A third candidate has entered the race for the open Ward 4 seat on the Starkville board of aldermen.
Kevin Daniels, a Republican, qualified Friday to run for the seat that incumbent Alderman Jason Walker will not defend after serving two terms. Daniels joins fellow Republican Austin Check, a longtime member of Oktibbeha County’s volunteer fire services, and Democrat Mike Brooks, the Planning and Zoning Commission chair.
Daniels, 36, said he has “always believed in public service” and wanted to capitalize on the opportunity to serve his hometown and Ward 4, which he described as “exciting and dynamic.” He has lived in the Timbercove neighborhood west of South Montgomery Street for more than a decade.
“I feel like I understand the needs and wants of traditional neighborhoods like Timbercove, Pleasant Acres and Needmore,” Daniels said. “At the same time, I feel like I have the ability to connect with students and the student population. I don’t feel like it was that long ago that I was a student myself.”
A lifelong Starkville resident and a graduate of Starkville Academy and Mississippi State University, Daniels completed an industrial and systems engineering bachelor’s degree in 2008 and a master’s degree in 2016. He works as the materials manager for Motus Integrated Technologies in Columbus.
If elected, Daniels hopes to attract new businesses to Starkville, citing the North Star Industrial Park as an example of the city’s industrial growth and potential to create “sustainable, high-paying jobs.” He also hopes to foster the city’s Parks and Recreation department.
“I feel like we have the opportunity going forward to make Starkville a destination spot for not only university sporting events but also for just regular community events, as well as youth sports and things of that nature,” he said.
The deadline to qualify for candidacy is Feb. 5. Daniels and Check will face each other in the April 6 Republican primary before the June 8 general election.
Tess Vrbin was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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