Democratic primary has only two ward races that are contested

New Albany has only six Democratic candidates in contrast to the 14 Republican candidates running for office in the municipal primary elections April 6.

Because some Democrats are unopposed in the primary and some offices have no Democrats at all, only residents in Ward Two and Ward Three will have real decisions to make.

This could lead to a low voter turnout for that party.

The candidates for Ward Two alderman are Gary Edwards and Tim Johnson, both newcomers. Incumbent Johnny Anderson chose to retire after many years of service, leaving the seat open.

Ward Three candidates for alderman are challenger Penny Blissett and incumbent Kevin Dale White.

James Dean is the only Democratic candidate for mayor. There is no Democratic candidate for chief of police or alderman-at-large.

Jessica Winston is unopposed for the Democratic nomination for Ward One alderman, while no Democrat is seeking the Ward Four alderman’s seat.

The Ward Three alderman’s race will effectively be decided April 6 because there is no Republican or Independent candidate (The Ward Four alderman’s race may be effectively decided April 6 as well if one of the three Republican candidates receives a majority of the vote because there are not Democratic or Independent candidates).

Mayor

James Dean

James Dean was born and raised in New Albany, although he moved a lot in younger days from New

James Dean

Albany to the Gulf Coast. In 1958 they moved back here and have remained here.

Dean attended B. F. Ford Training Center until 1969 and then in the fall of 1969 went to W. P. Daniel High School. He dropped out and joined the army for three years. Upon his release from the army he got his GED and attended the DeVry Institute of Technology out of Chicago, Ill. for four years.

He worked at Futorian Furniture Manufacturing five years, 26 years for AT&T, five years for Flexible Foam in Baldwyn and five years at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in New Albany.

“I have served my country as a volunteer, now I would like to volunteer my services to my community. There are a few things I believe need to be changed, such as getting the people involved in our local government,” he said.

Ward One Alderman

Jessica Winston

Jessica Winston has lived in New Albany for 35 years. She is a 2001 graduate of W. P. Daniel High School and attended Itawamba Community College.

Jessica Winston

She has worked at the Union County Library the past three years. Before that, she was a nurses’ aide at Union County Health and Rehab, and also a property manager in Memphis, always working with people, she said.

“The main reason I am running is for the betterment of the community. I want the community to be unified. I also feel I want to show all young women you can do anything in your life. I want to help people who don’ t have a voice, who don’t’ know where to go, who to talk to. I want to work for the poor and middle class families. We don’t need any more restaurants, we need more things for the children to do. We need more trade schools to help people who don’t want to go to college. We have had people on the board for years and it seems like nothing is getting done. I feel like fresh faces, fresh ideas and fresh voices could get something done around here” she said.

Ward Two Alderman

Gary Edwards

Gary Edwards is a native of New Albany. He is a graduate of the New Albany City School District. After

Gary Edwards

graduating from high school he attended Rust College and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Akron (Akron, Ohio). He later returned to Mississippi and attended the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy (MLEOTA) Pearl, MS, and became a certified law enforcement official. He also attended Wesley Seminary, where he did some seminary studies.

In the past, Edwards worked with an Adult and Child’s Protection Agency as a Policy Analyst assisting in writing, reviewing, and revising policies. He has worked with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office in the Regulatory and Enforcement Division. He has served as a Pastor in southeast Mississippi. Most of his career has been in law enforcement. He has worked with Tupelo, Madison, Jackson State University, and Jackson, MS police departments. He currently works with MDOC as a Probation/Parole officer.

“I have worked with people from various socio-economic levels to include business owners, political leaders, faith based leaders and organizations, lawyers, judges, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, and others. As alderman, I want to help build a better city for a better future. I want to promote jobs, youth activities, provide effective and efficient city services, revitalize neighborhoods, and create short and long term community and economic development plans. Additionally, I believe that my education and experience will be a great contribution to the city of New Albany, and to the position of Alderman.  These are the reasons I seek the office of Alderman Ward 2,” he said.

Tim Johnson

Johnson is a 47-year resident of New Albany and a 1992 graduate of W. P. Daniel High School.

He owns a local detail shop and also works for the New Albany School District and the New Albany

Tim Johnson

Boys and Girls Club.

“My biggest concern right now is the upkeep of our great city, and having a voice for the youth in our community. They need more places for recreation than Shady Dale Park in our area. We can do better! It’s time for change in our neighborhoods.

If elected, I want to reach across party lines to help our police department, mayor, and other city officials to put together plans to better this city and especially our particular area that I will represent,” he said.

Ward Three Alderman

Penny Blissett

She is a long-time resident, born and raised in New Albany. She is a 1991 graduate of New Albany High School. She also graduated from Northeast Mississippi Community College with an associate

Penny Blissett

degree in Accounting and has earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Mississippi.

She has 15 years of Human Resource experience. That consists of Human Resource Specialist for Tronox in Hamilton, MS.  Blissett has also worked for Auto Parts Manufacturing of Mississippi in Guntown, MS and ReninCorp, formerly Stanley Works.  She is an Admission Specialist for the Graduate School of the University of Mississippi with additional work experience as a Property and Staffing Manager. She also is a former School Board Member for the New Albany Public School system.
“I am running for New Albany alderwoman because City Government is a big business and I want to bring my leadership experience to the table to help enhance assisting diverse groups in achieving goals to build a thriving community.  I want to provide effective and efficient services that benefit all citizens of this great city,” she said.

Kevin Dale White

White was born in New Albany and has lived his entire life here. He is a graduate of W. P. Daniel High School and attended Northeast Mississippi Community College.

Kevin Dale White

He has served as a full-time fireman for the City of Holly Springs for the past 16 years. He also served 10 years in the City of New Albany Fire Department, coached football for the New Albany Middle School and was a security guard for the schools.

“I am seeking re-election for Ward Three. I have lived in this community and served for the past seven years as alderman. We have accomplished a lot, learning how to work with other board members to do what is best for our city. I plan to keep our city moving forward. We have many projects going: our wastewater treatment plant, the Fred’s building and other projects,” he said.