In Mississippi’s capital city, 34 residents are seeking to represent their wards on the Jackson City Council for the next four years. After the qualifying deadline for the upcoming municipal elections ended on Jan. 31, the Jackson Municipal Clerk’s unofficial list of candidates shows that the incumbents in Wards 1 through 5 each have at least one challenger.

However, Ward 6 and Ward 7 are guaranteed to have new representation after this year’s election after Councilman Aaron Banks and Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay decided not to seek re-election. Councilman Aaron Banks is currently awaiting a trial date for federal charges in a bribery investigation. He and Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, who is also running for reelection, have both denied any wrongdoing.

The primary elections are on April 1 with the general election to follow on June 3. Independent candidates will not be in the primary races, but will instead face Democrat and Republican candidates in the general election.

Ward 1

Ashby Foote (the incumbent, Independent)
Grace Greene (Independent)
Jasmine Barnes (Democrat)
Jessica Carter (Democrat)
Stephen Thompson (Democrat)
Rhoda Barnes (Democrat)

Ward 1 Jackson City Councilman Ashby Foote, who has in the past run as a Republican, is running Independent this year. He told the Mississippi Free Press on Jan. 2 that in light of the federal indictment implicating some Hinds County officials in a bribery scheme, he hopes to “restore confidence in city government.”

Foote began his tenure with the Council in 2014 after beating attorney Dorsey Carson in a special election.

Ward 2

Montyne ‘Tina’ Clay (the incumbent, Democrat)
Bethany Williams-Sherif (Republican)
Marcus Cheatham (Democrat)

This is Marcus Cheatam’s second attempt at the Ward 2 seat. Cheatam first ran during the special election the City held after former Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee resigned and pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge.

He lost the special run-off election to Clay on Oct. 22, 2024.

Ward 3

Kenneth I. Stokes (the incumbent, Democrat)
Marcus T. Jackson (Independent)

Stokes held the seat from 1989 until 2012 before resigning to pursue a position with the Hinds County Board of Supervisors. His current tenure on the City Council started in 2015 when voters re-elected him to the seat.

Jackson’s Ward 3 City Councilman Kenneth Stokes first won a seat on the city council in 1989. Photo by Imani Khayyam

Ward 4

Brian Grizzell (the incumbent, Democrat)
Malcolm D. May (Democrat)

Ward 4 Jackson City Councilman Brian Grizzell, a former Jackson Public Schools educator, has held the seat since 2021. “While we’ve faced our share of challenges, we’ve also achieved significant victories that demonstrate what we can accomplish together,” he said in a Jan. 1, 2025, statement announcing his bid for reelection. 

“I am excited to continue this journey and ask for your prayers, support, and vote in this election,” he continued.

Ward 5

Vernon W. Hartley (the incumbent, Democrat)
Charles Alexander (Democrat)
Ray McCants (Independent)
ReJohnna Brown-Mitchell (Democrat)

Ward 5 Jackson City Councilman Vernon W. Hartley has held the seat since 2021 when he defeated three-term incumbent Charles Tillman in a run-off election. “I want folks to hold me accountable. That’s important so that once I go to the City Council, I can speak with authority, I can speak with a voice directly from the people,” Hartley told WLBT after the election.

Ward 6

Emon D. Thompson Sr. (Democrat)
Lee Scott (Democrat)
Brad Davis (Democrat)
Lee Bernard (Democrat)
Antonio Porter (Democrat)
Jonathan Cottrell (Democrat)
George Monroe (Democrat)
Daniel LaPatrick Walker (Democrat)
Lashia Brown-Thomas (Democrat)

Incumbent Ward 6 Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks, who faces federal charges related to the bribery investigation, is not running for re-election this year. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment at the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse on Nov. 7, 2024, and is currently awaiting a trial date.

Council Member inside of a city meeting in Jackson, Mississippi.
Jackson Ward 6 City Councilman Aaron Banks, who faces federal charges related to an ongoing bribery investigation, will not seek re-election this year. Photo by Imani Khayyam

Ward 7

Kevin Parkinson (Democrat)
Corinthian “Corey” Sanders (Democrat)
Quint Withers (Democrat)
Taylor Turcotte (Democrat)
Bruce Burton (Republican)
Turner Martin (Democrat)
Ron Aldridge (Independent)
Rosella L. Houston (Democrat)

Ward 7 City Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay released a statement on Jan. 8 announcing that she would not run for another term on the Jackson City Council. “It is impossible to list everything we have done in this brief statement because it is the day-to-day decision-making, voting on tough issues, and behind-the-scenes negotiating that are the most critical, and yet most taxing part of being a council member, and especially as the council president,” she said.

Councilwoman inside of City Hall
Jackson’s Ward 7 City Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay announced on Jan. 8, 2025, that she would not seek re-election. Photo by Imani Khayyam

Mississippi’s primaries for municipal positions is April 1. The general election is June 3.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to include a correct spelling of Rhoda Barnes’ name. We apologize for the error.

➡️ Read more stories from the Capital City Bureau here.

Capital City reporter Shaunicy Muhammad covers a variety of issues affecting Jackson residents, with a particular focus on causes, effects and solutions for systemic inequities in South Jackson neighborhoods, supported by a grant from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. She grew up in Mobile, Alabama where she attended John L. LeFlore High School and studied journalism at Spring Hill College. She has an enduring interest in Africana studies and enjoys photography, music and tennis.