Voters Return To The Polls

John Caldwell – Mike Tagert

By David Howell
Editor

WATER VALLEY – Voters in Yalobusha and 32 other counties across north Mississippi will return to the polls Tuesday to elect the Northern District Transportation Commissioner.

    John Caldwell of Nesbit and Mike Tagert of Starkville advanced to the Feb. 1 runoff after both candidates received almost 21 percent of the vote in the seven-man race on Jan. 11. Caldwell finished first with a 156 vote lead over Tagert.

    In Yalobusha County only seven percent of the county’s registered voters participated in the first election. Warner McBride led the county ticket, receiving 222 of the 663 votes. McBride finished a close third in the entire district, polling 10,263 votes, only 450 votes behind Caldwell.

    Tagert polled 127 votes in Yalobusha County, followed by Caldwell who received 89 votes. Both men have military connections, with Caldwell serving as Marine Corps Reserve since 1981. He is currently a member of the Marine Reserves, serving as Deputy Commander of the 14th Marines Artillery Regiment as a reserve Colonel. Tagert served in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1988 to 1994.

    Tagert currently serves as Administrator of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Water-way Development Authority. His career has embraced both public and private sectors, serving as Special Projects Officer for the Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

    For the last seven years Caldwell has served as Transportation Director for Desoto County Schools. He also served consecutive terms as Desoto County’s first Republican county supervisor.

    The special election follows the Nov. 1 death of Bill Minor, who was serving his second term as transportation commissioner.

    Although the special election is non-partisan and the ballot does not include a party affiliation, both men have stated they are running as Republicans.