Jackson announces bid to become Vicksburg’s mayor

Published 1:29 pm Monday, January 25, 2021

Just over a year after being sworn in as a member of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, Shawn Jackson is now seeking a different public office.

Jackson filed her qualifying papers Monday, seeking to become Vicksburg’s next mayor.

Jackson was among a group of four new supervisors who swept into office during the November 2019 election, defeating incumbent Charles Selmon in a runoff.

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By qualifying, Jackson becomes just the second person to file papers to run for mayor, following incumbent George Flaggs Jr. who filed his paperwork Friday.

Jackson qualified as a Democrat, while Flaggs has filed as an independent.

By qualifying as an independent, Flaggs’ name will not be on the ballot until the June 8 election. By filing as a Democrat, Jackson’s name will appear in the April 6 party primary. The winner of that primary — if any others qualify as a Democrat — will then move on to the June 8 election.

While the two might find themselves running against each other on the June 8 ballot, Flaggs and Jackson have both supported each other recently. In 2019, Flaggs endorsed Jackson in her race for District 3 supervisor. And in November, Jackson attended a fundraiser for Flaggs, allowed his campaign to use her name as a supporter and committed up to $250 to his re-election bid.

Other individuals qualifying for the upcoming municipal elections include Vickie Bailey, Thomas “TJ” Mayfield and Alex Monsour, South Ward alderman, and Michael Mayfield, North Ward Alderman. Monsour and Mayfield are incumbents. The mayor’s salary is $106,520.12 per year. The salary for aldermen is $85,224.67 per year.

To run for office, a candidate must be a registered voter in the city where they plan to run, have never been convicted of bribery, perjury or any other crime punished by a minimum of one year in prison, unless pardoned, and never been convicted of a felony in state or federal court.

To qualify for a party primary, a candidate must submit qualifying papers at least 60 days before the first primary and pay a $10 qualifying fee.

Candidates running as independents must file qualifying papers and a qualifying petition signed by 50 registered voters in the city within 60 days before the first primary election. Independent candidates do not have to pay a filing fee.

To win in the first primary, which is a party primary, a candidate must win by 50 percent of the vote plus one more vote.

The deadline for candidates to qualify for the upcoming municipal elections is Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. All three positions on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen will be contested, first in a primary election on April 6 and then in the general election on June 8.

About Tim Reeves

Tim Reeves, and his wife Stephanie, are the parents of three children, Sarah Cameron, Clayton and Fin, who all attend school in the Vicksburg Warren School District. The family are members of First Baptist Church Vicksburg. Tim is involved in a number of civic and volunteer organizations including the United Way of West Central Mississippi and serves on the City of Vicksburg's Riverfront Redevelopment Committee.

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