The following is part of WIZS’s continuing coverage of the Oct. 10 municipal elections in Henderson. The four mayoral candidates spoke with WIZS News recently in separate interviews which were recorded and aired from 11 a.m. to 12 noon Monday during a special TownTalk segment; hear the 15-minute segments in their entirety at www.wizs.com.
The four candidates vying for the office of mayor have differing viewpoints of Henderson, but they share a common positive outlook about what the future holds for the city they each hope to lead.
With the election now just a week away, city residents are closer to learning which candidate – Sara Coffey, Melissa Elliott, Greg Etheridge or Jason Spriggs – will take the reins in December.
Coffey, Elliott and Spriggs currently sit on the City Council; Coffey would retain her seat if she is not successful in her mayoral bid, but Elliott and Spriggs each decided to forego re-election bids in favor of running for mayor. Etheridge, a newcomer to local politics and running for elected office, said he’s hopeful for the city’s prospects, no matter the outcome of the election. He and others outside the early voting location have formed friendships and connections while they show support for the local candidates.
“It really is about relationships,” Etheridge said. “You’re running a campaign and there’s going to be an outcome,” but everyone wants “the same thing – a better city.”
The current council and city leaders have promoted revitalization efforts in and near the downtown area as plans for making Henderson a stop on the S-Line commuter rail line take shape.
For Spriggs, the return of the train to downtown Henderson is exciting. “It’s an expensive, extensive process,” he said. It’s going to be a big deal not just for the local access to rail travel, he said but also because of the new development rail access is expected to generate.
Spriggs said proposed housing developments could bring more than 1,000 new homes for people – that’s a win-win for the city, he said, noting the need for more affordable housing and boosts to the tax rolls that new home construction will bring.
One project that Coffey continues to work on involves putting new houses in established neighborhoods. The ongoing effort to remove dilapidated houses is part beautification, part affordable housing, Coffey said. She’s in discussion now to get prices for putting up “tiny homes” on these vacant lots, she said. Once she’s gathered all the information, she said she will present the plan to the full Council and city manager. “I think that’s going to work out to help our people quite a bit,” Coffey said.
Elliott said she has spent some time in neighborhoods knocking on doors to talk to residents about her candidacy. “I’m just excited,” she said, for meeting new people in the community who are choosing to live in Henderson. “In certain parts of the city, the citizens have an image of what they want to see.” Folks on the east side want something done about gun violence, Elliott noted. On the west side, it’s more about streets and infrastructure.
No matter the concerns she hears or who voices those concerns, Elliott said her cumulative experience in the community puts her in a position “to help not one population, but all…I’m the conduit to help our community grown in a positive way.”
For Etheridge, it was the Gate City shooting in 2022 that got his attention. “There were a lot of discussions, town hall meetings…a lot of conversations about the perception of crime in Henderson (and) how that feeds into and impacts all parts of life here,” he said.
There are outside resources that can provide help in the form of grant money and task forces, but Etheridge wanted to know “What can we do tomorrow with the resources that we have?”
For him, that answer began with making neighborhoods safer using the current municipal code.
There was lots of noncompliance, he said. “That seems to me like a natural place to start, for the sake of improving public health and safety and well-being.”
His time as a Council member, Spriggs said, has given him an opportunity to “do something a bit more special for Henderson because this is home,” he said. As mayor, he said he would be blind to race, gender – “the things that make us all different” – to move the city forward.
“Henderson needs to be known as a city that’s welcoming, where black and white work together,” he said, to set an example for younger voters and candidates.
Elliott said voters should check their ballots for the best candidate. “Racism is just not helpful to grow a community forward,” she said.
For Coffey, growing a community means having adequate, appropriate housing available for residents. “Everybody in this city deserves equal treatment,” she said, “able to afford (and) live in a nice home.” Landlords should be held accountable for the condition of the houses they rent, she said.
Adequate, affordable housing certainly plays a role when prospective businesses come to town, Etheridge said. “I think Henderson gets a lot of first looks,” he said. “We may not get a second look, though.”
And that’s where he, as mayor, would step in, “highlighting all the things about Henderson that we know and love,” assuring those prospective investors “that we’re making progress on issues so they feel more comfortable, whether that’s living or working here.”
City leaders must present a unified front “to make it clear to the outside that we’re the place where people want to come retire, work and settle,” Spriggs said. He said his experience in the public sector and his accessibility in the community are positive notes in his bid for mayor.
Running for mayor was “worth the risk to step out and present a unified front” for Henderson, he said.
Elliott said collaboration is a key component to Henderson’s future. “We’ve got to collaborate to get a broader reach…to make (Henderson) a better place to live, work and play.”
Coffey said she continues to work for all the citizens of Henderson and said her experience dealing with people from all walks of life in her business and political life put her in a good position to be mayor.
“I have always looked at the mayor’s position as a “star on top of the Christmas tree” kind of thing,” she said. “I would be honored to have that position.”
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