Primaries overshadow vital Aug. 14 Ward 1 City Council race

The Clarion-Ledger Editorial, 8/7/8

The City Council race, made necessary by former Ward 1 Councilman Ben Allen’s abrupt resignation, is not on a lot of radar screens, in large part because of today’s primary elections.

Logistics made it necessary to have the special election Aug. 14 – a week later than the primaries and a week before any runoff elections.

Four candidates have declared for the non-partisan election: David Archie, a self-described community activist; John Ditto, a developer and former Jackson Mayor Kane Ditto’s son; Lenard Jenkins, membership director at New Hope Baptist Church; and Jeff Weill, a lawyer who once served as a state prosecutor.