ELECTION 2022
Qualifying for the position of Jones County Probate Judge concluded Friday at noon with one sole qualifier eligible for election to the office.
Lewis Patterson qualified first thing Monday morning, Aug. 22. As the only qualified candidate for the position, Patterson will be on the Nov. 8 ballot with no opposition.
He has been in the position as the Associate Probate Judge since the March 31 retirement of Mike Greene, who served in the position for more than 40 years.
Patterson is a lifelong resident of Jones County and graduated from law school in 1994. In an Aug. 26 interview, he said he has served as Gray’s Municipal Court Judge since passing the bar. The Municipal Judge position is part-time. He also had a private law practice until becoming Jones County’s Magistrate Judge in 2014.
Patterson was appointed as Associate Probate Judge prior to Greene’s retirement. The associate position was needed to have someone in place between the retirement of Greene and the probate judge election.
Patterson’s first and only other foray into politics happened in 1984 when he was elected to the Jones County Board of Commissioners. He was the first black commissioner for Jones County and recalled that he was one of the first commissioners to serve as a district commissioner.
Prior to that election, the county had three at-large commissioners.
Patterson served with Dale Washburn, Al Andrews and Bob Guntrum. He said Ike Liston was the chairman of the board for that term.
“I only served one term.
I didn’t want to run again,” he said.
The judge said at the time he held several jobs, including working at his family’s restaurant in Haddock and managing deliveries for local newspapers, before he attended law school.
Patterson’s election in November means he will complete Greene’s term that ends in Dec. 31, 2024. It also means to remain in the position he will run as the incumbent in the 2024 election.
