Jones defends seat in Jasper squeaker 

 Published Wed, Jun 23, 2004
By OMAR FORD, Gazette staff writer
 More by By Omar Ford, Gazette Staff Writer
RIDGELAND — Incumbent Gladys Jones retained her at-large seat on the Jasper County Council Tuesday after narrowly defeating former Councilman Samuel Gregory with 52 percent of the runoff vote to Gregory’s 48 percent, according to unofficial results.

Jones, who won by 82 votes, thanked everyone for their support once the results of the Democratic runoff were announced shortly after 9 p.m. “We did it,” she yelled. “We did it again.”

About 2,500 people voted in the runoff, compared with the 4,853 Jasper County residents who voted in the June 8 primary.

The runoff was the result of Jones and Gregory not managing to gain the 50 percent plus one vote in the June 8 primary against D.P. Lowther, a third candidate, necessary to win the seat.

Although initial election results from the primary earlier this month showed Jones in the lead with 1,661 votes to Gregory’s 1,470, a recount last week had Gregory bettering the incumbent, 1,139 votes to 1,079.

The county Democratic Party called for the recount after a series of mistakes in how the election was run including a log-in book showing a total of 521 votes cast by only 298 voters and, in the Gillisonville precinct, a race in which three candidates all received 111 votes each, was detected.

Tuesday’s runoff was the fourth time in four years that the two have faced each other for the at-large seat.

Gregory initially defeated Jones in 2000 but because the election was marred by reports of faulty voting machines and allegations of voting irregularities, the election was thrown out.

Another election was held in March of 2001 where Jones would defeat Gregory by more than 200 votes.

“Somehow I can’t win an election without doing it twice,” she said, Tuesday night.

Gregory couldn’t be reached for comment after the election.

Although Jones won’t face a Republican opponent in November for her council seat, a petition candidate can still file to run for the post.

The Jasper County Election Commission will certify votes in council chambers at 11 a.m. Thursday.