Jackson Ward 3 City Councilman Kenneth Stokes said he plans to resign from City Council in order to serve as Hinds County's new District 5 supervisor.
Final uncertified numbers from the Aug. 2 county's Democratic primary show Stokes winning the race with 54 percent of the vote, beating incumbent and Hinds County Board of Supervisors President George Smith.
"I can do both, but I'm not going to do both," Stokes told the Jackson Free Press today. "I'm too old to do both of them. I got out of the hospital a few weeks ago. When I decided to run for supervisor, I did it because I want to try and help more people. ... I don't want to shortchange anyone."
The councilman said he hasn't yet determined when he will resign, but expects to do so in early 2012. He said he wasn't ready to name prospective candidates to fill his seat, but said he would help recruit a replacement and support that candidate.
Stokes, who is in his mid 50s, has served on the city council since 1989. Stokes often introduces city ordinances that would creation restrictions on the city's youth such as teen curfews or age requirements for nightclubs. He also introduces numerous ordinances to change street names, swimming pools and the Jackson airport. He called for a boycott of The Clarion-Ledger last year after the paper wrote articles questioning his absences from city work sessions and taxpayer-funded trips.
Stokes also ran for the supervisor seat in previous years.
"People realized what we want to do," he said. "We haven't changed our message. We want to improve swimming pools in the county so young people don't have to swim in creeks and ponds. We want to fight hard to get Highway 18 four-laned. It was supposed to get done years ago. There are a lot of things that need to get done."
The Hinds County Executive Democratic Committee will meet at 6 p.m. tonight at the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance office on State Street to certify the Hinds County elections.
Smith was not immediately available to comment on whether he will concede or challenge the election results. Smith has served as supervisor since 1980.
Mississippi Ethics Commission Director Tom Hood told the Jackson Free Press yesterday that no state law governs whether city council members can also serve as supervisors. If challenged, the Mississippi Supreme Court would have the authority to rule whether or not an election official could serve in both capacities.
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