Jonathan Wells described his four years on the job as Lauderdale County District 1 Supervisor as an emotional roller coaster, both fun and frustrating.

“For example, our courthouse project has been very frustrating at times,” Wells said. “As of late, it’s been rewarding because we bought the Village Fair Mall property at what I think is an awesome price.”

On Oct. 31, the board plans to formally announce the selection of the old mall property as the site of the county’s future courthouse.

Wells, a Republican with more than a decade of experience in teaching and coaching, said he considers infrastructure and economic development to be two of the biggest issues for the people of Lauderdale County.

“They pay taxes and they expect a smooth way to work and back and I think we need to continue to focus on those things and I think that we do a fairly good job with that,” he said. “I think we’ve kept our word on economic development. It’s not the easiest thing to go out there and bring one in, but we’re dedicated to it.”

Wells highlighted the progress on the I-20/59 industrial park project, the opening of the BWI Companies, Inc. distribution center in Marion and the implementation of a program that tracks and rates county roads for wear and tear as some of the supervisors’ accomplishments during his term.

In the Nov. 5 election, Wells faces Democrat Dwayne Davis, who said he decided to run for office because he had lost confidence in some of the politicians in the area.

“They say one thing, but they do something else,” Davis said. “I said, ‘Well, I’m going to put myself out there because I know what I do throughout the community for years.’”

Davis, who owns three daycare facilities with his wife and runs a nonprofit for people in need, said he hopes to earn the trust of the community if he’s elected.

“I talk to people when I go out there and campaign,” Davis said. “The first thing they ask me, ‘What makes you different than the next guy?’ And I said, ‘The only thing I can tell you is give me a chance to show you,’ because four years is a long time for you to be able to show something.”

County supervisors and city council members should work together more on infrastructure projects, Davis said.

“If we was to see them work together, I think we can work it out a little bit better and a little bit faster than what we’re doing,” he said.

As an employer, Davis said he knows how important jobs are for the people of Lauderdale County.  

He said he could picture an outlet or other shopping center off Highway 39 or a package center like Amazon somewhere in the county.

County supervisors in Mississippi serve four year terms. The annual salary for a Lauderdale County supervisor is approximately $44,700.

Contact for Jonathan Wells: jwells@lauderdalecounty.org. Facebook: Jonathan “Coach” Wells for Supervisor D1.

Contact for Dwayne Davis: 601-938-0923. dwayne197089@yahoo.com.