Election to fill the Ward 2 seat will be included on August Special Election Tourism Tax Ballot
A vacancy on the Forest Board of Aldermen was declared Tuesday during the regular city board meeting after Ward 2 Alderman Allan Atkison stepped down at the end of June.
Atkison, who along with Ward 3 Alderman Harry Robinson will be inducted into the Mississippi Municipal League Hall of Fame later this month, has also retrired from the education field where he most recently served as Principal of Forest High School.
“Working with Allan all of these years has been the most rewarding experience in this office,” Forest Mayor Nancy Chambers said “He has worked tirelessly for the residents of Ward 2 and has done an excellent job. He will be sorely missed.”
Atkison could not be reached for comment at press time.
After declaring the seat vacant the board adopted a resolution calling for a special election to be held on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. Potential candidates can pick up qualifying papers at City Hall.
Candidates are required to get signatures of 15 registered voters within the city to qualify. It is recommended they get more signatures. The qualifying deadline is July 28, 2021. The election to fill the vacant Ward 2 seat and the election on a proposed 2% tourism tax will be held on the same date. There will be voting in all 5 Wards, with Ward 2 having two items on the ballot, the alderman’s seat and the tourism tax.
The general qualifications for this office are:
• Qualified elector (registered voter) of the State of Mississippi and in the ward of the office he/she seeks.
• Resident of the municipality for office they seek for two (2) years immediately preceding the date of the election.
• Never been convicted of bribery, perjury or other infamous crime, being defined as a crime punishable by a minimum of one (1) year confinement in the state penitentiary, unless pardoned for the offense.
• Never been convicted of a felony in a court of this state or, of a felony in a federal court, or of a crime in the court of another state which is a felony under the laws of this state, on or after December 8, 1992; excluding, however, a conviction of manslaughter or a violation of the United States Internal Revenue Code or any violation of the tax laws of this state, unless the offense also involved the misuse or abuse of an office or money coming into a candidate’s hands by virtue of an office.
City officials announced last week plans for the special election on a 2 percent tourism tax. Proceeds from the tourism tax, if approved, are for the purpose of enhancing the parks and recreations programs and for promoting tourism, to include regionally promoting the city of Forest.
If approved by voters the 2 percent tax levy would go into effect September 1 and based on the typical time frame that the state reimburses sales tax revenue to cities, Forest could begin seeing the benefits in December.
