If there’s one thing Ward 6 Republican candidates Kimberly McCarty Davis and Jason Spears both want to do if they’re elected, it’s cleaning out the ditches.
Both candidates agreed during a forum Monday that drainage issues have caused problems with flooding and erosion in neighborhoods throughout their ward. McCarty Davis has ridden around with City Engineer Kevin Stafford to see places most affected by flooding.
“You could see the ditches full of water, and he was talking about the culverts and the leaves and just routine maintenance,” McCarty Davis said. “And all of those kinds of things are very important, but you have to have oversight to make sure those things are getting done.”
Spears has made similar efforts – visiting ward residents following storms. The flooding also damages roads, and Spears listed many before summarizing his frustration with a reference to his service on the Columbus Municipal School District Board for 10 years until 2022.
“For all the years that I was on the school board, I would feel like you could teach a geology class on McArthur (Drive), because it seemed like the pavement was pushing together and pushing up mountains, and obviously tectonic plates is how you end up with mountains. … They’ve repaved that street this year, but there are other streets in Ward 6 having similar events that we have to work to address.”
The Republican Party of Lowndes County hosted the two candidates for the forum in the Greenaway Pool and Spa boardroom in Steens.
Greenaway owner David Chism, who also chairs the county’s Republican Party, moderated the “virtual forum” that was livestreamed on Facebook.
McCarty Davis and Spears will face off in primary elections on April 1. The winner will face independent Donald Pope on June 3.
Another prominent issue for Ward 6 residents, McCarty Davis said, is the number of vacant properties along Highway 45. She referenced her experience both working as a mental health therapist and working in property management during the forum, saying both would give her an edge if she served as councilwoman.
“We’ve got a lot of vacant buildings that could be refurbished, redeveloped,” McCarty Davis said. “Those kinds of things. And really, Ward 6, I’ve heard is considered like … we raise a lot of taxes for the city. And we could use that to not only prosper in Ward 6 but in the city as a whole.”
Both candidates spoke repeatedly on ways the whole city can prosper – including taking advantage of growing industry in Lowndes County and a strong relationship with the Golden Triangle Development LINK. Spears said he hopes the whole incoming council will be united in that goal, so as to not lose potential opportunities for growth to surrounding communities.
“We want to not allow those opportunities to end up bypassing us and go to Starkville, allowing it to go to Clay County, West Point, going to Northport,” Spears said. “We want to have a business friendly community that when people are here investing money, we have programs that they can tap into very quickly that go together.”
Spears also said the city should not be begging the other two entities to take steps the city should be doing itself, and he intends to ask both for information they have to take into account as the city makes economic plans.
“I really believe that as we go forward, things are tipping toward Columbus’ way,” Spears said. “We have a lot of things that are going right over across the river. We have an economic virtuoso running the ship over at the economic development LINK … and we need to make sure we’re in a position to take advantage of it.”
Speaking on how the city’s financial health can improve generally, McCarty Davis also brought up capitalizing on the growth of industry in the area.
“I think Columbus’ reputation is very important to draw in new businesses,” she said. “We have all these great industries … coming in all around us, even Starkville is getting a lot of them, but, where are they going to live? We want the tax revenues, we want them to live in the city limits. So it goes back to the reputation of Columbus and the safety and the cleanliness.”
McCarty Davis also brought up the idea of financial accountability multiple times, saying she wants to know “exactly where every penny is.” She also said she would push for a forensic audit going a decade to 15 years through the city’s finances, to clear up where some of the city’s financial issues came from and help the city move forward with confidence in its leadership.
“We’re still moving forward, but there could possibly be still people in positions, either in leadership or on the city council, it doesn’t matter, but in positions on our city government that may have helped to multiply some of that debt,” McCarty Davis said. “… But that would be one way to find out, if we want to clear the books and be sure of it.”
Editor’s note: David Chism, who moderated the forum, is also a co-host for The Dispatch’s podcast Between the Headlines.
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 34 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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
