TUPELO • A trio of candidates in Ward 5 are running campaigns that highlight their personal biographies and an authentic desire to better the community.
TUPELO â¢Â Incumbent Ward 3 Councilman Travis Beard, who is currently running for re-election, filed his required ethics form past the statutory deadline, skirting a provision of the stateâs ethics laws.
State law requires candidates running for public office to file a statement of economic interest with the State Ethics Commission within 15 days after the qualifying period ends. The qualifying deadline was Feb. 5, which means the deadline for candidates to submit their economic interest forms was on Friday, Feb. 20.
However, thereâs a slight loophole in the timeline for submitting the form. Although the stated deadline for candidates to file is Feb. 20, the law also allows incumbents to submit the form no later than May 1, giving incumbents running for re-election two possible deadlines to submit the form.
TUPELO ⢠Nettie Davis has won a pathway to her sixth term of office in Ward 4, while matchups between incumbents and challengers in Ward 2 and Ward 3 are now known.
According to nearly complete but uncertified results in Ward 2, Demetra Tubbs-Sherer won almost 58% of the vote in a Democrat primary to defeat Candice Knowles. As the Democrat nominee, Tubbs-Sherer will face Ward 2 incumbent Lynn Bryan, a Republican, in the June 8 general election.
Sherer is a real estate agent for Tommy Morgan Realtors; Bryan is a construction contractor.
In Ward, 3, incumbent Councilman Travis Beard won a contested Republican primary, defeating Bradley Gillespie with about 72% of the vote. In a Democratic primary in the same ward, Kenneth Wayne captured about 77% of the vote to defeat Maddie Ludt. Beard and Wayne will compete in the general election.
TUPELO
⢠Around a dozen candidates running for Tupelo municipal office have missed a deadline to properly disclose sources of their income and other financial interests, running afoul of state ethics laws.
Mississippi requires candidates for public office to file a statement of economic interest with the State Ethics Commission within 15 days after the qualifying period ends. The qualifying deadline was Feb. 5, which means the deadline for candidates to submit their economic interest forms was on Friday, Feb. 20.
Even though theyâve missed the statutory deadline, candidates still have around a year to submit their disclosures to the Mississippi Ethics Commission before they could possibly face a fine for their inaction.