Starkville Mayoral Election

[Jarius]

Stolen from the other board that shall not be named:


1) Damian Poe: 26 year old that wants to focus on tourism & a fair tax for MSU students to support Starkville infrastructure

2) Johnny Moore: 56 year old lawyer in town.

3) Lynn Spurill: 64 year old former mayor of Addison, Texas. Worked under Weisman.

What is the board's opinion on who would be best for moving Starkville forward and helping out MSU?




***If this needs to be moved to the political board then someone can move it, but since it is heavily tied to the success of MSU I thought I would start it out here*****

[Tbonewannabe]

I don't know any of them but I really hope Starkville continues to treat MSU with the idea that MSU drives Starkville's economy. That relationship has steadily improved over the last 10 or so years and it needs to keep improving.

[msbulldog]

Stolen from the other board that shall not be named:


1) Damian Poe: 26 year old that wants to focus on tourism & a fair tax for MSU students to support Starkville infrastructure

2) Johnny Moore: 56 year old lawyer in town.

3) Lynn Spurill: 64 year old former mayor of Addison, Texas. Worked under Weisman.

What is the board's opinion on who would be best for moving Starkville forward and helping out MSU?




***If this needs to be moved to the political board then someone can move it, but since it is heavily tied to the success of MSU I thought I would start it out here*****

Tax the students, what dumb idea, the students already pay more sales tax than the civil population.

[sleepy dawg]

With the small amount of research I've done, I would vote in this order:

1. Poe - Young. Born and raised in Oktibbeha. Seems passionate about the community and moving it forward.
http://damionpoe.org/

2. Spurill - Old. From Starkville. Very much a business person. Wants to maintain the high taxes. Although I believe she cares about the community, I would be concerned if she will take the necessary risks to move the city forward the way we want it to.
https://www.lynnspruill.com/

3. Moore - I would not vote for Moore. Lawyer. Went to MSU and OM. Owns lawfirm in Starkville. Says all the things a typical politician says.
http://mooreforstarkville.com/

[Jarius]

I just read Poe's vision, and he mentions multiple times wanting to improve entertainment options in the city. He also mentioned that raising taxes would be a last resort type of solution to any problem (and giving businesses tax breaks). He wants to improve roads and sidewalks and has some sort of rewards program for recycling.

[Jarius]

Spurill seemed to have a much more detailed plan on her site and seems to be all in on the fact that MSU is a huge reason that Starkville is what it is. She wants to expand the business district.

[Jarius]

Moore has basically nothing on his web page about policies.

[AROB44]

I just read Poe's vision, and he mentions multiple times wanting to improve entertainment options in the city. He also mentioned that raising taxes would be a last resort type of solution to any problem (and giving businesses tax breaks). He wants to improve roads and sidewalks and has some sort of rewards program for recycling.

How do you pay for the roads, etc. Monopoly money?

[Mjoelner34]

How do you pay for the roads, etc. Monopoly money?

This is a great question that I have also although for county roads. You need a mouthpiece and a helmet to drive down the county road I live on yet, in my home county of Covington which has a significantly less population and therefore significantly less tax base than Oktibbeha, there hasn't been a gravel road in the county for for about 20+ years and all the roads are maintained better than those in Oktibbeha. With the money Oktibbeha County has spent on cold-patching, they probably could have 4-lane concrete county roads by now.

[MaroonDawg25]

With the money Oktibbeha County has spent on cold-patching, they probably could have 4-lane concrete county roads by now.

That's the stupid thing about government. You get what you pay for and they always pay for the lowest bidder. A well done road although more expensive is a better investment than the cheap one made on the fly. However county roads have nothging to do with the mayor of Starkville as he will only have say with the roads in the city limits.

Also as far as paying for it you cut expenses elsewhere and make room for infrastructer improvements within the current budget. I don't know Starkville's budget but since it's a goverment I'm assuming there's some overspending somewhere.

[Tbonewannabe]

That's the stupid thing about government. You get what you pay for and they always pay for the lowest bidder. A well done road although more expensive is a better investment than the cheap one made on the fly. However county roads have nothging to do with the mayor of Starkville as he will only have say with the roads in the city limits.

Also as far as paying for it you cut expenses elsewhere and make room for infrastructer improvements within the current budget. I don't know Starkville's budget but since it's a goverment I'm assuming there's some overspending EVERYWHERE.

fixed it for you.

[Outside Dawg]

Im a little disappointed that this thread has been here for 6 hours and not one of these people have come on here to pitch themselves... Not one of them checks ED during the day? Sad!

[Thrill1]

Spruill is the best choice by a mile here. She was practically asst mayor serving under Camp & Wiseman. And I'm sorry, 64 is not old.

