City races fill ballots in Grundy and Marion counties

Voters in 13 Tennessee towns in Grundy and Marion counties will elect new leaders on Nov. 6 ballots that are heavy with municipal races.

Elections officials in each county said they've had high turnout in early voting.

"It's every November we go through it," Marion County Election Administrator Gary Reames said Monday.

The county has seven city elections on its ballot.

A presidential race and all the city battles generate lots of interest, with Marion's hottest municipal races in Jasper and South Pittsburg, Reames said.

Grundy County Election Administrator Donna Basham said six of the county's towns have at least two seats on the November ballot.

The race for mayor and alderman in Monteagle is Grundy's hottest contest, she said, followed by Altamont's Board of Aldermen.

She said Marion and Grundy have worked together to make sure voters in the two-county town of Monteagle cast their ballots correctly.

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MARION COUNTY

Voters in Marion County who live in Jasper, Kimball, New Hope, Orme, South Pittsburg and Whitwell will fill a combined 18 municipal seats on their ballots, though no candidates qualified to seek one of two open seats in Orme and another in Powells Crossroads, records show.

Jasper voters will elect a new mayor from either Paul Wayne Evans or Chip Wampler, both seeking to replace retiring longtime Mayor Billy Simpson. Board of Aldermen candidates Roy Brackett, Steven Looney, Donnie Moreland, Paul West and Bill Wilson will vie for two open seats.

South Pittsburg's mayor post and two commission seats attracted eight candidates. Records show Jane W. Dawkins and Robert L. "Buddy" Woods will face off for South Pittsburg mayor, the post left vacant by Mike Killian, who didn't seek re-election.

Voters also will pick a 1st District city commissioner from Hilda (Scales) Aker, Gary Reynolds and Jimmy L. Wigfall, while Gene King, Jeff Powers and Bobby R. Vinson battle for the 2nd District seat.

Kimball voters have only one municipal contest in the mayor's race between incumbent David Jackson and challenger Johnny Sisk. Jerry Don Case and Rex Pesnell are unopposed for two seats on the Board of Aldermen.

In New Hope, Mayor Mark Myers faces challenger Jerry Crosslin, while John L. Blevins, Jerry Quinton Choate and James Easterly are the contenders for two City Commission seats.

In Whitwell, voters will choose three people for open seats on the City Commission from Steve Atterton, Cindy Holland Easterly, Harry M. Holland, Jim W. Nunley and Jean Roundtree, records show.

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GRUNDY COUNTY

Grundy County residents in Altamont, Beersheba Springs, Coalmont, Palmer, Monteagle and Tracy City have a combined 19 municipal seats to fill.

In Monteagle, former Mayor Charles Rollins is challenging current Mayor Marilyn Campbell Nixon for the seat she won from him in 2010.

In the town's alderman races, candidates Anthony Eugene Jones, Russell L. Leonard, Harry Parmley, Raymond A. Releford, JoDean Wade, John Knost, Alexander "Lexie" Orr, Alvin Powell Jr. and Richard Sampley will battle for four open seats, records show.

In Altamont, Mayor Jimmy Walker is unopposed but six candidates are vying for four spots on the Altamont Board of Aldermen. Earl David Campbell, John A. Dickerson, Terry Phillips, Michael Richardson, Penny L. Sons and Alfred Dwayne "Pig" Whitman are seeking the posts.

On the north end of Grundy, two Beersheba Springs City Commission seats drew candidates Jackie Eubanks, Larry C. Hall and Glen Jennings.

Likewise, three Tracy City residents -- James Conry, Seth Layne and Paul Larry Phipps -- will face off for two open Board of Alderman seats.

Elsewhere in Grundy, James D. Cooper and Randy S. Privett are unopposed for two posts on Palmer's Board of Aldermen, while in Coalmont, Rick Rust is running unopposed for one of two open seats on the City Commission, and write-in candidate Dale Layne has qualified to run for the other seat. Unopposed candidate Michael C. Yates will fill an unexpired term on Coalmont's commission, records show.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Subscribe to his Facebook posts at facebook.com/ben.benton1 and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/BenBenton.

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