2021 Mayoral Candidates
Mayoral Candidate, Butch Lee
Butch Lee
Incumbent, Mayor
Party: Republican
Website: www.ButchForBrandon.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/butchleeforbrandon
Address: Butch Lee, P.O. Box 2392, Brandon, MS 39043
Email: butchlee169@gmail.com
Personal Information: Married 30 years to former Pam Cross of Leesburg, active member of the Brandon Baptist Church, four adult children, three grandchildren, all attending Rankin County public schools, residing in Easthaven subdivision for 28 years and providing 20 years of continuous public service to Brandon through public safety, youth sports, civic organizations and community development.
Education/Qualifications: BS, University of Southern MS / BPS, Memphis State University / Certified Public Manager, State of MS / Certified Municipal Official, Basic, Advanced & Professional Development Levels, MS Municipal League / Board of Directors, the MS Municipal League, the Central MS Planning and Development District, the MS Municipal Service Company, and the MS Municipal Liability Plan / Chairman of the Jackson Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Public Message: A public safety fire service career devoted to training, education and safety of emergency response personnel from coast-to-coast, combined with a dedicated, servants heart which served our community through sixteen continuous years of working with youth sports, civic organizations, community projects and local elected leadership, laid the foundation for public service. The leadership opportunities from these life experiences created a wealth of valuable experience. These personal attributes, in concert with a working knowledge of state level budgeting, personnel management, long range planning and construction have proven to be vital attributes toward sustaining the quality of life we expect in Brandon today.
You hear, just as I hear, comments such as “why can’t we be more like Flowood, or Ridgeland, or Madison, with more commercial development.” Pause, think, consider: These communities have had the same leadership for 30 years, steady toward a purpose, and working toward the vision of what they have become today. Initially their budgets were in disarray. Job one was to get their financial house in order just as we have done in Brandon. After achieving financial security, they worked over time to develop infrastructure – water, sewer, streets – to entice and support investment and development from the private sector. These are the foundational elements which bring growth. In the last eight (8) years, we have had 934 new homes built with a new construction valuation of $240,624,884. Combined with 473 new business listings, 37 new commercial projects valued at $88,202,151 these demonstrate Brandon is taking care of business by generating $328,827,035 of family and business development.
I firmly believe leadership in government is akin to eternal life. Salvation, though a free gift, is participatory. One must act, being responsive to the call. After eight years of service on our city Planning Commission, four years of service as a board member representing Ward 6, and eight years of service as Mayor, I have missed one board meeting. As a results oriented person, I take the work of this office seriously; protect our citizens, finances, assets and work toward the future. Follow me on FB to learn about the many positive things happening in Brandon. Thank you for taking the time to read these few comments. I humbly ask for your vote, support and prayers as we all work to move Brandon forward.
Mayoral Candidate, Eric Baldwin
Eric Baldwin
Candidate, Mayor
Party: Republican
Email: etphhm1215@gmail.com
Public Message:
I, Eric Baldwin announce my candidacy as Brandon Mayor! The better part of my life has been (along with my family) right here in Crossgates/Brandon going back to 1981. We started attending First Baptist then years ago moved to Crossgates Baptist. I attended school here and graduated in 1985 and attended college earning my degree in Business.
For several years I moved away to see more of our great country and gain life experiences before moving back in 2004 following the untimely death of my older sister. She left 3 young teens behind that also lost their dad just 10 years earlier. I could not allow them to be left with nothing better than foster care so I took to wearing a new hat as “Uncle Dad/Mom” to 3 great young people! Because of my faith in God and my love for family I became their legal guardian and raised them into adulthood. As a man of great faith in the highest power…not only do I believe in miracles…I very much count on them!
Upon earning my real estate license in the mid 90’s within a few years went on to work for a large bank in Corporate Trust responsible for tracking, reconciling and disbursing almost 3 billion a year in assets/bond issues to include company stock. Years later, I began working as a mortgage broker/lender as a senior consultant. I can honestly say that no matter the type of work in my professional career, I have always been in the capacity of serving others. When people entrust you with their money, their assets/investments they were really entrusting me with their lives and I hold that sacred.
