Of the 18 candidates for Lowndes County positions asked to speak at a political forum Monday night, seven came to address constituents.
The forum was hosted by the Columbus-Lowndes League of Voters at the Columbus Municipal Complex, and local candidates running for everything from sheriff to county supervisor to circuit clerk were invited to share their views.
Danny Cunningham, the league’s president, said the forum was an opportunity for candidates to familiarize themselves with constituents. Cunningham expressed disappointment that many candidates were no-shows.
Of the seven races addressed, only one — the race for Lowndes County superintendent of schools — had more than one candidate present at the forum.
“These are the people that deserve (the candidates’) attention,” Cunningham said, referring to the voters in the audience.
Superintendent of schools
Sammy Sullivan, Tim Wilcox and Lynn Wright are each vying to be the next superintendent of the Lowndes County School District. Each of the candidates attended the forum.
The first question asked: What is the biggest challenge facing the district?
Sullivan said the biggest challenge was a lack of communication with stakeholders and the large number of students who do not complete college after high school graduation. He went on to say schools should help students choose career paths and give them the tools to follow through.
Wilcox said the district needs to involve stakeholders more and provide parents and students more options.
Wright said student opportunity was the biggest hurdle, which he has tried to address by bringing a career technology center and upgrading various district buildings in the three years he has been in office.
The candidates were also asked about Initiative 42, the legislation Mississippi residents will vote on in November that will determine if the state fully funds education.
Sullivan supported the funding of schools by Initiative 42, saying it will give students more opportunities.
Wilcox said Initiative 42 is a step in the right direction, but the legislature needs to make education more of a priority than it is.
Wright said Initiative 42 would reallocate funds from institutions of higher learning, and thus the program wouldn’t be in the best interest of the state.
All the candidates said funds should not necessarily be equal for every school, but resources should be distributed based on need.
Lowndes County Sheriff
Mike Arledge, Selvain McQueen, Anthony Nelson and Bobby Webber are each vying to be the next sheriff of Lowndes County. Of them, Nelson was the only to attend the forum.
Nelson said that if he is elected he will ensure the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department reconnects with the community. He will require officers to attend civic meetings and get out of their cars and make contact with the public on patrols. He also plans to incorporate children’s programs, such as Police Explorers, and have officers visit schools to talk to children about law enforcement.
When asked if he would consider a study to consolidate the sheriff’s department with the Columbus Police Department, Nelson said he would. Counties and cities affect each other, he said, and crime never stays confined to one block.
Panelists also asked him what he thinks is the major source of crime in the community.
“The major source is criminals,” he said.
Many of those criminals today are youths, he added. This is another reason he wants officers to visit schools and work with children before those children can turn to crime.
County supervisors
Philip Atkins, Pauline Redmond and Harry Sanders are each running for District 1 supervisor.
Only Redmond attended the forum.
Growth and development are the most pressing issues facing the county currently, Redmond said. She explained that in the community where she lived in South Carolina, new industry moved in and the community’s infrastructure could not support it. Supervisors need to make sure the entire community can support new industries, she said.
Panelists asked if she thought there was a rift between the board of supervisors and Columbus city government.
Redmond said there will always be a shift between counties and cities, but that they still need to work together to address people’s need.
Redmond also said she opposed the idea of metro governments because in smaller municipalities, like the Columbus area, city funding and county funding have to be separate.
No candidates from the District 3 and District 4 supervisor races attended the forum.
Leroy Brooks, Ricky Hill Sr. and Marty Turner are each running for District 5 supervisor.
Only Brooks attended the forum.
“Vote for the one guy that had enough nerve to speak to you,” Brooks told the crowd.
Brooks said the most pressing issue facing the county is fiscal responsibility. He also addressed the alleged rift between the city government and county government, saying that the two bodies “don’t have the luxury” of disagreeing and that the two bodies should work together to address the most pressing needs of the community.
Panelists also asked him if he would consider a metro-style government. Brooks replied that he was not interested.
Circuit Clerk
Teresa Barksdale, Sheri Bedwell, Margie Canon, Tim Heard, Jackie Leach, Joseph Mickens and Justin Shelton are each running to be the next circuit clerk in Lowndes County.
Barksdale was the only candidate who attended the forum.
She answered questions posed by the panel regarding the office’s duties, the changes she would make to the office and ways to make the public more aware about changes in laws and regulations. Barksdale plans to keep the current staff and to update the system so that the office’s records are online. That way the public can view them, she said.
She also plans to attend, or have her staff attend, community meetings to make sure constituents know about changes in election laws.
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