By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The official period for qualifying to run for city office has ended, and only the mayor’s office and two council seats ¬— District 1, where Webb Nall is stepping down after 29 years, and District 2, where Jerome Webster is the only incumbent who will face a challenger — are being contested.
A brief preview of the August 26 municipal election:
Mayor — Acting Mayor Shawn Lassiter, who gave up his District 4 council seat and took over when Jim Staff retired with five months left in his term, qualified to seek a four-year term. Sandra Gray, a community activist and Red Cross volunteer, also qualified. Ernie Digmon, who announced he would also run for mayor, did not file qualifying papers and will not be on the ballot.
District 1 — The race to replace Nall will be a two-man affair, as William “Bill” Stuckey qualified on June 20 to challenge Bob Turk, a retired Bass Pro Shops marine manager who now drives a school bus. Stuckey, a retired Gulf War veteran, currently pastors Moyeville Baptist Church and has worked as a registered nurse for the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and G.K. Fountain Correctional Facility, among other agencies.
District 2 — Webster won his seat with an 8-vote victory over Russell Robinson in the 2016 race to fill the vacancy created when Coach Cornell Torrence decided not to seek another term. He will be challenged by Andreas Grant, who returned here after serving as a data programmer and program analyst for Temple University Health System in Philadelphia.
District 3 — Eunice Johnson, who became the first woman of color to hold a council seat when she defeated incumbent councilman Chris Walker in 2020, was the only person to qualify for the seat.
District 4 — Local realtor David Dobson, who has reportedly been selected by sitting council members to fill the temporary vacancy created by Lassiter’s move into the mayor’s office, was the only person to qualify to seek a full term as district representative.
District 5 — The decision by Chris Harrison, who has represented District 5 for the past 13 years, to not seek another term leaves another local realtor, Bub Gideons, as the only qualifier for the seat. Gideons outpolled Harrison in the 2020 race but lost a runoff to the incumbent.
Potential voters have until July 27 to establish residency within the municipality and a particular district. August 11 is the last day to register to vote in the city election, which is set for Tuesday, August 26. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on that day.