Lassiter takes mayor’s seat; city qualifying starts next week
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Although qualifying for city offices won’t begin until next week, the first step in what will be a “new” city government took place Monday morning, June 2, when Shawn Lassiter was formally installed as Acting Mayor.
Lassiter replaces Jim Staff, who was not in attendance. Staff served as the city’s mayor for all but five months of the past 13 years and served 12 years as District 5 councilman immediately prior to assuming the mayor’s seat. He also served 12 years on the county school board before becoming a fixture in city government.
The current city council, meeting in a special session, spent only five minutes approving without discussion the three measures (Lassiter was also authorized to “perform the duties of part-time superintendent of West Escambia Utilities (WEU)”).
Council members first gave unanimous acceptance to Staff’s retirement, then unanimously elected Lassiter to fill the vacancy and authorized the WEU post.
Municipal Court Judge Karean Reynolds, one of only a handful of people at the meeting, congratulated Lassiter and told him, “We’re looking forward to working with you and making a difference in the community.”
The next step in what will eventually be a major reorganization of city government will come next Monday, June 9, at the regular council meeting, when David Dobson, a local realtor, will be installed to fill the District 4 vacancy created by Lassiter’s ascension to the mayor’s office.
More changes will come when the municipal election takes place on Tuesday, August 26, as two sitting council members — District 1’s Webb Nall and District 5’s Chris Harrison — have announced they will not seek another term.
Qualifying for mayor and all five council seats will begin at 8 a.m. next Tuesday, June 10, at the office of City Clerk Becca Smith and will continue until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24. The qualifying fee for each of the six offices is $50.
A look at the election picture as it is now:
Mayor — Lassiter has announced he will seek the office on a permanent basis in the August election. He won’t run unopposed, as community activist and Red Cross volunteer Sandra Gray and Ernie Digmon, a former Department of Human Resources employee, have each announced plans to run against Lassiter, who won a four-person race without a runoff in 2020.
District 1 — Webb Nall, who has represented the district for 29 years, including the last 25, will vacate the seat. Bob Turk, a retired marine manager at Spanish Fort’s Bass Pro Shops who now drives a school bus, is the only person to have publicly expressed his intent to replace Nall.
District 2 — Jerome Webster, who defeated Angelia Norman in 2020 to earn his second term, has announced he will seek a third. No challenger has yet emerged.
District 3 — Eunice Johnson defeated incumbent Chris Walker in 2020 to become the first female of color to ever hold a seat on the Atmore council. She will also seek another term, her second, and nobody has announced their intent to challenge her.
District 4 — Dobson was reportedly the only person to express interest in replacing Lassiter on a temporary basis. He has also announced he will run for a full term in the August election. No one else has yet expressed a desire to run against him.
District 5 — Chris Harrison, who has served 13 years as the district’s voice on the council, has announced he won’t run for a fourth term. Another local realtor, Bub Gideons, who was defeated by Harrison in a 2020 runoff, has already announced his candidacy for the seat.
Smith also cited two dates that are important for potential municipal voters and candidates alike:
*July 27 — Last day for a potential voter to establish residency within the municipality or a particular district.
*August 11 — Last day to register to vote in the municipal election.
The city clerk reminded residents that anyone who will have lived within the city limits or in a particular district for at least 90 days prior to Election Day is eligible to run for office.
“Any qualified elector who will have resided within Atmore and within the district from which he or she seeks election, for a period of at least 90 days on August 26, 2025 may qualify to run for office by filing the appropriate forms and paying any appropriate fees, as otherwise provided by law,” she said.