In front of a full room at the newly finished Caledonia Community Center on Thursday, local candidates for public office introduced themselves and their campaigns.
For some incumbents, like House District 39 Representative Jeff Smith, the speech was brief.
For some newcomers, such as Lowndes County District 1 independent candidate Philip Atkins, it was a chance to introduce a new platform of ideas.
Atkins said his 40 year career as a Lowndes County businessman has prepared him to take office. He said he planned on running when incumbent supervisor Harry Sanders retired, but he believes this is his chance to make an impact. Atkins dropped out of school at 13 and started his own business at 18 in 1974. He said the experience has made him tough.
“I get along with people pretty good, and I know that’s what a lot of this is,” Atkins said.
Pauline Redmond, a Republican also running for District 1 supervisor, said she moved here 14 years ago from South Carolina. She said an outside perspective is a good thing, and spoke of her desire for supervisors to look after the county as a whole and not their individual districts. She said Lowndes County must not repeat the errors of complacency that she believes doomed it in the 1970s.
“This county is a whole, it’s not a district, it’s a whole,” she said. “We’re losing opportunity.”
Redmond said many on the west side of the Tombigbee River have little access to timely emergency services and that she wants to act in a less tribal way on the board of supervisors.
Sanders, the long-term incumbent, addressed the reality of his position. He said a supervisor can’t please everybody and must stick to his or her principals.
“I’ve got a track record over the last 16 years that I think and hope you all are familiar with,” Sanders said. “And I’m running on my track record, my experience. I work for you. You don’t work for me. You can fire me in two weeks or you can fire me in November. But if you’re pleased with what you’ve seen in Lowndes County in the past 16 years, since I’ve been there, I hope you chose to re-hire me.”
District 17 Senator
Bobby Patrick, running for the District 17 Senate seat, told the crowd he had long wanted to run for political office during his 40-year career in the insurance industry, but felt his time to enter office is now.
“I am the true Republican in the race,” Patrick said.
He said he knows he can’t be in every place at once, but wants to put all his energy into serving District 17.
Chuck Younger, the current District 17 Senator, began his speech by showing the crowd a map of District 17, which spreads north from Columbus into Monroe County, and promised to serve the whole region. He spoke frankly about the lessons he learned in his time in the state senate since taking over for the late Terry Brown.
Younger said that he is a conservative, but does have friends on both sides of the aisle and will work with both sides.
Sheriff
Two Democratic challengers and the Republican incumbent for Lowndes County Sheriff all addressed the room Thursday.
Sheriff Mike Arledge will face the winner of the Democratic primary in November. He came to tell the citizens how much he enjoyed the job and to assure them he is working hard to serve them.
“I’ve been a public servant for 30 years,” Arledge said. “I worked and managed every major division of law enforcement. I was elected by the citizens of this county to serve two terms as justice court judge, and of course, I am presently serving as your sheriff. I take this job seriously. I love living in this county. I love the citizens of this county and I deeply care for them.”
Former Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen, a Democrat, said his 26 years in law enforcement and a doctoral degree in law enforcement make him the most qualified candidate. He said crime in Columbus dropped under his watch and that local criminals would have to get right with the law, leave the county or go to jail if he is elected.
Anthony Nelson, director of the Lowndes County Juvenile Detention Center and also a Democrat, cited his 27 years of law enforcement experience and training.
“I have all the tools, the education, the ability and the desire to go in and work with our sheriff department and make it a better unit,” Nelson said.
He spoke of the importance of getting deputies to engage more with constituents.
LCSD superintendent
Three Republican educators will face off in the primary to decide who is superintendent of the Lowndes County School District for the next four years. New Hope High School assistant principal Sammy Sullivan, one of the candidates, said he takes a unique approach to education as a high school dropout who is now a dissertation away from having a doctorate degree in education.
“I want to let principals administrate, I want to let teachers teach in the classroom and I want to make sure our central office is in a position of servitude to those facilities and provides them with the resources, the funds and the materials necessary to get the job done,” Sullivan said.
Joe Cook Elementary School principal Dr. Tim Wilcox, another Republican candidate for the position, said he wants to give students more options to personalize their educations. He spoke of providing more access to arts, athletics and academics.
“What I want to see is a greater opportunity for parents to have more choice in their child’s learning,” Wilcox said. “I want our children to have more choice from the elementary all the way up to the high school.”
Current superintendent Lynn Wright spoke on his track record of improving the district and helping to pass the bond issue, which will provide the area with updated buildings and a career-technical center.
“We have a “B” rating right now,” Wright said of the district. “Three years ago, we had two “D” schools, one “F” school. Now, we have no schools below a “C”.”
He said attendance and graduation rates have increased in his time as superintendent and that he would like to continue the job.
Circuit Clerk
The race for Circuit Clerk had five contestants present Thursday night.
Current deputy circuit clerk, Teresea Barksdale, a Republican, said her 20 years of experience in the office make her the logical choice. She explained what a circuit clerk actually does: handling elections, marriage records, criminal court and civil court.
“Let my experience work for you,” Barksdale said.
Libertarian Sheri Bedwell said her experience in human resources and administration would serve her well in the role of circuit clerk. She promised to surround herself with capable people.
Margie Canon, a Republican candidate, made an emotional appeal as to why she should be chosen, citing her experience as an educator and someone who cares for her community. She spoke about getting more teachers to be National Board Certified, as she was. She said her single marital status and lack of children will limit her distractions and allow her to focus on her duties.
“You need a circuit clerk who can function under pressure and believes in the power of prayer,” she said.
Systems computer analyst Tim Heard, an independent candidate, said he would use his technology background to streamline the circuit clerk office and make accessing information easier for the public. He currently is the systems analyst for the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District, a job that has him work with circuit clerks offices in six counties.
“As a computer system analyst, I take a look at how things are done and try to make things work a little easier,” Heard said.
Columbus Packet owner and local businessman Justin Shelton said he would make the circuit clerk office function more efficiently. He said he would make decisions to improve like he does in the private sector.
“I think the circuit clerk’s office needs to function more like a business,” Shelton said.
The primary election is Aug. 4.
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