Vicksburg resident Willis Thompson has announced his candidacy for mayor of Vicksburg and had begun filing the necessary paperwork to officially qualify as a Democrat Friday afternoon, according to the Vicksburg City Clerk’s office.

Thompson said he is running for office with an emphasis on improving public safety, youth development, beautification, infrastructure improvements, code enforcement and fostering a business-friendly environment, adding he will be a mayor committed to action and focusing on results for the entire community.

“This will not be a campaign about me,” Thompson said. “This will be a campaign about every citizen and taxpayer in our community who desperately wants to see Vicksburg succeed. I look forward to forming several groundbreaking partnerships between the city, the county, the Vicksburg-Warren School District, Hinds Community College, the church and business community and all others who are committed to building a better Vicksburg. Vision is not seeing things as they are, but as they can be.”

Thompson said addressing issues like crime and population loss will be at the top of his list, if elected.

“Today in Vicksburg, much of the good happening in our community is largely being overshadowed by the bad,” he said. “Crime is up while the population is decreasing. There are the ongoing problems of litter, blight, and a deteriorating infrastructure attempting to steal the spotlight within our historic city.”

Thompson said solving these most basic of problems will lead to growth in other areas as well.

“We cannot expect industry to invest in our city if we are not willing to do the same,” he said. “The role of city government is to provide the highest quality of service at the least cost to the taxpayers.”

Thompson served as alderman of Vicksburg’s then-South Ward (Ward 2) from 2013-2017. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science, a master’s degree in business (MBA) and a master’s degree in divinity (MDiv).

Thompson said he plans to be a “mayor for everyone while working to ensure Vicksburg can be a city where all residents feel valued, heard and, most of all, safe.”