Former Columbus mayor Jeffrey Rupp officially re-entered politics Monday when he qualified to run for Ward 3 alderman in Starkville.
Rupp was one of two non-incumbents to file paperwork for city elected seats in Starkville on the first day of qualifying. William “Mike” Brooks, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission chairman, qualified to run for Ward 4 alderman.
Aldermen David Little of Ward 3 and Jason Walker of Ward 4 both announced in November they would not run for reelection after two terms each.
Rupp stepped down from his position as mayor of Columbus in 2006 to move to Starkville and work for Mississippi State University, where he serves as director of outreach for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach.
“The work I’m doing here now through the E-Center and the Idea Shop downtown, so much of that is community-based,” Rupp said. “It’s community development, which I think is a form of economic development.”
He completed his master’s degree in public policy and administration in his first few years working at MSU, and he said he believes this makes him more qualified to hold elected office than he was when he served as mayor of Columbus.
Brooks has been on the Planning and Zoning Commission since 2013 and has been chairman since 2015. He is also a real estate broker and appraiser.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes over the last few years,” Brooks said. “It really started, probably, with the Dan Camp administration (from 2005 to 2009), when we started adopting policies and procedures to move the city forward and have a better relationship with the university. … I want to continue that if there’s any way possible. I want to be part of the city moving forward.”
Mayor Lynn Spruill and the remaining five incumbent aldermen — Ben Carver of Ward 1, Sandra Sistrunk of Ward 2, Hamp Beatty of Ward 5, Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins of Ward 6 and Henry Vaughn of Ward 7 — all submitted their qualifying paperwork Monday, City Clerk Lesa Hardin said.
The only candidates in Columbus who have filed paperwork as of Monday afternoon are Mayor Robert Smith, Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens and Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones, city Registrar Brenda Williams told The Dispatch.
Both Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard and Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin previously told The Dispatch they were still considering whether to run for re-election. Beard said he will announce his decision this month.
Ward 5 Councilman Charlie Box told The Dispatch in December that he will not run for re-election.
Ward 1 Councilwoman Ethel Stewart could not be reached for comment.
The deadline to file for candidacy is Feb. 5. The primary election will be April 6, and the general election will be June 8.
Dispatch news editor Isabelle Altman contributed to this story.
Tess Vrbin was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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