Electric Commission Welcomes New Manager
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Mayor Tommy Reynolds (left) and members of the Water Valley Electric Commission Terry Allen, Jr., Brandon Presley and Dr. Barry Weeks (right) welcomed Jim McClure and his wife, Raina Degler McClure, during a reception Monday night at City Hall.
WATER VALLEY — The newly hired General Manager of the Water Valley Electric Commission said Monday night that fixing Water Valley’s electric system will take time and hard work, but he does not view the task as insurmountable.
Jim McClure shared his assessment during a welcome reception at City Hall, marking his first public remarks since being hired earlier this month to lead the city’s electric utility.
McClure acknowledged the scope of the work ahead and said meaningful progress will come.
“I came down about three or four different times and rode this system before we even interviewed,” McClure told the crowd. “It is going to be tough, but it is doable.”
He said one of the most important steps already taken was the city’s decision to create a dedicated electric commission, allowing sustained attention on the utility separate from the city’s many other responsibilities.
“With everything else going on in a city, it’s good to have somebody whose sole focus is this effort,” he said.
Water Valley’s electric grid serves approximately 2,100 meters and has faced long-standing challenges, including aging distribution equipment, limited redundancy and components that have exceeded their intended service life, as outlined in past engineering reviews and commission discussions. Those issues have contributed to repeated outages and service disruptions, prompting city leaders to pursue structural changes in how the system is managed.
Much of the system relies on older infrastructure that was never fully modernized as demand increased, leaving portions of the grid vulnerable during storms, peak usage and equipment failures.
McClure stressed that Water Valley will have assistance if needed, citing long-standing professional relationships with electric cooperatives and utility agencies across the state, many of which have already reached out to him.
“They’ve all told me I’m just a phone call away,” McClure said. “And I expect them to answer.”
McClure brings more than 30 years of electric utility experience to Water Valley. He currently serves as Manager of System Operations and Director of Safety and Loss Control for Oxford-based North East Mississippi Electric Power Association, where he has overseen daily system operations, construction, maintenance, outage restoration and workforce management while leading system-wide safety and compliance efforts.
His career began in 1992 with the City of Oxford Electric Department, and he later advanced through the ranks at NEMEPA from lineman to senior leadership, gaining extensive hands-on and executive experience across all aspects of electric utility operations.
McClure will begin serving the city on a part-time basis in January and is expected to transition into the role full-time by March 1.
Electric Commission Chairman Brandon Presley said McClure was selected because of his understanding of both the technical and operational realities of running an electric system.
“This isn’t about quick fixes,” Presley said. “It’s about doing the hard work the right way.”
Mayor Tommy Reynolds echoed that message in brief remarks, saying the condition of the electric system touches every part of the city’s future and cannot be ignored.
“If you don’t have lights and basic infrastructure, you’re not going to progress — you’re going to regress,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the work ahead will not be easy and will require cooperation across city leadership, the electric commission, utility employees and the community.
“This is going to take a lot of work,” he said. “Everybody is going to have to work together, and it’s not going to happen overnight. But if we stay committed and support one another, we can get there.”
