Local politician celebrated for his years of service to Starkville

At Wednesday night's board meeting Starkville board of aldermen approved a resolution making July 6, 2023, Roy A. Perkins Day in Starkville

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Local politics can be a fickle business. The population of a district or ward can change over time, and so can residents’ attitudes.

Getting re-elected isn’t a sure thing.

At Wednesday night’s board meeting, the Starkville Board of Aldermen approved a resolution making July 6 Roy A. Perkins Day in Starkville.

“I am in this job because this is a life calling,” said Perkins.

Perkins’ heart is in Starkville. He graduated from Starkville High School and even stayed close to home to get his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Mississippi State University.

He did leave his hometown to get his law degree at Mississippi College but returned to serve his hometown in 1988.

At Wednesday night’s board meeting, Mayor Lynn Spruill and members of the Board of Alderman presented Perkins with a plaque, thanked him for his service, and approved a resolution to recognize July 6 as Roy A. Perkins Day in Starkville.

“It’s very important to say thank you to people like that and on this particular day, today is Roy Perkins Day in Starkville because it’s the day thirty years ago when he was first sworn in,” said Spruill.

“I have had key opportunities, high-profile, mountain-top, monumental, and prestigious opportunities, to leave this city during my tenure as an official, but I chose to stay here in Starkville,” said Perkins.

That wasn’t all a part of Hiawassee Drive stretching from Hospital Road to Carver Drive is now Roy A. Perkins Way.

Perkins is now serving his fourth term as vice mayor and says that he plans to run for the position again in 2025 because he’s not tired yet.

“I mean he’s spent decades being supportive and being a public servant to the city of Starkville. You know, I don’t think we’ve ever had as long-serving Aldermen, or in his case vice mayor, he spent a lot of time of it as vice mayor,” said Spruill.

Perkins said he’s grateful for all of the people he’s worked with over the years and hopes to continue to see Starkville flourish.

“My work is a testament to my strong, genuine, and mountain-top love for this city. I love the people in Ward 6, and not only the Ward 6 but I am a servant for the entire city of Starkville,” said Perkins.

Perkins said he is thankful and hopes to continue to serve Starkville until he can’t anymore.

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