2014 Local Election Updates

As the petition deadline date looms on the horizon, campaigns are already heating up across the County. In contested elections for the May County Primary, Adderhold and Estes are two out of a potential field of four that have qualified for the spring race. Only incumbent Palmieri has turned in his qualifying paperwork for the position of Jefferson County Mayor, though two Republicans and one Democrat have picked up petitions. Of the four Republicans and one Independent that have petitions out for Jefferson County Sheriff, only incumbent McCoig and Kearney have qualified, as of Friday, January 24, 2014. Three of the four potential candidates for General Sessions Judge, Randolph, Roach and Scroggins, have qualified to be on the ballot in May. Currently, several races are uncontested and only Circuit Court Judge Part I and Public Defender have no qualifying candidates, though a petition has been picked up, but not returned, for Public Defender.

Several potential candidates have picked up for the August election, which includes all County Commission districts and Districts 1 and 3 of the School Board and Highway Commission. For the County Commission, incumbents Kesterson and Maples, as well as Scott Fream, have picked up for District 1. Keith Carr and incumbent Jimmy Dale Patterson have picked up for District 2. Incumbents Musick and Tabor have picked up for District 3, which has three Commission positions. Turner and Cureton, both incumbents, have picked up for District 4 and four potential candidates have picked up petitions for District 5-incumbant Solomon, as well as Norma Griffin, Bill Potts and Stanley Shaw. Two petitions are out in District 6, one to incumbent Blevins and one to Robert Clark. Incumbents Scarlett and Akard, as well as Randy Bales, have picked up for District 7. Three Petitions were picked up in District 8-incumbants Dockery and Tucker, as well as Randy Bergen have petitions out. David Seal and incumbent Carmichael have picked up petitions for District 9. Three potential candidates have picked up petitions for District 10-incumbants Sheets and Beeler, as well as Marcus Reed. All districts, with the exception of District 3, have two Commission seats. District 3 has three County Commission seats. Only two candidates have qualified as of Friday, January 24, 2014 for the August County Commission election-Bob Beeler (District 10) and Jack Akard (District 7).

Incumbent for District 1 School Board, Anne Marie Lovelace Potts, has picked up a petition for the August election. District 3 incumbents, Bill Jarnigan and Jim Vines, as well as MaDonna Burton, have picked up petitions for School Board Representatives, however, as of press time no qualifying petitions have been returned for School Board in any district.

Currently, there are no petitions out for Highway Commission District 1 and one petition is out for Highway Commission District 3-Joe Simpson. One petition is out for Republican Executive Committeeman, Hobart Rice. Democrat Marjorie Ramsey has qualified and will be on the ballot for State Representative for District 11.