Biddison, who has served four continuous terms on the council as the District 6 representative, said the decision was bittersweet for him.

“My children are getting older. One is 7 years old and the other is 11 years old,” said Biddison. “That's having quite an impact on the amount of time I have available. Also, my wife has some health concerns, as do my parents. All of this is really putting a strain on the amount of time I have to devote to the council.

“It's a bittersweet decision for me. On one hand, I think four terms is enough. I never intended to make a career out of serving on the city council. However, there are still things I'd like to see accomplished and things I'd like to contribute to. So it wasn't an easy decision, but family has to come first.”

Biddison's decision to sit out the May election didn't go unnoticed, however, as Howard College Vice President Terry Hansen filed this week to run for the District 6 seat.

Hansen said he's not running for the position with a particular agenda in mind, but felt he has experience that could benefit the city and its residents.

“I don't have an ax to grind or anything like that,” said Hansen. “I just decided this was a good time in my life to do this. I don't have any young kids at home, and I felt a lot of my experience with Howard College could benefit me and the city. I've been involved in a lot of civic activities these last few years and I just felt like I had something to offer.”

Hansen hasn't yet drawn a challenger for the seat, but incumbent District 4 Council woman Gloria McDonald — who filed to run for re-election earlier this week — won't go into May uncontested, as local resident Terena Restman will be vying for the position as well.

Also this week, incumbent District 2 Councilman Manuel Ramirez Jr. filed to run for re-election. Ramirez hasn't yet drawn a challenger for the position.

According to Assistant City Secretary Tami Davis, would-be candidates have until March 9 to file their candidacy at City Hall to be eligible for the May contest.

The city of Coahoma has three seats — all three are at-large — up for election in May.

Seats held by incumbents David Elmore, Ricky Stone and Mayor Bill Read, will all be up for grabs. According to officials with the city of Coahoma, the three incumbents have yet to file or indicate their intention to file. However, Coahoma resident Jay Holt filed to run for one of the at-large seats Tuesday afternoon.

In the city of Forsan, three at-large positions will be decided in the May election, as incumbents Mary Gressett, Fred Hogan and Marty Whetsel have all indicated they plan to run for re-election. No challengers have filed to run against the trio.

In the city of Stanton, an at-large position on the city council, along with the District 4 seat, will be up for grabs in May. According to officials, the at-large incumbent, Tommy Haislip, and District 4 incumbent, Steven Villa, have filed to run for re-election and are currently unopposed.

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it