Marx contemplating run for state office

Although he won’t divulge exactly which seat he has in mind, Petal Mayor Hal Marx is contemplating a possible run for state office.

The third-term Republican mayor said he’ll take some time to talk it over with family, and plans to announce his decision sometime this summer.

“I’d rather not say right now which one I’m considering, but let’s just say it’s a statewide office, because I haven’t made a decision as to whether or not I’m going to do it,” Marx said. “My plans may change – I might be looking at one office right now, and perhaps the circumstances would be that I would decide to seek a different one.

“But my goal is to try to serve at the state level, simply because I think there’s a lot of things that need to be done at the state level that could be done through several of the offices that are statewide offices.”

Marx was elected as the Friendly City’s sixth mayor in May 2009, and won re-election in 2013 and 2017. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in education from William Carey University.

Marx worked for six years as a journalist for a Laurel newspaper, and taught social studies at Petal High School from 1998-2009.

“I just need to decide what (office) is best for my ability and my experience, and what would be best for my family,” Marx said. “Obviously, when you run for higher office, your family is a big, important part of that, because they have to be on board with it.

“So it’s just something I’m still going through the process of looking into and thinking about.”