Columbus Democratic Primary moving forward with 3 candidates
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Democratic Primary for Columbus’s Ward 2 City Council race will move forward with three candidates.
Yesterday, Senior Status Judge Jeff Weill ruled that Laisha O’Neal and Roderick Smith are qualified to run in the primary.
On March 19, members of the party’s Executive Committee, their attorney, and one of the candidates held a press conference to address the ruling.
Incumbent Ward 2 Councilman, Joseph Mickens challenged the residency of his two opponents.
He first made his complaint to the local Democratic Executive Committee, which declared them eligible.
He then took the matter to court, where a special judge was appointed to hear it.
There were two questions to settle. Did Mickens file a formal petition? Party leaders said he didn’t. And do O’Neal and Smith live in the Ward?
“After all of their questioning, based on all their facts and statements presented to the court, the judge said, well, regardless of whether there’s a petition filed…and he said this in his order, regardless of whether there is a petition filed, both are residents of Ward 2, and they’ll be on the ballot come April First,” said Attorney Jace Dalrymple.
“The integrity of our elections and the voice of our constituents must always come first. The voters will decide who will represent them in Ward 2,” said Kabir Karriem of the Lowndes County Democratic Party.
Mickens has two days left to file an appeal if he chooses to.
