Qualifying begins in Central, North Baldwin for municipal elections

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ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Qualifying for the August municipal elections began July 7 with so far only a few challengers qualifying for seats in the five municipalities of north and central Baldwin County.
Voters will head to the polls on Aug. 25 to decide mayor and city council leaders for the next four years. Qualifying for municipal elections continues through July 21.

Bay Minette
Four incumbents and one challenger have qualified so far for municipal elections in Bay Minette, including Anne Corbett, who took over the District 1 seat following the death of her husband Danleigh Corbett last September. She will be challenged by Pete Sellers.

District 2 incumbent Mike Phillips; John W. Biggs in District 3 and Shannon Clemmons in District 5 have also qualified.
William C. Taylor, who is finishing his first term in office for the District 4 seat; and Mayor Bob Wills had yet to qualify as of July 13.

Robertsdale
As of Monday, July 13, incumbent Mayor Charles Murphy and challenger Tim Brown have both qualified for mayor in Robertsdale.
Brown, a local business owner, was narrowly defeated by Brent Kendrick in the 2016 race for the Place 4 council seat. Murphy will likely face opposition from two other opponents in the August election, Roger Booth, who ran against Murphy in 2016, and political newcomer Kenneth Wilson.
For the council seats, all incumbents have qualified except for Ruthie Campbell in Place 3, including Mayor Pro Tem Joe Kitchens, Sue Cooper, Place 2; Brent Kendrick, Place 4; and Paul Hollingsworth, Place 5.
Lonnie Ard has also qualified to run against Sue Cooper for the Place 2 seat.

Loxley
In Loxley, all of the incumbents have qualified, including Mayor Richard Teal, longtime council member and former mayor pro tem who was appointed to fill the mayoral seat following the death of longtime Mayor Billy Middleton.
Other incumbents who have so far qualified unopposed include Mayor Pro Tem Kasey Childress, Richard Lee Wilson, Jeffrey T. Knight and Katherine Breeden.
The only challenger to qualify as of Monday, July 13 was local chiropractor Philip Dembowski, who qualified to run against newcomer Chris McCall, who was appointed last year to fill the council seat vacated by Teal.

Silverhill
No one had qualified for the Aug. 25 elections in Silverhill as of July 13.
Mayor Jared Lyles served three full terms on the council before being appointed as mayor following the resignation of Tim Wilson last April. Gerald Ardoin was appointed to fill the Place 3 seat.
Other incumbents include Bert Jones, Place 1; Mayor Pro Tem Steve Brooks, Place 2; Tonie Norden, Place 4; and Wayne Gruenloh, Place 5.

Summerdale
So far, no challengers have qualified for mayoral or council seats for the Aug. 25 municipal election in Summerdale.
Mayor David Wilson has qualified to seek an eighth term in office. Mayor Pro Tem Myles Bishop will seek his fourth full term after being appointed in 2007.
Incumbent Normal Wilson Giles has qualified to seek a sixth term in Place 2, while Mary Carolyn McDaniel (Place 3) and Cheryl Wallace Stewart have also qualified, both seeking a third term. Travis Townsend, who will finish his fourth term in Place 4, had yet to qualify as of July 13.