[Mimi's Babies]

Spurill seemed to have a much more detailed plan on her site and seems to be all in on the fact that MSU is a huge reason that Starkville is what it is. She wants to expand the business district.

1. Ms. Lynn Spruill is not only the OLDEST but one who actually owns much property in the city proper of Starkville. Ms. Lynn graduated from Starkville High School, left made a life for herself and came back to Starkville, many years ago. She has MUCH commercial property and knows what needs to be done to MOVE FORWARD for Starkville. She also knows what MUST be done in reference to MSU and holding ground in negotiations of any type.
For the last 8 years we have built sidewalks to NO WHERE.... and that is simply a waste of MONEY. Starkville MUST be cleaned up along with this county. The 1st issue is to clean out Starkville High School Ath. Program -- is Ms. Spruill willing to do that.... I don't know BUT I sure PLAN on asking her. :o

2. Mr. Moore, I have known all my life... He a local attorney, also owns property in the city and county and PAY TAXES.... :rolleyes:

3. Mr. Poe, I do NOT know him.... But I now have questions for him...... WHAT THE HELL is a tourism & a fair tax for MSU students to support Starkville infrastructure. The ONLY tax MSU students pay is for groceries (if they receive food stamps they don't pay that) and food tax to eat at a restaurant..... Why don't all the local property owners go up on their RENT to cover the 30% tax increase in the city and county..... we just encountered....
With his age...... ?????? Has he ever PAID any TAXES in OKTIBBEHA COUNTY and Starkville, MS????? Is he paying the 30% tax hike that we just encountered in the county alone..... I doubt it.... :confused:

So you decide..... I cannot vote... I live in the county....

[HereComesTheSpiral]

How do you pay for the roads, etc. Monopoly money?

Hotel tax, isn't that the argument every NFL owner makes.

[Mimi's Babies]

Im a little disappointed that this thread has been here for 6 hours and not one of these people have come on here to pitch themselves... Not one of them checks ED during the day? Sad!

OUTSIDE DAWG: UPDATE: Ms. Lynn Spruill is traveling to the Final Four to support our champion Lady Dawgs. #HAILSTATE....

[DogsofAnarchy]

Johnny is by far the best of these candidates. He wants to see Starkville expand and is VERY pro business!! He is physically conservative and would love a better partnership between Starkville and MSU!!!

Lynn is left of Bernie Sanders and your children will be using the bathroom with god knows who if she is elected.

Damian is a good guy but he doesn't have enough experience to lead a city that needs to grow and advance like Starkville does. Starkville is at a crucial time in its history, the voters better not screw this up.





QUOTE=Jarius;726019]Stolen from the other board that shall not be named:


1) Damian Poe: 26 year old that wants to focus on tourism & a fair tax for MSU students to support Starkville infrastructure

2) Johnny Moore: 56 year old lawyer in town.

3) Lynn Spurill: 64 year old former mayor of Addison, Texas. Worked under Weisman.

What is the board's opinion on who would be best for moving Starkville forward and helping out MSU?




***If this needs to be moved to the political board then someone can move it, but since it is heavily tied to the success of MSU I thought I would start it out here*****[/QUOTE]

[BeardoMSU]

Johnny is by far the best of these candidates. He wants to see Starkville expand and is VERY pro business!! He is physically conservative and would love a better partnership between Starkville and MSU!!!

Lynn is left of Bernie Sanders and your children will be using the bathroom with god knows who if she is elected.

Damian is a good guy but he doesn't have enough experience to lead a city that needs to grow and advance like Starkville does. Starkville is at a crucial time in its history, the voters better not screw this up.






At least she's smart enough to properly use a message board "quote" function.

[BeardoMSU]

Spruill is the best choice by a mile here. She was practically asst mayor serving under Camp & Wiseman. And I'm sorry, 64 is not old.

This.

[DogsofAnarchy]

Hey I wasn't being personal. If you like Lynn its fine with me. Elect her, its fine with me. Just know that she is ANTI business and she is for Lynn. A true established democrat who leans to the far left, Starkville can go back to having a little dictator. It's fine with me. She already owns more apartments than everyone else put together in Starkville, so I'm sure the rent costs in Starkville will go down because she will let other companies come in an build. I'm sure she is for healthy competition in business. Lol




At least she's smart enough to properly use a message board "quote" function.

[HSVDawg]

Stolen from the other board that shall not be named:


1) Damian Poe: 26 year old that wants to focus on tourism & a fair tax for MSU students to support Starkville infrastructure

2) Johnny Moore: 56 year old lawyer in town.

3) Lynn Spurill: 64 year old former mayor of Addison, Texas. Worked under Weisman.

What is the board's opinion on who would be best for moving Starkville forward and helping out MSU?




