Five more to run for municipal office in Pinson

 

By Crystal McGough

Five more Pinson residents have qualified to run for election in the Aug. 28 Pinson municipal elections.

Pinson resident Sue Bowden announced her candidacy for Mayor of Pinson last Thursday.

“She is not a career politician,” Bowden’s campaign manager Patti Miller said. “She’s a concerned citizen and she wants to put things back in the hands of the people.”

Bowden is a long-time Pinson resident and has been a business owner since 1978.

According to her website, “Sue believes in an open door policy and still believes that the government should work for the people and not the other way around.”

Bowden will not run for mayor unopposed, as Mayor Hoyt Sanders has announced his run for re-election and Pinson resident Phil Sims has also announced his candidacy for mayor.

Pinson Councilwoman Dawn Tanner announced last Wednesday that she will run for re-election to her position of Council Place 1.

“It has been an honor to represent the citizens of Pinson since the city’s inception eight years ago and watch the city continue to grow,” Tanner said.

Tanner has lived in Pinson for 23 years and currently serves as the liaison to the Pinson Public Library and the Chairperson to the Finance Committee.

“As the library liaison, the opening of the Pinson Library, nearing a year old, has been exciting,” she said. “As the finance chairperson, the city’s finances, as in years past, are in great shape, even according to the independent audit in May.”

Pinson resident Jeff Walden announced Monday that he will run for Place 3 on the council.

Walden has lived in Pinson for 43 years and has been the Minister of Music and Outreach at Hopewell Baptist Church in Pinson for 15 years.

“My decision to seek this office was based on my care for the future of the city of Pinson,” he said. “I believe that careful planning, especially long-range planning, will ensure a bright future for Pinson. I wish to be part of that future.”

Pinson resident George “Robbie” Roberts also applied to run for Council Place 3 on Tuesday. Roberts has lived in Pinson 40 years and is the Chairman of the Pinson Library Board. He has been President of the Board of Trustees for the Palmerdale Fire District for the last 10 years and has served on the board for the last 14 years. He also has served on the Pinson Planning and Zoning Commission for six years.

“I have a strong desire for Pinson to reach its full potential while still retaining the beauty and strong community values I grew up enjoying,” Roberts said. “I have been able to work successfully with the current city leadership, as well as state and county leadership, and I hope to be able to work in the future toward making Pinson even better. People who know me will tell you that I don’t mind fighting for something that I believe is important, but I do strive to build a consensus while still trying to be a nice guy.”

As of the 5 p.m. candidate registration deadline on Tuesday, Pinson resident Cathie B. Leslie had also registered her candidacy for Council Place 3. Leslie is a newspaper editor in Pinson. Contact information for her was not provided by press time and no statement has been received from her.

Councilman Shane Shelnutt currently sits in Place 3, but has announced that he will not run for re-election.

The 2012 Pinson Municipal Candidates are as follows: Hoyt Sanders, Phil Sims and Sue Bowden are running for mayor; Dawn Tanner is running for Council Place 1; Joe Cochran is running for Council Place 2; Jeff Walden, George “Robbie” Roberts and Cathie B. Leslie are running for Council Place 3; John Churchwell is running for Council Place 4; and Joy McCain is running for Council Place 5.

Pinson residents will be able to vote on Aug. 28 at Pinson United Methodist Church.