The candidate list for the Nov. 7 special election to fill the Mississippi House of Representatives’ vacant District 38 seat now includes two Starkville women after former fashion model-turned-entrepreneur, media executive and activist Narissa Bradford qualified for the race.
Bradford will face former Starkville Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn in November’s election.
District 38’s seat became vacant after former Rep. Tyrone Ellis, D-Starkville, retired this summer to spend more time with his family.
The district covers portions of Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties.
Bradford was born in the Rock Hill community north of Starkville and spent 25 years working and traveling abroad.
Her journey took her to Milan, Italy, where she worked as a fashion model and launched a brunch restaurant named the American Breakfast Club. There, she also launched her own magazine and media company, Bradford and Associates LLC, which partnered with the United Nations, the Capital of Rome, Italy, and Esso Italiana SRL, a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation.
Bradford also worked as an international consultant for developing new commercial and distribution channels in the U.S.
Returning to Starkville to spend more time with her family spurred Bradford to become a local activist, and she identified poverty, safety and education as three of her most important platforms in a release.
“… To ensure communities are safe and growing, we must create programs on a state level that require mandatory rehabilitation and education for first-time criminal offenders and their families. Until we break the cycle of poverty-crime-incarcerate-release-repeat, we are like a dog chasing its tail,” she said in the release. “Breaking this cycle will save the state money and ensure that they do not become repeat offenders but instead contributing members of society.”
If elected, Bradford said she will “fight relentlessly for a stronger public education system” and use her “international experience and contacts to bring jobs to Mississippi that will pay … a livable wage.”
“The fastest way to fail a group of people is to lead them into the world without a proper education. Mississippi is ranked among the worst states for public education. It is our responsibility to change that. Mississippi is a great place because it is home to some of the country’s hardest working and most hospitable people. But we, as leaders, must give our residents the tools to thrive,” she said in the release. “We need leaders who will fight to continue the growth in Mississippi’s public education system. Without education, we have nothing.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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