Published: May 01, 2009 11:47 pm      

Sloan challenges Bland's voting record

By Jennifer Jacob Brown

jjacob@themeridianstar.com



Democratic candidate for mayor Casandra Sloan and the Rev. Sam Thompson have accused Percy Bland, who is also running as a Democrat for mayor, of being ineligible to vote in city elections when voting on the 2007 school bond issue. 

City and county election officials said they did not know of any problems with Bland's voter registration status. 

"I voted where I was registered to vote," Bland said. He said he has had two residences, one in Meridian and one in Marion, for about seven years.

Sloan said Monday that Bland used his business address, rather than his home address, to register to vote. She told The Meridian Star Thursday that she believed Bland's Meridian home was let out at the time of the school bond vote.

"He had just changed his homestead exemption (at the time of the school bond vote)," Sloan said. "He didn't have a residence in the city, he had a business in the city." 

Thompson brought to The Meridian Star Thursday a written statement claiming that Bland had filed for homestead exemption in the Town of Marion in 2007 and 2008. Thompson said his information came from local attorney Bill Ready. Ready confirmed that he had someone gather public record information on Bland which he later gave to Thompson. 

According to City Clerk Ed Skipper, filing homestead exemption outside of the city does not make one ineligible to vote in city elections. 

A clerk in the Lauderdale County Tax Assessor's office said Bland filed homestead on property in Marion in 2007, and on a piece of  property on Poplar Springs in 2004 and 2009. The clerk did not provide any records for other years. 

Skipper said homestead exemption is one of several factors used to determine voter eligibility, and that if a voter meets other criteria, such as owning a home or working inside the city, they can be eligible to vote in city elections regardless of homestead exemption status. 

Skipper said Bland's voter eligibility was not called into question at the time of the school bond issue vote. Skipper's assistant said she could not access documentation showing whether or not Bland voted on the school bond issue, but Bland has publicly said that he did. 

The Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk said she did not see any problems with Bland's voter registration. The clerk said and provided documentation showing that  Bland briefly changed his address from Poplar Springs Drive in Meridian to Forrest Drive in Marion, and then back to the same Poplar Springs Drive address. 

"I just think it's a desperate attempt of a candidate to get people off of the issues that we need to deal with," Bland said, adding, "I've paid taxes on these properties and I've been involved and engaged with the community." 

"You take such pride in saying that (you co-chaired the school bond), but you broke the law when you voted for it," Sloan said. "He didn't live in (the Meridian home). That's not his residence. And I have called the justice department... I want to know if that's legal or not." 

Sloan, Bland, Joe Norwood, and William Bond Compton, Jr. will face off in the Democratic municipal primary Tuesday. If there is a run-off, it will take place May 19. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Cheri Barry in the June 2 general election, with the new mayor taking office July 1.