Six candidates have qualified so far for the Ward 1 city council vacancy.
Ward 1 residents Trinity “Trent” Bush, Patrick E. Holmes, Tommy Jackson, Carolyn Green Sherrod, Ethel Taylor Stewart and Liz Terry are vying for the seat vacated by the passing of Gene Taylor earlier this month. A special election is set for Sept. 24.
Taylor’s term was set to expire June 2021.
Bush, 50, is a Columbus resident who currently serves in the Army National Guard. He is also currently employed with Mississippi University for Women as the supervisor for resources. He said he decided to run to give the council a new perspective.
“I’m not sure if I can do anything different, but I think a new take on that ward would really help,” Bush said.
If elected, Bush said that he hopes to beautify the city and work toward repairing “eyesores” throughout the ward.
“There’s some locations that need to be elevated up. There are eyesores,” Bush said. “I built a new house right on Washington Avenue. I’ve always been the type of person to lead and show by example.”
Holmes, 23, is a lifelong resident of Ward 1. He is self-employed and serves on various civic organizations such as the treasurer of the South Side Benevolent Organization. He decided to run in this election to add a fresh voice to the city council.
“I feel like I was called to serve,” Holmes said. “I have a willingness to help this community. I want to add mature, progressive, young leadership and hopefully bring in some new ideas.”
Primarily, Holmes said he wanted to focus on cleaning up the ward’s struggles with infrastructure and beautification. He wants to start programs geared toward the youth.
“I want to work on infrastructure, like the curbs and sidewalks,” Holmes said. “I want to look into the drainage issues that causes flooding throughout the ward. … I would also like to do something for the youth like starting a mentor program.”
Jackson, 55, has lived in Ward 1 for 28 years works at Columbus Municipal School District as a cafeteria worker. He said he has worked for the school district, in maintenance and food service positions, for about 18 years.
He said he believes he would be a good councilman because he can work with the mayor and other council members to address crime and issues facing Columbus’ youth and senior citizens. He added he won’t just think about Ward 1.
“My concern is about the whole city also,” he said.
If elected, Jackson wants to prioritize programs for youth and senior citizens, making sure they have activities and ensuring youth in particular have mentors.
“No. 1 is definitely the youth and senior citizens,” Jackson said. “Of course, (I also want to tackle) roads, curbs, sidewalks, gutters and drainage.”
Sherrod, 55, is a property manager for JBP investments and is a lifelong Columbus resident. She said she decided to run simply because of her passion for her ward and those who live there.
“It’s for the love of my ward,” Sherrod said. “I want to see improvements. I want to listen and help my people.”
Sherrod said her priorities, if elected, would include tackling the crime issues and helping youth.
“I want to listen to my people and bring people together,” Sherrod said. “I want to cut down on crime and get things for people to do, to have something more positive for our kids to do.”
Stewart, 70, is former councilman Taylor’s sister. She is a retired registered nurse who moved back to Columbus more than one year ago. Stewart said she threw her hat in the race to continue her brother’s plan for Ward 1.
“We would sit and talk about what he wanted to do,” Stewart said. “I just want to continue his legacy by working with the citizens of Ward 1.”
Her priorities include cleaning up Ward 1, both by beautifying the city and hoping to create more projects and activities for the youth.
“(I will try) cleaning up the ward, making it safe for children, improving and increasing police attendance,” Stewart said.
Stewart added, with Ward 1’s distance and obstacles to the hospital, including railroad tracks, she hopes to add a medical facility to help those in case of an emergency.
“I’ve seen ambulances stopped at the railroad tracks sometimes for 15 minutes,” Stewart said. “My goal would be to get some type of medical facility. If we had an outpatient clinic, it would provide better health care for those in Ward 1.”
Terry, 66, currently serves as the vice chair on the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau. Since her retirement from the Department of Rehabilitation Services, she said she has tried to plug into the community and make a difference. The past few years, Terry said she has watched Columbus and wants to tackle issues she finds troubling if elected.
“I am concerned about the crime,” Terry said. “I want to see projects for the youth. There are a number of things I’m concerned about: retail and businesses leaving the city.”
For nearly a decade, Terry worked with the Department of Rehabilitation Services as the auditing technician. She said she hopes to use that background to help the city’s finances. She added her priorities would also include increasing security and decreasing crime.
“I have a background in accounting,” Terry said. “I could work with the council to see what and if anything we can do to improve our city’s finances. … I want to work to improve infrastructure. If elected, I want to hopefully get police protection and patrolling. … Get some type of security measures where there’s higher volumes of crimes.”
The deadline for candidates to qualify is 5 p.m. Sept. 4 at the city registrar’s office.
News Editor Isabelle Altman contributed to this report.
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