County election season is off to an early start. Already, a number of candidates have filed the necessary paperwork and qualified to run in November’s elections.

Adams County Sheriff Ronny Brown is running for re-election, and so far, his only opponent is Charles Woods Sr.

Brown views the election as a job review.

These are the candidates for the election

“I’ve done this for four years, and I’m asking people to elect me again so I can keep working,” Brown said Friday. “I feel I’ve done what the public wants, but the only way to tell is to run and see if the public is appreciative.”

Brown said he thinks his office has a good relationship with the courts and other entities with which they work.

“I just try to do my job,” he said.

Woods, who lost to Brown in the last election, said he anticipates winning this time. He said people called him up and approached him, asking him to run.

“Last time, I didn’t have the cry from the community, and I have the support this time,” he said.

Woods, who currently works as a public relations officer at the Natchez Police Department, said he plans to put more deputies on the streets in the county.

“We need to set up a system such as the city has and have a deputy in each area,” he said. “When the community calls, we will have people a minute away, not 15 or 20.”

Some county supervisors also have competition this year. District 1 Supervisor Sammy Cauthen is running for re-election, and Charles M. “Mike” Lazarus is has qualified to run against him.

Cauthen said he feels after 28 years on the board, he still has much to give the county.

His contacts in Jackson and Washington, D.C., along with those in state and national committees on which he’s been, will continue to benefit the county, he said.

“When my wife passed away (in November), I debated about it for quite a while,” Cauthen said. “(Before that) I thought about quitting for a while. We were going to travel.”

But Cauthen said her death changed that. He plans to focus on closing deals with industrial prospects like Rentech and other interested companies.

One of the achievements of which he is most proud is helping to transform gravel roads in his district to blacktop, he said.

“I’ve enjoyed it,” he said. “And I feel I still have something to offer the taxpayers.”

Lazarus said if he wins, he hopes to make some changes in the county.

“I can’t see where Natchez has progressed in the last 10 years,” Lazarus said. “We lost all our industry. I have a 14-year-old son and one in college, and I want them to be able to come home and work and make a living here.”

Lazarus said he ran in the last county election, but he discovered too late that he was classified in the wrong district.

In the coming election, he said, he hopes to focus on two particular issues.

“Lots of times, I think the people get neglected,” he said. “I think we need to get industry in here, and recreation’s a big priority of mine. The kids need something to do, too.”

Even though some have already qualified for November’s elections, there’s still plenty of time. According to the circuit clerk’s office, the deadline for qualifying is Feb. 28.