Nine years ago when Rankin was in need of viable candidates for District 4 Election Commissioner, made the conscious and prayerful choice to run and won twice. Working as a public servant laid the groundwork for running as Mayor. I want the best representation possible! We need leaders that have the people’s best interests at heart in decisions big and small and being “good stewards” of taxpayer’s dollars. I have been doing that my entire adult life. Primary responsibilities included overseeing our elections were run fairly and impartially and maintaining voter rolls through the MSSOS voting system. Another component was helping train almost 500 Poll Managers working in all 48 precincts and make sure they had what they needed. We spearheaded changes within the Commission to improve/speed up productivity bringing our county into the 21st Century by way of modern voting technology with many safeguards to ensure integrity of our voting system process.
As good as our city is I believe that Brandon can be even a better place to call home. We have issues that must be addressed especially our infrastructure, debts/expenditures, tax revenues, roads, bridges, sewer/water, etc. Like you I want to see our city flourish and thrive becoming an even better/safer place to live and call home. I have several things that I have been considering for marked improvement with more to accomplish for all of us should you elect me as your next mayor for the betterment of our citizens and visitors to our great city! Thank you for reading and in advance for your prayers and support…and for your VOTE!
Mayoral Candidate, Farrah Cox
Farrah Cox
Candidate, Mayor
Party: Independent
Website: www.FarrahCox.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/coxforbrandon
Address: N/A
Email: Farrah@FarrahCox.com
Bio:
Farrah Cox, 43 — originally from Cleveland, MS. Brandon resident since 1998 (22 years)
Married to Tony Cox, son David Cox.
BA in history (political science minor), Master’s in Public Administration (emphasis in public management)
Real estate broker
Insurance agent with Aflac
Employed by MS Real Estate Commission, serving as the new licensing officer (for individuals in state and out of state, and companies)
Public Message: This is my second time to apply for the job of Brandon’s mayor, the first time being the most recent election in 2017. I believe I am the most qualified candidate to manage the City and improve it. It has been my goal for years to use my history, political, and management education to make a better situation for others. I have been around and involved with politics since I was a young girl and was taught our elected officials SERVE US. I still hold that belief. That servant heart is why my husband & I have been long-time state employees. We do it for our state and fellow Mississippian, certainly not for the money. As mayor, I will work to make sure all city departments provide excellent customer service to the citizens. I promise to be available to anyone, and to truly listen to your concern.
We all want new businesses to come to Brandon, and we want those new businesses to bring new variety to Brandon. But, we need to put just as much emphasis on supporting & sustaining our current businesses as we do about bringing in new businesses. It is my vow to every existing Brandon business, from privately owned to corporately owned, to make Brandon government business-friendly and to provide FREE promotion of current businesses (free to the business, free to the City). I also promise to make Brandon’s infrastructure a priority all the time, not just before and during election season. If we are going to patch a road, the patch should be better than the hole – not WORSE! That is a complete waste of City money. Brandon has only recently become widely covered by CSpire. That’s at least 5 years LATER than other metro cities. A wide variety of utilities and services adds to an area’s value and helps the sale of homes in the area. Brandon has been caught with its pants down several times, being a day late while other cities near us boom (Pearl, Flowood, Madison). That ends when we elect a new administration led by someone who is proactive rather than reactive in their thinking. I am that person. My years of real estate background give me the skills necessary to negotiate with new services and businesses.
