CARROLLTON – Some election years may elicit little more than ho-hum interest from Carroll County voters, but not this one.
Several county races are hard-fought, with numerous candidates working to get to the top of the heap. In this year’s Democratic primary, where most local races are fought, there are challenges for the posts of supervisors, sheriff, chancery clerk, tax assessor/collector, Northern District constable, Southern District constable, and Northern District Justice Court judge.
District 1 and 2 supervisors’ posts have a lot of interest, particularly Beat 1, which was left vacant by incumbent Terry Herbert’s decision not to run. Beats 2 and 3 also have challengers, but Beat 3 will not play out until November, when incumbent Marvin Coward runs as an independent against Edward Dill Tucker, also running as an independent.
One of the most talked-about races is that for sheriff. Incumbent Jerry Carver has four Democratic challengers – Scott Beck, Grant Gammill, Clint Walker and Art Hicks.
All of the candidates have strong backgrounds in law enforcement. Carver is completing his second term as Carroll sheriff; Beck is a former Carroll Chief deputy; Gammill is currently working as a policeman and has been a Carroll deputy; Walker is a drug enforcement agent; Hicks has many years in police and investigation work.
Longtime incumbent Chancery Clerk Sugar Mullins has one opponent, Kirk Clements. Clements works as a chief engineer in the cooking and ventilation platform at Viking Range in Greenwood. Mullins is currently completing his fifth term as clerk.
After incumbent Pam Mann decided not to run again for tax assessor/collector, former Assessor/Collector Wilton Neal entered the race, as did Jay Williams, who is employed currently as a cotton warehouse manager.
The Beat 1 supervisor’s race is hot, with four candidates campaigning hard — Alan Jackson, Scott Montgomery, James A. “Jim” Neill Jr., and Jerry Noland. The winner will go against independent Bill Gardner.
Longtime incumbent Supervisor Lloyd “Honey” Ashmore has one Democrat challenger and two Republican challengers.
Terry Brown is running on the Democratic side, and Scotty Thornton and Mary Wiggins are running as Republicans.
In the race for Northern District Justice Court judge, incumbent Jimmy Avant has two opponents, Gary Bankston and James W. “Bill” Henderson.
In the Northern District constable’s race, David K. Mims is seeking to unseat incumbent Joe Holman.
Three people want the job of incumbent Southern District Constable Rob Banks. They are Andy Langham, Slabb Stovall and Michael Weeks Sr.
Mark A. Stiles will be unopposed for coroner on the Democratic ticket but will face Michael Roberts, an independent, in November.
