Democratic mayoral candidates miss financial reporting deadline

Published 4:04 pm Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Tuesday marked a deadline for seven of the 10 candidates competing in Vicksburg’s upcoming municipal elections — of those, just three met the deadline.

Candidates participating in April 6’s Democratic Party primaries in Vicksburg were required to file a Report of Receipts and Disbursements report — often known as a campaign finance report — by 5 p.m. Tuesday. South Ward Alderman candidates Vickie Bailey and Thomas Mayfield each filed their reports, as did incumbent North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield.

The three candidates vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the race for mayor and North Ward Alderman challenger Alfred Webb did not submit their reports by Tuesday’s deadline.

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Mayoral candidates Troy Kimble and Willis Thompson both admitted Wednesday they had forgotten about the filing deadline and pledged to submit their forms quickly. Mayoral candidate Shawn Jackson said she was “checking with her campaign” to see if the form had been filed or if the campaign had missed the deadline.

Kimble, Thompson and Webb each filed reports late Wednesday afternoon. As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jackson had not filed a campaign finance report.

Under state law, filing the reports with the City Clerk’s office is “mandatory, even if no contributions were received or expenditures made during this period.” Only those candidates participating in April 6’s primary were required to file reports Tuesday. Those who have already earned positions in the June 8 general election are not required to file reports until June 1.

If any candidates are forced into an April 27 runoff, then those candidates would be required to file a report on April 20.

As for those competing for the South Ward Alderman Democratic nomination, Bailey showed she had received $1,335 in contributions while spending $3,079.01 on her campaign. Bailey’s largest contributions came from Glenda and Dennis Brandon, Janice Allen-Flowers, Marvell Spears and Benita Abraham, who each contributed $200. Her campaign also itemized eight other contributors, donating amounts from $40 to $100.

Bailey’s largest expense was with Signs on the Cheap. She reported spending $1,477.77 with the online sign company. She also showed a $400 reimbursement to Abraham for campaign push cards from Alcorn State University and another $400 reimbursement with Gailyn Sanders for the same thing. Among the other expenses listed, the largest remaining expense was $322.87 with Robert Anderson Catering for what was listed as a “Food for Candidate Talk Event.”

In her report, Bailey showed $209.05 on hand.

Her competitor, Thomas Mayfield, showed receiving $300 in contributions and itemized $2,173 in expenditures. The one contribution received came from his uncle, Henry Mayfield Jr. As for the expenditures, Mayfield showed advertising purchases with The Radio People in Vicksburg, campaign card purchases from Outside of the Box in Vicksburg and a $1,600 expense with Cole Custom Photos in Clinton for yard signs.

Overall, Thomas Mayfield reported a zero balance of cash on hand.

North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield’s report showed contributions of $1,750 and expenditures of $746. The itemized contributions were from Central Asphalt ($250), Ergon State P.A.C. ($500), and Neel Schaffer ($1,000).

As for the expenditures, Mayfield showed political advertising purchases with The Radio People and The Vicksburg Post.

Michael Mayfield, overall, reported cash on hand balance of $1,004.

In Webb’s filing, he showed contributions totaling $5,400, with $4,800 coming from him as a personal contribution to the campaign. Dr. Kenneth Nash, Debora Williams and Leothis Webb were the other contributors to Webb’s campaign, donating $200 each.

As for expenditures, Webb listed a total of $2,999.62 in spending, with the largest expense ($900) going to Deere Shirts in Raymond. He also reported $1,306 in food expenses for campaign events, among others.

As of the report’s filing, Webb showed a total of $2,400.38 in cash on hand.

In his filing, Thompson lists $5,200 in non-itemized contributions but did not provide the source of that $5,200. As for expenses, Thompson listed a total of $4,039 in total expenses, with signs from online sign vendor Signs On The Cheap ($1,073) and postage with the U.S. Postal Service ($1,610) being the campaign’s largest expenses. He also listed a $554.08 expense for printing with Burbank, Calif.-based GPrint.

Thompson’s report shows his campaign has $1,161 on hand.

Kimble reported a total of $5,500 in contributions and expenditures totaling $5,243.86, leaving him with a balance of $256.14.

As for contributions, Kimble listed an in-kind contribution from Ricky Hearn, who reportedly paid a $2,276.96 invoice at H&M Promotions on behalf of Kimble’s campaign. He also listed a $1,000 contribution from Joseph Strickland, owner of Strickland Surveying and Mapping, along with a $500 contribution from Amborn Brothers Rental. Kimble did not file an itemized list of his expenses.

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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