A former South Ward alderman wants his old seat back, and three city employees have been mentioned as his possible opponents in the 2013 city elections.

The seat will be open because South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman is not seeking re-election.

Don Miller, 72, who represented the South Ward in the 1990s, said he is a candidate for the seat, while city employees Rusty Gardner, Willis Thompson and Marie Thompson are expressing interest in the seat.

In the North Ward, incumbent Alderman Michael Mayfield said he is running for a third term, and no opposition has made intentions known.

The City of Vicksburg’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen consists of the mayor and two aldermen, one each from the North and South wards. The aldermen serve four-year terms, which are not subject to term limits. The aldederman’s position is considered a full-time job and annually pays $71,472, which will be increased by a capped 5 percent raise in July 2014, making the salary $75,046.

To seek the office, a candidate must be a registered voter, have lived in the city at least two years before the election and live in the district in which he or she plans to run.

Mayfield was first elected to the board in 2005 when he defeated Gertrude Young to win the North Ward seat. He was unopposed for re-election in 2009. Before being elected to the board, he was the District 2 supervisor on the Warren Count Board of Supervisors from 1996 until 2005.

“I have been with the City of Vicksburg for two terms now and I’ve witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly, but through it all, I’ve done the very best I can to stay focused in an effort to properly manage the business of the city of Vicksburg,” he said.

Miller is vice president at Riverside Construction. He was South Ward alderman from 1993 to 1997 and served on the Warren County Port Commission from 1974 to 1988, including 10 years as commission president. He said he will run as an independent and will announce his candidacy formally later in the year.

“I loved working with the mayor and the board and I enjoyed working with the city,” he said. “We did a lot for the city. We acquired the MV Mississippi, built the convention center, the swimming pool and got the St. Francis Xavier School and convent. I’m proud of what we did. I want to run for office again. It’s my way of giving back to the community.”

Gardner, 45, has been a technician in the city’s vehicle maintenance department for 11 years.

“I think I can do some things to help the taxpayers,” he said.

He has not decided if he will run as an independent or as a Republican or Democrat. He also is undecided when he will announce formally.

Willis Thompson, 34, is a Democrat. He is an IT specialist and director of TV-23 for the city, where he has worked for 10 years.

He has an associate’s degree in computer programming technology from Hinds Community College in Utica, a bachelor’s in computer science from Jackson State University and a master’s in business administration from Kaplan University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

He is the father of five and an ordained minister, serving as elder at Vicksburg Family Life Cathedral Church.

“I’ve been seriously considering running,” he said. “This is not a sudden thing. I’ve been considering this for a while.”

Marie Thompson, 54, a Democrat, also is considering a run. She is director of policy for the city and previously was a community organizer for the Center of Community Change in Washington, D.C.