Mayoral candidates in Gulfport want to tackle crime problem, detail plans for city
Both Democratic candidates for mayor in Gulfport see crime as the No. 1 issue in the city.
Sonya Williams Barnes, a former member of the Mississippi House, said she would hope to reduce the crime rate by building relationships between the community and law enforcement and establishing intervention programs to reach young people. Ronald “Ronnie” Henderson, a businessman and former basketball standout, wants cameras installed throughout the city to catch criminal activity, stricter punishment for offenders and more police officers.
The winner of the Democratic primary faces Republican Hugh Keating in the general election. Incumbent Billy Hewes decided against running for a fourth term.
Municipal primaries will be held April 1 across the state, with the general election scheduled June 3. Winners take office July 1.
In Gulfport City Council races, Wards 1 and 3 winners of Democratic primaries face no opposition in the general election. In Ward 7, the Republican primary winner faces no further opposition. Wards 2 and 6 will have contested Democratic and Republican primaries, with winners advancing to the general election. Ward 5 has a contested Republican primary but only one candidate running in the Democratic primary.
Ward 4 has no contested primary, with the Republican incumbent and an independent on the general election ballot.
The two Democratic mayoral candidates discussed with the Sun Herald their plans if elected and how they would approach governing. Summaries are below, with candidates in alphabetical order.
Sonya Williams Barnes
As mayor, Sonya Williams Barnes would work to make Gulfport more inclusive for all residents, she said. She believes city wards where minorities are in the majority, Wards 1 and 3, receive less funding and fewer projects than do the city’s other wards.
“I have watched Gulfport — even before my term in the Mississippi state Legislature — pick and choose what areas of Gulfport and what people in Gulfport they want to thrive,” said Barnes, a funeral director at family business Lockett Williams Mortuary Inc. in Gulfport.
She said favoritism doesn’t just harm minorities but also white residents not connected to a political power structure that favors their “pet projects.” The city will thrive when all its wards thrive, she said.
Barnes also wants to make it easier for developers to get projects going in Gulfport. She said builders have told her they are submitting plans and waiting more than 90 days for permits. They’re giving up and moving to other areas, she said. She wants to identify why permitting takes so long and take action to correct issues.
Barnes also wants to continue working with business owners to bring more shops downtown, but she’d also like to see Gulfport develop hubs in other areas where residents can congregate to shop, eat and enjoy green spaces.
Encouraging development of affordable housing, she believes, would help with the growing homeless problem. People who are earning $22,000 a year, she said, can’t afford rent of $1,300 a month.
Barnes said she also would look for grants and loans that small businesses could tap into to help grow Gulfport’s tax base.
She wants to involve the community in decision-making through quarterly town hall meetings in each ward, with the involvement of each ward’s council member.
“I think that there have just been a few people making decisions for our city and everyone has been here to accept whatever decisions are made,” she said. “People have not been included in the process.”
Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Henderson
Over the last few years, Henderson said, people have been asking him to run for mayor. After thinking about it, he said, “I just wanted to be a part of the change I wanted to see come.”
In addition to public safety, Henderson said, he wants to focus on economic development. He’d work to recruit more “kid friendly” businesses to Gulfport, he said. He offered theme parks as an example and said families should not have to travel to Alabama or Florida to entertain their children.
Henderson also believes the city has been too slow in working with builders and developers. Henderson, who’s owned or worked at a variety of businesses over the years, currently has a property development and management company, KRH Enterprises LLC. He said that he’s been waiting five months to get plans approved for a rental property.
“It’s just a long process,” Henderson said. “Time is money.”
He wants plans reviewed by city employees, as opposed to a third-party contractor, and said the process needs to be streamlined. He also said builders are looking at cities other than Gulfport because of the delays.
Henderson thinks his idea to install more cameras for public safety would also help stop dumping in the city. He wants fines levied and enforced, he said, as the city is in sore need of beautification. He said that he’s seen tires dumped by a sign that prohibits dumping.
“There’s no reason we should see tires on the side of the road,” Henderson said. “There’s no reason we should see trash — I’m talking about trash bags on the side of the road. And this is sometimes on the main roads.”
He also believes empty buildings could be refurbished to create more affordable housing. And he wants to see more recreational outlets for children, including ball parks and basketball courts.
How to pay for it all? “You’ve got to bring in more businesses,” Henderson said. “You have to give businesses more incentive to come.”
