Itta Bena Mayor Thelma Collins wants one more shot to see through some of the projects moving forward in the city.
Alderman Walter Parker has ideas of his own about how to improve Itta Bena.
The two will face off Tuesday in the general election for mayor.
Collins, 64, a retired teacher, first won a special election for mayor in 1995 and then won a full term in 1997. She was defeated by J.D. Brasel in 2001 but recaptured the office in 2005. She said this week that if she wins a new term, it will be her last.
Collins said it has been a challenging four years, but she wants to finish some things that have been put in motion.
“I would hate to get something started and not be here to see the fruition of it,” she said.
Collins said she has personally written proposals for grants that have made a difference in Itta Bena.
Among others, she mentioned a $50,000 grant to renovate the library, a $100,000 grant for improvements at City Hall and a $1,000 beautification grant. Another grant bought the city a police car, and a lease-purchase deal was worked out for two other cars as well.
She said she also spent long hours on a proposal for a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Commerce to help upgrade the electrical system. That application is to be submitted this week.
She said it was a setback when the Big Star grocery store closed. However, the owner of Tchula Food Center has bought the building and has estimated the new store could open in August.
“I’ve gone far and near trying to get people to come here to Itta Bena to open that store, and finally it will be open,” she said.
Collins said the city was in a difficult financial position when she returned to office but is better now. She said she worked out a payment plan for a utility bill exceeding $200,000, brought the city into compliance after a $62,721 delinquent water and sewer enterprise bill, and set up a payment plan when the city was two years behind in audits.
She also is excited about the nomination of an area of downtown Itta Bena for the National Register of Historic Places. The area runs from the cemetery to Leflore County elementary and high schools and from Lakeshore Street to Main Street.
Parker, 45, has served as Ward 3 alderman for two terms.
He has been director of student health at Mississippi Valley State University since 2001 and has served on the Greenwood Leflore Hospital board for five years. He is a registered nurse, a certified EMT and a volunteer firefighter.
He said his training in those fields has served him well. With that kind of experience, “when the going gets tough, you can make tough decisions and also plan well when things are going well,” he said.
Parker said residents of Itta Bena have shown an interest in the election and in his campaign message. They have told him that they are concerned about utility costs, streets, drainage, cleanliness, crime and other issues.
“The people I’ve talked to, “they’ve expressed their desire to see change,” he said.
Among his priorities if he is elected will be upgrading the utility system to make it more efficient and up-to-date. Citing the closing of Big Star, which has required some in Itta Bena to drive to Greenwood for groceries, he said he also wants to improve Itta Bena’s economic status.
“We have lost valuable businesses, and we need to make every effort to replace those businesses with viable businesses to serve the community and the citizens,” he said.
Parker said improvements also can be made in the day-to-day management of the city’s personnel and resources. For example, he said, there are no job descriptions or regular evaluations of city employees now.
“You have to have some way to measure whether you’re efficient and proficient at what you’re doing,” he said.
He said he has learned a great deal in the last eight years about the workings of government and what mayors and aldermen can and can’t do. As mayor, he would stress communication, both within a government and between the government and citizens.
“I would certainly encourage an administration of total transparency,” he said.
The candidates for the Board of Aldermen are as follows:
nWard 1: Kimberly Hart faces Mildred Miller. Hart was a deputy clerk at City Hall from 2000 to 2007, dealing mainly with utility bills. She now is a receiving associate at Wal-Mart Supercenter in Greenwood. Miller is retired from Baldwin Piano & Organ Co., where she was a line leader. She served one term on the Board of Aldermen in the 1990s.
nWard 2: George Copprue Jr. faces Debra Hudson. Copprue works for Viking Range Corp. and once owned the M.C. Dollar Store. Hudson is retired from the Leflore County School District, where she worked for 25 years.
nWard 3: J.D. Brasel faces Robert Wilson. Brasel served one term as mayor after defeating Thelma Collins in the 2001 election and also served on the Board of Aldermen in the 1980s. Wilson is a shift commander for the Tchula Police Department who worked for the Itta Bena Police Department from 1983 to 1997 and also spent two years in internal affairs with the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
nAt-large: Incumbent Elmus Stockstill faces John Bariola. Stockstill, the city’s vice-mayor, works in the Greenwood office of U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and is an adjunct instructor in Mississippi Valley State University’s criminal justice department. Bariola, a farmer and former teacher, served as an alderman for 11 years under three different mayors.
Donald Fulgham, the incumbent representing Ward 4, is unopposed.
