Tupelo municipal candidates field questions at Republican club forum
TUPELO — With less than 10 days until a majority of races in Tupelo's municipal elections will be decided, residents got one of their last chances to hear from Republican candidates in a public setting though a Lee County Republican Club candidate forum.
The Lee County Republican Club held a Q&A forum at Bulldog Burger in Tupelo, Monday afternoon. All candidates took time to speak and field questions.
'We look to have respectful discussion. The club itself seeks to be a neutral platform for all Republican candidates to come speak to their vision for Tupelo … make their case to the people and give the people a platform to as questions in a respectful manner,' Vice President of the Lee County Republican Club Richard Stone said.
Candidates gave their backgrounds and made their elevator pitches for why they believe they should be elected.
The mayoral candidates got four minutes each and have 10 minutes of questions. Council candidates meanwhile got two minutes to speak and a varying amount of time for questions based on the number of candidates.
Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan, in his portion of the event, touted his record last term. His opponent, Rob Chambers, promoted his assistance in state legislation and pro-life advocacy.
Questions included topics such as Chambers' lawsuit against the American Family Association, crime rates and economic growth. The lawsuit, which is ongoing, involves Chambers' termination from the organization. He said he filed a federal lawsuit over alleged misconduct. He declined to elaborate on the specifics of the case as it is an open lawsuit.
On crime, Jordan noted the work already done to increase safety including the establishment of the real-time crime center while Chambers said he would build police posts in neighborhoods with high crime rates and work with communities by needs. Both talked about increasing cameras and lighting in town.
Most races will be decided next week
Of the eight races in Tupelo, all but two have a Republican candidate. Most of the races will be decided during the April 1 primary election next week, including the races in Ward 2, Ward 4, Ward 6, Ward 7 and the mayor's race. On top of this, Ward 1 Councilman Chad Mims and Ward 6 Councilwoman Janet Gaston are both running unopposed, meaning their reelections are assured.
Mims and Gaston did not attend the forum.
Ward 2 has two Republican candidates: Lucas Berryhill, industrial safety sales specialist, and incumbent Lynn Bryan, owner of Lynn Bryan Construction. In Ward 3, incumbent Republican Travis Beard, a retired teacher, will face Democrat Shirley Hendrix, who owns R&B Specialty Printing, in the June 3 general election. Bryan did not attend the forum.
In Ward 5, there are three republicans and one democrat. Steven. J. Coon, a design engineer at Tiffin Motorhomes, Mike Horton, district manager for Northeast Mississippi Natural Gas District and Bentley Nolan, manager of Nolan Brothers' Motor Sales, all hope to replace outgoing incumbent Republican Buddy Palmer.
When questioned about the possibility of bringing a grocery store and bank back to east Tupelo, Horton said it was important to build up local business to bring new opportunities. Coon noted that he'd work with the Community Development Foundation to bring economic growth. Nolan echoed the two but praised the area for its tourism dollars.
In the event no candidate gains a majority of the vote, the top two candidates will face each other in a runoff on April 22. The winner will face Democrat Candria Lewis during the general election.
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