Mayoral election hearing rescheduled for July 13

The hearing before a special judge concerning Democratic mayoral candidate Johnny Moore’s election contest against Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill has been moved due to a scheduling conflict.

Former District 1 Circuit Judge Barry W. Ford was appointed by the Mississippi Supreme Court to oversee the case, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, July 11.

Election Deputy Clerk Sheryl Elmore told the SDN Ford had a scheduling conflict that day and the date has been moved to Thursday, July 13.

Spruill has also filed a motion for dismissal of Moore’s election contest, but was officially affirmed as the winner of the race by the Starkville Democratic Executive Committee in June and sworn in as mayor on Monday, July 3.

The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court and will be open to the public.

Moore’s legal team previously cited issues with numerous absentee and affidavit ballots, along with other concerns regarding the signature on the election agreement.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Spruill and Moore faced off in the May 16 Democratic Primary runoff for mayor after Spruill narrowly edged out Moore and Democrat Damion Poe in the May 2 Primary.

Poe - who would go on to throw his support behind

Spruill - pulled in 7.7 percent of the vote initially, which prevented both Spruill and Moore from getting the majority of votes necessary to win the primary outright. Spruill finished with 47 percent of the vote, while Moore garnered 45 percent.

What followed two weeks after the primary was an even closer runoff between the

two Democrats, with Spruill ultimately winning by seven votes after previously rejected affidavit ballots closed the gap for Moore.

Unofficial results gave Spruill the victory with a total of 1872 to 1865, after 43 affidavit ballots were processed. In total, 26 affidavit ballots were rejected.

Despite Moore filing a

petition for judicial review, the Starkville Democratic Executive Committee named Spruill the winner, which saw her sworn in as Starkville’s first female mayor on Monday.

Moore’s team insisted the party affirmation was invalid since the petition for judicial review had already been filed in circuit court and declined

to provide evidence to support his claims in front of the committee.

Moore has requested a new municipal election be held, but the looming uncertainty did not impact Spruill’s first week in office.

Spruill presided over her first Board of Aldermen meeting on Wednesday, which saw the board terminate Sanitation

and Environmental Services Director Emma Gandy, citing “poor job performance.”

The board unanimously supported the motion to terminate Gandy.

Gandy was the only department head impacted by the new board and mayor, with all other department heads being reappointed to their positions.