TUPELO â¢Â Todd Jordan, a Lee County supervisor and a realtor, on Tuesday night won the Republican primary for mayor, upending the local political status quo and cementing a rapid rise through the ranks of power.
In unofficial results, Jordan, 50, defeated Markel Whittington, 71, a three-term member of the Tupelo City Council, by capturing 54.9% of the Republican primary vote. Jordan held a 416-vote lead, before absentee ballots were counted. According to the municipal clerk, there are only 179 outstanding absentee ballots in the Republican primary.
Whittington ran as an experienced leader in city government who could lead Tupelo with a steady hand, but Jordan promised a fresh face and a new direction at City Hall, and didnât hesitate to criticize outgoing Mayor Jason Shelton.
TUPELO â¢Â Todd Jordan, a Lee County supervisor and a realtor, on Tuesday night won the Republican primary for mayor, upending the local political status quo and cementing a rapid rise through the ranks of power.
In unofficial results, Jordan, 50, defeated Markel Whittington, 71, a three-term member of the Tupelo City Council, by capturing 54.9% of the Republican primary vote. Jordan held a 416-vote lead, before absentee ballots were counted. According to the municipal clerk, there are only 179 outstanding absentee ballots in the Republican primary.
Whittington ran as an experienced leader in city government who could lead Tupelo with a steady hand, but Jordan promised a fresh face and a new direction at City Hall, and didnât hesitate to criticize outgoing Mayor Jason Shelton.
TUPELO â¢Â Three city council races are headed to runoffs, with challengers trying to oust incumbents in Ward 6 and Ward 7 and two fresh-faces to local politics vying for an open seat in Ward 1.
In Ward 1, Amanda Angle and Chad Mims will meet in an April 27 runoff. Ward 6 Councilman Mike Bryan will face challenger Janet Gaston. Ward 7 Councilman Willie Jennings will face challenger Rosezlia âRosieâ Jones.
After Republican primary results were tabulated, nearly-complete but still uncertified results showed that in Ward 1, Mims nearly won the four-person field outright with about 48% of the vote, while Angle captured about 38%. Of the other Ward 1 candidates, Eric Hampton had about 8% and Megan Kessler had about 4%.
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TUPELO ⢠Voters in the All America City will cast ballots today that will shape the next four years of municipal leadership.
Tupelo will see contested primaries in Tuesdayâs elections for mayor, as well as a number of city elections.
Few races will be settled by primaries, however.
In the mayoral race, for example, Todd Jordan and Markel Whittington are competing for the Republican nominee, with the winner set to face Democrat Victor Fleitas in a June 8 general election.
Whittington is an incumbent City Council member and local businessman seeking the cityâs top elected position. He has run on his experience in city government, including the economic successes of the last two terms.