Campaign finance reports for municipal candidates were due on March 25. See who filed… and who didn’t

Editor’s note: This story has been updated from an original version to reflect that Turner Martin did meet the deadline to file his campaign finance report.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Just four of the 12 candidates seeking Jackson’s Democratic nomination for mayor met the deadline for filing their first campaign finance reports.

Primary pre-election reports for candidates running in their respective party primaries on April 1 were due on March 25.

However, documents reviewed by WLBT show that just four of the 12 Democratic hopefuls seeking the city’s top elected position submitted the reports, while none of the Republicans did.

Candidates that did file were Socrates Garrett, Delano Funches, LaKeisha Crye, and John Horhn.

Other Democratic hopefuls, including Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, did not. Lumumba came under fire recently for failing to file his campaign finance reports for nearly three years.

Meanwhile, just six people running for city council met the deadline: Quint Withers, Ron Aldridge, Kevin Parkinson, and Turner Martin, all in Ward Seven, Charles Alexander in Ward Five, and Emon Thompson in Ward Six.

In all, five Democrats are seeking the nomination for the Ward Seven position. Two of those individuals, Corinthian Sanders and Bruce Burton, did not file.

Aldridge, who is running as an independent, did not have to file a pre-primary report but did so anyway.

Three Democrats are seeking the Ward Five nomination. ReJohnna Brown-Mitchell and incumbent Councilman Vernon Hartley did not file.

Nine Democratic hopefuls, meanwhile, are hoping to win the seat currently held by Ward Six Councilman Aaron Banks. Candidates not filing, according to the City Clerk’s Office, were Lee Bernard, Lashia Brown-Thomas, Jonathan Cottrell, Brad Davis, George Monroe, Antonio Porter, Lee Scott, and Daniel LaPatrick Walker.

Ward Four Councilman Brian Grizzell filed his campaign finance report on March 26. “It was a simple, but big, oversight. My team and I accept full responsibility,” he said. “It won’t happen again.”

Officials in the Municipal Clerk’s Office could not confirm Wednesday afternoon whether Grizzell’s Democratic challenger, Malcolm May, had filed.

According to Grizzell’s documents, the current Ward Four leader has raised $15,042 in his bid for a second term. He has spent $14,583.30.

Of the four mayoral candidates, Funches and Horhn each raised more than $100,000, while Garrett raised around $29,000, and Crye brought in $15,000 in cash and in-kind contributions.

Records show Funches is paying for most of his campaign expenses out-of-pocket, donating nearly $94,000 in contributions to himself.

Garrett is also self-funding a large portion of his campaign. Documents show just over $16,000 has come from Socrates Garrett Enterprises.

Among the Ward Seven candidates, Withers brought in $25,076 in the first reporting period, Aldridge raised $7,375, Parkinson raised $32,571, and Martin raised $1,670.

In Ward Six, Thompson raised and spent $13,006.95, while Alexander, in Ward Five, reported zero dollars in contributions and $15 in expenses.

According to a copy of a 2025 campaign finance reporting form, pre-election reports are mandatory “even if no contributions were received or expenditures were made.”

The form goes on to state that in those cases, “the candidate shall submit a report indicating ‘0′ (zero) for total amount of reported contributions and expenditures.”

Reports were due to the Municipal Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Unopposed candidates and candidates who will only appear on the general election ballot were not required to file.

According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, candidates who fail to file in a timely manner can be assessed a civil penalty of up to $50 for each day or partial day a report is not submitted, beginning on the tenth calendar day after the filing deadline, up to $500.

Candidates who intentionally violate campaign finance law can be charged with a misdemeanor and can face up to six months in prison and a fine up to $3,000.

The fines must be imposed by the Mississippi Ethics Commission.

See more details of the mayoral contributions below.

