Crime, budgetary issues and the local economy were issues raised repeatedly at a meeting of the Lowndes County Republican Women on Tuesday where select candidates for Columbus municipal elections spoke to a few dozen people at Lion Hills Center about their platforms.
Republican Women leaders invited Republican and independent candidates and gave each five minutes to speak to potential voters. Candidates proposed solutions to a recent uptick in criminal activity, the closure of area businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and the city’s finances.
Independent mayoral candidate Montrell Coburn, who spoke first, said the best way to address crime in the community was to focus on job training, which he said would give the community’s “young guys” stability and something to do other than get into trouble. He specifically suggested implementing training programs that teach how to operate heavy machinery, since he said many area industries are looking for employees with those skills.
“I would love to see one of our vacant areas to be used for a training center for these guys, young ladies, to (teach them) how to use that equipment,” Coburn said.
“Give me four years, and I believe you guys will love it,” he added.
Coburn’s independent opponent Keith Gaskin emphasized his background in education — he currently works as executive director for Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science Foundation — and said it has given him the ability to work with people and bring the public and private sectors together to solve problems. He wants to use those skills to recruit jobs back to the community, he said.
He said he’s worked with MSMS alumni who have told him they want to come back to Columbus “if the opportunities were right.”
“I think at this time I have the experience and the connections in the community and throughout the state that can help us find the solutions to the many problems we’re facing,” he said. “And one is bringing jobs back to Columbus.”
He said that, as an independent candidate, he will be able to set politics aside and bring people of differing opinions together.
“I think that’s what we have to begin to do, is to work together, and so that’s one of the kinds of things I’ve tried to do in my job, in my experience,” he said. “I’ve brought people together of diverse opinions and minds, sat down together and found good solutions to situations that work well for other people.”
Coburn and Gaskin will run against incumbent Mayor Robert Smith in the general election on June 8. Primary elections for wards with multiple candidates in one party will be held April 6.
Discussions on unity, crime prevention
Independent candidate Kallie Phillips, who is running for the Ward 1 council seat, said her experience as a certified public accountant, including handling multi-million dollar projects while working for PACCAR when it first came to Columbus in 2010, would be an asset at a time when the city is reeling over budgetary issues. Those include the recent conviction of former Chief Financial Officer Milton Rawle, who last month pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $290,000 of the city’s money.
Phillips said since campaigning, she has learned more about the constituents she is running to represent, from children who are “scared to get off the school bus” because they are going home to empty residences while their parents work, to elderly residents who want to move but can’t sell their homes because their property values have decreased.
“I went from wanting to work on the numbers of Columbus to wanting to work on the people,” she said.
Phillips will run against the winner of the Ward 1 Democratic primary between incumbent Councilwoman Ethel Stewart and challenger Tommy Jackson.
Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard, who is fighting to keep his seat against Democratic challengers Marty Turner and Pat Douglas, spoke about his ability to bring people together and suggested it could help with his goals of re-implementing neighborhood watch programs, expanding the city’s social media presence and getting programs for children and teenagers up and running.
“A lack of unity is a decline in community,” he said.
The only race which will be decided in the April primary is the race for Ward 6 council seat. Incumbent Councilman Bill Gavin and challenger Jacqueline DiCicco are both running as Republicans.
Gavin, in his speech to the organization, highlighted his experience on the council, during which time the city has paved “17 miles of city streets” and brought retail to the Highway 45 corridor and surrounding areas, such as Longhorn Steakhouse, Cracker Barrel and Planet Fitness. He noted overseeing the ward as Leigh Mall declines, which he pointed out follows a nationwide trend of declining malls and traditional retail. He also said Ward 6 is the “safest part of the city” in terms of crime, and emphasized his accessibility as a councilman to his constituents.
“To me our major problem is crime,” he said. “And that’s not new to this city or any other city. I have specific ideas about how to solve some of this crime. I’ve talked to the police chief about this. I’m serving on the new crime task force. … We’ve got to get a hold on this.”
His opponent, local business owner Jacqueline DiCicco, also spoke on the importance of safe and clean communities, which she said will attract businesses to the city. However, she also lobbed criticism at current city officials over handling of financial matters and said what the city needs most is “fiscally responsible elected officials.”
“I want you to think about it this way,” she said. “If you were going away on an extended trip … and you needed someone to take care of your financial affairs while you were away, which one of our currently elected officials would you choose to leave your checkbook with while you’re away?”
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