Just over two weeks before the qualification deadline, five people have filed their paperwork to run for Beat 5 Supervisor in a special election on November 5.

Those qualified include former Laurel City Councilwoman Stacy Comegys, 38, of Laurel, and longtime parole officer Lafayette Nelson Sr., 73, of Ellisville, as well as Ray L. Owens, 50, and Marlon Ulmer, 35, both of Laurel, and David E. Lewis, 67, of Ellisville.

They are all competing for the position vacated by the brother of former City Council candidate Travares Comegys, who resigned following an investigation by the State Auditor’s Office into allegations of fraud. Tommy Posey was appointed interim Beat 5 supervisor by the Jones County Board of Supervisors for the remainder of this year and agreed not to seek the position for the remaining three years of the term.

In other local elections, Bart Gavin, 58, qualified for Precinct 1 election commissioner. The retired former county and clerk is running against Deputy Darren McCraw, 61, of Laurel, to replace retiring longtime election commissioner Gail Welch. Dion Hodge, 40, of Laurel has qualified for Precinct 3 election commissioner to replace retiring longtime election commissioner Helen Stanley. Hodge, who worked in the county clerk’s office for years, is the only one qualified so far. Longtime Precinct 5 election commissioner Addie Chinn is the only one qualified so far in that precinct.

The Jones County School Board will have District 1 and District 2 seats up for election. As of Monday morning, only the incumbents – Ronnie Herrington, 67, of Ellisville (District 1) and Jerry Terry, 63, of Laurel (District 2) – had completed registration paperwork at the county clerk’s office.

Candidates for all local offices have until 5 p.m. Friday, September 6 to qualify.

Sept. 23 is the earliest that mail-in ballots could be available at the county clerk’s offices at the Jones County courthouses in Ellisville and Laurel, said County Clerk Greg “Red” Dickerson, whose office has received numerous calls on the issue.

Anyone wishing to vote in the November 5 presidential election must register by October 7 at 5 p.m. County clerk offices in Ellisville and Laurel will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, October 5, from 8 a.m. to noon for those wishing to register. Any 17-year-old who will turn 18 in the November 5 election may register.