Hull.

Unlike Colony, all of Hanceville’s incumbent town councilors are running again. They are Joann Walls, Selma Barnett, Larry Cornett, Hubert Jones and Wayne Armstrong.

Also running in the race are Rhonda Jett and John Whitaker for Place 1; Sally Alexander for Place 2; Kim Brown and Rodell Knight for Place 3; Charles Wilson and Oscar Santiago for Place 4; and James Sawyer and Ed Flaig for Place 5.

One Hanceville incumbent not seeking re-election is mayor Katie Whitley. Candidates running for the position are Connie Martin, Doug Batemon, former Hanceville council member Bobby Brown and former Hanceville mayor Kenneth Nail.

Hanceville is not the only community where the mayor is calling it quits. Cullman Mayor Don Green declined to run for re-election.

Five others, however, will vie for the spot including city councilor Ernest Hauk, Eric Perry, Lou Bradford, Marshall Rowe and Max A. Townson.

Of the five current Cullman council members, only two — Garlan Grudger, Jr. and Wayne Walker — chose to qualify. Other candidates who qualified for the position include Andy “Coach” Page and Kerry Watson for Place 1; Johnny Cook, Jewell Hall and O.B. “Red” Parris for Place 3; Larry Entrekin, Allen “Bubba” Green and Clint Hollingsworth for Place 4; and Jenny Folsom and C. Blake West for Place 5.

In Good Hope, incumbents and new candidates are running for almost every position.

Incumbent Mayor Gordon Dunagan will face Corey Harbison and current council member David Scott in the August election.

Council members who qualified to keep their job were Danny Buchanan, Carroll Gray and Susan Eller. Not running again for the board is Virginia Henry.

The board members’ opponents will include John Harris and Alisha Jones for Place 1; Maxie Jones for Place 2; Greg Brown for Place 3; Jerry Bartlett, James Calvert and Donna Hudson for Place 4; and Jimmy Caudle for Place 5.

In Holly Pond, the race for mayor will be between Herman Nail and Carla Hart. Incumbent Mayor Paul Barnett decided not to run in the election.

The only new Holly Pond council member will be Lou Thomas. She will replace current council member Donnie Clem, who decided not to run this year.

Incumbent councilors keeping their seats are Bartee Bryan, Carol Hill, Paul Brown and Ricky Carr.

Citizens of Dodge City will only have new choices for mayor and Council Place 1 on election day. Incumbent Mayor Perry Ray will face off against Jeremy Barber. Jason Burney and Murray Lowe will go head to head for the Council Place 1 seat being vacated by Priscilla Stewart.

Incumbents for the other four council positions — Tawana Canada, Anthony Todd, Inez McDonald and Ervin Chumley — are unopposed.

Candidate qualifications could not be obtained by deadline for Baileyton and South Vinemont.

Staff writer Patrick McCreless contributed to this report.