CAIRO — Cairo Mayor Howard Thrower and District 2 Councilman Demario Byrden qualified Monday to run for re-election.

The qualifying period for municipal races opened on Monday and will run through Wednesday. Elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The winners of those races will assume their roles in January 2022.

The District 4 seat also will be up in November’s election. The incumbent, James H. Douglas, announced last month that he would run again.

Byrden unseated longtime District 2 councilman Ernest Cloud Jr. in November 2017 with 151 votes to 133. Byrden took office in January 2018.

Thrower won a special election held in June 2020. He defeated Emory Thomas with 453 votes to 175.

The special election was held after Mayor Booker Gainor was disqualified from office after qualifying to run for a seat in the state legislature.

“I asked my wife if I should run again,” Thrower said. “She said ‘you have started so many things, you need to finish them.’ ”

Thrower has worked to bring development to downtown Cairo.

“One of my goals is to have downtown Cairo full of people, like it was in the ’50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, when I was growing up,” Thrower said.

“We have a 10-year plan for the development of downtown. One of my goals is to implement that plan for the benefit of the city and the county.

“We are fortunate that we have business leaders who are forward thinkers. This is to enhance existing businesses with a core downtown that will be a tourist draw.”

Thrower’s great-grandfather, W.H. Robinson, was mayor during World War II.

“When I was deciding to run for mayor,” Thrower said. “That was a tipping point for me. I felt like it was my duty. My family has always been involved in civic affairs.”

Kevin Price can be reached at 229-226-2400, ext. 1820