MOSS POINT, Miss. (AP) - A third-term Mississippi legislator says he’s running for mayor in a coastal city in 2021.
Democratic Rep. Jeramey Anderson announced Tuesday that he will seek the top job in Moss Point, WLOX-TV reported.
The city’s current mayor, Mario King, and his wife, Natasha King, were indicted in July on federal fraud charges after prosecutors said the couple raised money for mental health programs in schools but spent it on themselves for expenses that included car payments and the purchase of a pet dog. Mario King and Natasha King have pleaded not guilty, and their trial is set to begin Jan. 4.
Moss Point has about 13,350 residents. Anderson said he wants to attract jobs, expand recreation opportunities, clean up derelict properties and improve public safety.
“Like cities and states all across our nation, Moss Point is experiencing a wave of gun violence that has significantly impacted our community and is threatening the safety of our neighborhoods,” Anderson said. “These shootings are not just justified by the types of communities that they take place in or any other superficial marker. They are defined by the culture we have raised our children in and by our inaction.”
In a 2013 special election, Anderson became the youngest person to win a seat in the 122-member Mississippi House. He was 21 at the time. Anderson won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. House seat in south Mississippi in 2018 and lost in the general election to Republican incumbent Steven Palazzo.
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