PASCAGOULA, Miss., Feb. 14 -- Republican Michael Watson announced his candidacy for the State Senate District 51 on yesterday by presenting himself as a energetic new leader for Jackson County who will focus primarily on the concerns of the people of the Hurricane-hobbled county.
“Our people showed in the aftermath of Katrina that they are capable of extraordinary things. But to reach their full potential they need a leader in the State Senate who will put them first,” said Watson, standing in front of a crowd of 80 at the LaFont Inn Pascagoula.
“The people of Jackson County are our greatest resources. They deserve leaders who will live up to their standards, listen to their concerns and focus on their needs,” he added.
Mississippi Senate District 51 is located exclusively in Jackson County, the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s easternmost county, and covers large swaths of Moss Point, parts of Pascagoula, and the small communities of the eastern part of the county like Wade, Hurley, Vancleave, and Escatawpa.
In the address, the 29-year-old civil defense attorney from Pascagoula touted full and consistent funding for public education.
He referred to two teachers that were particularly special in his life and integral to his development: Kathleen Williams, a math teacher at Colmer Junior High School; and Judy Frye, an English teacher at Pascagoula High School;
“I mention those two teachers in an effort to highlight the quality public education I received growing up in Mississippi,” he said. “As a state, we must have an unwavering dedication to our education system,” said Watson, himself a graduate of Pascagoula High School and the University of Mississippi.
Watson, whose father David is a preacher at the Liberty Assembly of God in nearby Gautier, also weaved in family and faith, discussing how fortunate he was while growing up “to be around my pastor so much.”
“He has been a wonderful role model both at home and at church and has taught me more about leadership and helping people through his actions than through his words,” Watson said.
Watson also suggested the need for new initiatives that would “make Jackson County a magnet jobs.”
“It is very important that we have leaders who are business friendly and who will strive to lure and secure new businesses to Jackson County and make sure the current businesses have what they need to remain profitable,” he said.
Watson will face incumbent Tommy Robertson, an attorney from Moss Point and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, in the August GOP primary. The deadline to file for the election is March 1.
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