Mississippi’s largest coastal city and the state’s second-largest city by population, Gulfport, will soon have a new mayor as elections are set to take place later in the spring and into the summer.
As longtime Republican Mayor Billy Hewes announced last May that he would not seek a fifth term, a busy field of candidates are lining up to take the reins at city hall. Below you can find a running list of people who have filed their paperwork with the deadline to do so on Jan. 31. Primary elections will take place on April 1 with runoffs, if necessary, on April 22 and the general election on June 3.
After Hewes indicated he was stepping aside, Hugh Keating publicly announced his intention to run for the seat back in June. The Gulfport native has spent the last 40 years in the legal profession, cementing himself as a well-known attorney in south Mississippi. He now aims to continue the trend of a Republican-led municipality against multiple Democratic opponents.
In addition to serving as the vice president and treasurer at law firm Dukes, Keating, Hatten, McRaney, and Blum, the legal veteran has also worked as president of the Mississippi Bar Association.
“It’s almost like a calling,” Keating told SuperTalk Mississippi News after his announcement. “I feel like I can hit the ground running and for it to be a seamless transition. We’ve got a lot of transformative projects in the pipeline that need to be carried to fruition. But the city has other needs to be addressed – there’s always room for improvement.”
Keating, a Mississippi College School of Law graduate, touts a robust track record of community involvement, including roles as Vice-President of the Gulfport Redevelopment Commission, President of the Mississippi Coast Crime Commission, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Leadership Gulf Coast, and multiple leadership positions with the Boy Scouts of America.
Sonya Williams-Barnes (Democrat)
Sonya Williams-Barnes, a former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2012-22, was the first candidate to file paperwork when the qualifying period opened
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