A second candidate has filed paperwork to run in a May 30 special election to fill former Ward 5 Alderman Patrick Miller’s seat.
John Michael VanHorn qualified Thursday afternoon with the Starkville city clerk’s office. VanHorn is Mississippi State University’s associate director of fraternity and sorority life. He ran for the Ward 4 seat in 2009 and lost to then-incumbent Richard Corey.
Ten years later, VanHorn says he’s got more life experience than when he ran as a 21-year-old and is ready to take another shot.
“I kind of caught the bug at that point and it’s been on the radar ever since,” he said. “Patrick, the last go-round, jumped out and said he was running. I’ve known Patrick for a while and thought he would do a good job, so I decided to step back and let Patrick do his thing.”
VanHorn said he expected to wait to run until Miller finished his time on the board, though that time came quicker than he anticipated. Miller, who was elected in 2017, resigned in mid-April to take a job in Biloxi.
VanHorn registered as an independent, as all candidates must for the special election. Voters had to have registered for the election by 5 p.m. April 30, and absentee ballots will be available beginning May 10.
Candidates can qualify through May 8.
During an interview with The Dispatch, VanHorn said he sees several issues facing Starkville. The city’s in a “boom phase,” he said, and has been for several years, with ongoing growth. As such, he said the city has to be mindful of managing its infrastructure, including water/sewer and streets. It must also address issues that might not have been properly planned for, such as problems with stormwater runoff.
However, for all the topics that have risen to prominence in recent months in Starkville, including a 1-percent tourism tax for parks and recreation, VanHorn said none has gained as much attention in his discussions as a potential annexation of land to Starkville’s east.
It is, he said, an issue he’s still researching to come to a decision on. He said his stance will likely depend on the city’s capacity to add services to newly-annexed areas.
“I think it’s like everything,” VanHorn said. “You can throw out the selling points right now and I can convince you its the best thing ever. But there’s always another side.
“If you live one of those parts that’s being annexed, if I can look at you and say in three years you will have water and the same amount of services as the person living down on Lampkin Street, then let’s go,” he added. “If I can’t guarantee you that, we need to rethink this and do it in a more methodical way because if you’re going to pay full city taxes, you better get city services.”
Still, VanHorn said the 1-percent tax, which will go to a citywide referendum on May 30, is important, and it’s important for the city to get the message out about how it will use the tax revenue.
VanHorn is from Winona and is married with a foster child. He’s previously worked for the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Hamp Beatty, who works with MSU’s Center for Government and Community Development, has also qualified for the Ward 5 election.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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