WEST POINT — Cole Bryan won the Ward 5 selectman seat Thursday in a special election.
Bryan’s 198 votes were good enough for 56.2% in the three-candidate race. Belinda A. Rice finished second with 119 votes (33.8%) and Myron Crawford placed third with 35 votes (9.94%).
West Point City Clerk Delores Doss said once the election is certified, Bryan will be sworn in at the July 9 board meeting.
Bryan fills the unexpired term of Jasper “Peicy” Pittman, who passed away May 6. He will have to run for the position again next year, as this term will end June 30, 2025.
He said he was humbled by the results and is eager to get started, especially when it comes to working with constituents.
“I’m most looking forward to implementing the representative government part and bringing the people together every single month, so they can tell me how they want me to speak on their behalf,” Bryan told The Dispatch after the election.
Belinda Rice did not return calls from The Dispatch by press time Friday. Myron Crawford was not present when the final vote was tallied and could not be reached for comment by press time.
During a candidate forum Tuesday, Bryan said he plans to implement monthly meetings with Ward 5 constituent tents to keep them involved in the decision making process.
“Too often, politicians believe they are given carte blanche to do whatever they want,” he said. “So what I want to do is hear from absolutely everybody for them to tell me what they want me to do and how they want to be helped.”
Bryan is a native of West Point and a graduate of Hebron Christian School. He attended Mississippi State University before moving to New York to work in finance. In 2016, he and his wife, Neely, returned to West Point.
He serves as executive director for Dream Center Golden Triangle. Working with his grandfather, Bryan helped launch The Mission Men, a rehabilitation program based in West Point that works with men struggling with addiction.
Bryan plans to prioritize maintenance in Ward 5, a commitment he sees as a rebellion against typical political promises to build some new, bold thing for the community.
“What I’m trying to do is be blatantly honest with people because that’s what they deserve,” he told The Dispatch Friday. “I won’t always tell them what they want to hear, but I’ll tell them the truth. … If you’ll just tell people the truth, you can work with that.
“The city has got some work to do,” he added. “Financially we’re OK, but we don’t have money to go build a big, bold thing. But we can take care of what we’ve got right now, and make it the best it can be.”
He said Pittman’s will be a tough act to follow when it comes to leading Ward 5.
“He was a loved guy in West Point, and I look forward to the challenge of filling his shoes,” Bryan said.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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