It was a soggy Tuesday, but Mississippi voters turned out to vote for their local leadership:
While some mayoral races were decided in the primary elections last month, there were still plenty of close races to watch last night after polls closed.
The city of Oxford will have a new mayor: Robyn Tannehill, an unopposed Democrat candidate, will take office on July 3rd.
Starkville will also have a female mayor: Lynn Spruill, who won by 7 votes in the primary runoff last month. Spruill will transition from her former role as the city’s chief administrative officer.
Canton swapped out the current Mayor Arnel Bolden for former Mayor Dr. William Truly.
The capital city has a new mayor: Chokwe Antar Lumumba – the son of former Jackson Mayor Chockwe Lumumba who died in office in 2014. Lumumba rode a 23,000 vote landslide over 8 opponents Tuesday night.
The city of Pearl also waking up with a new mayor: Republican Jake Windham.
Meridian’s Democratic Mayor Percy Bland won a second term.
Brookhaven retained its Republican Mayor Joe Cox, winning by 600 votes.
Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. was reelected to a second term.
Long-time Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree is out, replaced by independent Toby Barker… DuPree had held his office since 2001.
And it was a shakeout along the Gulf Coast: Bay St. Louis elected Mike Favre as mayor, who beat incumbent Les Fillingame in the Democratic primary last month.
Moss Point electing a young Democrat mayor – Mario King.
Pascagoula’s Republican Dane Maxwell sailed past Democrat Jenafer Gurly and independent Lazaro J. Rovira, to replace Mayor Jim Blevins who didn’t return for a second term.
Perhaps the biggest surprise on the Coast, though, was the unseating of three-term Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran by 30 year-old newcomer Republican Shea Dobson, who ran an underdog campaign focused on increased transparency and renewed leadership.
