Brookhaven mayoral candidate the Rev. Jerry Durr has setThursday as a deadline to withdraw from the race if he does notreceive a gubernatorial pardon that might allow him to stay on theDemocratic Party ballot.

“I’ll withdraw by Thursday if I don’t get a pardon from thegovernor,” Durr said Saturday. It was revealed last week that a1973 felony forgery conviction makes him ineligible to seek electedoffice.

The Democratic Party primary is Tuesday, May 1.

Mentioning contact with the Attorney General’s Office, Durr saidSaturday he could remain on the ballot if he obtains a pardon fromGov. Ronnie Musgrove. Durr hopes to meet with the governor byWednesday.

Durr’s position conflicts with comments from a Secretary ofState elections official who said Friday that a pardon now would betoo late. An unpardoned conviction would not allow Durr to meet thequalifications to run for office.

“It’s our opinion those qualifications would have to exist atthe time he qualified,” said Leslie Scott, assistant secretary ofstate for elections.

Adding to the questions regarding Durr’s position is the factthat pardons are not usually handled in such a short period oftime. A pardon request would require an investigation into thefacts of a case, and that could take several weeks.

Pike County court records show Durr and another defendantpleaded guilty to uttering forgery charges related to two checks,totaling $140, written in November 1972. Durr, who was 19 at thetime, received a five-year sentence that was suspended for fiveyears probation.

In May 1992, Durr had his right to vote restored through apetition in the state legislature. Prior to qualifying for office,Durr said he had checked on his situation and been cleared torun.

“It’s something I thought was already taken care of. Evidently,it wasn’t,” Durr said last week when contacted about hisrecord.

Other Democratic candidates include incumbent Mayor W.W. “Bill”Godbold, Alderman-at-large Henry Newman and Roger Ruffin Osborne.Ward 4 Alderman John Roberts is the lone Republican and Percy Raulsis seeking the office as an Independent.

The Democratic primary winner will meet Roberts and Rauls in thegeneral election on Tuesday, June 5.