Selma mayoral race leads to runoff with Moss, Roper

A tight result among three candidates vying for the Selma mayor’s job in Tuesday’s election means there will be a runoff among the top two – Johnny Moss III and Aaron Roper – in September.

Moss secured 35% of the vote and will face off against Roper, who got 26%, on Sept. 23.

Coming in third by just 29 votes was five-year incumbent Mayor James Perkins Jr., who only got 25% of the vote to keep his job for another term.

Perkins wasn’t the only incumbent to lose his seat. City Council President Billy Young lost the top council job to challenger Kennard Randolph who got nearly 60% of the votes.

There are many other runoffs for City Council seats on Sept. 26.

Ward 1 incumbent Troy Harvill will face a runoff with Charles Bennett. Harvill got 45% while Bennett secured 28%. Felicia King-Thomas was eliminated with 25% of the votes.

Ward 2 incumbent Christie Thomas won reelection with 50.5% of the votes, beating out challengers Trebor Dukes and Otto Hunter.

Ward 3 City Councilman Clay Carmichael eked out another term by 11 votes against challenger Collins Pettaway III. Carmichael got 295 votes to Pettaway’s 284.

Ward 5 will see a runoff between Nadine Sanders Sturdivant with 295 votes or 48% and Timfreit “Drano” Drane with 196 votes or 32.13%. Mariama DeRamus received 59 votes (9.67%), Curtis C. Wimberly received 33 votes (5.41%) and Queen V. Imani received 27 votes (4.43%).

There will be a runoff in Ward 6 between Ashley Ervin, who received 159 votes (36.22%) and incumbent Atkin Jemison, who received 145 votes (33.03%). Sharon Craig-Taylor got 124 votes (28.25%) and Erica A. Day got 11 votes (2.51%).

Incumbent Jannie Thomas kept her Ward 7 seat with 328 votes (54.58%), defeating Demonte Purifoy, who received 273 votes (45.42%).

For Selma City School board, Cicely Curtis won the role of president with 70% of the votes, beating LaBarron Mack.

District 3 school board winner is Tammy Shannon Maul with 67% of the votes. She beat Kimesha “Sunshine” Alvarado, who got 32%.

District 4 school board will go into a runoff with Brittney Houser and incumbent Tanya Miles. Houser got 49% to Miles’ 35%. Dexter Patterson came in third with 15%.