By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
A majority of elected municipal officials outside of Hartselle and Decatur will begin new four-year terms in October without facing opposition in the Aug. 26 Municipal Election. Thirteen have opponents, while 18 don’t.
Three mayors are on the list of the unopposed: Jimmy Walker of Falkville, Ray Long of Somerville and Vaughn Goodwin of Trinity.
The other two have opponents. Pat Little is seeking to oust veteran Mayor Melvin Duran in Priceville and Chris Ryan, the son of the late Mayor Roland “Shorty” Ryan, is contesting veteran Mayor Gary Livingston in Eva.
Priceville
Priceville voters will also have a choice in filling all five council positions. Larry Waddell is challenging Tim Crow, the incumbent, for place one; Charles Black is running against Place 2 incumbent John Oakley; Jerry Welch is opposing incumbent Sam Heflin for place three; Tom Little is challenging incumbent Tommy Perry for place four; and Donald L. “Duck” Livingston is running against incumbent Wayne Dunkin for place five.
Falkville
Three council seats in Falkville are up for grabs. Bennie Weaver is opposing Matt Stiles, the incumbent, for place three; place two incumbent Bonnie Thompson is challenging David Edmondson, the incumbent for P lace four; and Ken Winkles is running against place five incumbent Bob Wilson. Lance Stidham is unopposed for place one, a seat currently held by Anita Fowler, and Alton Hill is unopposed for place two.
Three council places in Eva are up for grabs. The place two seat, which is being vacated by Clarence Alexander, has six candidates; They are John M. Babchak, Donald Allison, Martin “Bear” Nelson, Michael Brian Brown, Clayton Earwood and Brandlee Shadden. Jerry Miner is challenging incumbent James Henderson for place four and John Hipps is running against incumbent Burt Collins for place five. Kent Chambers, place one, and Johnny Persall, place three, are unopposed.
Somerville
In Somerville, three council seats are being contested. Sheena Dugger is challenging incumbent Opal Mooneyham for place one; Tammie Walker Frye is running against incumbent Bobbie Jackson for place two; and Regina Bailey is opposing incumbent Jackie Teague for place five. Darren Tucker, place three, and Rodger McClure, place four, are unopposed.
Trinity
Only one council seat is up for grabs in Trinity. Gordon Burden and James Whitt are running for place one, a seat vacated by Mark Brazelton. Chris Lemley, place one, Richie Sparkman, place three, Bruce Sparkman, place four, and Richard Fortson, place five. Are unopposed.