By By Ben Alexander/The Meridian Star
Jan. 30, 2001
Ward 5 City Councilman Bobby Smith says he has decided not to run for mayor, opting instead to seek another four years on the Meridian City Council.
Rumors had circulated around Meridian in recent weeks that Smith was considering a run against the incumbent, Mayor John Robert Smith. But Councilman Smith said despite those rumors he thought he still has work to do in ward 5.
Mayor Smith announced his candidacy for re-election earlier this month after opting out of consideration for a federal job in the Bush administration.
Councilman Smith qualified for re-election Monday as a Republican. He will be seeking his second term as Ward 5 councilman.
According to Smith, there is a lot more work that needs to be done in and for Meridian.
Smith said some of the highlights of his first term in office was helping to get a $100,000 grant to clean up illegal dump sites in Meridian and working to acquire a van from the Mississippi Department of Transportation in order for city inmates to begin a litter clean up patrol.
Smith was also the primary proponent of Mayor John Robert Smith's "Pay to Stay" plan in 2000, which would have given the top 15 percent of city employees merit based pay raises. Councilman Smith said the plan was unfair and instead lobbied for an across the board pay increase for all city employees.
Although work has been done regarding pay issues Smith said there is still room for improvement in that area also.
Ben Alexander is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at balexander@themeridianstar.com.