Monday, the first day of qualifying for Statesboro’s Nov. 2 city election, all three incumbents qualified, and so did challengers for two of them.

Mayor Jonathan McCollar and a challenger for the mayor’s office, Ernest Larry Lawton, both signed up and paid their qualifying fees.

Lawton, the owner of Hallelujah Transportation Inc., has been a resident of Statesboro for 25 years.

After an off- and on-again change of mind, incumbent Statesboro City Council member John Riggs followed through on his more recently announced intention and qualified Monday to seek re-election in District 4.

But Kristine Yager-Rushton, who stated her occupation on the qualifying form as prospect researcher, will challenge Riggs for the seat, with District 4’s voters to decide. Yager-Rushton indicated that she has been a resident of the city for 13 years.

For the District 1 council seat, incumbent Phil Boyum was the only candidate who signed up and paid the fee the first day.

Qualifying remains open 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day through Friday at the office of City Clerk Leah Harden inside City Hall, 50 East Main St.

Statesboro’s city elections are officially nonpartisan.  The qualifying fees, based on 3% of the annual salary for each office, are $227 for council candidates and $560 for mayoral candidates. A map of the council voting districts can be found at www.statesboroga.gov/maps.

The three other City Council members, in districts 2, 3 and 5, were elected two years ago and are not up for election this cycle.

But now a mayoral race will appear on ballots city-wide, as will a referendum for voters to decide whether liquor stores may be allowed within the city limits of Statesboro under rules and requirements to be established by the mayor and council.