Qualifying Starts Thursday For City Offices
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WATER VALLEY – The qualifying period for alderman and mayor positions in most Mississippi municipalities including Water Valley, Coffeeville and Oakland starts Thursday, Jan. 2, and extends to Jan. 31.
Longtime Oakland Mayor Riley Swearengen announced last year that he will not seek re-election after serving nine terms. Swearengen also served five years as an Oakland alderman.
“I will be right at 75 when my term ends in June, Swearengen told the Herald about his decision to not seek another term. “And this is a full-time job. My phone never stops ringing, even when I take a vacation.”
Water Valley Mayor Tommy Reynolds reported he plans to qualify. Reynolds has served since last February when he was elected in a special election to fill the remaining 16 months of the four-year term after the former mayor resigned. Reynolds cited multiple ongoing projects in the city as the driving factor to seek a full term as the city’s top official. He previously served 11 terms as a state legislator.
“We have started to address some of the critical needs, but there is just so much more to do,” Reynolds said. “With infrastructure, we have a ton to do.”
The list of ongoing projects in the city includes a $4.5 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to address drainage and flooding issues in the city. Engineers attending a public meeting in September reported the project could take up to four years, a timeline that includes environmental assessments, a design phase and the construction phase. The proposed work will include installing larger culverts, reworking drainage events and other prevention measures to reduce flooding events in areas including North Court Street, East Lee Street, Boyd Street, Martin Street and Main Street.
Reynolds also cited work on the city’s electric grid as a top priority as planning is underway to best utilize federal funding that is expected to be awarded to the city from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In October, DOE announced that the City of Water Valley was selected for a grant from the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program to fund energy security. The city’s electric department will receive $1.833 million from the grant that requires the city to kick in matching funds. Reynolds reported a $1.5 million allocation the city received from the state coffers during the 2024 Legislative Session will provide the bulk of the match, with the remaining $333,000 coming from other sources.
“That is over $3.4 million for the electric grid plus $4.5 million for flood control,” Reynolds noted. “This is a big deal, especially when you consider the annual city budget is around $3.6 million.”
Election Timeline
The party primaries are scheduled on Tuesday, April 1, and primary runoffs, if necessary, will be held on Tuesday, April 22. The general election is scheduled on Tuesday, June 3, and the new term will start in July.
Candidates who plan to run with a party identification must submit qualifying papers to the city clerk’s office and pay a $10 fee. Candidates who plan to run as an independent must submit a qualifying statement of intent to the city clerk’s office along with a qualifying petition.
