Special election set for Gulfport City Council seat after resignation. Here are details
The Gulfport City Council has set a special election on Feb. 18 to fill the unexpired term of former Ward 5 Councilman Myles Sharp.
Sharp announced his resignation in December, saying he was winding down his law practice and about to start a new job. He has not said where he is going to work.
He resigned more than six months before his term ends so that his position would be filled through a special election rather than an appointment by the City Council. Sharp said ward residents should select their representative and he also feared a council vote might end in a 3-3 stalemate.
The special election will be nonpartisan. The qualifying window for candidates will be January 8-29.
A runoff, if necessary, will be held March 11. A temporary councilman will serve only a short time before regular municipal elections are held statewide in the spring, with new mayors and board members taking office July 1.
The special and regular elections will be held using new city ward lines adopted through redistricting. Harrison County Circuit Clerk Justin Wetzel said the new ward lines for the entire city will need to be plugged into the system before the special election, but that his staff can get the work done through overtime.
“It’s a massive undertaking,” he said.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 2:47 PM.
