The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office has set a date for the upcoming special election to fill the Alderman-at-Large seat that will be vacated when incumbent William King officially retires on Feb. 1.
The election will be held March 17, with polls around the city open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Anyone in line by 7 p.m. is entitled to cast a ballot.
Because it is a special election, all candidates will be required to run as Independent, necessitating a petition with the signatures of 50 register voters in order to qualify. Candidates must be a resident and qualified elector of the City of Petal.
Paperwork can be picked up at Petal City Hall, 119 West 8th Avenue in Petal. The qualifying deadline to submit paperwork to the city clerk is 5 p.m. February 26.
The winner of the election will fill out the remainder of King’s term, which will last through the end of 2021. To run for a second term, that candidate would be required to run for re-election in the summer of that year.
If no candidate in the special election garners the necessary 50 percent of the vote plus one vote, a runoff election will be held shortly afterward.
King announced his retirement at the January 21 meeting of the Petal Board of Aldermen, where he said he wants to focus on spending more time with family.
He served in the National Guard for 32 years, where he was assigned to Joint Force Headquarters and was attached to the 184th Rear Detachment, headquartered in Hattiesburg.
He was elected to the Petal Board of Aldermen in 2013.
