The qualifying deadline passed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for county, district, and state offices for the next four years. The 2023 races from the courthouse to the statehouse are important as always. Here on the municipal level, they are very important to us because, not only are they our representation, it’s important for us on the town level to have partnerships that help in getting results for our communities.
County supervisors and officials on the town level have a direct impact on the needs of a particular street or county road. However, it needs to be looked at, with strategic planning and the use of revenues in an effective way; even the smallest amounts make a difference. Here in North Carrollton, for example, the town consists of three supervisor districts: beats 1, 2, and 4, just like municipalities all across this state are part of a supervisory district. I have found through the years that the smallest of projects add up, and that means a lot, especially in small town, rural America. Vibrant, dependable partnerships are critical for maintaining public safety and promoting healthy economic development.
During this year’s elections, just like many elections of the past, there will be campaigns that will consist of door to door canvasing, political rallies, paid advertisements and much more efforts that will carry the particular candidate’s platform to the voters. There will be also incumbents that will run with a platform and their record of what was achieved over their previous terms. My first fascination with local government goes back to my early years when my uncle Hester McCluskey worked for the Carroll County bridge crew. Back then my uncle worked a lot with his hands along with others in maintaining Carroll County’s infrastructure. It was during the time of county supervisors from long ago. Since then, there have been many elections from the the 70s, and part of living is things change.
However, through the years, the dedication to serving others and making communities the best they can be with ideas and platforms have remained constant and are brought into these campaigns. With this week’s qualifying deadline behind us, the ballot will be set, and we now head to the August primaries, runoffs and the November General Election. The 2023 campaigns have now begun in earnest.
Ken Strachan serves as the mayor of North Carrollton, is a member of the Mississippi Municipal League board of directors and serves as the MML education chairman.
