Jones not seeking 3rd term as supe
MADISON — Sheila Jones is not seeking another term on the Madison County Board of Supervisors, saying this week she wants to spend time with her grandchildren and the rest of her family.
Jones is in the final year of her second term as District 1 Supervisor and said she appreciates all the support over the last eight years. She encouraged others to run for office like she did.
“I learned a lot about Madison County as a whole,” Jones said. “We’ve got a beautiful county with many different places. I felt it was time for me to step down and enjoy time with my family and grandkids.”
Casey Brannon, husband of Madison the City Attorney Chelsea Brannon, announced he is running as a Republican to fill Jones’ District 1 seat.
Brannon said it is essential for Madison County to work together with its cities and he aims to push for that on the Board of Supervisors.
He said he has a wide range of ideas for the county if he wins the seat, such as infrastructure changes to make everyone’s road and traffic experiences better.
“Roads are important to me,” Brannon said. “A lot of people deal with traffic and bad roads, and I am 100 percent on board with making everyone’s lives better if we can make the roads and traffic better, such as paving roads that aren’t in the best condition.”
Brannon said he was inspired to run for office after watching his wife work as a city attorney. He hopes if elected he can bring more businesses to the county which in turn will create more jobs.
“Without the county’s support, cities want to get things done, but can’t,” Brannon said. “Cities like Ridgeland, Gluckstadt, Canton, and Madison need that support and I saw the need for it. I don’t want this seat going to someone who may or may not want to have that relationship between the county and the cities. I decided to go for it and see what happens.”
Former Madison County Election Commissioner Timothy Jenkins submitted qualifying paperwork on Wednesday to run for the supervisor seat, too.
Jenkins, also filing as a Republican, has lived in the district his entire life and said he wants to see change.
"I want a better representation of the county on the board," Jenkins said. "Before this I was an election commissioner for 10 years and I went out and talked to people. I asked them if they knew who represented them, and who they were voting for, and they didn't even know. We've got to build a better system. Look at Amazon. That kind of success needs to happen for the whole county."
Jenkins said he also wants to work with municipalities and reach compromises that benefit the whole county and not just a few people.
Tuesday marked the first day candidates could begin qualifying for the 2023 elections that include statewide offices and county offices.
A number of incumbents have also qualified as of Wednesday morning, according to Madison County Circuit Clerk Anita Wray. Those incumbents include:
• District 3 Supervisor Gerald Steen, Republican
• District 4 Supervisor Karl Banks, Democrat
• District 5 Supervisor Paul E. Griffin, Democrat
• Sheriff Randy Tucker, Republican,
• Chancery Clerk Ronny Lott, Republican
• Circuit Clerk Anita Wray, Republican
• County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Hancock, Republican
• Tax Assessor Norman Cannady Jr., Republican
• Justice Court Judge District 1 Marsha Weems Stacey, Republican
• Justice Court Judge District 2 Martina B. Griffin, Democrat
• Justice Court Judge District 3 Lloyd C. Spivey III, Republican
• Justice Court Judge District 4 Bruce McKinley, Republican
• Constable District 1 Michael L. (Mike) Brown, Republican
• Constable District 2 Johnny Sims, Democrat
• Constable District 3 K. Michael Bailey, Republican
• Constable District 4 Brad D. Harbour, Republican
• Coroner Alex Breeland, Republican
In statewide races, both State Rep. Jill Ford, Republican, and State Sen. Walter Michel, Republican, filed to run again.
Celeste Hurst also filed to run as a Republican in the newly-created District 75 House seat that encompasses Rankin, Madison and Scott counties.
The primary elections will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 8, with any runoffs set for Tuesday, Aug. 29. The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 7.