City of Columbus swears in new mayor and administration
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It was a big day for the city of Columbus, swearing in a new mayor and four new city council members.
With four out of the six council seats being held by new members, there is a mix of fresh ideas and experienced voices.
Mayor Stephen Jones said that with a majority of the council being new to their positions, communication is key.
“Let them know that, you know, they have citizens that elected them. We all work together for the best of all the citizens in Columbus,” Jones said.
Roderick Smith, Lavonne Latham Harris, Gary Jefferson, and Jason Spears were sworn in to the city council.
What does this say about what voters want?
“They said they want a change,” said Ward 5 Councilman Gary Jefferson. “They want something different. So we’re going to give them something different.”
“It’s one of those types of things that those who served the city in the past have done a great job. But I think there’s a tip that’s happened in the city where they want to see a lot more progressive action,” said Ward 6 Councilman Jason Spears. “And I think this new council is going to embrace that. I also believe that the current mayor that’s coming in will also embrace the fact that we really want to take advantage of all the economic activity that’s happening inside the city limits.”
Drainage problems and the city’s budget were a couple of the hot-button issues for the new council members.
“Some of the top priorities are going to be getting the finances straightened out, (and) making sure that we’re on a clear path financially so that we can tackle things like drainage, of course, (and) paving streets. And, of course, any type of things that we want to be able to do in the city is going to start with getting the budget right for next year,” Spears said.
“Well, the change that we really want to do is to kind of clean our city up,” said Ward 4 Councilwoman Lavonne Latham Harris. “We’re going to upgrade the housing, and our number one project is probably going to be the drainage system.”
“I want to work on the drainage issue as a whole for the city of Columbus and also in Ward 2 because we have a lot of drainage issues in Ward 2,” said Ward 2 Councilman Roderick Smith.
“First of all, we know that the city is going to have to do a better job of making sure the ditches are clean, making sure the grass ain’t overgrown and pushed over in ditches,” Jefferson said. “So we’re going to be looking at trying to stay on top of it.”
And they each have ideas of how to enhance the city.
“The blight program, old housing, cleaning up, are some of my first priorities,” Jefferson said.
“Invest in things that the citizens are going to want to be able to have. That’s quality of life enhancements and also bringing jobs to the area. That’s just going to take a lot of work and diligence on our part,” Spears said. “And I want to be right in front of that movement.”
Along with this, these new members each have more ideas they bring to the table and say they want to see unity, trust, and open discussions in Columbus.
“Work together as one, (and) come together and kind of do what we need to do for the city, not just for ourselves,” Harris said. “It’s time to go to work. Let’s make y’all proud of us for the people that voted for us, that elected us to do a job.”
“I feel the council we have now, everybody is for the people and not just individual egos. And I think we’re going to do well working with each other,” Smith said.
“We want to continue that ongoing dialogue with the citizens of Columbus and also the broader community in Lowndes County, so that we can truly bring everyone together to the table to make our community the most prosperous in Mississippi,” Spears said.
Returning council members are Ethel Stewart, who represents Ward 1, and Rusty Greene, who represents Ward 3.
