Mayor outlines goals for reelection

For both his political rivals and the rest of the citizens of New Albany, our current mayor, Tim Kent, has released what appears to be his platform, upon which he intends to run his campaign for reelection. Ironically, but true to the past four years of not being communicative to the people he represents, he made this momentous announcement in an interview with the Tupelo newspaper.

     Under a heading of “Elsewhere in Northeast Mississippi” (those cities considered by that publication as important having already been discussed), the news story credits New Albany Mayor Tim Kent as saying that will campaign for a second term with hopes for the completion of a loop around the south and west sides of New Albany and new departmental offices and a police station. Wow, that’s a platform out of the blue. Not that a loop around the south and west sides of the city wouldn’t be nice, it would. And not that new departmental offices and a police station aren’t needed, they certainly are.

     Most political pundits might have though the mayor might want to finish and adopt a comprehensive plan for the city, address infrastructure problems, continual competency problems with the Board of Aldermen and appointed officials and, at least, promise to tighten the budgetary belt of the city for the upcoming economic difficulties. Perhaps he did not understand the question.

     In case no one noticed, those who are running against incumbent mayors were not interviewed. This is a subtle indication of the sway certain organizations have over the political arena when they get cooperative politicians positioned to favor and support their control over county and city governments in Northeast Mississippi.

     The first-term mayor of Saltillo, Bill Williams, who faces an opponent for reelection, commented for the article, “It was a famous statesman, I believe, who was often quoted as saying that there are two ways to run for public office: unopposed and scared.” When a candidate goes to the people for the planks to their platform, or for what they intend to accomplish if elected, there is no reason to be scared. Candidates who assume their own agendas without including the people are usually at risk.