Leroy Brooks has been asked to run for mayor many times during his more than 40-year tenure representing District 5 on the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors, he told the Exchange Club of Columbus Tuesday during its weekly meeting at Lion Hills Center. But in the past, he avoided running for the position, seeing the city’s issues with crime, infrastructure and finances.
But a “spiritual epiphany” earlier this year convinced him to run for mayor, and now, Brooks said he hopes to face those problems as “opportunities” to restore the city from inside City Hall.
“If you would just imagine for a minute, a house that once set up on the hill that was beautiful, and when people passed through, they wanted to come to that house,” Brooks said. “And over the years, because of neglect, that house has started to fall down. And it’s shattered. And people pass by that house now, because that’s not what it used to be. I’m talking about Columbus.”
Brooks is facing fellow Democrat Stephen Jones, who represents Ward 5 on the city council, in the April 1 primaries. The winner will face independents Darren Leach and Bill Strauss in the general election June 3.
Brooks said his plan, if elected, begins with a 60 to 90 day assessment of operations in the city government, where each department head will need to present plans for that department. Those who do not want to work to move the city forward, Brooks said, won’t be “on the team.”
“We are going to get our house in order,” Brooks said. “If you don’t have the capacity and desire to move Columbus in a different direction, you need to get another job.”
Brooks said he does not have specific city employees in mind to remove from their positions, and he will not until after the assessment is complete.
But that does not mean Brooks does not intend to play well with others. He said he plans to ensure fights between council members do not happen publicly by setting “rules of engagement” at the beginning of the term, as he believes the citizens are “tired” of that kind of behavior.
Brooks also hopes to “reestablish” the city’s connection with the Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins, he said, based on his current relationship with Higgins through the county board. Higgins, he said, can advise the city to “create an environment” businesses want to come to. The LINK recruits industry to Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Clay counties.
Brooks said he also hopes that – if elected – he can help minimize crime in the city with a comprehensive plan. Brooks said such a plan was developed by the Columbus Community Crime Prevention Task Force, a group he was a part of in 2021. However, that plan was shelved by the city, he said.
After that, Brooks said many of his plans focus on bringing people of a variety of backgrounds together. That includes creating a Blue Ribbon Commission with representatives from churches, families, schools and government to strategize on the direction of the city’s future.
Another idea Brooks presented was a collaboration between Main Street Columbus, the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau and Golden Triangle Theatre, creating more opportunities for entertainment in the city. He suggested the three work with Mississippi University for Women, to see if Rent Auditorium could act as a venue.
“I want to see major performances,” Brooks said. “Bring this town alive.”
Brooks also suggested a plan for keeping Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science – a residential high school for juniors and seniors – on the campus of Mississippi University for Women. The high school has been located on The W’s campus since its inception in 1987, though its location was called into question during the 2024 legislative session.
With no bills filed during the 2025 legislative session on MSMS’s relocation, Brooks said, the city has “ample time” to strategize and fight back against the school moving.
“We need to have a community meeting at the Trotter (Convention Center),” Brooks said. “Make people aware of what we’re doing and how we want to do it. Then we need to get some chartered buses, and we need to go to Jackson, and we need to walk the halls of the Capitol to say … ‘Leave our school alone.’”
Brooks appealed to the club members to ignore racial and party lines when it comes to voting for its next mayor. Instead, he asked club members to vote for him to keep Columbus “moving in a different direction.”
“Forget party affiliation,” Brooks said. “Pick that up on April 2. Because if you stay at home on April 1, because you say, ‘I’ve never crossed over voted,’ it could be a sad day for you. We need to break the extension of what’s happening in Columbus.”
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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 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
