The first candidate running to replace former Ward 5 Alderman Patrick Miller qualified on Thursday for a May 30 special election.
Hamp Beatty filed his paperwork with the Starkville city clerk’s office Thursday morning. Beatty, who works with Mississippi State University’s Center for Government and Community Development, has previous government experience through serving as Newton’s mayor from 1992-2005, with a few years as an alderman there before that. He’s lived in Starkville for 14 years.
Beatty registered as an independent, as all candidates must for the special election. Candidates for the Ward 5 election are seeking to follow Miller, who resigned from the board earlier this month to take a job in Biloxi.
Voters can register for the election through 5 p.m. April 30, and absentee ballots will be available beginning May 10.
Speaking to The Dispatch after submitting his qualifying paperwork, Beatty said he supports a broad range of initiatives Starkville is currently pursuing, including a 1 percent addition to the city’s tourism taxes for its park system, which residents will vote for in a citywide election on May 30.
Beatty also supports annexation and feels the city has “every right” to take in nearby areas that have grown thanks to its presence, especially the commercial corridor along Highway 182.
“Cities need to grow,” he said, “and where there’s growth and development that would not exist but for that city, that’s a good indication that the city needs to go out there and at least consider annexing those areas so they have zoning where they can control the growth and collect the taxes out there.”
Beatty added that he’d like to see the city continue to address its issues with aging water and sewer infrastructure. He said the new internet sales tax, which the state will begin issuing to cities this year, will help.
The state will begin diverting 15 percent of internet sales taxes to cities this summer. The funding will phase into the full 15 percent over four years. Starkville is estimated to be on pace to receive more than $700,000 in new tax revenue by the time the tax diversion is fully implemented.
“Our streets on the north side of town are mediocre at best,” he said. “Some are in very poor condition. I don’t mean just residential streets–some of our main streets, like North Montgomery, are not in good condition. We need to spend money, and I want to see Ward 5 get its fair allocation for street overlays and new water and sewer lines and things like that.”
Starkville has grown tremendously in the past decade, Beatty said, pointing to the Russell Street corridor as an example. He said it’s imperative that city leaders work to ensure the city continues growing in a positive way that takes long-term development into account.
“We want to make sure, and I think we’re doing that, that we’re growing the right way,” Beatty said. “When new construction happens, particularly commercial construction, (we need to make sure) that it’s built the right way.
“Twenty, 30, 40 years from now when initial folks that own it have sold it off into secondary markets, we’re still going to be looking at it,” he continued. “We want it to be something that is an asset to our community, in the aesthetics and the way it looks, as well as the function of it in the businesses and things like that that it brings in.”
Beatty was the only candidate to officially qualify for the Ward 5 special election as of Thursday. John Michael VanHorn, associate director of fraternity and sorority life at Mississippi State, has announced on social media his intention to run. VanHorn could not be reached for comment by press time.
The candidate qualifying period for the election will remain open through May 8.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
