Gulfport sets date for special election for vacated City Council seat

The Gulfport City Council has set Tuesday, June 9 as the special election date to replace former City Councilman Ron Roland, who resigned the Ward 2 seat last week for health reasons.

The deadline to qualify for office will be May 21, the city clerk told the council during a special meeting Monday. Candidates can begin the qualifying process on Tuesday, which includes 50 signatures from current Ward 2 residents that will be verified by the city. Candidates must have lived in Ward 2 for two years.

The special election will be nonpartisan. The winner will serve the remainder of the current term, which ends June 30, 2029. City officeholders serve four-year terms, which most recently began July 1, 2025.

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