See who will be on ballots for Rankin and Madison county boards of supervisors

Party primaries are Aug. 8 for county board of supervisor seats in both Rankin and Madison counties.

Below is a list of the candidates who will be on those ballots.

Rankin County

Only Districts 1 and 2 have multiple Republican candidates competing against each other in the Rankin County Republican Primary. Republicans and Democrats in Districts 3, 4 and 5 are running unopposed and will face off in the general election on Nov. 7.

Below is a list of Rankin County Board of Supervisor candidates:

District 1

The incumbent District 1 supervisor Jared Morrison, who has served on the board for 16 years, is not seeking reelection for the board. Instead, he is seeking a seat in the Mississippi state senate representing District 63.

The Republican candidates aiming to replace Morrison in the District 1 primary include Justin Ashley, Sid Scarbrough, William Todd Whatley and Michael Windham.

William Todd Whatley

Whatley is a lifelong resident of Rankin County. In a letter submitted to the Pelhatchie News, Whatley said he decided to run after being encouraged by his family and friends, as well as "my family's history of public service."

He has been working for the City of Richland for the past 30 years. Starting as a worker in the city's water department, Whatley worked his way up to his current position as assistant public works director where he supervises "over 50 employees and working with a budget over $10 Million."

Whatley could not be reached for further comment.

Michael Windham

Windham's campaign issues are increased public safety and improving infrastructure and fire protection for the residents of Rankin County.

"When I say public safety, everybody thinks it's just the Rankin County squad cars going up-and-down the road. It's more than that. It's your judges, it's your court system, it's your jail, it's your public defender. It's a lot more than just the deputy squad cars," Windham said.

This will be Windham's first time running for election. He has worked as an electrician and currently owns MW Electric LLC.

"I'm just a normal working man that's done nothing but work all my life," he said. "I've always wanted to be involved and this is my chance to do that and keep good conservative values in Rankin County."

Sid Scarbrough and Justin Ashley could not be reached for comment and do not have campaign websites.

Other ballots: See who will be on Tuesday's primary ballots for Hinds County Supervisors.

District 2

Daniel Cross, the incumbent District 2 supervisor, is giving up his seat on the Rankin County board to try to become the county's chancery clerk. His seat is up for grabs and the two Republican candidates vying to replace him are Scott Berry and Fred Lovett.

Scott Berry

Berry said his campaign is focused on improving public safety and education in District 2. He worked previously as a former fire chief, "So fire safety has always been big for me, that's been my career for 34 years."

"I want to try to help the county to improve. I think we're all blessed to live here," Berry said.

Berry was born in Vicksburg, but moved to Rankin County with his parents as a child. He said he wants to help run a county that will be attractive enough that people will want to stay there and help it grow. This will be Berry's first attempt in running for elected office.

Fred Lovett

Lovett, a former officer with the Mississippi's Bureau of Narcotics and current private investigator, said he wants to run for the District 2 seat because he believes more communication between elected officials and constituents is needed. Other issues his campaign is focused on is cleaning up the roads and ensuring that bike laws are being followed.

"You've got constituents in your district that when they call you, they want a call back. And they don't get one," Lovett said. "That's a big reason I'm running."

Statewide races: See the Clarion Ledger's Hinds County voter guide for Tuesday's primary election day

Madison County

District 1

Only Madison County's District 1 has multiple Republican candidates campaigning for the supervisor seat. The rest are running unopposed.

The incumbent, Shelia Jones, is stepping down after serving for eight years.

The three Republican candidates vying to fill that seat are Timothy Jenkins, Casey Brannon and Arlette Hulsey Thompson.

Casey Brannon

Brannon is attempting his first run for elected office. When he heard that Jones was retiring from the District 1 seat, Brannon said it was his turn to "step up." The campaign issues he is focused on are improving roads, more public safety and better communication and transparency between the supervisors and constituents.

"This is my opportunity to be the somebody who stands up and replaces a good person with a good person," Brannon said. "Somebody who has got the best interests of the county in their heart and who has invested in the community and will do nothing but try to see the county succeed. That's why I stepped up."

Brannon's work background includes 23 years of IT experience. Since 2015, he has worked as a quality assurance engineer for Beyond Trust, an identity management company.

Timothy Jenkins

A former election commissioner in Madison County for 10 years, Jenkins said he is aiming to bring better cooperation and communication between all the supervisors. He also wants to create more precincts so that wait times don't have to be too late for residents who want to vote.

"My main thing is we've got to have a board of supervisors that talk to each other and talk through problems, instead of just 'No. I don't like that.' That's what you have discussions for." Jenkins said. "That's what we got to get back to."

This will be his first time running for supervisor, but Jenkins said he has been planning to run for the last eight to 12 years. He also said he has attended the board's meetings for the past 20 years, including when he was elected as election commissioner.

Arlette Hulsey Thompson

Thompson is running for elected office for the first time. She said there needs to be another woman's voice on the board when Jones retires. Instead of focusing on campaign issues, Thompson said she has been concentrating on meeting with constituents and talking about what problems she can fix for them.

"“I want my constituents to tell me what I can do for them," she said.

She also wants to create a county-wide text alert for District 1.

Thompson has lived in Madison County for 29 years and has lived in District 1 for 19 years. She has been working as the office manager at Mississippi Magazine for 18 years.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Rankin, Madison county boards of supervisors candidates on aug. 8 ballots