Election 2009: Big Day For Incumbents As Mayors sail To Re-Election In Easy Wins

The mayors of DeSoto County's five incorporated municipalities made a clean sweep Tuesday, easily winning new terms in general election balloting.

Incumbents Chip Johnson of Hernando, Nat Baker of Horn Lake, Sam Rikard of Olive Branch and Greg Davis of Southaven all coasted to victory.

Joining the four was Walls Mayor Gene Alday, whose re-election bid was unchallenged.

All five mayors are Republicans.

The wins by Davis and Johnson followed similarly easy primary victories. Rikard had to survive a serious challenge from county Supervisor Jessie Medlin, defeating him in a May 19 runoff to advance to Tuesday's general election.

Baker faced no opposition for the Republican nomination in Horn Lake but, unlike Alday, had opposition Tuesday from Democratic challenger Hester Jackson-McCray.

The winners will begin new four-year terms on July 1.

In Hernando, Johnson easily outdistanced Independent challenger Danny Phillips, taking 66 percent of the vote.

"I think it shows the people are happy with the direction we are headed and with the progress we made," Johnson said. "Now we have a Board of Aldermen of seven members. It's time to put all our ideas together and move forward together."

Johnson narrowly defeated Hernando Police Chief Mike Riley in the Republican primary in 2005. It was highest voter turnout for a Hernando municipal election and Johnson went on to win unopposed in the general election.

In this year's Republican primary, Johnson took 65.6 percent of the vote, defeating Randy Harris and Tony Scott.

Baker focused on economic development and keeping Horn Lake the state's greenest city as he campaigned for re-election against political newcomer Jackson-McCray, who had vowed she would clean up the city's illegal dump sites and bring more diversity to City Hall.

"I'm just glad it's over," Baker said after receiving more than 87 percent of the vote Tuesday night.

"I'm happy we can keep our commitments for the next four years. I'm eager to begin working with the new Board of Aldermen, and I really look forward to serving for the next four years."
Neither Baker nor Jackson-McCray faced opposition within their own parties in the primaries.


Rikard appeared on Tuesday's ballot only after edging out his most stringent competition in the Olive Branch primary. He led the three-candidate Republican field but failed to capture more than 50 percent of the vote, resulting in a runoff against Medlin.

"It's been an intense last three months for everyone," Rikard said. "I'm glad it's over now. Maybe we can get back to the business of governing."

He said his large victory margin is a mandate "to keep on doing what we've been doing: Keep working every day to making Olive Branch the great place that it is."

Democratic candidate Dale "A.J." Bradshaw felt a lot of his supporters in Tuesday's general election were Republican, but he failed to obtain enough of their votes to defeat the incumbent Rikard's bid for a fourth term.

Randy K. Smith, running as an Independent, trailed the field. Like Bradshaw, this was Smith's first bid for political office.

In Southaven, the county's largest city, Davis soundly won his fourth term and now becomes the longest-serving mayor in the city's 29-year history. He defeated Democrat William S. Forrester and Independent candidate Eddie Sutliffe.

"I am again very humbled by the trust the voters have given me to serve another four years," Davis said.

As in the primary, Davis stood on his 12-year leadership of Southaven as testament to why he should be re-elected in the general election.

He pointed to the growth and progress the city has made on his watch, including 12,000 jobs that have been created over the past decade and construction of Southaven Towne Center.

Alday had the easiest path of all to another term. He and all of the Walls aldermen faced no primary opposition since the offices are chosen on a nonpartisan basis, and they also faced no opposition Tuesday in the general election.

"I am excited to keep on going," Alday said. "I am happy the people supported me, and I have a great board to work with over the next four years."

Staff reporters William C. Bayne, Mark Crum, Yolanda Jones and Toni Lepeska contributed to this article.