NATCHEZ — Felicia Irving defeated Joseph Gunning Tuesday night in the runoff race for the Natchez Ward 4 alderman seat.

Unofficial results show Irving gained 328 votes to Gunning’s 237. Although 88 uncounted absentee ballots were cast Irving’s unofficial margin was 91 votes.

Irving will replace Tony Fields who unsuccessfully ran for mayor earlier this month.

Irving will be the third new alderman to start on July 1. She and Gunning topped the primary field that included Barbara Bruce, Edwin White and Jeremy Houston.

“(My opponents) were all very well qualified,” Irving said. “What I’d like to see (with the board of alderman) is us all come together to work as a team, us working together for the good of Natchez.”

Gunning went up to congratulate Irving after she ran out of the precinct to make the tearful victory announcement to her gathered family and supporters.

“I’m praying for you,” he said. “Now we have to work together to make sure we are serving the voters.”

Irving said her two biggest issues are education and improving neighborhood safety.

“I am an educator,” she said. “With my whole heart I believe every child can be educated. We have to figure out how to motivate them.”

All residents want to be safe in their homes, Irving said.

“We need to engage the Natchez Police Department, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and all of the aldermen and come together for our neighborhoods,” she said.

Irving said improving the education system and the neighborhoods will go a long way to making Natchez better as more industries will come and result in more jobs for the youth.

Irving, Billy Joe Frazier in Ward 2 and Ben Davis in Ward 5 will be the new faces on the board of aldermen. They will join incumbents Joyce Arceneux-Mathis in Ward 1, Sarah Carter Smith in Ward 3 and Dan Dillard in Ward 6.

Democrat Darryl Grennell will face-off against independent candidate Eric Junkin on June 7 in the municipal mayoral election. Grennell defeated Fields in the Democratic primary.