TUPELO - In a repeat of the 2005 race for Ward 7 City Council seat, Democrat Willie Jennings and Republican Berdell Jones face off in Tuesday's general election.

Jones won that contest in a tie-breaker. His name was drawn from a dish after the two men ended up with the same number of votes.

This year, Jones hopes his council experience will give him an edge against Jennings.

"During my four years in office, the city has operated within the revenue and accumulated additional funds," Jones told the Daily Journal in a previous interview. "I've been a big part of that process."

Jones, 67, is a small-business owner and certified public accountant with more than four decades of experience in the financial field.

While in office, the Republican supported the citywide smoking ban, residential recycling program, the new nine-field baseball complex, and the new neighborhood-association grant program.

Keeping budget

If elected again, Jones said he would continue making necessary improvements for the community while staying within the budget.

Priorities include installing a spray park at Nichols Park, expanding the Public Works Department's street-work program, and building a new fire station and police headquarters - both of which were supposed to have been done this term but ran into roadblocks.

Jennings, 57, came close to another tie in the May 19 runoff against challenger Willie Allen, but he pulled ahead by two votes during the affidavit-ballot count.

A longtime member of the city's Multi-Racial Committee, as well as the Tupelo Housing Commission, Jones said he supports the implementation of the municipality's new comprehensive plan and wants further investigation into the findings of the Tupelo ethics report.

If elected, Jennings said, he would focus his attention on five main areas critical to Tupelo's success: streets, drainage, code enforcement, economy and neighborhood association coordination.

"I want to make sure each neighborhood is more attractive," said Jennings in a previous interview, "and I want to see every part of Tupelo grow."

Ward 7 is the largest of the city's two minority districts and mostly hugs Tupelo's southern border. It's home to Lawndale Elementary School and portions of several residential areas including Southern Heights, Willis Heights and South Thomas, as well as to nationally acclaimed Haven Acres neighborhood, which transformed itself from a blighted crime magnet into a model of clean living and community pride.

Contact Emily Le Coz at (662) 678-1588 or emily.lecoz@djournal.com.