Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin remembers being involved in local government even before he could actually vote or legally drive.
“I’ve always known who my council members were and who my board of supervisor member is,” Gaskin said. “I’ve always known what ward I’ve lived in. My dad took me, and I started voting when I was 6 years old, with me standing on his feet marking the ballot, then sitting up and watching the returns for the local, state and federal elections.”
Gaskin was the guest speaker Thursday at the Town and Tower Club’s first meeting back since December 2019 in Hogarth Dining Center at Mississippi University for Women.
MUW President Nora Miller said the mission of the Town and Tower Club is to foster and strengthen relationships between the university, the community and Columbus Air Force Base.
Gaskin spoke to the roughly 30 gathered about the importance of being involved in local politics, from voting to serving. He said as mayor he likes listening to what constituents have to say even if it isn’t always positive.
“It’s a great thing when people feel comfortable coming up to somebody that is representing them and is wanting to talk to them,” said Gaskin, who took office in July 2021. “We enjoy that part of the job, and it’s why we encourage people to get involved in local politics. As a constituent, you can hold us accountable, and you should.”
He said paying attention to local policies is important because they are also what drive and support state and federal legislation like the city passing a local ban on tianeptine Feb. 21, then the state legislature approving a statewide ban of the substance that has been sent to Gov. Tate Reeves’ desk to sign.
There are various boards, both appointed and elected, on which citizens can serve to impact change on the local level, Gaskin said, and even if there are no boards that pique a citizen’s interest, there are many nonprofits looking for volunteers.
Public safety and education were priorities Gaskin mentioned, and he said there is a gun problem that needs to be addressed.
“I feel comfortable walking in every street in this town,” Gaskin said. “I walked in areas that many of you have never seen before, and I never felt unsafe. … As far as having areas that I think are just horrific, we don’t have them. We have a gun problem — we have a lot of illegal guns on the streets. It would shock you to see some of the children that I’ve seen with these guns in their hands that our police officers pick up. We’ve got a gun problem, and we need common sense gun laws in this country.”
In the event’s return, the Town and Tower Club will host quarterly meetings in March, June, September and December with representatives from local government, CAFB and MUW in the audience and as guest speakers.
In June, a representative from CAFB, who Miller said would most likely be base Commander Col. Justin Grieve, will give an update on the base. In September, Miller will give an update on the university, and the December meeting will be an awards luncheon like the club did prior to COVID-19.
“I think we’re all just getting back into the swing of things, of being together,” Miller said. “We just decided to go ahead and have this, but we’re not going by our bylaws, normal procedures or having a membership fee. We just wanted to bring people together this year, get us used to doing this, and this has been great. … It’s important for us all to know what’s going on everywhere and figure out how we can all work together for the betterment of all of us.”
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 44 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 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
