LaKeylah White has won the Democratic nomination for mayor of Hattiesburg and will face off against current mayor Toby Barker in the June 8 general election.
Final but unofficial results from the April 27 runoff election show White garnered 778 votes over her opponent Vanessa J. Jones, who earned 742 votes. Approximately 170 absentee ballots were factored into that count; less than 10 affidavit ballots remained to be counted as of April 28.
The runoff was necessitated because none of the Democratic candidates in the April 6 primary election earned the necessary 50% of the vote plus one vote. Barker will run in the general election as an Independent; no Republican candidates filed to run for mayor.
White did not return calls for comment immediately after the election.
White, who previously served in federal programs for the City of Hattiesburg, is president and CEO of Grants Unlimited LLC, a governmental and non-profit consulting firm specializing in grant writing, grant administration and community planning and development. She earned a bachelor’s degree in community planning and area development from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in business administration from William Carey University.
“I am running for mayor of the City of Hattiesburg so that everyone has a seat at the table,” White said in a recent Q&A for The Pine Belt News. “I believe that our diverse community should have leadership that fights for the best interest of every cultural segment in Hattiesburg.
“Hattiesburg needs leadership that is transparent, and truly for all of the people. My platform is three pronged: K- Keep local small business growing and developing, E- Enhancing Economic Opportunity and Programs, and Y- Yielding positive results with Community Development, Youth Empowerment, and Community Policing.”
White said if elected, she would like to see the small business owners in Hattiesburg partner with the local government to identify ways to support them and help foster growth, as well as implement programs and grants that would help small businesses expand.
“In four years, I would like to see enhanced economic opportunity for the citizens of Hattiesburg,” she said. “One way to achieve this would be to partner with our universities to develop ways to incentivize graduate retention, so that they remain in the area and give back to our community.
“I would like to see grant and/or loan programs for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to stay in our city and grow. It is also important that at the end of the term, every segment of our community has equal consideration/access to city contracts, trades, and jobs.”
As an Independent, Barker did not run in the primary election. He has been mayor since 2017, when he defeated then-mayor Johnny DuPree – who had served for 16 years – for the position.
“The last four years have been marked by significant accomplishments, made possible by shared vision and working together,” Barker said in his Q&A. “Even in the middle of a pandemic, progress is evident through investments in neighborhoods and infrastructure, improved public schools, investments in parks, solid financial footing for our city and funding for two railway overpasses.
“I believe these remarkable achievements only scratch the surface of our community's collective potential. We are capable of even more, and I am ready to continue the work we began in 2017.”
