Meet the Candidates: Five Candidates Vie for MS House District 10 Seat

By Anna Grace Usery
Editor-in-Chief
anna.grace.usery@hottytoddy.com

Candidates for Mississippi House District 10 represent Lafayette, Panola and Tallahatchie counties. Elected officials serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits.

This election year, three candidates are running as Republicans and two represent the Democratic ticket.

Candidates for MS House 10:
Robby Gray Jr. (R)
Brady Williamson (R)
Howard “Kelly” Morris (R)
Amanda Campbell (D)
Bobby Dailey (D)

Brady Williamson. House 10.

Brady Williamson, 42, is a conservative Republican who owns a small business in Oxford and manages properties in Panola County.

He prides himself on being a good father, husband and Christian, he said. He has more than 12 years of military service including Platoon Leader, XO, Company Commander-Iraq of Combat Engineer Units, Plans and Operations Officer of Camp McCain Training Site-Federal Technician, Ole Miss Army ROTC Instructor-Federal Contractor, and has committed service to the state of Mississippi in the Mississippi Army National Guard.

His bachelor’s degree is in accounting, which he obtained at the University of Mississippi.

Williamson said he believes the fundamentals Mississippians have agreed for generations that government should be involved in are: common infrastructure, clear and necessary law, law enforcement, military, first responders, protection of the Constitution and citizen rights and education.

“Over time we as local communities, churches, and charitable organizations have gladly flooded government with roles government is not intended for, very wasteful in, extremely inefficient at, and often incentivize the very behavior trying to avoid,” he said. “These are: poor, needy, helpless, homeless, fatherless, widow, elderly, sick…all of which are not fit for big government but local communities. When people turn to government for these things it divides us, downplays the importance and diminishes the roles of neighbors, and communities.”

He said in the next 20 years he wants to see the government focus on its fundamental roles, and local communities, neighbors, churches, and charitable organizations stop handing their duty to government.  

He views every family as a small business and recognizes Panola and Lafayette counties need more families and business with protected and safe environments that promote growth. 

“I want us to achieve the growth needed while keeping the homes, neighborhoods, and rural communities the same beautiful places that attracted us here in the first place,” he said.

***

Howard “Kelly” Morris. House 10

Howard “Kelly” Morris, 61, is a Batesville native who attended both Northwest Community College and Mississippi State University. He and his wife, Ossie, have two children and five grandchildren.

He has owned and operated Morris Lawn Service since 1993. He served as the agriculture instructor in the South Panola School District for eight years and served two terms on the Panola County Board of Supervisors representing District 4.

As board president, he “worked diligently to serve the people of Panola County with honest hard work and integrity in every vote.”

As a Republican candidate, he wants to focus on local infrastructures in need of improvements, he said.

“In order for this to happen there needs to be funds that are dedicated to the infrastructure budget and in order for that to happen there has to be someone willing to fight for our District, he said. “We also need to focus on economic development in our district and education. “

He said his No. 1 promise to his district is that he will listen to his constituents and vote for its best course of action.  

“I will work hard to vote for the things that will bring in jobs, better infrastructure, and better education for all,” he said.

***

** Robby Gray’s campaign is being managed by his son, Lofton Gray. Robby Gray is on deployment with the MS National Guard and barred from participating in the campaign while on military service. All answers supplied for this article were supplied by Lofton Gray. Voters can reach out to 601-278-3247 with any questions about the campaign.

Robert “Robby” Gray Jr. MS House 10.

Robert “Robby” Gray Jr., 48, is a Republican candidate with strong opinions forged from years of legal experience and military involvement, he said.

He is a husband and father of four children who has devoted his life as a lifelong conservative and follower of Christ. He brings 20 years of legal experience from the private and public sector to the table and is prepared to wield it in pursuit of a conservative agenda that works for all Mississippians, he said.

Gray holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Mercer University and a Juris Doctorate from the Mississippi College School of Law.

His goal is to provide District 10 with a “bold and uncompromising voice in the MS House of Representatives.”
As for his district, Gray said the need for a strong, fiscal conservative to guide government spending in a way that sees the counties through this period of growth and allows its citizens to claim the promising future that awaits them is imperative.

“Sustaining this growth will mean fully funding infrastructure and education. Contrary to the Democratic Party line, it is possible to be a fiscal conservative and fully fund education and infrastructure,” he said.

He said his No. 1 goal as a representative will be to make his constituents proud.

“District 10 embodies the best Mississippi has to offer, and its representative will reflect that,” he said. 

***

Amanda Campbell, a Democrat, did not respond to interview requests. As of noon of July 29, her campaign’s Facebook page had been deleted.

***

Bobby Dailey, a Democrat, is the pastor of Buford Chapel United Methodist Church in Oxford and Providence United Methodist Church in Abbeville. He did not respond to interview requests.

***

Fellow Democrat Nolan Webb formally dropped out of the MS House 10 race on July 12. He made the announcement on Facebook:

I write to inform with a heavy heart, that I will be dropping out of the state congressional race for the 2019 Mississippi House of Representatives District 10. I have enjoyed, thoroughly, the people I have talked with and the wonderful experience this process has brought me. I learned so much from so many, and still so much to learn. Sometimes making decisions for yourself means deciding for others, and if I can’t give the fantastic citizens of District 10 my full attention, then it’s not fair to them or me. I love every single one of you for helping and supporting me, and I can only hope I haven’t disappointed anyone enough to support me when we do this again next go-around.