Mayoral, Ward 2 candidates talk policy goals, field questions at forum

Yahoo

19-03-2025

TUPELO - Citizens of Tupelo and residents of the Joyner Neighborhood got their chance to ask questions and meet several candidates for public office, including both mayoral candidates, during a forum hosted by the neighborhood association.
Republican candidates for Ward 2 and the mayor's office met with individuals Monday night and answered submitted questions during the 'Meet the Candidates' even Tuesday night at the Bel Air Senior Center.
Each candidate was given 90 seconds to answer a question and was allowed a two-minute closing statement. Of the 34 questions the neighborhood association curated, only nine were presented. Topics ranged from litter and homelessness to quiet zones for trains and parks.
Republican Rob Chambers and incumbent Republican Mayor Todd Jordan touted their ideas for the city, with Chambers arguing for cutting spending and reducing taxes, while Jordan argued that with growth comes more spending. Each candidate, Mart said, was given the list of questions before the event, allowing for time to prepare.
Lucas Berryhill is a Republican running against incumbent Republican Lynn Bryan, who is looking to secure a fourth term as Ward 2's representative on the city council. Chambers, who lives in Belden, is the executive director of the Mississippi Conservative Coalition, a group that advocates for conservative policies in state and local politics.
The four candidates have met before in dueling speeches during a Republican Women's Club Forum and Ward 2 candidates have laid out their goals previously to the Daily Journal.
With no Democratic or independent candidates in either race, the April 1 primary will decide both. There are two voting precincts within the ward: Parkway Baptist Church at 1302 Lee Street and Wildwood Baptist Church at 2280 West Jackson Street.
The event was streamed by the Joyner Neighborhood Association and can be found on their Facebook page.
Here are some highlights of the topics covered during the event:
Each candidate sees different problems as biggest issues
The two mayoral candidates cited different opinions for the challenges currently facing the All-America City.
Jordan, who is hoping to win a second term as Tupelo's mayor, said the key to the city's success lies in retaining its younger generation as they age into adulthood. He said this is done through incentivizing growth in the city and creating employment opportunities. He said the city and county continue to partner to do that, through developments such as the $176 million investment of Swiss-manufacturer Liebherr into the county.
'We are using that money to do the things that are necessary,' he said.
His opponent, Chambers, touted business development, taxes and increasing services as his biggest issues, noting that these issues encompass many other topics, such as safety and crime rates. He said making sure the city is safer will encourage growth.
Chambers said he wants to cut waste and put any savings into hiring more officers and giving them a competitive pay rate.
For the Ward 2 candidates, Bryan said keeping a stream of state and federal dollars flowing into the city is a goal, while Berryhill said he hopes to improve the city's communication with citizens.
Code enforcement a continued focus
All four candidates said there was an increased need for code enforcement, though the incumbents noted the city has made what they believe were great strides in tackling the issue over the last four years.
Through interactions with code enforcement, Berryhill said he believes code enforcement is on the right track for the city and 'were it needs to be.' His goal would be to get each of the code enforcement officers, which all cover a single ward, to attend their neighborhood association meetings to communicate with active residents.
Bryan pointed to the restructuring of the development services department, increased code enforcement officials and an increased focus on blight removal as an important step in increasing overall the quality of properties in the city and in his ward.
'Is it where it should be? No. But is it getting better? Yes,' he said.
Chambers said he wanted to streamline the process of permitting, cut 'unnecessary' regulations and build back what he claimed was a diminished reputation for building in the city of Tupelo, noting that he spot with many builders that said the process was over encumbered and inefficient. He said with better practices, the city will better tackle enforcement.
Jordan said over the last four years, the city has over doubled its code enforcement officers from just three officers to seven. He said he understood contractors will always have issues with permits, but they are in place for safety. To Jordan, streamlining the process is important, but safety also takes the forefront.
Quiet zone timeline, cost probed
Safety improvements to railroad crossings have been a focus for city officials over the last two decades. This includes the upgrading most of Tupelo's crossings to enact 'quiet zones,' which are areas trains do not have to sound warning while crossing.
Jordan noted that the $9 million it is slated to receive from federal funding for the quiet zone project hasn't hit the city coffers and the city is already working on the engineering portion of the project. One thing the city is looking at is changing the crossing to 'quad gate' crossings rather than building medians to keep drivers from crossing the tracks unsafely.
Chambers, meanwhile, said he would not wait on the railway companies to get started. He pointed to the massive funding opportunities the city got and that only two crossing got improved over the last administration. He also noted that the upgrades are expensive, so he would work with state and federal legislators to find the money to do it.
Homelessness is a continuing problem, residents seek answers
Berryhill noted he began attending the city's homeless task force meetings and believed advocates and Mississippi United to End Homelessness were doing everything they could to help. It boils down to helping those that want help and having those that don't move on from the city.
Bryan said homelessness wasn't just a city issue but a national one. While there are between 60 and 90 unsheltered individuals in Lee County at a time, only 15 to 20, Bryan said, were what advocates and the state deem to be chronically homeless. These people, he said, refuse help. Meanwhile, he touted the city's recent law against aggressive panhandling.
Chambers said one of his goals was to 'demagnetize' Tupelo as a hub for homelessness in the region, noting it has the only shelter in the region and many other areas often transport homeless individuals into the city.
Jordan touted not only the panhandling law but also the criminal loitering law the city passed at the same time. These tools, he said, have spread to other parts of the region, and he believes they have helped some of the problem, though he noted many panhandlers are not actually unsheltered. He also pointed to an increased focus on removing homeless emplacements across town.
Neighborhood cooperation at heart of issues
Berryhill, who is active in the Joyner Neighborhood Association, Vice Chairman on the Tupelo Citizens Police Board representing Ward 2 and sits on the Historic Preservation Committee for Mill Village, said he believes there needs to be a bigger focus on Ward 2 by its council person.
Bryan said previously that if something is a Ward 2 problem, it is likely a city-wide problem and needs the help of the complete council to solve. He noted that Joyner works with a team mindset and should encourage other neighborhoods to do so to increase overall involvement.
For Chambers, neighborhood cooperation with the city starts with the residents, noting that he helped manage many events alongside his wife in his neighborhood, adding that government doesn't 'have all the answers.' He said he believes it was important to get feedback, adding community building was his passion.
Jordan said he believed Joyner was the most active neighborhood association, but others should also be involved. For communication between neighborhoods and the city to thrive, an open line needs to be made.
'We are going to do what we can to keep your neighborhood vibrant,' he said.
Residents concerned about stray animals
Berryhill said there is no solution to the stray animal issue, just things that can alienate the pressure, such as encouraging residents to spay and neuter their pets. Residents can also assist their neighbors when possible, but it ultimately will be solved with owners taking responsibility for their pets.
Bryan said it was important for residents to call law enforcement rather than take to social media about stray animals, but he further added that changes needed to be made at the Lee County Humane Society. As long as the shelter is at capacity, there isn't much the city can do.
For the stray animal problem, Chambers noted that there are already leash laws on the books in the city and that it is a matter of enforcement, which he will increase if elected.
'All you have to do is enforce (leash laws),' he said, noting that he would hire more officers for animal control.
Jordan said there were only two animal control officers in the city and it was a challenge to hire more as many officers do not want to take part. The solution, he said, was through a continued effort to assist the Humane Society, the numbers will go down.