With a crowded field of Republicans and no Democrats in the race for the Lamar County District 4 seat, a runoff will more than likely determine who will take over for current supervisor Phillip Carlisle, who is vacating the position to run for chancery clerk.
Eight candidates will be featured in the primary on Aug. 6: Mitch Brent, J. Robert Burge, Tony E. Shifalo Jr., Brian McPhail, Joshua Kent Grantham, John Reese, Matthew L. Stuart and Eddie Thaggard.
District 4 takes up much of the business corridor on U.S. 98 and stretches west down the highway past Jerry Lott Road. It also encompasses a large amount of Oak Grove, including the Cole Road and Old Highway 24 areas, before stopping short of District 3 north of Purvis.
Brent, who is a graduate of Oak Grove High School and Southern Miss, is a Shelter Insurance agent. He has served on the boards of the Lake Serene Property Owners Association, the Oak Grove Athletic Association, the USM Dugout Club and the Oak Grove High School Warrior Club.
He is an involved member of Temple Baptist Church, where he serves on the security team, as an usher and a children’s Sunday school teacher. Brent represented Lamar County on the board of directors of the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District and is the past president of the Oak Grove Jaycees and the USM Alumni Association Hattiesburg Chapter. He also was on the American Cancer Society Men in Pink 2018 team.
Brent is married to Kelli Cartee Brent with two children: Jonathan and Ansley.
“Growing up in Lamar County and raising my own family here, I want to uphold conservative, common-sense values,” Brent said. “My years of community service and business experience have prepared me to represent District 4 and the good of Lamar County as a whole.”
Burge is an operation engineer at Lamar Park Water & Sewer Association and holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Mississippi State University. He is a professional engineer and licensed water operator.
He is married to Courtney Burge with three children: James Barron, Chelsey Santellanes and Katie Burge.
“The next few years will be especially important for Lamar County, and we need supervisors with critical thinking and reasoning skills to find the best solutions for our residents,” Burge said. “I have those skills.”
Shifalo, who is retired, holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is an active member of Immanuel Baptist Church and serves of the board of Lake Serene Property Owners Association.
He and his wife, Gayle Shifalo, have three children: Amy Lott, Jessica Vaughn and Joseph Shifalo.
“I am running for this office to help Lamar County grow,” Shifalo said.
McPhail, a graduate of Oak Grove High School and Southern Miss, is broker/owner at Colonial Realty. He has served as past president of the Hattiesburg Homebuilders Association and the Hattiesburg Area Association of Realtors.
He is married to Malou and has four children: Megan, Adam, Aerigh and Aivah.
“Lamar County has blessed my family in more ways than I can count,” McPhail said. I believe that if someone has the opportunity to give back, they should, and that’s why I want to be your next supervisor for District 4.
“I have grown up, worked and raised my family in Oak Grove, and am proud to call Lamar County home. I believe that I have the business experience, education, and understanding of the county be an effective supervisor, and I am totally committed to working to ensure Lamar County continues to grow and prosper.”
According to Grantham’s Facebook page, he is employed at J&S Dirtworks and attended Oak Grove High School and Jones County Junior College.
Stuart is a lifelong resident of Lamar County.
“I believe I am well-qualified to serve the residents of District 4 Lamar County,” he said in a Facebook post.
No information was submitted for Reese and Thaggard.
If none of the candidates in the primary receive 50 percent of the vote plus one vote, a runoff election will be held Aug. 27. The winner will be unopposed in the November general election, as no Independent candidates have qualified for that election.
"EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally appeared in the Thursday, July 2,5 issue of The PineBelt NEWS, but inadvertently included incomplete information. It's re-printed here in its entirety. We regret the error."
