LAUREL - Laurel Mayor Thomas Nelson has died.
City Attorney Sam Painter confirmed in a press release Friday afternoon that Nelson died Friday morning. Painter did not disclose the cause of death.
Nelson had served as Laurel's mayor since 2018 and was well into another run at the office when he recently fell ill.
Nelson was seeking re-election and had three opponents: two Laurel City Council members, Bruce McGee and Scot Stokes, and a former city employee, Dave Waggoner.
The upcoming election will be held on Nov. 2. If you have already submitted your ballot you can not change your vote, county election officials said. If you have not yet voted you will need to pick another candidate.
