Jo Pratt, candidate in North Ward alderman’s race

[02/21/01] A bed and breakfast owner on Tuesday became the third candidate to file to seek the North Ward alderman’s post in city elections.

Retired educator and owner of the Belle of the Bends, Jo Pratt, a Democrat, will face two-term incumbent Gertrude Young and business owner Rodney Dillamar in the May 1 Democratic primary.

Pratt, 67, said she decided to run for the post because she has been disappointed by city management.

“I’ve watched administrations come and go and I’ve supported them, but they never seem to get what I wanted done,” she said.

Before making the decision to seek an elective office for the first time, Pratt said she surveyed 175 residents by phone and asked each to list issues important to them. She has also put together a written survey that will be available at various locations asking voters to rate 18 issues.

“I think we need a plan for Vicksburg, and we need to evaluate how we’re spending money,” Pratt said. “One month of revenue from the casinos could have outfitted every playground with the grandest of equipment.”

A news story last week identified four city playgrounds that were to get new equipment. Casinos add at least $500,000 per month to the city treasury and have since 1993.

Pratt also said that if elected, she would accept only half of the $45,491-a-year salary for the office.

“I plan to just draw half and give the other half to the youth,” she said.

Young, 45, is seeking her third term in office. For Dillamar, 41, this is his second bid for the North Ward seat. In 1997, he was defeated by Young in the primary election. She won unopposed in the general election.

No one else has filed for the race, but other potential candidates include Sylvester Walker, a wallpaper contractor, and Vicksburg Police Detective Randy Naylor.

If none of the candidates gets a majority of the vote in the primary election, a runoff will be May 15.

In the race for the mayor’s office, two candidates have filed to run for the $56,531-a-year post. Fitness instructor Eric Rawlings, 38, will appear as a Democrat on the May 1 primary ballot and former mayor Joe Loviza, 60, is running as an independent in the June 5 general election.

Others who have expressed interest in running for the mayor’s office are incumbent Robert Walker, 46, businessman Laurence Leyens, 38, and Warren County District 3 Supervisor Charles Selmon, 40.

With a little more than a week left until the filing deadline, restaurant manager Sam Smith is the only candidate to file for the South Ward alderman’s seat. Smith, 37, is seeking the Republican nomination in the May 1 primary.

Incumbent Sam Habeeb has said he will not seek a second term in office. Candidates have until March 2 to qualify for ballots.

The filing deadline is the same for independent candidates who will not appear on the primary ballot.