***If this needs to be moved to the political board then someone can move it, but since it is heavily tied to the success of MSU I thought I would start it out here*****

Spruill is the best choice, but honestly it doesn't matter. The regressive band of dipshit aldermen (minus a few good ones) controls the whole city government anyway. The mayor basically has no power in Starkville, and no substantial changes will ever occur until there is substantial turnover in the BOA.

[Maroon Wizardry]

so Lynn, a business owner, is anti-business? i'm confused

[Mimi's Babies]

so Lynn, a business owner is anti-business? i'm confused

Lynn, is PRO-BUSINESS....... and owns MANY Apartments, Commercial property and land.

[Mimi's Babies]

Hey I wasn't being personal. If you like Lynn its fine with me. Elect her, its fine with me. Just know that she is ANTI business and she is for Lynn. A true established democrat who leans to the far left, Starkville can go back to having a little dictator. It's fine with me. She already owns more apartments than everyone else put together in Starkville, so I'm sure the rent costs in Starkville will go down because she will let other companies come in an build. I'm sure she is for healthy competition in business. Lol

There are NO apartments being built in Starkville City limits at this time. There is very little property that has not already had apartments built on it. The last piece of property for Condos III building are on Russell Street being built now .. IN FACT there is ONLY one retail business that has built a new building in over a YEAR... There is a medical clinic/out-patient surgical center that is being built and they are NOT associated with the local band-aid station.

The ALDERMAN are the reason we have NO more business nor manufacturing factories than we have in Starkville..... I have been in this town for nearly 50 years and Starkville is in the worst condition than it has ever been in....

[deltadawg99]

We need somebody that realizes that Starkville is a college town and embraces it. Things have gotten better but there still seems to be a divide between the university and city.

Side note, we have too many damn strip malls/shopping centers and chain restaurants.

[sleepy dawg]

Spruill is the best choice by a mile here. She was practically asst mayor serving under Camp & Wiseman. And I'm sorry, 64 is not old.

I look at it like hiring a head coach or AD. This isn't Jackson. This is a college town. Spruill is past social security age. This may not be old for a club box season ticket holder, but for the majority of the town it is.

[HSVDawg]

I look at it like hiring a head coach or AD. This isn't Jackson. This is a college town. Spruill is past social security age. This may not be old for a club box season ticket holder, but for the majority of the town it is.

Age is an overrated consideration. The youngest guy on the BOA is probably the biggest representative of the "get off my lawn" crowd in the whole city. You can't just assume that a young person will identify better with the student / university demographic.

[Bothrops]

I could listen to each one's musical taste and tell you which would be best for Starkville and MSU.

[Mimi's Babies]

I look at it like hiring a head coach or AD. This isn't Jackson. This is a college town. Spruill is past social security age. This may not be old for a club box season ticket holder, but for the majority of the town it is.

You might better look at the demographics of this town.... This is labeled as a RETIREMENT TOWN.... js

[Jarius]

For MSU, it does not need to be labeled as a retirement town. That's not what drives the bus for Starkville businesses. Starkville is lucky enough to have a major SEC university in it's town. It needs to act like it. It's ridiculous that bars close at 12 and 1am in a college town. We need more entertainment options for college kids. The cotton district is great, but we have to do more.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

At least she's smart enough to properly use a message board "quote" function.

Lol right on que...do you have notifications setup for anything negative against liberalism?

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

Spruill is the best choice, but honestly it doesn't matter. The regressive band of dipshit aldermen (minus a few good ones) controls the whole city government anyway. The mayor basically has no power in Starkville, and no substantial changes will ever occur until there is substantial turnover in the BOA.

It's not a unique problem in Starkville. Many towns around similar size and demographics to Starkville are facing the same problems and I don't see anyway that it ends in the near future. It's always the same type of candidates over and over regardless of political party.

[MaroonDawg25]

Age should not be considered a huge factor. Just because 2 canidates are older don't mean they'll be great for the job and just because 1 is younger doensn't mean he'll be bad for it. Why is everyone talking age, whether or not they've paid taxes, and bathrooms instead of talking about their platform and ideals?

[Jarius]

Not to be an ass, but this topic has some potential IMO. Can we keep it on what it should be about? I would like to hear some more about each of these candidates as I think this is probably the most important time in the history of Starkville as far as growth goes. So much potential that needs the right person in charge to reach at this critical juncture. Just looking at their campaign sites, it seems like the female has the best vision, but that's a very small sample size of what their overall plan and agenda would be.

[Steakonastick]

Till Roy Perkins and company get off the board of aldermen. It will not matter who's mayor. They would rather Starkville be West Point then Oxford. In their minds Starkville makes the university not the other way around.