John Horhn contributions through March 25:

• Theo P. Costas – $10,000
• Eason 121 LLC – $1,000
• Belhaven Gardens LLC – $500
• Tommy Wallace – $300
• Andrew Jenkins – $5,000
• Bonus 1401 LLC – $1,000
• James K. and Sibyl Child – $500
• Mississippi Quality Concepts – $300
• Joyce Cole and David Marion – $5,000
• Westinghouse 325 Corp. – $1,000
• Bryan Estes – $500
• Rhonda Cooper d/b/a Mid-Town Law – $250
• Kristian Agoglia – $3,000
• Looks Great Services of MS, Inc. – $1,000
• D. Noblin Inc. – $500
• Thomas Rankin – $250
• Capitol Resources PAC – $2,500
• A-1 Discount Tree and Lawn Service – $1,000
• Dorothy S. Thompson – $500
• SRB Investments LLC d/b/a Sugar’s Place – $250
• Guy White – $2,500
• Sutter Smith – $1,000
• Walter and Brenda Jenkins – $500
• Clinton Wilson and Venita Washington – $250
• Toni Cooley – $2,500
• Stephen L. and Tabitha L. Clay – $1,000
• Bates Communication LLC – $500
• Euell Ventures LLC d/b/a Sylvan Learning – $250
• Jason and Leslie Agostinelli – $2,000
• Matthew Johnson – $1,000
• Anderson Environmental Services – $500
• Kevin Adams – $500
• Herrin-Gear Chevrolet – $2,000
• Capitol Advocacy Group PAC – $1,000
• Jackson Communications $500
• Pamela Anne Files – $250
• William A. Brown – $2,000
• The Clay Firm – $1,000
• Envision Eye Care – $500
• Claude E. McCants – $250
• Phil Moore Buick GMC – $2,000
• Gary Anderson – $700
• Richard Brown – $500
• Pyron Group Inc. – $500
• Jackson Firefighters Association Local 87 – $1,500
• Dr. Donzell Lee – $500
• Simmons Consulting Firm – $500
• Build MS PAC – $4,000
• OJAH Media Group LLC – CO Cassandra Wilson – $1,500
• Mr. and Mrs. William L. Smith – $500
• The Corbitt Co. – $500
• Donald C. Ray – $1,000
• Richard Schwartz – $1,500
• Bethany Cooper Smith – $500
• Al and Leanne Sage – $500
• Regions cashier’s check – $1,000
• Scott E. and Karla B. Andress – $1,000
• Christian Blue and Mary Serpente Waddell – $500
• Bossier & Associates PLLC – $500
• Randy Abrams – $500
• Walter Boone – $1,000
• Nash Properties LLC – $500
• Charles E. Ross – $500
• Bellevue Place Properties LLC – $1,500
• Pickering Inc. PAC – $1,000
• Neal and Anna Stephens – $500
• Earl S. Banks – $400
• Evelyn O. Reed – $1,000
• Mr. and Mrs. Ronnie C. Crudup – $1,000
• Jacqueline and John Reid – $500
• Glen Jones and Associates – $400
• David B. Russell – $1,000
• A.R. Smith Law PLLC – 350
• Ronnie C. King – $300
• Jerry L. Walters – $300

Delano Funches contributions:

• Delano Funches – $93,693.79
• G. Micthell – $500
• Robert Funches – $202.29
• William Brown – $100
• Henry Thomas – $100
• David H. McCoy – $100
• A. Bi – $300
• Tamekia Goliday – $500
• Clyte Taylor-Harbour – $100
• John B. Clark – $1,000
• Ralph Moore – $200
• Carlton Brown – $1,000
• Robert Cowherd – $500
• JA Service Troubleshooters (Joseph Antoine) – $400
• John D. Calhoun – $500
• John B. Clark – $100
• Jesse Smith – $100
• Delilah Fortner – $500
• Paul Gunn – $250
• Jerome Myers – $1,500
• Tara Walker – $100
• Joe Braddy – $200

Socrates Garrett contributions:

• Mary Meredith – $1,000
• Marilyn Luckett – $100
• Lee R. and Freda M. Bush – $4,500
• Howard Catchings – $200
• Preston Lee – $200
• Honeysucker N. Associates – $250
• Allie Garrett – $500
• Shalandus Garrett – $100
• Milton Humphrey – $20
• Eric D. Bluntson – $1,000
• ACH – $5,259.48
• Socrates Garrett Enterprises – $16,188

LaKeisha Crye contributions:

• J. Clinton Smith – $10,000
• Peters Real Estate – $5,500 (in-kind)

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