Election Was Big Story In 2011

WATER VALLEY – One of the stories that spanned the entire year in 2011 was completed at presstime Tuesday night as newly elected county officials took the oath of office. The ceremony culminates months of politicking that spanned the pages of the Herald in 2011, starting as candidates began qualifying last January.
    It turned out to be a good year for incumbents, as of the 15 county officials sworn in by Circuit Judge  Smith Murphey at the Water Valley Courthouse, only three are new faces – County Prosecuting Attorney Gail Barton,  District Three Supervisor Lee McMinn and District One Constable Brent Anderson. And all three newcomers replace incumbents who did not seek re-election.
    But don’t let that fool you, there were several tight races in the mix and every vote counted. A mere eight votes earned Lee McMinn the win in the August Democratic Primary runoff against Kenny Goolsby in the hotly contested race for district three supervisor. Eleven votes were the difference in the race as District One Justice Court Judge incumbent Gary Tippit narrowly defended his post against challenger Janet Caulder in the August Democratic Primary.
    The contest for chancery clerk was also close, as incumbent Amy McMinn pulled out a 43 vote victory against Donald Gray in the primary.
    Other interesting political tidbits in 2011 include:
    • Retired tax assessor/collector Guy Dale Shaw makes state headlines as he qualifies to run for governor. Shaw traveled across the state in a grass roots campaign and received seven percent of the votes cast in the Democratic primary.
    • In many past county elections, the winners were determined in the primaries, but not this year as several independent candidates and one Republican ran for county posts. This points to a trend more evident in neighboring counties as more and more candidates look outside of the Democratic Party when they qualify to run for a local office.    

• In February 2010 Census data reveals the population of the county is 12,678, down from 13,051 10 years ago;

• Almost 75 seniors at Water Valley High School Class receive diplomas in May, up from previous years;

• Officials report in May that the estimated cost of salaries and benefits for the employees at the Water Valley School District for the 2011/12 school year is reported as $6,429,458.88.

• The Yalobusha County Relay for Life fundraiser nets $31,733.47 in June;

• The voter turnout was 55 percent in the much talked about August primary election;

• Tax Assessor/Collector Linda Shuffield reports in July that the county’s assessed value is 71,512,655, a decline of 1.26 percent from the previous year;

• The 2011-12 fiscal year county budget adopted in September is $7,217,352;

• The City of Water Valley’s 2011-2012 fiscal year budget adopted in September is $2.7 million, the same as the previous year;

• In October the county’s garbage department reported $237,000 was owed by 1,482 customers, both active and inactive;

• Almost 54 percent of the registered voters in the county turn out for the General Election that included three ballot initiatives;

• A tough loss to Cleveland Eastside ends the football season for the Blue Devils with a 11-3  record in November.