WEST POINT – Candidates are gearing up to run in the coming municipal elections, with five candidates filing qualifying paperwork by Friday morning, including incumbent mayor Rod Bobo, three incumbent selectmen and one former selectman who wants to return to office.
Bobo, 51, a Democrat and West Point native, became the city’s first Black mayor in its 163-year history when he won the seat in 2021. Bobo owns and operates a State Farm insurance agency office in Columbus. Between 2009 and 2013, he held the seat of selectman for Ward 1.
Bobo said if reelected, he hopes to continue working on completing infrastructure projects and seeing through federal appropriations that would bleed over into the next administration, carrying on the momentum he believes he has already built in his time as mayor.
“It’s my estimation that we have tremendous momentum in West Point as it relates to our economic development efforts and some other things that we have going,” Bobo said. “I definitely want to see those things come to fruition. And it will take at least another four years to see these endeavors through.”
Qualifying for municipal elections began Thursday and will run through 5 p.m. Jan. 31. Party primaries are April 1 and the general election is June 3.
Ward 1
Former Ward 1 Selectwoman Linda Hannah, 72, a Democrat and West Point native, is seeking to run for her old seat. She previously served as selectwoman between the mid-1980s to 2016.
Hannah is a graduate of West Point High School, Mary Holmes Junior College and Mississippi University for Women with a degree in business administration. She was inducted into the West Point Hall of Fame in 2003. Hannah worked in banking for 41 years before retiring from BankFirst in 2017 and transitioning to work at her family’s business, Hannah Tours Inc.
Hannah said it was an honor to serve as selectwoman in the past, and she hopes to bring her many years of experience back to the table, along with her understanding of the needs of citizens of Ward 1.
“I will continue to build relationships with the citizens of this community,” Hannah said. “I will make myself accessible to my constituents regardless of the issues. I will work diligently with the mayor and the board of selectmen to seek funding through all resources available for the improvement of our infrastructure. I have served this community with honor and dignity. When elected, I will continue to serve with honor and dignity.”
Ward 2
Incumbent William Binder, 62, a Democrat and West Point native, won the Ward 2 selectman seat in 2013 and is seeking a fourth term.
Binder holds basic, advanced and professional certifications in municipal government through the Mississippi Municipal League.
Binder is currently the director of security at North Mississippi Medical Center-West Point, where he has worked since 1997. His time there also overlaps with 25 years at Bryan Foods. He also worked with United Food and Commercial Workers International for 15 years.
Binder said he hopes to make West Point more attractive to outsiders, like other cities in the Golden Triangle, along with caring for the people already in the city. He also hopes to continue helping with infrastructure and keeping roads maintained.
“We just want to grow the city,” Binder said. “We want economic development. We want to keep the city safe. And we need more affordable housing in … West Point.”
Ward 4
Incumbent Keith McBrayer, 52, a Democrat and West Point native, won his seat as Ward 4 selectman in 2005 and has held it since.
McBrayer graduated from Mississippi State University in 1995, before working at Bryan Foods until 2006. From there, he started working at Southwire Company. He also owns both Captain D’s and McBrayer Quick Lube Oil Change Facility on Highway 45 Alternate.
McBrayer said his primary goals are to continue moving West Point in a “positive” direction, including with industrial and commercial recruitment.
“I’m doing it to make West Point the best it can be for the future,” McBrayer said. “For my children that currently still live here. I have a 19-year-old son and a 22-year-old daughter. … And they were the reason I ran in the first place, for their future. And to serve West Point. And I enjoy helping people.”
Ward 5
Incumbent Cole Bryan, 40, a Democrat and West Point native, is hoping to win reelection in Ward 5. Bryan initially won the seat in June, during a special election to fill the unexpired term of Jasper “Peicy” Pittman, who passed away May 6.
After graduating from Mississippi State University, Bryan worked at On Deck Capital in New York and Next Gear Solutions in Oxford. But after a significant life change in 2019, Bryan decided to come back to West Point permanently.
Back at home, he started The Mission, a residential treatment center for men suffering from addiction. Then, in 2021, he became the executive director of the nonprofit Golden Triangle Dream Center.
Bryan said he hopes to intentionally attract more business to the Golden Triangle over the next 20 years.
“We’re not going to be the space capital of the country, but we’ve really got something going on with advanced manufacturing, with what’s going on out with (Aluminum Dynamics) and Steel Dynamics out there by the (Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Lowndes County),” he said. “I’m just encouraged for all that to continue, and I think this area can look a lot like what Huntsville (Alabama) looks like.”
Another issue the city is facing Bryan would like to address is affordable housing, he said, which he hopes to help address with an ongoing project to repurpose the dormitories at Mary Holmes College. A feasibility study is due to the National Trust of Historic Preservation by the end of this year, Bryan said, and the project is currently his top priority.
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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 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
