Starkville Planning and Zoning Commissioner Jason Camp held on for a one-vote victory over Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
The Republican Municipal Election Committee rejected three affidavits this morning in the race, which allowed Camp to claim a 104-103 win over the two-term incumbent.
Committee members rejected one of the affidavit ballots because the voter wasn’t registered. The other two were from eligible voters who had to vote affidavit because they were deemed “inactive.” Poll workers, however, did not sign the affidavits, as required, meaning the ballots were invalid.
Since they weren’t validated, all three ballots remained sealed. However, Carver said he knows both of the people whose votes were not counted because their ballots were signed by a poll worker. He believes both supported him.
Carver said today he intends to send the rejected affidavits to the Secretary of State’s office for verification. However, he doesn’t intend to challenge the election if the rejection is upheld there.
“Let’s see what the Secretary of State’s office says, but if it stands, it’s obviously disappointing,” Carver said. “You hate to see any election be decided by errors made by poll workers. I’m not sure if it was a lack of training or what, but it’s disappointing.”
Voting machine tallies had the two candidates deadlocked at 101 votes each Tuesday night, but a 3-2 split of five absentee ballots gave Camp the narrow edge coming into today. Election commissioners confirmed the tally of those absentee votes this morning. Camp said the narrow vote “underscores the importance of exercising your right to vote.”
“I would like to publicly thank my wife, Kristy, my daughter, Molly, family and friends who have been my biggest supporters in this campaign,” he said in a statement. “I have had the chance to meet so many people in Ward 1, and I thank them for inviting me into their homes and talking to me over the last four months.”
Carver was looking to secure his third term in office, a feat he said is “near impossible in a small-town election.”
“I’m very excited about the $394 million in growth while in office, and I look forward to continued growth in Ward 1,” he said.
Camp will face Democrat Christine Williams, a graduate teaching and research assistant at the MSU Department of Political Science and Public Administration, in the June 6 general election.
Williams took in 304 votes Tuesday as an uncontested candidate.
Miller takes 5
Starkville’s incoming administration is guaranteed at least one new member after Planning and Zoning Commissioner Patrick Miller defeated challenger Kayla Gilmore with almost 80 percent of Tuesday’s vote.
Miller secured 395 votes in the Democratic primary, while Gilmore took in 101 ballots.
Ward 5’s election was decided Tuesday after former Republican candidate Chase Neal withdrew from the race last month.
“This is an honor I do not take lightly, and I’m aware the next four years will require much dedication,” Miller said. “It is my greatest intention that my hard work and actions as alderman will merit the highest quality of life possible for the citizens of Starkville.”
Like Camp, Miller is an employee of the Mississippi State University Extension Center for Government and Community Development.
He will replace Republican Scott Maynard, who opted not to seek re-election after serving one term. Once in office, Miller is expected to nominate Ward 5’s replacement on the planning and zoning board.
Vaughn advances to June
Ward 7’s Democratic Primary between Alderman Henry Vaughn and challenger Margaret “Ann” Moore ended with the incumbent taking about 65 percent of the day’s votes.
Vaughn, who is seeking a third term, earned 258 votes, compared to Moore’s 136 tally.
He now faces Republican Roben Dawkins in the June 6 general election.
Dawkins, a Republican, works as a senior pilot at the MSU Flight Department.
Vaughn was first elected in 2009 when he unseated incumbent Janette Self in that year’s Democratic primary.
Other races
With Miller’s outright victory and Ward 3 Alderman David Little and Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins, three of the seven board seats are now set.
Besides the elections in Wards 1 and 7, a three-way race between Republican Jesse Carver, Democrat Sandra Sistrunk and independent Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn will be decided in June, while Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker, a Democrat, will face Republican Pete Ledlow in the general election.
Jesse Carver, the brother of Ben Carver, is an agent with the New York Life Insurance Company; Sistrunk is a former Ward 2 alderman who works as Spruill Property Management’s part-time office manager; and Wynn is a first-term alderman who won the seat as a Democrat.
Walker is an associate professor and undergraduate coordinator with MSU’s Department of Landscape Architecture, while Ledlow owns Pete’s Transmission.
Reporter Slim Smith contributed to this article.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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