Lanceslin drops out; Prejean next Baldwin mayor

Baldwin Mayor Donna Lanceslin withdrew her name Wednesday from candidacy in the upcoming mayoral race, leaving Abel “Phil” Prejean to run unopposed.
Lanceslin said she had recently been thinking about whether or not she should stay in the race, but that it was Monday evening’s special meeting, addressing the termination of Chrystal Willis that became the deciding factor for her withdrawal.
Baldwin Mayor Elect Abel “Phil” Prejean declined to discuss in detail any kind of platform or agenda for his upcoming term, as the board of aldermen with whom he will be working is not yet in place.
However, he did say that the water situation in Baldwin is uppermost on his list of priorities for immediate attention, once in office, calling it “axiomatic,” among any municipality’s basic expectations.
Prejean also mentioned the hiring of a new clerk, saying he intended to work closely with Lanceslin during the hiring process, as he considers the clerk’s position to be an important one in a town the size of Baldwin.
As far as Lanceslin is concerned, she said of her withdrawal that she felt she had done all she could for the town and that it felt like it was time for her to depart. But she expressed intent to remain active in seeing to fruition the several projects that may be left unfinished by next year, and she hopes to work closely with the next mayor concerning those and other endeavors.
When asked what plans she had for post-office life, Lanceslin said, “I am going to enjoy those great grandchildren that I have. But, I’m going to be active with whatever I do. I am not going to sit around. I have some life left in me. I want to do some traveling, enjoy my family and finish my bucket list.”