The
upcoming mayor election for the City of Prichard, is expected to be a heated
one. Five candidates filed qualifying papers with the city clerk office by the
deadline on yesterday. All but two have ties to City government, with the
former mayor wanting to reclaim his position as head of the struggling city.
 |
| Mayor Ron Davis |
Prichard
Mayor Ron Davis, who was first elected to the job in 2004, will face Severia
Campbell-Morris, a community activist; Troy Ephriam, a current city councilman
and former council President; Teresa Fox Bettis, the executive director of the
Center for Fair Housing in Mobile; and Charles Harden, the former mayor of
Prichard.
The
main issues that will drive this spirited and heated race for Prichard mayor
will be economic development, public safety, government transparency, retiree’s
pension, water and sewer rates and moving the cash strapped city forward.
Former mayor
Charles Harden
is leading the charge that he has unfinished business, and believes that he can
do a better job in fixing Prichard problems.
 |
| Severia Campbell-Morris |
Harden
has been accused of blocking progress in the city and the stop and ticket
mayor. This is second run for the former mayor after losing his seat to now
mayor Ron Davis in 2004. He must convince voters in Prichard to give him
another chance.
Severia Campbell-Morris, a community
activist who has lead the charge of protecting high water and sewer rates in
Prichard, has taken a step further to run for mayor of a city that is trying to
find prosperity.
We
already know what Campbell-Morris wants to do as mayor, it’s simple she will be
campaigning to clean up Prichard, lower the water and sewer rates that’s been a
burden on the citizens of Prichard.
 |
| Councilman Troy Ephriam |
Troy Ephriam, a current city
councilman and former council President of Prichard, has been thinking of this
move for some time now. His father was also a pioneer in this city and served
on the city council. Ephriam is upset with the transparency of city finances,
the retiree’s pension, economic development, public safety and so on. Councilman
Ephriam has been fighting for Prichard retirees from the beginning and help
brokered a deal to pay the retirees what is owed to them from the city last
year.
 |
| Teresa Fox Bettis |
Mayor Ron Davis has indeed filed
to run for re-election. Davis served on the city council before being elected
mayor of Prichard.
Mayor
Davis also believes that he has unfinished business in the city of Prichard as
well. His green and white signs have begun to flood the city, asking for four more
years.
Ron
Davis has said he would continue to recruit businesses to the cash strapped
city and provide more public safety for its citizens.
In
my early predictions for this race I will call it a three man race for mayor.
On August 28 this race will be forced into a runoff, but with whom is still to
be determined. Mayor Ron Davis, Councilman Troy Ephriam and former mayor Charles
Harden will all battle for this seat.
But
what if the citizens of Prichard change course with the city and decide they
want new identity, new leadership and a new vision. Then thats when the whole
race takes a turn, when Severia Campbell Morris and Teresa Fox Bettis plays a part in this
election.
You
can expect Campbell Morris and Teresa Bettis to get some play from this race
and court women and senior voters. Both candidates will have to convince the
citizens it’s time for a woman to lead the city.
Solutions
is what Prichard need for it’s problems, and all candidates have ideas and a
vision of their own; the question that remains to be answered is, whether the
citizens of Prichard will buy it?
Note: Charles Harden photo was not available at the time of publishing.
Stay
with me here at the Political Beacon, as I continue to bring you the informed
information on this heated and spirited race for Prichard next mayor in 2012.
