With only three days remaining to qualify, more candidates have said they will run for the Alabama House seat left vacant by the death of Lea Fite. Anyone interested in running for the District 40 seat has until Friday at 5 p.m., to register.

Piedmont Mayor Brian Young will not be one of those running for the seat. In a phone interview Monday, the mayor said that he wanted to focus his energy on his current position and on his work with his family's business, Young Oil Inc.

Currently, there are four in the running for the Republican nomination: K.L. Brown, Tom Shelton, Jay Dill, and Debra Jones. Ricky Whaley is the only candidate signed up to run for the Democratic nomination.

Brown is the owner of K.L. Brown Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jacksonville and K.L. Brown Memory Chapel in Anniston. He has been in business in Calhoun County for 31 years. A resident of Jacksonville, Brown has been married to his wife, Mandee, for 38 years. They have two daughters, Allison Faye Brown (deceased) and Emily Elizabeth Brown and three grandchildren, Austin and Savannah Goodwin and Tyler Brown.

Brown is also active in numerous community organizations: past president of Jacksonville Exchange Club, co-chairman of the JSU International House Board of Directors, board member of the North East Alabama Regional Medical Center in Anniston, and members of the First United Methodist Church of Jacksonville.

Shelton is a former state representative who is ready to come back. He was a representative from 1974 until 1978 when he decided not to run again. Now, 31 years later, Shelton says he wants to continue what he started.

Shelton has 10 children and nine grandchildren. He has been married to Miriam Shelton for 13 years. He has previously been involved with many organizations including the Exchange Club, Kiwanis, Rotary Club, and the Chamber of Commerce. Shelton says he is active in his church, St. Charles Catholic Church in Jacksonville, and also attends St. Joachim in Piedmont.

Currently, Dill works with the family owned businesses Miller Office Furniture and Miller Steel in Anniston, but says he is ready to be a full time Representative. He has been married to his wife, Phyllis Miller Dill, for 23 years. They have one son, Sonny, who attends school at the University of Alabama.

Dill is a member of the Jacksonville Tree Commission, the Boy Scouts Executive Council for the Greater Alabama Area, and the ACE Committee on Infrastructure in Jacksonville.

Dill says it will be a tough race, but knows everyone is doing his or her best to continue the good work Fite did.

At press time, Jones was the newest Republican to qualify.

Whaley is an AG teacher at Jacksonville High School and has been teaching for 25 years. Whaley said that things are really going good for him and that he has many good people supporting him. Born and raised in Lineville, Alabama, Whaley is also in charge of the school's FFA program. Whaley teaches a curriculum based of character education, and he hopes he can put into practice what he teaches his kids.

"Attitude is the most important thing that you can bring to work," said Whaley. "I hope to bring a good attitude, and I plan to work with everybody no matter what party."

Whaley has been married to his wife, Missia Boozer, for 20 years and they have three sons who all attend public school: Jack, 18, Nathan, 14, and John Ross, 4.

Independent candidates have until January 13th to not only register, but also to collect 348 registered voters' signatures.

Carol Hagan is an independent candidate hoping to get those signatures. She believes voters are ready to vote for someone not labeled by a party.

"Alabamians don't understand why it's so hard for people to get on the ballot if they're not a Democrat or Republican or why the taxpayers have to pay for their primaries," said Hagan. "When I get elected, I plan to start a move to change all that. Since the majority of people now say they're independent, I hope nobody wastes their votes on a Democrat or Republican."

The major area's represented within this district include: Northern Calhoun County, Piedmont, Jacksonville and most of White Plains.

Candidates running for party nominations will have their primary election January 5th, with a runoff February 16th if needed.

If there is no need for a runoff, the general election will be held February 16th. If there is a runoff, the general election will be moved to March 30th. Expect more information on the newest additions and the candidates' platforms as deadlines approach.

The Piedmont Journal's Eddie Burkhalter contributed to this story.