Pascagoula has a new mayor after candidate wins by a landslide, results show

Dr. Steve Demetropoulos won the Pascagoula Special Election Mayor’s race on Tuesday night in a landslide over his two opponents, avoiding a March 3 runoff.

He will formally take the helm at next week’s city council meeting.

“This is a night to celebrate; let’s celebrate the moment,” Demetropoulos said while with joyous friends and associates at Brady’s Restaurant in Pascagoula.

The family physician with Singing River Health System amassed 73.78% of the 2,269 votes counted by the Jackson County Election Commission, which have not yet been certified.

“I know we had a lot of folks who were very motivated to work hard for change in the city,” said Demetropoulos. “I think we had a very compelling message, and that’s what brought the people out.”

Burt Hill, a former manager of the Pascagoula Country Club, who served on the city council from 2012-16, finished second with 22.17% of the vote.

Chris Grace, a member of the city’s Park and Recreation Commission, was third with 3.79%.

Demetropoulos will finish the term vacated by previous mayor Dane Maxwell, who stepped down after being elected to the state Public Service Commission.

Demetropoulos said he will begin trying to exercise his vision to reverse the city’s population decline while attracting more quality jobs, businesses and programs.

“Repopulating Pascagoula has to be our No. 1 priority. Everything else has to line up to support that,” he said. “Beautification has to support it along with the performance of our schools and having things to do in the community.”

On having just roughly a year and a half on the uncompleted term, which expires June 30, 2021, Demetropoulos said: “We’re trying to turn a ship and you can only go in inches at a time. I’m going to do things that are tangible and where we can see results.”

Demetropoulos is scheduled to be sworn in Feb. 18, just before the next Pascagoula city council meeting.