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Madison County constable announces retirement; board appoints Justin Lancaster to fill District 4 seat
Summary
Constable Brad Hart submitted a letter of retirement effective Dec. 31, 2024; the Board of Supervisors accepted the resignation and approved appointing Justin Lancaster to serve as District 4 constable beginning Jan. 1, 2025, with the county to refer the office to the election commission for a special election.
Brad Hart submitted a formal letter of retirement from his post as Madison County constable for District 4, effective Dec. 31, 2024, and the Board of Supervisors accepted the retirement at its Dec. 2 meeting.
The board voted to appoint Justin Lancaster to fill the District 4 constable vacancy beginning Jan. 1, 2025. Lancaster told the board he began his law enforcement career with the Jackson Police Department in 1993, retired from the Ridgeland Police Department as a patrol sergeant in 2021 and has worked part time at Baptist Hospital since retiring. Sheriff Tucker told the board he had met Lancaster and supported the appointment.
The board also moved to refer the appointment and the resulting vacancy to the Madison County Election Commission so the commission can set a date for any required special election under state law. County officials told the board the appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2025, and the election commission will determine timing for the special election; the board did not set a special-election date at the meeting.
Why this matters: The constable is an elected county office; filling the seat preserves county law-enforcement coverage in District 4 while the statutory special-election process proceeds.
What the board did: The board accepted Hart’s retirement, approved Lancaster’s appointment starting Jan. 1 and directed staff to refer the matter to the county election commission to set any special-election date. The board did not provide a recorded roll-call tally in the meeting transcript; minutes reflect the motions passed by voice vote.
Background: Hart said he has served 37 years in law enforcement and 31 years with Madison County. Several supervisors and the sheriff offered public praise and thanks for Hart’s service during the meeting.
Next steps: Lancaster will assume the constable duties on Jan. 1, 2025. The county administrator will submit the appointment to the Election Commission for scheduling of an election as required by state statute.
