Jimmie Smith | |
---|---|
Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi | |
Assumed office July 1, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Percy Bland |
Personal details | |
Born | June 29,1952[1] Chicago,Illinois,U.S. [2] |
Political party | Democratic |
Residence | Meridian,Mississippi |
Website | Official Website |
Jimmie Smith is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who has served as the mayor of Meridian,Mississippi since 2021. Previously,he served 20 years on the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors. [2]
Smith was born in Chicago on June 29,1952. As a teenager,he moved to Meridian. [1] [2]
Shortly after his arrival in Meridian,Smith worked in area hospitals. Later,he joined the Meridian Police Department where he worked in various divisions including the SWAT Team. [2]
Smith served for 20 years on the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors. [2]
In 2005,while still serving on the Board of Supervisors,Smith was the Democratic nominee for mayor. [2] He lost to the incumbent John Robert Smith in the general election by only 104 votes. [3]
Sixteen years later,Jimmie Smith faced off against Mayor Percy Bland in the Democratic primary. After,beating Bland in the April 2021 run-off,he faced city council member Weston Lindemann,an independent,and Republican Robert Ray in the general election. [2] In June 2021,Smith won that race decisively with over 60 percent of the vote. [3]
When he assumed office in July 2021,he became only the second African American mayor of Meridian,a town with a population that is over 60 percent Black.
Meridian is the eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi,with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County and the principal city of the Meridian,Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area. Along major highways,the city is 93 mi (150 km) east of Jackson;154 mi (248 km) southwest of Birmingham,Alabama;202 mi (325 km) northeast of New Orleans,Louisiana;and 231 mi (372 km) southeast of Memphis,Tennessee.
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Democrat Jimmie Smith will be the next mayor of Meridian after winning the general election on Tuesday by a substantial lead.
Mayor-Elect Smith served on the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors for 20 years. Smith previously ran for mayor of Meridian in 2005, but lost by 104 votes to John Robert Smith.