Meridian and Marion residents who will be out of town or otherwise unable to get to the polls on June 3 have just one more week to cast their votes via absentee ballot in this year’s municipal elections. Both Meridian City Hall and Marion Town Hall will be open Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon for final absentee voting, with absentee voting ending when those offices close.

 

This year’s elections include the mayoral seats for both municipalities, along with the five City Council seats for Meridian and five Board of Aldermen seats for Marion. The winners of the elections will be sworn in and begin four-year terms in July.

 

In Marion, municipal elections are nonpartisan, meaning candidates do not run as members of political parties. Without parties, the town does not hold primary elections to decide party nominees and skips straight to the general election June 3.

 

Unlike Meridian, which elects City Council members by ward, Marion aldermen run at large, with the entire town voting for each of the five Board of Aldermen seats. In the running are incumbents Norman Coleman, Stacy McInnis Blalock, Lou Ann Baylor and Tammy Young, as well as newcomers Shanta Michelle Hedgemon, Koredé S. Stennis and Rita Rawson. Rawson has previously served as alderman but is not a part of the current board.

 

Current Alderman Barbara Anthony did not qualify for reelection.

 

Marion Mayor Larry Gill will also be featured on the ballot. He is running unopposed for a second term.

 

In Meridian, voters sent a clear message for new leadership in the April primary elections, and the June 3 general election will decide who will be leading the city for the next four years.

 

On the ballot, local businessman and entrepreneur Jimmy Copeland is running as an Independent against Democratic former Mayor Percy Bland and Republican nominee Stephen Derik Boler for Meridian mayor. Current Mayor Jimmie Smith lost to Bland in a four-way primary contest in April.

 

In Ward 1, Republican Elliot Brewer will face off against Democrat Tyrone Johnson as voters look to find their next City Councilman. Current Councilman George Thomas, who has served on the council since 1985, has said he is retiring and did not qualify for reelection.

 

In Ward 2, Independent challenger Kyle L. Waller will take on incumbent Democrat Dwayne Davis for the council seat. With no Republican candidate qualifying and no additional candidates from their parties seeking the nomination, neither Waller nor Davis had to participate in the April primaries.

 

In Ward 3, Democrat Tracy V. Tims is looking for the City Council seat following a five-way primary battle in April and subsequent runoff that saw him defeat incumbent Joe Norwood Jr., who was running for a second term. Challenging Tims for the seat is Republican candidate Beverly Henson.

 

Like Marion’s mayoral race, Meridian’s Ward 4 contest is largely decided going into the general election. Councilwoman Romande Walker defeated former Councilwoman Kim Houston in the April primary election to win the party’s nomination. No Republican or Independent candidates qualified for the race, so Walker will be on the ballot unopposed.

 

As with wards 1 and 2, voters in Ward 5 are guaranteed a new representative on the City Council, but it will be the June 3 election that decides who. On the ballot, Republican Dustin Hill, Independent Ricky “Rick” Spells and Democrat Brandon Rue are all running to replace Councilwoman Ty Bell Lindsey. Lindsey, who is wrapping up her first term on the council, opted to forgo a second term in office and ran for mayor instead. She was defeated in the April primary.