Dale asks judge to consider independent candidacy

Local News

April 28, 2007

Anonymous Picayune Item Sat Apr 28, 2007, 06:07 PM CDT

JACKSON, Miss. — Insurance Commissioner George Dale has asked a judge to let him run for re-election as an independent.

Attorneys for the state are questioning whether the judge appointed to hear the candidacy challenge has the authority to do that since the qualifying deadline for candidates in the 2007 elections was March 1.

“I think there is serious doubt whether this court can circumvent the statutory requirement for an independent candidate,” Special Assistant Attorney General Harold Pizzetta said Friday at the hearing before Circuit Judge Henry Lackey.

In addition to the March 1 qualifying deadline, candidates wanting to run as independents must submit 1,000 signatures from qualified electors supporting them.

The state Election Commission decides whether they qualify for the Nov. 6 general election. The commission will tell the court what its position on Dale’s request is by Tuesday, Pizzetta said.

Dale qualified to run as a Democrat, but was removed from the ballot after the party’s executive committee cited Dale’s support for President Bush in 2004. Dale sued.

Democratic Party attorney Willie Griffin told Lackey on Friday that the party had erred and Dale would be put on the ballot.

The party’s offer was withdrawn after Dale’s attorney, Greg Copeland, asked the judge to allow Dale to run as an independent.

Media coverage of the case “has affected and diminished Dale’s ability to compete and win the Democratic primary election,” Copeland said.

“The argument seems to be that the Democratic Party did something improper,” Griffin said. “We have confessed that to the court, and to pursue this line of argument suggests (Dale) is not willing to accept that confession.”

Lackey gave attorneys for both sides until Friday to file final briefs in the case.

Dale told The Clarion-Ledger newspaper after the hearing said no one had tried what he was doing before.

“My whole opinion is, in the ’50s and ’60s, black people had to go to court to vote or seek public office because a few misguided white people kept them from running. I know how they felt now,” Dale said in a www.clarionledger.com article.

Dale has been insurance commission since 1976 and has run for re-election as a Democrat.

Mississippi voters this year are electing all eight statewide officials and a long list of regional and local officials. March 1 was the candidates’ qualifying deadline. Party primaries are Aug. 7 and the general election is Nov. 6.

Text Only

Local News

MRI INSTALLED
This $1.2 million Magnetic Resonance Imaging equipment was installed at the new location of Highland Community Hospital.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
Hall suspected of robbery after escaping
A man who escaped from jail after attending his father’s wake is suspected of having carried out an armed robbery on the Texas-Arkansas state line. Johnny Hall escaped from Mississippi Department of Corrections custody on Friday while attending his father’s wake in Picayune.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
City Hall expansion groundbreaking held
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday at the construction site for the expansion of the historic Picayune City Hall. “You can see our future when you look down Goodyear Boulevard. You see Chimney Square, our high school, The Link at First Baptist Church, Jack Read Park and then our historic City Hall.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
PRC athletic director says he’ll recommend random drug testing
Pearl River Central athletic director Andy Kivlan told the school board at its Monday night meeting that he will most likely recommend that students participating in extracurricular activities, including band and ROTC, be subject to random drug screening.

February 8, 2012
Supervisors adopt resolution encouraging more economic development in South Miss.
Following a short presentation by State Sen. Tony Smith (R-Picayune), the board of supervisors adopted on Monday a resolution encouraging state officials and agencies to exercise “fairness and parity” regarding location of new industries in Mississippi.

February 7, 2012 1 Photo
MDEQ wants comprehensive waste disposal plan from county
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has told Pearl River County it wants a comprehensive waste disposal plan for the county. Supervisors indicated at their Monday meeting that they are not happy with the request.

February 7, 2012
Police: Powell planned deadly fire for some time
Josh Powell planned the deadly house fire that killed him and his young sons for some time, dropping toys at charities and sending final emails to multiple acquaintances before the blaze, authorities said Monday.

February 7, 2012
Bar fight ends in man being run over
A bar fight Friday morning resulted in one man being run over by the other with a pickup truck.
The fight was reported to Picayune Police officers Friday morning at about 1:44 at the American Legion Hall on Union School Road, said Capt. Chad Dorn.

February 4, 2012
Arson suspected at possible murder site
Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department investigators suspect arson was involved in a structure fire that occurred at a home where James Raine was killed last year.
The home at 24 Emma Lane was the scene of what investigators believe was the murder of the 37-year-old Raine in October, 2011.

February 4, 2012 1 Photo
Inmate escapes leaving father’s wake
Johnny Hall Jr., 30, escaped from Mississippi Department of Corrections custody Friday afternoon while attending his father’s wake in Picayune.

February 4, 2012
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Dale asks judge to consider independent candidacy

Site Map

Contact Us