When voters head to the polls next Tuesday, they will face a series of either/or choices. In each of the four contested Kosciusko races, there are only two candidates on the ballot.
Mayor’s race
Longtime Kosciusko Mayor Jimmy Cockroft, who has held the office of mayor since 1997, is challenged by Dorothy Gilmore Patrick, a lifetime resident of Kosciusko.
Cockcroft was first elected to the Board of Aldermen in 1993. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Municipal Service Company Liability Board, the Mississippi Municipal League Board of Directors and the Board of Directors for North Central Planning and Development District.
Cockroft is also a member of the Kosciusko-Attala Partnership Board of Directors and is a founding member and past president of the East Central Mississippi Mayors Association. Cockroft has also been a supporter of the Kosciusko Main Street Program and was awarded the Special Service Award by Mississippi Main Street at its annual meeting in June 2016.
He is a member of First Baptist Church in Kosciusko serving as a Deacon and a member of the Television Ministry. He is a former member of the Oprah Winfrey Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors, past Chairman of the Kosciusko Athletic Booster Club, member and past president of the Kosciusko Lions Club. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Kosciusko Lions Club.
Cockroft and his wife Linda, a family nurse practitioner, have two adult children.
Dorothy Gilmore Patrick is also seeking the office of mayor. Patrick is known to the community as a real estate agent for Adams Realty and Manager of First Heritage Credit of Kosciusko. She has been in banking and financing for the past 23 years. She also worked as a legal assistant for local Attorney Michael Crawley Steele.
Patrick is a 1989 graduate of Kosciusko High School where she was recognized as Miss KHS. After high school, she attended Holmes Community College where she majored in Business Administration.
She is a member of the House of Prayer where she sings on the Praise Team and serves on the Finance Committee as well as a Pastoral Aid.
Alderman races
Incumbent Tim Kyle and challenger Billy Coffee are both seeking the Alderman-at-Large seat.
Ward 1 alderman Taylor Casey faces off against Raphael Douthard, and Ward 2 alderman Henry Daniel is up against Cheryl Bayne.
Ward 3 Alderman Robert Ellis and Ward 4 Alderman Jeffery Woods, Sr. are unopposed.
Where to vote
Early voting takes place through noon on Saturday, April 29, at city hall, which opens at 8 a.m.
Regular voting is next Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Attala County Coliseum.
For more voter information, call city hall at 662-289-1226.
