(Southaven, MS) The political face of Southaven will look almost entirely different in less than a month.
The city will have a new mayor and an almost entirely new board of aldermen running things.
Southaven Mayor Elect Darren Musselwhite says Southaven is moving in a good direction, and they should keep doing many of the things that got the city that way.
“Number one is moving forward, I mean just the baton being passed. It`s time to move forward with it,” said Musselwhite.
Other than that, he`s mum on the details of how that will happen. When News Channel 3 asked him further, he kept it vague.
“Greg Davis`s style was his style. My style will be very different,” said Musselwhite.
Specifically, Musselwhite says he wants to expand the parks and rec department because that`s a big money maker for Southaven.
He says the mayor before him betrayed the city`s trust with spending scandals, and he hopes to restore that. He says there will be no more fancy parties or elaborate dinners on the city`s dime.
“My goal when I get into office is to review everything. I want see what all they`ve done and get my take on it. I want to run city hall like a business,” said Musselwhite.
Without many details on his plan for the city, some wonder if he has any at all. The political newcomer will be working with a board of alderman made up of five new members with no experience and two returning Davis-era members.
Voter Delores Clayton thinks change is a good thing and lack of political experience could be a plus.
“It`s not going to be a problem for them. They are intelligent people, they will do a good job,” said Clayton.
Voter Lynda Griffin says the city should be cautious.
“We have to not just let that go we should pay attention. We have to learn,” said Griffin.
Musselwhite says one thing that is very different between he and his predecessor Greg Davis is Memphis.
Musselwhite says he doesn’t plan to bash or bad-mouth Memphis, unlike Davis, who stated he wanted Southaven to prosper at Memphis’ expense.
