From a small tip of north Adams County, Mississippi Representative District 85 moves north through Jefferson County and into Claiborne, where the incumbent resides. The district does not stop there, however. Instead, it goes further north into Warren County and cuts a quirky notch out of Hinds County in its southwestern corner.

No Republicans are running in the district. However, two Democrats, both from Jefferson County, are challenging America &uot;Chuck&uot; Middleton.

Chuck Middleton:

Experience makes a difference

For incumbent America &uot;Chuck&uot; Middleton of Port Gibson, the most important difference between him and the two other candidates seeking the state representative post for District 85 is experience.

&uot;I’ve served in the Legislature since 1996. In the Legislature, seniority is the most important thing,&uot; he said. &uot;The Legislature is a body of personalities you have to get to know. You have to know about their districts, too. You may be working with someone one day and against them on another day.&uot;

Middleton believes he has developed the communication skills it takes to work with other legislators. He points to his experience on agriculture, public utilities and county affairs committees, among others.

He knows the needs in Southwest Mississippi, Middleton said. &uot;We need an empowerment zone to bring counties together to bring jobs to our area. Whatever happens in the Natchez area is important to all of us.&uot;

Although he lives in Port Gibson, Middleton said he knows the needs of Natchez and will work for Adams County constituents who vote in District 85. &uot;The reconfiguration of the district gives Natchez more votes in the Legislature,&uot; he said. Indeed, Adams County is divided among four legislative districts.

Middleton campaigned for the legislative seat in 1995 because he believed in his abilities to work for the public. &uot;I believe everyone has something to offer, even my opponents,&uot; he said. &uot;The questions is, though, do you have the ability to move those ideas forward. I felt with my military background on foreign soil as well as stateside I had something to offer, and I wanted people in my district to have a choice.&uot;

He has worked for good education institutions, good jobs and safe communities. &uot;We all have these desires in common,&uot; he said. &uot;I’ve been all over the area. I like to meet people face to face. I know people must feel comfortable with their elected officials. And my work will speak for itself.&uot;

With family members who worked at International Paper’s Natchez mill, he feels personally the pain of the mill’s closing, Middleton said. &uot;I’m concerned about the economy, but it’s not just in Mississippi. It’s all over the country. We’re in the same boat with many other places but we’re not on the sinking end.&uot;

With education experience at Alcorn State University and American Tech, Middleton is a former employee of Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, where he was an electrical technician. Today he has his own consulting company in Port Gibson.

He believes legislators must work closely with other locally elected officials in order to serve the people to the maximum. &uot;We depend on local officials to help us know the needs locally,&uot; he said. &uot;And, again, if I’m part of the Adams County delegation, it gives Adams County another voice. I don’t believe I have all the answers, but I’m willing to talk and work with anyone who will work with me.&uot;

Walter Huston:

Work in economic

development important

FAYETTE &045; Walter Huston has lived in Jefferson County all his life and feels personally the pain of poverty and unemployment that plagues so many in his hometown. He wants to change that by becoming the District 85 representative.

&uot;We’ve been suffering a long time,&uot; he said. &uot;We haven’t seen any results. I see the conditions of high unemployment and our children going to other states to make a living. I’ve worked in economic development for 15 to 16 years, and I know what’s possible.&uot;

In Adams County, the work of an economic development authority and a chamber of commerce give the people of the county an edge, he said. &uot;And you have tourism to fall back on, too,&uot; he said. &uot;We don’t have that.&uot;

Huston also believes the district lacks leadership. &uot;We need someone to direct some economic development projects to Southwest Mississippi. We have good people, people who want to work and so something with their lives if they can just have the opportunities.&uot;

A former city planner for Fayette and county planner for Jefferson County, Huston has taken advantage of any chance to learn more about economic and community development. An honors graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with degrees in history and criminal justice, he went on to take economic development courses at USM, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Central Arkansas.

Huston is co-founder of Phoenix Project Community Development Foundation, through which he has assisted others in business, economic and community projects, including a $300,000 grant assisting public schools in Jefferson County.

&uot;We started a Leadership Jefferson program, too, like the Leadership Mississippi and Leadership Natchez programs,&uot; he said. &uot;We’ve had too many people leave our area. Jefferson County has not had the leadership. That’s what we’ve been missing.&uot;

Huston said campaigning has brought him even closer to the people of the district and to the issues they face. &uot;I can’t give up. I have children, one grandchild and another on the way. I have a vested interest in the people here, and I want the world to know we are good people. I want a chance to change our future.&uot;

His hopes for Southwest Mississippi include ensuring all people have good housing, excellent schools and opportunities to work. &uot;I know I can provide the leadership to bring those things here,&uot; he said. &uot;I speak from the heart. People know I’m genuine. They know what I’ve tried to do in the community.&uot;

Arnold E. Clark Jr.:

A passion for working

for people

FAYETTE &045; A passion for working for people led Arnold E. Clark Jr. to enter the race for District 85 representative. &uot;I’m an alderman in Fayette. We feel left out of the loop,&uot; he said. &uot;I wanted to pursue statewide office to have someone looking out for our area.&uot;

As an alderman, he has learned how working together can accomplish good results in areas of economic development and education. Not enough has happened for Southwest Mississippi, he said. &uot;I believe we all have to come together on the city, county and state levels to achieve those things we all want.&uot;

Clark, who was born and reared in Fayette and went on to Alcorn State University to get a B.S. degree in finance, works at ASU in the business office, where he is grants accountant and program financial manager for the Family Nutrition Program. He is working on a master’s degree.

&uot;I have a vested interest in this area. My kids, my parents and all my other relatives and friends are here,&uot; he said. &uot;It is in their best interest to make sure that we improve our economy.&uot;

The father of two sons, 9 and 3, and a daughter, 1, he makes certain that his time includes family time, Clark said. And he wants his children to have the advantages of a thriving hometown and all that goes with that atmosphere.

His approach may be a little different from others, Clark said. With fire in his own heart to make changes, &uot;I may light a fire under some other people to get them working for what we need,&uot; he said. &uot;If I represent 25,000 people in Southwest Mississippi, I want the blame to fall where it belongs if I don’t get something done. You go to people to ask for help, and if they turn you down, the people need to know who let you down.&uot;

Clark said he is a &uot;God-fearing man. I believe in Christ. I’m a family man. I’m a stable person. I consider many things before making decisions. I’m not a yes man, and I believe sometimes you have to go against the status quo to get the job done. And I’m a hard worker.&uot;

As he has campaigned, he has emphasized that if elected he will not &uot;get the title and run off with it but will stay in touch.&uot; He is getting positive feedback from most of those he meets, and his pre-election day weekend continues to be filled with campaigning as he planned a visit to Red Lick for a rally on Saturday and to Poplar Hill today.