Jackson Free Press

Charles Stokes and Dorothy Benford are vying just as furiously for the Hinds County tax assessor's office as they were on Aug. 6.

A total of nine candidates choked that election, looking to replace retiring tax assessor Mike Barnes. The chance of a run-off increased with the slurry of names tumbling out of the electoral pipe, giving Benford 28 percent of the vote, with Stokes following at 12 percent.

Stokes, the current mayor of Utica, says his biggest asset is his 10 years governmental experience serving as mayor. "I've been in government for over 10 years and I know what it takes to keep government running smoothly. I bring that kind of experience to the table. I'm a guy with integrity. I work well with the supervisors, school districts, and anybody in Mississippi government," Stokes said.

As mayor since 1997, Stokes oversaw Utica's Main Street beautification effort, and a rise in government grants to aid in building and renovation of property in and around the small town, as well as the construction of a new baseball field.

Stokes, 50, said the greatest change he plans to bring to the tax assessor's office is "no change whatsoever."

"What I want to do is keep that office running as smoothly as it is now. The tax assessor's office is in the middle of a re-assessment of all the property in Hinds County, and it has to be done by July '08. If anybody goes in that office wanting to make changes the county could lose money. The county already stands to lose $1.6 million if the assessment is not done on time, so I don't intend to replace any employees," Stokes said.

Stokes added that the issue of him retaining his position as mayor while tax assessor was "still up in the air."

"After the election, if I win, I'll leave that to the voters to decide. I'm willing to rely on the voters to pick someone else for that spot if they so choose," Stokes said.

His opponent, Dorothy Benford, said Stokes' small-town experience is not suited to running a "big city" office.

"Stokes is from Utica, a very small town, and he has not been involved in big city real estate assessment, while I've been around that gang for a long time," Benford said.

Benford, a retired school teacher and associate mortgage broker, said she wants to open the tax assessor's office to more African Americans and more women—a promise that has been her campaign pledge in past runs for the office.

"I want to make sure that women have an opportunity. When I go down to the tax assessor's office I see nothing but ladies. I don't see any men. But then, when I go back into the appraisal's office … I see men, so I want to make sure that women have opportunities in the tax assessor's office. Also, there are 30-something employees there, but only a few African-Americans. … I know there are quality women and minorities worthy of those positions," Benford said.

Benford, who would not give her age, insists that she does not want to rotate experience out of the office, even while opening the office to new people.

"I have a qualified staff. I don't want to get rid of anyone, because I will need them to continue to do the job that they're doing," Benford said, adding that she wants to be available for the people in the Raymond office, as well as the Jackson office.

Benford has a history in politics, having run for past public-service positions. She has a history of a different sort, however. Opponents in this year's tax assessor race claim Benford spent the last few months tearing down their political signs, all the way up to the August primary. It would not be the first time, according to her legal record. Benford was fined for reckless driving in 1988 after mowing down a forest of Mike Espy political signs in Yazoo City with her vehicle. Benford was running against Espy for a congressional seat that year. Benford was also found guilty of assault against Mike Alexander, a field director for Espy that same year.

Benford could not be reached for follow-up questions regarding the vandalism and assault charges.

Remember Justice Court
The third run-off race gearing up for big attention in a week is the race for Hinds County Justice Court District 1. Justice court is where you go if you get caught running a stop sign or zipping down a residential neighborhood at 95 miles per hour outside the corporate limits of a municipality. The two candidates pushing for that position are Kesha Evans and Don Palmer.

Palmer, 39, has 10 years experience as a justice court deputy clerk, and said his time as clerk has given him the experience to keep the court humming along.

"I've spent a whole lot of time in the courtroom with the judges, and I know what we need to do with that court. We want to make sure that we're attentive, start on time and operate efficiently," Palmer said.

Palmer is looking to capitalize on the success of the county's drug court program, a program championed by District 1 Justice Court Judge Nicki Martinson Boland. Boland pushed for county drug court with the help of County Judge Mike Parker, but Boland is running as an independent this year, and will face the run-off winner and Republican challenger Delma Gill Baker in the November election.

"A lot of the other judges are not quite as dedicated to using the drug court as I'd like to be. We have a good connection with the court right now and I think we can make the drug court a whole lot better," Palmer said.

The justice court docket currently contains about 60 civil and 60 criminal cases.

Candidate Kesha Evans could not be reached.