[06/06/01] Anguilla Mayor Merlin Richardson, Mississippi’s longest-serving municipal official, lost his seat to a longtime adversary Tuesday by eight votes.

Emma Cooper-Harris, who lost bids to topple Richardson in 1989 and 1993, garnered 176 votes, 42.3 percent, in unofficial returns, and the incumbent received 168, 40.4 percent. The Rev. Henry Hagler garnered 72 ballots, 17.3 percent.

Cooper-Harris, 51, a member of the South Delta School District’s Board of Trustees, said her victory represents a triumph for a biracial coalition of Anguilla residents who want more services from government and private businesses. She said she plans to hire a full-time police department and expand the town’s recreation and health services departments.

“We have brought the community together,” she said from her home, where a loud victory celebration continued hours after results were announced.

However, Richardson, 69 and mayor of Anguilla since 1977, said Cooper-Harris’ victory is the result of black political dominance in the small town in northern Sharkey County.

“The town’s 70 percent black and 30 percent white,” said Richardson, who is white. “Blacks voted for blacks and whites voted for whites.”

Richardson holds the Mississippi Municipal League’s record for consecutive service by virtue of his 1973 election as an Anguilla alderman. He said he helped improve the town’s image during his tenure by enforcing zoning laws and beefing up the part-time police department to two cars.

“We had a bunch of ragged, blighted areas when I came in that we don’t have anymore,” said Richardson, who said he’s finished with politics.

Also in Anguilla, incumbents Phil Kline and Russell Stewart retained their spots on the city council with 189 and 200 votes, respectively, in at-large balloting. Challengers Kenneth C. Bolden won a seat with 223 votes, and Larry Thomas and Roosevelt Thomas both claimed spots with 187 votes. Incumbents Don H. Collins Jr. and Treves Cooper Jr., lost their positions by polling 171 and 174, respectively. Challengers Jimmie L. Holmes, Rosie Lee Richards and Bobby Stevens got 171, 162 and 147, respectively.

In other area elections, all results unofficial, Rolling Fork Mayor Gary Henderson will return to office after fighting off challenges by Charlie Marshall, who works in Warren County, and Calvin Stewart. Henderson received 365 votes, 48.3 percent, Marshall got 337, 44.6 percent, and Stewart polled 54, 7.1 percent.

Rolling Fork’s city councilmen Frances Lynch, Charles McPhail, Charles Russell, Arthur Wallace and Henry Wilson were all unopposed.

In Cary, mayor Leland Weissinger was unopposed for re-election. Incumbent aldermen Sammy Bonds, Margie Gerrard, Randolph Hengst and Jane Moore Raney won new terms on the at-large board by recording 111, 130, 92 and 104 votes, respectively. They will be joined by Linda McGee, who won a spot with 94 votes. Incumbent Bill Stark got 89, and challenger Sylvia Pepper polled 82.

In Utica, incumbent mayor Charles Stokes kept his job, recording 193 votes, 55.3 percent. Dan Mobley got 126 votes, 36.1 percent, and James L. Rawls had 30, 8.6 percent.

In the race for at-large alderman, Jo Ann Caston easily won re-election with 218 votes, 62.6 percent. Bob Lee Currie, who gave up his seat as Ward 2 alderman to seek the at-large post, received 130, 37.4 percent.

Larry Boyd will replace Currie in the Ward 2 position, garnering 54 votes against Donald Brown, who had 29. Aldermen Earl Mathes, Lennette Watts and Kenneth Broome were unopposed.