Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles addressing qualifying candidates. In today’s story, we will look at qualifying candidates for the five supervisor districts.

The Board of Supervisors is tasked with the duty of overseeing the county government. This year several are vying for the five positions in Lincoln County.

Two supervisors, District 1 Jerry Wilson and District 4 Eddie Brown, currently face no opposition. Two supervisors, District 2 Jimmy Diamond and District 5 Dudley Nations, have not turned in qualification papers as of Friday afternoon. District 3 Supervisor Nolan Williamson is the only incumbent currently facing opposition.

The qualifying deadline is Feb. 27. Forms for county positions should be turned into the Circuit Clerk’s office.

District 1 Supervisor 

Jerry L. Wilson (D) currently serves in this capacity. Wilson has served as supervisor since 2004. Previously, he served as Ward 3 Alderman for the City of Brookhaven.

District 2 Supervisor 

Don Hodge (R) has qualified to run in the primary election. He could not be reached Saturday for comment.

Samuel Keys (D) has decided to run so that he can help make Brookhaven a better place.

“It’s really been a blessing to have my family support me,” he said.

He described himself as a hard worker and said he will work toward bring more jobs to the area.

“I am a person that believes in the people,” he said. “We have the opportunity to do something different, so our future can look brighter.”

Jerry McGehee (D) has experience working with Diamond.

His background is in logging and as such he has been able to work with the public.

“As long as you respect others, they’ll respect you,” he said.

He said he will do his best to make decisions that best satisfy the people he represents.

“You’ve got to do the best you can with the money you’ve got,” he said.

Don Smith (R) has spent time as both a businessman and volunteer firefighter background.

He has served as a manager, so he has learned to work with people. As a business owner, he learned to manage money. As president of a volunteer fire department, he learned to write grants.

“Personally, I think I’ve got what it takes,” he said.

He said he will strive to uncover more funds through grants and work to make taxes better for District 2 and Lincoln County.

“You’ve got to manage the problem,” he said. “We need to get our roads and bridges better.”

Bobby J. Watts (R) has previously held this position for 12 years. He requested to discuss his campaign at a later date.

District 3 Supervisor 

Jamie Gatlin (R) has qualified to run in the primary election. He could not be reached Saturday for comment.

Luther Watts (R) said he decided to run because more needs to be done in his district.

Watts said since District 3 includes Bogue Chitto and Highway 583, it is heavily populated and the roads need to be better taken care of. He hopes to look at the budget and satisfy the community.

“I’ve been to school for political science and government,” he said. “I know how the county runs.”

His goal is to be there for the community.

“It’s not ‘What does Luther Watts need?’ But what does Luther Watts need to do for the people,” he said.

Nolan Earl Williamson (D) is seeking his fourth term as District 3 Supervisor.

He believes his experience is what sets him apart, and he has worked to pave many roads and repair many bridges. Williamson said District 3 has more roads than any other district, so he has a lot of ground to cover.

He said the biggest challenge the supervisors face are with the local bridges. State bridges qualify for help from state aid. Although Williamson said he is able to do more work with less money. He said last year he worked on six wooden bridges to convert them to steel and cement. He said he spent between $28,000 and $32,000 on the project.

“I’m not finished with my job,” he said. “I just ask for the people’s support.”

District 4 Supervisor 

C.E. “Eddie” Brown (R) currently serves as board president for the supervisors. He declined comment at this time.

Jonathan Laird (R) originally qualified for this race but has since withdrawn.

 District 5 Supervisor 

Doug Falvey (R)has qualified for this race but could not be reached Saturday.

Matt Golman (R) is running for office after he and his neighbors have spent years complaining about the roads.

“I don’t know if I can make it better, but I believe I can try.”

He said he has seen many buses get stuck on the roads when it rains and believes more attention should be spent on bus turnarounds.

“I will bust my butt and try to get stuff done,” he said.

Rex Smith (R) has qualified to run in this race. He requested to discuss his campaign at a later date.