[shannondawg]

Did that Wynn woman decide not to run? Its a blessing if she did.

[Bark]

Not to be an ass, but this topic has some potential IMO. Can we keep it on what it should be about? I would like to hear some more about each of these candidates as I think this is probably the most important time in the history of Starkville as far as growth goes. So much potential that needs the right person in charge to reach at this critical juncture. Just looking at their campaign sites, it seems like the female has the best vision, but that's a very small sample size of what their overall plan and agenda would be.

I really don't think it's a question of if Starkville grows, it's a question of what you want the development to look like when voting for mayor. Starkville is going to go as our athletic teams at MSU are having unprecedented success and with Trump as our president our economy will only improve. If you want growth in the name of growth and more strip development and bars like the ricks and the hunt club that follows the HWY 12 model vote for Moore. If you like more walkable/bikeable development and bars and restaurants like bin 612 that follows the cotton district and downtown model vote Lynn.

Those saying this is a pivotal election are correct. The alderman except for two are terrible so there's only so much a mayor can do, but we have to decide what we want Starkville to be for the next 50 years as this election will shape the development of prime property in Starkville and adjacent to the university. Does it revert to a drive through, car oriented town or does it continue to grow in a smart way and strive to be little Greenville, SC or an Athens, GA? Though I don't agree with her politics at the state or national level, I'm for Lynn bc I want Starkville to grow in an aesthetically pleasing way and to continue to grow into a walkable/bikeable city.

[HSVDawg]

Did that Wynn woman decide not to run? Its a blessing if she did.

Not for mayor, but she is running for an alderman seat (Ward 1 I think) as an independent which is a joke in and of itself.

[Mjoelner34]

I really don't think it's a question of if Starkville grows, it's a question of what you want the development to look like when voting for mayor.

Even though I live in the county and won't be able to vote, I would be for the person who is in favor of developing the 82 bypass with businesses on a frontage road to alleviate some of the traffic from highway 12 but I do not know the stance of any of the candidates on this issue. Currently highway 12 is a traffic nightmare and I don't think the current MDOT project will change that. I think it is structured more to reduce accidents from people turning left out of businesses onto 12 and crossing two lanes of traffic while doing so. As if traffic wasn't already bad enough on 12, now add in Academy Sports on one end of town and the Walmart Family Market on the other and there will soon be even heavier traffic. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe I saw an MDOT study showing that there are on average 26,000 vehicles per day on highway 12.

[HSVDawg]

I really don't think it's a question of if Starkville grows, it's a question of what you want the development to look like when voting for mayor. Starkville is going to go as our athletic teams at MSU are having unprecedented success and with Trump as our president our economy will only improve. If you want growth in the name of growth and more strip development and bars like the ricks and the hunt club that follows the HWY 12 model vote for Moore. If you like more walkable/bikeable development and bars and restaurants like bin 612 that follows the cotton district and downtown model vote Lynn.

Those saying this is a pivotal election are correct. The alderman except for two are terrible so there's only so much a mayor can do, but we have to decide what we want Starkville to be for the next 50 years as this election will shape the development of prime property in Starkville and adjacent to the university. Does it revert to a drive through, car oriented town or does it continue to grow in a smart way and strive to be little Greenville, SC or an Athens, GA? Though I don't agree with her politics at the state or national level, I'm for Lynn bc I want Starkville to grow in an aesthetically pleasing way and to continue to grow into a walkable/bikeable city.

Good post. A lot of people can't look past the R or D next to a name when voting even in local elections, which is a shame. Growing up in Starkville, I knew a lot of folks that were as conservative as they come when it came to national policy and social issues, yet they still realized that liberal / progressive candidates in local elections had a far better vision for the city (including tighter zoning / aesthetic regulations, more welcoming policy for beer / liquor sales and nightlife, etc.). And so they voted for them. While I never intended to submarine the thread into a conversation about bathrooms, I think that it's important that people that bring up dumb stuff like that in regards to a local election are called out, because they are part of the problem.

[ScoobaDawg]

Keep the bathroom talk out of this. Let's keep it to local issues.

[Mimi's Babies]

Till Roy Perkins and company get off the board of aldermen. It will not matter who's mayor. They would rather Starkville be West Point then Oxford. In their minds Starkville makes the university not the other way around.

West Point is GROWING with NEW BUSINESS.... When was the LAST TIME Starkville had a new manufacturer come to town... Starkville has turned NEW BUSINESS AWAY.... The discipline and school grade is better in OTHER towns than SOCSD....

New Business turned away due to not enough parking spaces.... HUM.... for a take-out... local people....

[Bothrops]

Starkville does need big help. It needs smart development, as well as redevelopment to get rid of some hodge podge mess that currently lines Hwy 12.