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Candidates set for Ward 3 special election

 

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Voting for Ward 3 Alderman will be held at Traceway Park (200 Soccer Row, Clinton, MS 39056) on August 2, 2022, from 7 AM to 7 PM.

By Randy Bell

One of the candidates running in next month’s special election for Ward 3 alderman in Clinton believes his background in the law profession sets him apart from his opponents. Another says he has more time to devote to the job than the other candidates. One says living in Clinton as a child helped to shape who he is today. Another describes himself as a “blue collar kind of guy.” And the last candidate to qualify says he didn’t really want to run but “felt compelled to.”

Ronnie Morton, Gary Rosamond, Robert Chapman, Chris Hughes and Reggie Walker are the five candidates who will be on the ballot August 2 in the race to fill the vacancy on the Board created by the death of Ward 3 Alderman Bill Barnett in June.

Morton is an attorney who moved to Clinton as a college student in 1984. He says the city is in desperate need of economic growth.

“I believe that my practice in dealing with business owners, job creators and families puts me in a unique position to understand the needs of those individuals,” said Morton.

Morton says he would be able to craft policies to encourage businesses and families to move to Clinton.

“We’ve got to increase the population of the city in order to attract retail,” Morton says. “Retail and restaurants are what people are clamoring for.” But, he says, while bringing in new residents, the City must also protect the investment of those who already call Clinton home by maintaining a consistent plan for growth.

Rosamond has lived in Clinton since 1982, retiring after thirty-six years in the trucking industry, then spending eight years driving a school bus. He retired from that job in May and says, even though serving on the Board of Aldermen is considered a part-time position, having no other job responsibilities would allow him to focus his full attention on representing Ward 3.
“It’s a service job,” Rosamond says. “And I just love to see things get done.”

Rosamond says his priorities include “making sure the money we have is invested right and spent right” and continuing to make infrastructure improvements. Rosamond ran for the Ward 3 seat in the Republican primary last year – finishing second – trailing Barnett by only 51 votes.

Chapman moved to Clinton as a third-grader in 1993, and he credits the city with giving him a “well-rounded attitude and education” developed in the Clinton Public Schools’ classrooms, on the soccer and baseball fields at Traceway Park and as part of church choirs and Attaché. These days, he’s responsible for telling the CPS story through his job as public information officer and webmaster for the school district.

And as to why he is running for alderman: “It’s my turn to take up the reins and do my part to help progress Clinton into the future.” Chapman believes recruiting young families to the city is crucial, and he wants to focus on “what we can do to bring them here and keep them.”

Hughes is a Baton Rouge native who has lived in Clinton for six years. He works as a Realtor and as banquet manager for Reunion Golf and Country Club in Madison. Hughes says he looked at other cities in the metro area before discovering that Clinton would be “a wonderful place to raise a family.” He says he’s concerned about the City’s infrastructure and wants to make sure the schools “stay on top.”

While Hughes has an affinity for blue collar workers and “everyday people,” he says Ward 3 has a good mix of residents, many with professional jobs, and he wants “all to be represented.” He says he’s a “true independent” who would be beholden to his constituents, regardless of their party affiliation.

Hughes says, “I’m a common sense candidate.”

Walker had been in Alaska with his family for a few weeks and didn’t realize there was a special election for alderman until two days before the qualifying deadline. After speaking with his wife, he decided to run. Walker turned in his qualifying papers on July 13, with little time to spare. He is pastor of a Vicksburg church and has lived in Clinton for sixteen years.

 

Walker says he doesn’t think of himself as a politician and says his decision to become a candidate was based on “divine direction.” He says his thirty-five years in the ministry have given him leadership experience.

“I consider Clinton a wonderful city and want to be a part of helping it stay that way,” says Walker. Even though his church work keeps him “plenty busy,” he says he’s found that “busy people get more done.”

The candidates will appear on the ballot with no party labels. The special election on August 2 will be held at the Parks and Recreation administration building at Traceway Park. Ward 3 residents who qualify to vote absentee can already do so at the City Clerk’s office at Brighton Park.

If no candidate receives at least fifty per cent of the vote plus one vote, the top two candidates will meet in a runoff August 23. Once a new alderman has been chosen, that person will be sworn in during the next Board of Aldermen’s meeting.



 

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