STARKVILLE – The city is already facing a three-way mayoral race in the coming election, with aldermen incumbents also filing Thursday to run in almost all wards.
Mayor Lynn Spruill filed paperwork to run for her third term, facing the former Fire Chief Charles Yarbrough and computer science teacher Brenna Betts. All three are running as Democrats.
Spruill, 72, is a Starkville native who graduated from Mississippi State University. She was the first woman to qualify as a United States Naval carrier pilot. She also served as a councilman and then Mayor of Addison, Texas from 1985 to 1993. She has been a Starkville business/property-owner for more than 25 years.
Spruill took office as Starkville mayor in 2017, and she said she is proudest of overseeing large projects like Cornerstone Park during her tenure. While Spruill has said in the past she would not run again due to her belief in term limits, she said delays from COVID-19 meant she is seeking a third term to complete projects she started.
“I had actually terminated my campaign (bank) account, but I’m geared up to get these projects completed,” she said. “… This next term would be my last, I have no intention of serving beyond that. We’ll get other projects started, but at some point it’s time to let someone else take this role. I wouldn’t have anticipated running this third term.”
Yarbrough, 52, told The Dispatch that he’s been involved in the community since he was 17 years old through military service, his fraternity and 29 years in the fire department. He’s been the city’s fire chief for the last 10 years, and he said he wants to unify the city with his candidacy.
Yarbrough said if he is elected, he will be looking into the city’s ordinances, including requirements around businesses maintaining sidewalks and landscaping, as a way to help small businesses.
“I’m going to definitely look into what regulations and ordinances are hurting our small businesses and change those,” he said. “My No. 1 other priority is youth violence, but (the) No. 2 priority is bringing in business and family-centered entertainment businesses. People shouldn’t have to go to other cities for that. We can do it right here.”
Betts, 25, is originally from Brunswick, Georgia, and is a graduate of MSU, with a master’s degree in teaching. She teaches AP computer science, physical science and algebra at Starkville High School. She spent a year working for the Parks and Recreation Department as a liaison to the city government.
Betts told The Dispatch on Thursday she wants to focus the city’s attention on the people it already has, and she sees potential for expanding and improving existing infrastructure. She said what makes her campaign distinct is her focus on improving the quality of life for the city’s residents.
“I say this with so much respect, but the line of mayors has been for a couple years a bit of an old boys club,” she said. “There’s something to be said about mayors beforehand that have deep personal interests in Starkville that don’t just include doing better by the community. I have no interest in doing anything in Starkville other than making it better and helping the people that live here.”
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
Incumbent Kim Moreland, 38, will run for reelection as an independent.
Elected just 10 months ago in a special election, Moreland is a lifelong resident of Starkville. She told The Dispatch Thursday that she’d always been politically engaged, but has found serving on the board to be more satisfying than she’d ever expected.
“I’ve always known people that couldn’t wait to get out, but that was never my intention,” she said. “I wanted to stay in Starkville and build. I like dealing with the community and helping people. I like finding a solution to problems. … I’d have never thought that this job could be so rewarding.”
Ward 2
Incumbent Sandra Sistrunk, 74, will run for reelection as a Democrat.
She told The Dispatch Thursday that she grew up in Jayess, coming to Starkville as an MSU student. Sistrunk has lived in Starkville for 25 years and said she brings experience from her accounting career to the city council.
“I have experience with budgeting and planning,” she said. “… My background brings a different skillset to the board. Each of us on the board has an area where we’ve got more expertise, and I think it rounds that out with an opportunity to have another set of eyes looking at how we manage our money.”
Ward 4
Incumbent Mike Brooks, 64, will run for reelection as a Democrat.
He told The Dispatch Thursday that he’s lived in Starkville for more than two decades. He runs a real estate appraisal business and is a local EMS pilot as well.
Brooks also pointed to eight years on the planning and zoning commission, with six years as chair. He said he wants to see the projects he’s started through to completion.
“The Highway 182 project, the McKee Park project, among others,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of stuff moving. We’ve been responsible for obtaining probably over $50 million in grants in these years, and we’ve got a lot of stuff moving in the right direction. If you’ve been gone two or three years, you might not even recognize Starkville.”
Ward 6
Incumbent and Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins, 68, will run as a Democrat for a ninth term. He told The Dispatch Thursday that he’s a lifelong resident of Starkville with bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees focused on public policy. He is a longtime attorney.
He said his extensive experience in city government makes him a valuable representative for both his ward and for the city as a whole.
“Starkville is my home,” he said. “It’s my joy, my excitement. There’s no other place I’d like to live. I had a lot of opportunities to take high-profile jobs and leave Starkville. But I was born as a county boy. When I leave this earth, when I leave this earth, I will be a resident of Starkville, Mississippi.”
Ward 7
Incumbent Henry Vaughn, 72, will run for reelection as a Democrat.
Vaughn told The Dispatch Thursday that he’s lived in his ward his entire life, and points to his character and record as his primary selling points.
“I’m a man of honesty, first of all, with 16 years of experience on the city board. Just look at what we’ve accomplished these last four years,” he said. “…I grew up in Starkville, and I’m running for love of its people. To make sure things are run fairly and honestly.”
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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 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
