2014 will be an important year for local politics, as most city and county offices will be up for re-election.
In the city of Blytheville, the positions of mayor, city clerk, city attorney and city treasurer will be on the ballot, as well as the second city council position for each ward-- those currently being held by Stan Parks in Ward 1, Missy Langston in Ward 2 and John Musgraves in Ward 3.
In Mississippi County, every office is up for re-election. This includes county judge, sheriff, county clerk, tax collector, treasurer, assessor, circuit clerk and coroner, as well as all 11 justice of the peace seats and all townships constable positions. In this election, all candidates will have the option to run as a member of a political party or as an independent.
Gosnell will be re-electing its mayor and city clerk/treasurer, as well as the city council seats held by Eric Blount (Ward 1, Position 1), Melissa Quearry (Ward 2, Position 2), and Nita Reams (Ward 3, Position 1).
The general election date for all of these county and city positions is not until Nov. 4, but there are plenty of dates to keep in mind leading up to it:
-- Feb. 24: Party filing begins for May primary and independent candidate notice of candidacy begins
-- March 3: Filing deadline for May primary
-- April 21: Deadline to register to vote in May primary
-- May 5: Early voting begins for primary
-- May 20: Primary election day
-- June 10: Primary run-off day (if needed)
-- Nov. 4: General election
-- Nov. 25: General run-of day (if needed after general election day on Nov. 4)
For more information on filing as a candidate, contact the Mississippi County clerk's office at 870-762-2411.
sharris@blythevillecourier.com