Mayor, mayor pro tem have no challengers
Voters in the City of Gray will have a decision to make in November with every council seat being challenged. The only incumbents not being challenged are the mayor and mayor pro tem.
That is a switch from the 2021 election when the mayor pro tem was the only incumbent who faced opposition. This year all four district seats are contested and the challengers for the posts include three firsttime candidates.
Qualifying began Aug. 19 with incumbents Mayor Ed Barbee, District 4 Councilman Terry Favors and District 1 Councilman David Tufts first. District 3 challenger Natalie Lurie also qualified Tuesday.
Lurie announced her candidacy in a recent issue of the newspaper.
District 3 incumbent Terrell Fulford qualified Wednesday morning followed by District 1 challenger Rick Tipton, District 2 candidate Ikea Simmons and mayor pro tem incumbent James Collins.
The District 2 seat is currently vacant due to the death of incumbent Benny Gray. Simmons has been attending city council and committee meetings since the Gray’s death.
Thursday had two unexpected qualifiers with Lehman Wood qualifying to run in District 2 and Billy Horne, who was the last to throw his hat into the race. It was after 4 p.m. on the final day of qualifying when Horne completed the paperwork to run against incumbent Terry Favors in District 4.
Barbee served as mayor pro tem and is completing his second term as Mayor. Collins took office to complete the term of Kema Clark in 2018 and was reelected in 2021.
Tufts is completing his 36th year representing District 1, which makes him the longest-serving councilman by far. He had been in office for 12 years when he was defeated in 1997. Tufts took the seat back in 2001 and has successfully defended his position since. The incumbent has been challenged by Tipton twice before in 2013 and 2017. Tipton ran for mayor pro tem in 2009 and also challenged Collins in the race for mayor pro tem in 2021.
This is the first time Simmons has run for office. His qualifying document states he has lived in District 2 for two years but is a longtime resident of Jones County. His occupation is listed as insurance adjuster. Simmons is challenged by Wood, who ran for mayor in 2005 and 2009.
Fulford has represented District 3 since 2001. He is being challenged by Lurie, who has been a resident of the district for seven years. Her occupation is listed on qualifying documents as claims adjuster.
Favors has served in the position since 2010. He is challenged by Horne, a longtime resident of Jones County who has lived in his district for 10 years. The challenger’s occupation is listed as business owner.
Fulford and Favors have not been opposed since 2013.
More information about all the candidates will be coming in future editions of The Jones County News. A forum is also being planned prior to the election to give voters an opportunity to meet the candidates and ask their own questions.
