City elections heat up as Nov. 2 draws near

Of the 10 races for positions within Lafayette County, three have been heating up as of late.

The race for tax assessor and collector is a showdown between Democrat Martha Thornton and Republican Celeste Jordan.

Thornton said a large part of the job involves number crunching.

"We ensure the appraised values used for tax purposes are accurate," she said.

Thornton also said she is responsible for the employees in the tax assessor's office. "You have to make sure you've got a courteous and professional staff," she said.

Jordan thinks there are a few pressing issues facing the tax assessor's office.

"Our office has some problems that need to be dealt with," she said.

Jordan said one of the main problems is that a firm in Tupelo is hired to do the tax assessments for Lafayette County, rather than the office.

"I think it's a waste of taxpayer's money and it's an inefficient way to do business," she said.

Jordan also said the technology in the office is outdated, with paper being used for transaction rather than computers.

"Water Valley is more technologically advanced than Oxford. We are very backward."

There is a three-man race for the position of District 2 supervisor. Clark Littlejohn is the democratic candidate, Jesse Davis is the republican candidate and Danny Hudson is the independent candidate.

Littlejohn, the incumbent, has held the position for the past 24 years.

"I have a clear record of what I've worked for and where I've gone," he said.

Littlejohn noted the campaigning has been especially vigorous with this race. "It's been a hard one," he said.

For his part, Davis has enjoyed running for office. "It's exciting and I'm glad to be a part of it," he said.

Davis thinks Lafayette County will be facing a large amount of population growth.

"Lafayette County is in a unique strategic location," he said, noting that the county must be prepared to face any potential population growth.

"It's very important to have a visionary leader who has experience with planning for this type of change," said Davis.

Davis hopes everyone will take part in county government. "The future of the county depends on citizen involvement in the county," he said.

In light of the fact that the incumbent has held the offce for 24 years, Davis said he thinks it is time for a new District Two supervisor. "I strongly believe Lafayette County is ready for a change," he said.

Hudson, the independent candidate, said he has noticed that the people seem to be looking for change.

"Our present supervisor has just made a lot of bad decisions," he said.

Hudson also thinks a new supervisor could bring positive changes to the county. "Our system of government we've got now has been enforced too long," he said.

Hudson is looking to bring more industries to Oxford in order to keep more people in the county. He would also like to upgrade the hospital system. "I could go on and on about wasted tax dollars," Hudson said.

In the race for the District Four supervisor, Republican incumbent Mickey Jenkins faces a challenge from Democrat Keith Brown.

Brown said his campaign has been going well thus far. "I feel good about it. We've worked hard all summer," he said.

Brown said he hasn't made a lot of campaign promises. Rather, he hopes to be a fair, efficient leader who will have the best interests of the county at heart.

"What I want to do is have a good, efficient county government," he said.

Brown said he wants to improve the quality of life for citizens of his district as well as the county.

Jenkins, the republican running in the race, was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Regardless of what race they are vying for, all the candidates have the best interests of Lafayette County in mind. As tax assessor candidate Celeste Jordan said, "We have to look toward the future."