Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of personality profiles on Starkville’s mayoral candidates.
“A progressive thinker.” This is how Starkville Mayor Mack Rutledge describes Republican mayoral candidate Rob Roberson.
Roberson’s law partner, John Crecink Jr., describes him as “very energetic and hardworking.”
“I think that he has some good ideas for the future of our city, and I think that he has a vested interest in the future of our city and that this is his home,” Rutledge, who has endorsed Roberson, said.
Roberson is a former Ward 4 alderman who earned a law degree while serving in the Mississippi House of Representatives-and he’s not yet 40.
“I’m not retired. I’m productive in terms of trying to grow our community so that everyone can make money, not only those who already have money,” Roberson said.
“I think he’ll be effective in promoting retail development, and that’s probably the one thing we need most as a community. Our people need the shopping opportunities and we need more sales tax revenue,” Rutledge said.
Rutledge said he also thinks Roberson would be interested in the city’s infrastructure: transportation and water and sewer services.
Roberson said Starkville must be a good college town in order to be a really good community. To do that, he said, one must be interested in improving traffic, giving students places to go out at night and holding events like Bulldog Bash.
As Ward 4 Alderman, he said, he was responsible for changing the law that governed how near to churches alcohol could be served, enabling the bars and restaurants downtown to operate successfully.
As mayor, Roberson said he wants to grow Starkville’s retail center and make the city a retail hub. “We’re going to start taking the Starkville community and building it as one of the best retail communities in north Mississippi.”
He said he sees benefits in this for both students and Starkville’s other citizens. “Students want places to shop, places to eat, places to go out and have a good time.” Students and the rest of Starkville’s citizens both want these things, as well as things like safety and smooth traffic, he said.
Roberson said he also wants to make Starkville a leader in high-tech development.
Aside from his youth, Roberson cited his experience in the Mississippi House of Representatives as an edge he has over other candidates.
“The reality is, I’m the only candidate that has contacts in Jackson and in Washington, D.C., who can help our community,” he said.
He added, “Being able to talk with people on a first name basis and ask about their families, that means something.”
Crecink expressed similar sentiments. “He’s got contacts from being in the legislature that none of the other candidates have.”
Crecink said this was especially important in a city like Starkville where the mayor has very little power because the contacts help bring businesses and other assets to the city.
Roberson said defining the one accomplishment of which he is proudest is difficult but that, in addition to feeling pride for his three children, he feels his accomplishments are the sum of their parts.
However, he did name two specific accomplishments of which he is proud.
One was a bill he backed in the House of Representatives to give special car tags to those who earned Purple Hearts in war.
“I was pretty proud of that,” he said.
He said he is also proud of being able to change the way downtown looks by bringing up the ordinance that allowed bars and restaurants to serve alcohol in the area.
Roberson said he believes public officials must be accessible to be effective.
“If there’s an issue on the table, invite people to talk about it,” he said.
Roberson said he thinks it’s important for all the groups in Starkville to get together and communicate with each other.
“I care about what the students think. I care about what the regular citizens think. I don’t presume to be correct always,” he said.
Roberson said some things in Starkville need to change. “There truly is a part of our population that doesn’t want things to change, and things are changing all around them without any real form.”
He added, “Starkville truly has so many opportunities, but sometimes we have a tendency not to live up to them.”
Roberson, who will face Vic Zitta in the Republican primary election May 3, grew up in Starkville and graduated from Starkville High School and Mississippi State University.
“I’m the only candidate that graduated from high school here, served on the Board of Aldermen, was a state representative and has come back,” Roberson said.
He said his family returned to Starkville because he and his wife thought the values of the community made it a good place to raise a family.