Top Two Candidates In Aberdeen Mayor’s Race Head For Runoff

ABERDEEN, MISS. (WCBI) – A retired service member and a retired businessman are in a runoff to become Aberdeen’s next mayor, after a special election.

Doug Stone and Charles Scott came out on top of a six-person race in the special election for Aberdeen Mayor.

Scott moved away after college for a career in the Army. He retired several years ago and moved back to his hometown and got involved in the Aberdeen Sports Complex. As mayor, Scott wants to promote more sports-related opportunities for area youth.

“Ninety-five percent of all CEOs of Fortune 500 have played sports, all the way through high school and most college, so it’s a value we cannot substitute. Our kids are educated, athletic and learn how to work with each other,” Scott said.

Doug Stone has lived in Aberdeen for more than twenty years. He worked as a car salesman for many years and is also a former alderman.

He says his first priority would start at city hall.

“The first thing as mayor I would do is stop the shenanigans taking place now, get into the budget and get the city back on solid ground financially, at that point we could spruce up our police, park, and rec and start providing some goods and services for people that live here,” Stone said.

Economic development is a big priority for both candidates. Scott says he would do more to promote the port and the downtown area.

“We want to use this river, Tombigbee River, that has gone unused by our city. We want to galvanize around Main Street, which is a major resource in our community, we have those things and to not use them would be derelict of duty,” Scott said.

Stone believes the city needs to partner with local schools to make sure students are equipped for future careers, which he believes would attract more business and industry to the area.

“It is silly for us in Aberdeen when we don’t have the workforce to think we will get big industry here when a company twenty miles from here can’t fill a shift, it’s not going to happen so we have to train our youth and provide a workforce to the industry before they are going to come,” Stone said.

Both candidates say they will work hard right up to election day and both men agree the town is ready to move forward after the scandals at City Hall.

That runoff election is set for April sixth.