Incumbent Lauderdale County District 5 Supervisor Kyle Rutledge (R) will face Marie Franklin (D) in the general election on Nov. 5.

Kyle Rutledge had always been interested in politics and government, so in 2011, he entered the race for Lauderdale County Supervisor.

“I just thought there were some things I wanted to see done differently and decided to try and said, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’”

Eight years later, the Republican is completing his second term as the supervisor for District 5. 

He faces Democrat Marie Franklin in the Nov. 5 general election.

Rutledge, who has a background in teaching and coaching, said the board of supervisors has made great strides in the road department. 

“We’re more organized, just using different technologies for different road treatments and things. There’s still a lot to do,” he said.

With 100 miles of dirt roads in his district, Rutledge said he wants to get them in better shape and add more striping.

If elected to another term, he would also like to focus on economic development and the county’s courthouse project, he said. 

County leaders are expected to officially announce the old Village Fair Mall property as the site of the new courthouse Thursday. 

“If we can land some business, get the courthouse figured out, and put a good dent on our road situation, I think next term would be considered a success,” he said. 

Franklin, who has a real estate background, wanted someone else to jump in the race that she could put her support behind. 

“No one wanted to do it so, here I am,” she said. 

She agreed that District 5 needs more work on infrastructure. 

“I don’t think it’s fair to ask anyone to build a home or buy a home, pay taxes and try to keep their properties and their vehicles … and live on a dirt road. It’s so depressing,” she said. “We have roads that are paved that have not been paved since they were originally paved … When it rains really hard, you can’t even see the road.”

If elected, Franklin said she would like to help strengthen the community’s relationship with law enforcement and get the public more involved in county decisions, including the courthouse project.

“We pay them to work for us, so when do we get a decision? After the decision is made?”

Franklin would be 100 percent accessible to the people of Lauderdale County, she said. 

“They would know who I am. They would know my telephone number. They could even know where I live,” she said. 

Contact Kyle Rutledge: Personal cell: 601-917-3864; office phone: 601-482-9737, and email: krutledge@lauderdalecounty.org.

 

Contact Marie Franklin: 601-934-1807, email ef557@comcast.net.