Top two candidates head to runoff in Harrison County tax collector’s race

Harrison County Interim Tax Collector Sharon A. Nash Barnett and Supervisor Connie Rockco are headed for a runoff in the county tax collector’s race after topping a field of five in a special election.

With 100% of precincts reporting, unofficial returns show Barnett with 23,046 votes to 15,407 votes for Rockco. Absentee and affidavit ballots are still being counted, but to win outright, Barnett would need more than 50 percent of the vote.

Barnett currently has 40.5% of the vote to 27.1% for Rockco.

Other vote totals:

Scottie Cuevas, former state senator — 7,687 or 13.5%

Jennifer Adams, business owner — 6,691. or 11.8%

Sheena Khalifeh, business owner — 4,084 or 27.1%

Barnett has worked in the tax collector’s office for 18 years, while Rockco has served as a supervisor for more than 20 years.

The special-election was set after Tax Collector David LaRosa resigned in April for health reasons. The Board of Supervisors appointed Nash to serve in the interim.

The winner will take office the day after the Nov. 24 runoff.

This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 10:45 PM.

Anita Lee

Sun Herald

601-909-0638

Anita, a Mississippi native, graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and previously worked at the Jackson Daily News and Virginian-Pilot, joining the Sun Herald in 1987. She specializes in in-depth coverage of government, public corruption, transparency and courts. She has won state, regional and national journalism awards, most notably contributing to Hurricane Katrina coverage awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Public Service. Support my work with a digital subscription