With the qualifying deadline for the March 17 special election for alderman-at-large in Petal quickly approaching, voters of the Friendly City will have several options for their next representative on the Petal Board of Aldermen.
As of press deadline Wednesday morning, seven candidates had turned in qualifying paperwork. The deadline for that process was 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Candidates include:
- John Brady Amacker, a 2019 graduate of Petal High School who is pursuing a major in political science at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has served as the Petal High School Speech and Debate Team captain, as well as historian of the Petal High School Student Council and as a member of the Southern Miss Student Government Association.
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- Andrew “Drew” Brickson, a retired lieutenant colonel with 21 years of active duty as an Airborne Ranger and Army engineer officer. Brickson graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1993 and is involved with the Petal Children’s Task Force, the YMCA board and the Asbury United Methodist Church board of trustees.
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- Larry Carraway, a retired employee of the City of Petal who studied at Pensacola Junior College – now known as Pensacola State College – in Pensacola, Florida. Carraway previously served as production director for Gannett Newspapers.
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- Jeffrey Ginn, a 10-year member of the City of Petal Planning Commission and a member of Petal-Harvey Baptist Church. Ginn earned an MBA from the University of Southern Mississippi and has 25 years of business experience.
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- Mike Lott, a graduate of William Carey University who serves as principal at South New Summit School in Hattiesburg. He also has served as principal at Runnelstown School, in the Mississippi House of Representatives and as assistant principal in the Petal School District.
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- Ann McWilliams, a full-time real estate professional with Re/Max Real Estate Partners and mother of two young sons.
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- Jeff Sapp, a former U.S. Navy Seabee and owner of Revitalizations in Hattiesburg.
Officials from Petal City Hall said they will not be able to release candidates’ qualifying papers until after the qualifying deadline, at which point more information will be available on the candidates.
Polls for the special election will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on election day, and any person in line by 7 p.m. is entitled to cast a ballot. Because it is a special election, all candidates are required to run as Independent.
If no candidate in the special election receives 50 percent of the vote plus one vote, a runoff election will be held shortly after the special election.
The winner will complete the remaining term of former alderman-at-large William King, who officially retired Feb. 1. To run for a full term, that candidate would be required to run for re-election in the summer 2021 election.
King announced his retirement at the Jan. 21 meeting of the Petal Board of Aldermen, where he said he wants to focus on spending more time with family.
King, who served in the National Guard for 32 years, was elected to the Petal Board of Aldermen in 2013.
