election

Fayette County Superintendent of Education Jim Burkhalter defeated Berry High School Principal Steve Sawyer in the June 21 Republican Primary runoff election. The win virtually assures Burkhalter of a third term as superintendent, since he will not have a Democratic challenger for the office during the November general election.

On Nov. 3, local voters will decide on their choice for president, a U.S. senate seat, a Congressional House seat, President of the Public Service Commission, two county commission seats, state amendments and one local amendment that will affect only Fayette County.

Scottie Carl Porter filed a motion in Fayette County Circuit Court on Oct. 8, seeking to nullify Virettia Whiteside’s election on Oct. 6 as the Ward 1 Fayette City Council member. Porter claimed in his complaint that Whiteside was not eligible for the Ward 1 seat due to “misconduct, fraud, or corruption,” and that her residency is not in Ward 1. He claimed that Whiteside’s proper address is in Ward 3, and that she owns a house located in that ward.

A runoff election to fill the Fayette City Council seat for Ward 1 will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at the Fayette Civic Center. This will be the only race on the ballot. Virettia Whiteside will face Steve Herring in Ward 1 to fill the council seat currently held by Linda McCraw. McCraw did not seek re-election.

Rod Northam won the Aug. 25 Fayette mayoral race over three opponents, collecting 781 votes and winning the position without a runoff. Current Fayette City Councilman Cedric Wilson finished second in the race, gathering 451 votes. Max Weaver received 149 votes and Kevin Bass collected 140 votes for mayor. Northam, a former engineer and plant manager at the 3M plant in Guin, earned the victory in his first attempt at political office.

Former Berry City Councilman Wesley Jacobs and political newcomer Robert Townley were the big local winners in the July 14 Republican primary runoff election. Jacobs defeated Roger Morrison 395 (58.52 percent) to 280 (41.48 percent) to secure his nomination for the County Commission District 4 seat. Current District 4 Commissioner James Knight was defeated during the March 3 primary, and since there will be no Democratic opposition for the commission seat in November, Jacobs is virtually assured a position on the commission.

The Glen Allen Town Council met in regular session on Tuesday, July 7 at the Glen Allen Community Center. Councilwoman Gail Bircheat and Councilman Dustin Youngblood were not in attendance for the monthly meeting. Following standard operating procedures, Mayor Allen J. Dunavant announced the notice for the  election of municipal officers. Citizens will elect the mayor and council members for each place on the town’s governing council.

The July 14 primary runoff election features no Democratic ballot and a short Republican ballot for eligible voters. Voters who voted in the Democratic primary on March 3 are barred by law from “crossing over” and voting in the Republican runoff primary on July 14. Voters who did not vote in the March 3 primary, or who only voted on the Constitutional amendments, are eligible to vote in the runoff, along with the Republican primary voters.

The Glen Allen Town Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 2. The monthly meeting was held at the town’s community center to abide by social distancing recommendations in dealing with COVID-19. Councilwoman Gail Bircheat and Councilman Dustin Youngblood were absent. Mayor Allen J. Dunavant presented before the council Ordinance 2-2020, which recommended setting qualification fees for the upcoming August municipal elections.

Longtime Fayette Revenue Commissioner Ruby Porter defeated challenger Marion Dodson 2,808 to 1,641 votes to secure the Republican nomination for her current position during the March 3 primary. Since there is no Democratic opposition for the office, Porter is basically assured of her re-election to the position. The unofficial totals from the March 3 primary show that 5,436 votes were cast in Fayette County, with 4,633 votes (85.23 percent) cast on Republican ballots.