A third Carroll County independent candidate is challenging the county Election Commission’s decision to disqualify him over paperwork issues.
Bill Vail, who had filed to run for Beat 1 supervisor, will appeal the commission’s decision in circuit court. Vail was among five independent candidates disqualified by the commission.
Carroll County coroner candidate Bill Lord and Beat 3 supervisor candidate Charles Mims have also filed appeals of the rulings. Gladys Holmes Hodges, a candidate for chancery clerk, and Beat 1 supervisor candidate Travis “Bubba” DeLoach were also disqualified by the commission but didn’t file an appeal.
The five candidates had failed to fill in part or all of the header on each page of their petitions to run as independents. Under Mississippi law, a candidate must list his or her name, the office sought and the date of the election. Hodges and Lord failed to fill in the date; DeLoach and Mims had left the header blank on at least one page. Vail had left the header blank on all pages.
The Mississippi Supreme Court appointed senior status Judge Breland Hilburn to hear the appeals filed by Lord and Mims after all the local circuit court judges recused themselves from hearing the case.
Carroll County Circuit Clerk Durward Stanton said this morning that the circuit court judges hadn’t yet recused themselves from Vail’s appeal but likely would in the coming days.
Stanton said he anticipated Hilburn being appointed to hear that case as well and that the three appeals would likely be dealt with at a single hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.
The issue of incomplete qualification papers surfaced after Carroll County Chancery Clerk Sugar Mullins questioned the candidacy of Hodges, who was seeking to unseat him. Mullins previously told the Commonwealth that he was unaware of similar issues with the qualifying petitions of the other four candidates.
All five candidates were disqualified by 3-1 votes. Election Commission Chairman Ed Corder was the lone dissenter on each decision. Commissioner April Neill, whose husband, Jim Neill Jr., is running for Beat 1 supervisor, abstained.
• Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
