Marion aldermen hire lobbying firm to represent town at State Capitol

Published 11:35 am Wednesday, February 4, 2026

The town of Marion will have a larger presence at the State Capitol this year after the Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday to hire a lobbying firm to represent the town’s interests.

LaDarion Ammons, a founding partner of the firm, said his team will work to identify funding the town can use to achieve its goals, ensure legislators understand what Marion is looking to do and why it’s important and build relationships with state agencies and organizations that can help Marion move forward.

“The most important thing is putting Marion in the best position it can be in at the Capitol and everyone can know of the growth that you all are seeing because you all are doing some great things there, and with a little state support we can do something even bigger,” he said.

Ammons said Ten One Strategies has experience working with a number of Mississippi cities and counties including Hinds and Noxubee counties, as well as the cities of Oxford and New Albany. One of the things his firm looks carefully at prior to taking on a new client is the potential for conflicts of interest. In Marion’s case, he said, there are none.

“What I would not do is come and represent the city of Jackson but then also represent the city of Madison or the city of Clinton because those are right beside each other, very similar and typically would be fighting for the same interests in a very limited pool of resources,” he said. “We don’t see the town of Marion being a conflict in that regard.”

Under a normal lobbying agreement, Ten One Strategies will meet with officials for the city or county they will represent and develop a legislative agenda with goals and potential funding sources. From there, Ten One Strategies can begin talking with state leaders and legislators to make those projects happen, Ammons said.

This year, however, Marion is signing its agreement in the middle of the annual legislative session. Ammons said the firm will forego an agenda this year and instead focus on pushing the most important projects for the town at the Capitol.

In addition to state lobbying efforts, Ammons said his firm can also help Marion officials at the federal level and will provide a weekly legislative tracker showing the status of state legislation with the potential to impact the town.

Aldermen voted unanimously to approve the contract, which will run for two years at a cost of $33,000 annually. Either party can terminate the agreement with 90 days notice.