Arrington, Stanford make final pleas

Published 9:00 am Saturday, June 17, 2023

Jim Arrington and Terry Stanford will face off on Tuesday for the currently open District 1 council seat in LaGrange. With early voting numbers so low, the race appears to be either candidate’s to win.

In just a few days, the voters will make their final decisions so both candidates are making their final pitches for the seat.

JIM ARRINGTON

Local businessman Jim Arrington is seeking to regain his former council seat after having to step down prior to his recent unsuccessful run for mayor.

When asked why the voters should choose him on Tuesday, Arrington relied on his experience.

“We need experience and stability and common sense on city council right now. We’ve had a lot of changes in council seats, and right now we really need stability,” Arrington said.

Arrington said if the voters choose to allow him to return to his former council seat he looks forward to continuing to work for the people of LaGrange and improving housing in the city.

“Before I resigned on the council, I had been working on affordable housing, and I want to continue diving into that,” Arrington said.

“That’s one of the things that I want to continue working on.”

TERRY STANFORD 

Terry Stanford, the owner of local business Stanford Automotive, is seeking the District 1 council seat because he believes the city is in crisis.

“This town has issues that need to be addressed. These issues need fast results,” Stanford said.

Stanford said if elected he will investigate concerns from the public when they believe they are being mistreated by the city.

“My phone is always on 24/7, and I promise you I’ll investigate any concerns that anyone has,” he said. “There’s been a lot of misrepresentation with a lot of turnover,” Stanford claimed. “The new administration needs new guidance. They need someone else in there. They need change for the people if the people want the change.”

EARLY VOTING TURNOUT

Both candidates called for voters to get to the polls to make their voices heard, but it appears many are uninterested or are just burned out on elections with an exceedingly low turnout so far.

“[Early] voter turnout is low, but our city is in a crisis. If you don’t come out and vote or if the people don’t show up and represent, we don’t know where the city is going from here,” Stanford said.

“We know the voting numbers are going to be very low. With numbers as low as they are, your vote will never count more than it does now,” Arrington said. “Please get out and vote. Use your right. This is one of the few things that you can do to make your city better.”