By the time this column is published the last votes have been cast in the 2024 elections that took place this past Tuesday. With the certification of the election just around the corner, the new terms will be beginning in January 2025. Public service is a rewarding endeavor and it was on display last week here in North Carrollton with a visit. At town hall we hosted State Treasurer David McRae for a town hall meeting, and it means a lot for a statewide official to visit our municipality. I have known Treasurer McRae for many years. Going back to his first successful run for state treasurer in 2019, I endorsed him then in the primary and campaigned for him. He is a fine public servant. Treasurer McRae is a fourth-generation Mississippian. His great-grandfather, Sam McRae, grew up on a farm in Rankin County and opened his first S.P. McRae department store in Jackson at the turn of the century. Dedicated to customer service, the store remained one of the premier department store chains in the southeast for more than 100 years.
That same customer-service mindset is at the center of what McRae is working to accomplish as State Treasurer. Service to the public is the best attribute that an elected official can have, it means a lot. During the town hall meeting he discussed with citizens in attendance the state’s finances and got an update on the good work going on here in North Carrollton. It should be noted that Treasurer McRae has prioritized the distribution of unclaimed property within the Office of the State Treasurer, returning millions of dollars during his first year in office. McRae also oversees College Savings Mississippi, helping lift the financial burden of a college education for thousands of young people.
He is an ideal public servant and a friend to North Carrollton. I’m proud that I had the opportunity to play a part in his campaigns. As we at the conclusion of the 2024 elections, the visit here by Treasure McRae reminds us of someone who is everything a public servant should be.
Ken Strachan serves as the mayor of North Carrollton and is a member of the Mississippi Municipal League board of directors
