After reading Councilman Dumas” letter it reminded me of past conversations I have had. I am an unabashed passionate Republican and will fight to get Republican candidates elected whenever I have the opportunity. That said, I supported, helped, and voted for Parker Wiseman, who happens to be a Democrat, in the last mayoral election. I know that it sounds like I am contradicting myself.
Early on, when campaigning was just beginning in the last mayoral election, even before the primaries, I took a serious look at all the candidates, Republican and Democrat, who were running for mayor of Starkville.
I focused on their background and what they were saying early on about where we are as a city and the direction we need to take in order to move forward.
One candidate stood out above all the rest to me and that candidate was Parker Wiseman. I went on to setup a meeting with Parker and was even more impressed with what he had to say, but the question that I had to answer for myself was could I support, for the first time in my life, a Democrat.
After considering it carefully, I determined I should not have to make that choice because there is no reason for partisan politics to play any role in who is a better fit to run a city like Starkville.
I further determined that I would be supporting Parker because he did not bring partisan politics into his platform; he kept his platform focused on local issues that would improve and grow our city. It is time to toss out partisan politics in city elections and let everyone run as an Independent and elect the candidates that have the best platform to improve our city.
Madison comes to mind as a beautiful city that follows strict regulations with regards to development to insure the city keeps a level of beauty and provides certain services for its citizens around the community. Oxford is another beautiful city that follows similar guidelines when it comes to development. The difference between the two is that the city of Madison has a Republican administration and the city of Oxford has a Democratic administration. Again, in each of these two cities, partisan politics makes very little difference when it comes to development in their cities.
I believe we should put partisan politics aside and build Starkville into a community we can all be proud of. Yes, it does make sense to have sidewalks in all new neighborhoods. It is safer and healthier for our citizens. No, it does not make sense to build the new neighborhoods without any sense of definition such as trees, shrubs, and lighting. Yes, it is a good idea to have parking lots built with added decor, such as trees for shade.
These ideas are not partisan, they are practical, and as Councilman Dumas stated, “If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got,” and I, for one, do not want that.
Ricky Bishop
Starkville
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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