Five races for mayor of cities in St. Francis County developed as the one-week municipal filing period ended at noon today.
Several races for city council seats will also be on this year’s general election ballot.
Four people seeking the mayor’s position in Forrest City include Lowry Astin, D’Mari Curne, Cedric Williams and Kendall Pettus.
Forrest City City Clerk/Treasurer Derene Cochran is not seeking reelection. Myralita Isom-Byers filed for that position and is unopposed.
Astin filing as a candidate for Forrest City mayor left the Ward 4, Pos. 1 council seat open. Rodney Franklin, Ron Sayles and Andrew Justin Abbott are candidates for that seat.
The other three FC Council positions that were up this year included those currently held by Jim Bailey, Cornescha Wright and Justin Reeves, who are all unopposed in their reelection bids.
Four people also filed to become mayor of Madison including incumbent Roy Winfrey along with Jay Quincy Malone, Tarzan Lee and Ronald Kirkwood.
Caldwell, Hughes and Widener will also have mayoral races.
Denise Williams and Gary L. Hughes are seeking the mayor’s seat in Caldwell, Shelby Pulliam and Deon Lee filed to become mayor of Hughes, and Carl Stewart is challenging Johnathon Rolfe for mayor of Widener.
Palestine will have a new mayor after Derrick Boileau filed to replace retiring mayor Billy Shafer and is unopposed.
There will be several contested races for city council positions in Palestine.
Patrice Michelle Lawson is being challenged by Heather Head for the Ward 1, Pos. 1 seat. Shafter is challenging Cindy Smallwood for the Ward 1, Pos. 2 seat. Ward 2, Pos. 1 incumbent Dena Poteat is facing a challenge from Eric Boileau.
Michelle Garner filed unopposed for the Ward 2, Pos. 2 seat as did Tammy Matthews Lawson Jackson for the Ward 3, Pos. 1 seat. No one filed for the Ward 3, Pos. 2 seat in Palestine.
Colt Mayor Tyler Mullins and Wheatley Mayor Larry Nash are unopposed in their bids for reelection.
A complete list of the municipal filings will be published in next week’s edition of the Times-Herald.
