Unofficial results show runoff will be needed to determine Ward 2 election winner
The race to fill Gulfport’s vacant Ward 2 seat on the Gulfport City Council isn’t over yet.
With no candidate receiving more than 50 percent of the votes on Tuesday, unofficial results show there will be a runoff election between Bryan Caldwell and Ron Ruland to see who fill complete the term of Ron Roland, who resigned for health reasons. That runoff election would be held June 30.
Caldwell picked up the most support Tuesday, collecting 608 votes (43.6%), while Ruland was close behind with 447 votes (32.0%). The results do not include a handful of mail-in ballots, though there are not believed to be enough to affect the result.
The winner of the runoff would serve the remainder of Roland’s term, which would end June 30, 2029.
Two candidates were defeated: Howard Page, who received 283 votes (20.3%) and Kelsey Bonds, who received 56 votes (4.0%).
Caldwell, 66, retired in 2022 as the Gulfport School District’s longtime athletic director. He said that he’s spent his adult life in public service and wants to continue by serving his neighbors.
“As a teacher, head coach, principal, and athletics director in the Gulfport School District, I navigated school boards, civic partnerships, capital projects, and community relationships throughout my career,” Caldwell says on his website. Caldwell also helped head the successful $41.2 million bond campaign for Gulfport High School.
Ruland, 55, is director of food operations at Island View Casino Resort. He has been knocking on doors and wants to serve as a councilman because he believes Ward 2 has been under-represented.
“Gulfport taxpayers deserve strong, principled leadership on the City Council — leaders who will stand up for fiscal responsibility, public safety, and limited government,” he said.
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 10:30 PM.
