Atmore’s 4,000-plus “active” registered voters have a 12-hour chance to play a huge role in the final reshaping of city government when polls across the community open at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning (Tuesday, Aug. 26).

At stake are the mayor’s office, where Acting Mayor Shawn Lassiter, who gave up his District 4 council seat and took office June 1 following Jim Staff’s retirement, faces what is expected to be a stiff challenge from community activist Sandra Gray.

Gray, who has reportedly never held political office, has been a frequent candidate for various posts throughout the years. Her most recent effort, a 2020 run for the District 5 city council post, left her just a few votes short of earning that seat and forced a runoff that gave Chris Harrison another term in office.

Three city council posts are one-person races, but two will be up for grabs.

District 1 —William “Bill” Stuckey and Bob Turk are competing for the post, where Webb Nall has held sway for the past 25 years. Nall chose not to seek another term, so the district’s 868 “active registered voters” will select a new representative. District 1 voters will cast their ballots at Atmore Public Library.

District 2 — Jerome Webster, who has held the seat since 2016, is facing a challenge from Andreas Grant, a former resident who recently returned to Atmore after several years working and living in Philadelphia. District 2’s 778 active registered voters will vote at Atmore City Hall, in the auditorium.

District 3 — Eunice Johnson, who became in 2020 the first woman of color to hold a seat on the Atmore council, was the only person to qualify for the post. She will continue to represent the district’s 871 residents, who will cast their mayoral votes at Friendship Club headquarters on North Main Street.

District 4 and District 5 council posts will be filled, respectively, by local realtors David Dobson, who has served as Lassiter’s replacement for about two months, and Bub Gideons, who ran a strong race against Harrison in 2020. Each is unopposed in his bid to serve on the council.

District 4’s 1,070 voters (the city’s largest voting district) will cast their ballots at Atmore City Hall’s City Council Chambers, while District 5’s electorate (739 active voters) will vote at the county shop on Jack Springs Road.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.