Shelton Mayoral Bid Takes High Ground

Despite facing an opponent who has launched one personal attack after another, Mayoral candidate Jr. Shelton has taken the high ground and refused to respond in kind.

Instead, Shelton has stayed “on message” and stressed his plans for economic development in Central.He says he wants “to build a modern city, deeply rooted in our Christian values, that keeps our rural lifestyle as a gift for our children and grandchildren.”

In an interview, Shelton outlined his plans for infrastructure improvements, with major emphasis on drainage and highways.

On economic development, the candidate said Central must balance residential, commercial, and retail development with none of the three getting too far

ahead of or behind the others.

“These three types of development have to work together,” he said.  “If you have retail and not enough people, the retail closes.  If you have people but not enough retail, people leave your community because it’s not serving their needs.  If you have people, but not enough commercial, too many people have to leave your community to work,” he said.

Shelton said right now Central has the people but lacks the retail and commercial development that are needed.

“More retail will make life more convenient and enjoyable.  However, if new businesses open and we don’t support them, Central will get a reputation as a place where you can’t make money and merchants will stay away from us.”

“Commercial development will give our people who are already here access to more, good-paying jobs close to home.  So we need to promote commercial development as well.”

Shelton said Central already has enough people to have an outstanding city. Moreover, they are well educated and well trained. “We have expertise in this community in virtually every field of endeavour,” he said.

Nevertheless, because of Central’s low crime rate and outstanding public and private schools, more people will continue to move here, and the city will have to prepare for that, he said.

Shelton said development needs to be controlled.  “One thing I will never do is undermine our rural atmosphere.  That is one of our greatest strengths and reasons for existence,” he said.

At the top of his list of improvements are a major drainage program and completion of state and local road projects such as Sullivan, Hooper, and Greenwell Springs roads and a new bridge across the Amite.