Excellent communication is necessary – not just for the things listed above, but in every aspect of city management. The people of Brandon have been left in the dark for far too long. Remember in 2017, when the municipal elections were being held, there a big announcement about Back Yard Burgers coming to town? That fell apart, but we were all left wondering why. Unless you knew someone involved with the deal to ask what happened, you didn’t get the other half of that story. In this age of technology, there is no excuse for a lack of communication from the City. That will change when I am mayor. I will tell you as much as I possibly can – the good, the bad, and the ugly – so you will know what is going on in YOUR city. Some of that news will be about events happening sponsored by the City. I’m talking a new, refreshed Brandon Day, movie night, downtown after hours events, neighborhood meetings, and more. After the 2017 election, I met with current mayor Butch Lee and shared many of my ideas with him, including movie night. I was told that wasn’t possible. However, when COVID messed everything up last year, the City had movie night at the Amphitheater – for a cost. You had to buy tickets to get in. My plan was (and still is) to not charge any entry fee for movie night or any City-sponsored events. It’s not about making money. It’s about having fun. Brandon has been a bedroom community for a long time. As we shift from that, let’s not lose that small town, tight knit community feel. Let’s get together, let’s talk, let’s advance the work that’s been done to make Brandon the best it can be again.
Farrah Cox
Mayoral Candidate, Bo Luckey
Bo Luckey
Candidate, Mayor
Party: Republican
Website: www.BoForBrandon.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/boforbrandon
Address: 105 Switchman Hill, Brandon MS 39042
Email: Bo@BoForBrandon.com
Personal Information: Married to Lisa Luckey of Pearl, MS for 14 years; three children: Abby (11), Owen (9), and Lexie (4); lifelong resident of Brandon; member of Pinelake Church; 16 years of public service; conservative Republican.
Education: Graduate of Brandon High School – Class of 2000 / Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice, Mississippi College / Overall “Top Cop” Graduate of the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy – Class #210 / Juris Doctorate, Mississippi College School of Law.
Former/Current Occupations: Patrolman, Sergeant, SWAT Team Commander – Brandon Police Department / Criminal Investigator – MS Attorney General’s Office / Task Force Officer – US Department of Homeland Security / Adjunct Professor – Mississippi College.
Public Message:
Being a resident and father, I have a vested interest in the City of Brandon for today and for the future. As a lifelong resident of Brandon, I am excited for the opportunity to serve the citizens and help Brandon reach its full potential. While I could never imagine finding a better place to call home, there are some things that I feel need improvement. Economic growth, supporting our first responders, improving our infrastructure and providing transparency and accountability to the citizens are among my top priorities as mayor. Diligent work in these areas will ensure a brighter future for the city of Brandon.
As mayor, one of my biggest tasks will be to bring the City of Brandon more economic growth and work to restore our financial position. I will work diligently to promote economic growth in order to improve our sales tax revenue within our city to support our budget more efficiently without relying so heavily on homeowners. In order to do this, we will need to revisit regulation and permitting issues that have hindered the introduction of new businesses in the past in order to ensure business owners feel welcomed to our community. We must also invest in the businesses already in the city. The success of our local businesses will make more business owners want to invest in our community. Simply opening new businesses and moving on to the next is not success. Lastly, we must take a more aggressive approach to showcase all the benefits of our city in order to attract more investors. More substantial economic growth with alleviate the need to further burden homeowners with more tax increases.
Because of our amazing first responders, Brandon is blessed to be one of the safest communities in our state, that enjoys a low crime rate. I will support the needs of our police and fire departments in order to keep our city safe and appealing to business and homeowners alike. We must continue to support and inspire our police and fire departments, ensuring they are fully staffed and equipped with the necessary tools needed to continue to keep us all safe.
Brandon is one of the fastest growing cities in our state, and a wonderful place to call home. We must continue improvements on our roads and water infrastructure in order to efficiently support the economic and residential growth within the city. I will troubleshoot and help to resolve problems in our critical infrastructures in order to support our ever-growing residential and business communities more efficiently.
As mayor, I vow to always be a voice for you. With 16 years of experience as a public servant, I know how important it is to listen to the needs and concerns of the citizens in your community. My job is to bring my passion and hard work to the forefront in order to make the city of Brandon the absolute best it can be; not just for you and I, but future generations as well.