District 2 Supervisor Eddie Branan said four years is not enough time to accomplish ongoing projects for Tate County and is seeking reelection to the board.
Branan considers himself accountable to the role of Supervisor.
“Being a Supervisor in your county is a serious responsibility. The Board of Supervisors is the highest form of government for the County. All county business comes before the Board. Decisions the Board makes are based on the laws that are put in place by the State of Mississippi, and these decisions affect the lives of every citizen,” said Branan. Branan is a fourth-generation Tate Countian. Growing up in the Arkabutla Community, Branan graduated from Coldwater High School before attending Northwest Mississippi Community College and earning an associate degree in electronics.
Branan said he initially decided to run for Supervisor because he wanted to give back to the community, he considers a part of his family.
“Since the Arkabutla Community and Tate County mean so much to our family and our family history, I decided it was time to give back using the skills I had developed to help solve the issues that were facing the District 2 Community and Tate County- better roads and lower taxes,” he said.
Branan believes his career has led to the development of the skills necessary to be an affective supervisor.
“Four years ago, I was fortunate to be elected as your Supervisor in District 2. Prior to running for office, I had worked for Fred’s/Baddour Inc. for 30 years moving up the ranks to Director. As Director, I dealt with budgets, five-year plans, corporate and store security, all aspects of construction and maintenance of 350 Fred’s stores (which included parking lot paving and repairs), and managing and motivating staff. After my time at Fred’s/Baddour Inc., I served as the University of Memphis Director of Residence Life and Dining Facilities where I dealt with all aspects of building maintenance and working with architects, engineers, and construction on new building developments,” Branan said. “Throughout my career, I was known as a ‘problem solver’”.
Branan put his skills to good use and throughout the course of his term was able to accomplish many of his goals.
“Beginning our 2020 term, we, as the Board of Supervisors began the process of formulating a plan to allocate more funding to improve our county roads. After much research, it was determined that this could be better achieved by converting from the Beat System to the Unit System of Road Administration. This reduced cost for labor, parts, maintenance, and reduction in equipment needs, allowing more funds to be spent on roads and bridges. For example, over the past four years, 128 miles of roads have been improved with a total investment of $40,000,000 countywide. We invested $9,000,000 of the $40,000,000 in District 2 and improved 30 miles of District 2 roads. A road bond was secured to begin the road repairs without raising taxes,” Branan said. “Additionally, we used requested funds from State and Federal sources to improve the road infrastructure as opposed to increasing local taxes to fulfill this commitment.”
The Board of Supervisors were able to lower taxes in both 2021 and 2022.
“Citizens residing in the Tate County School District have seen a 13% decrease in property taxes and car tags. It is my desire to continue to lower taxes in a financially responsible manner. We have made decisions and implemented policies that give us the best chance to lower taxes in the future,” said Branan.
Many additional accomplishments were made during Branan’s term as Supervisor.
“We implemented school resource officers for additional safety at the county schools, purchased breathing apparatus and rescue equipment for the volunteer fire departments, purchased a fire truck for District 1 and Looxahoma Volunteer Fire Departments, combined 911 and Senatobia Dispatch to save $150,000 for the taxpayers,” he said. “We developed the Northwest Business Park for future commercial development, purchased the Chromcraft property for future economic development, and purchased the Tate County Hospital to provide excellent medical care for our citizens and saving valuable emergency time.”
Branan said he plans to remain involved with the community to better understand the needs of the people.
“As your Supervisor, I stay involved with our District 2 communities by riding our roads checking for problems and talking to our friends and neighbors about their concerns, making sure they know to call if problems occur. I am an active member of the Arkabutla Community Center,” said Branan. “I, along with our dedicated community volunteers, try hard to keep our roads safe and litter free by organizing trash cleanup days.”
Branan is married to former Jean Varner, a fifth-generation Tate Countian. The couple are members of Thyatira Church of Christ where Branan leads singing and has taught classes for many years.
“Jean and I have been married for 34 years and together have six children, our son and two daughters live in Tate County (Sherry, Steve, and Stacie), our daughter Heidi lives in Tennessee and two of our children are deceased (Holly and Bart). My family fully supports me in running again this next term for Supervisor of our District 2. They know I am dedicated, and they know me as their ‘problem-solver’ too,” he said.
Branan is asking for support to continue to serve the residents of Tate County.
“As Supervisor for District 2, I hope I have met your expectations for our district and county,” he said. “Although much has been achieved, I am asking for your support so we can continue the work of improving District 2 roads, lowering taxes in a financially responsible way, and completing our ongoing projects that will make improvements to District 2, our community, and Tate County.”
