A resident of District Four for more than 40 years, Keith Murphree believes he has the leadership to serve his district as Supervisor.
Murphree graduated from Hernando High School in 1977 before moving to the Tyro community in 1980. He and his wife, Kim, 62, of Southaven, began the family business of growing sweet potatoes in 1985.
Murphree, and wife, Kim, with their crops of sweet potatoes
“Our first home was in the Tyro community where I ultimately purchased my first land and began my dream of being a first-generation farmer. We farmed sweet potatoes and raised our three children in that community until 2010 when we sold our house and land, and moved to our current location just east of Back Acres Country Club,” said Murphree.
Murphree’s dream of farming began when he was 16-years old. He has now built his business of growing approximately 400 acres of sweet potatoes and 1200 acres of row crops annually.
Although, Murphree dedicated his time and energy into realizing his dream of farming, his success has paid off and he is no longer required on the farm full-time. Murphree has three children to help manage the farm: Anna (Murphree) Rhinewalt, 41; William Calvert Murphree, 34; and John Michael Murphree, 26.
“I started thinking about running for supervisor about a year ago. Because I was a first-generation business owner, I didn’t previously have the freedom to leave the farm and commit the time it would take to serve well in the role of supervisor. However, I have two children and a son-in-law who have transitioned into leadership roles at the farm, which now allows me the opportunity to invest the leadership, communication, planning and management skills I’ve been acquiring my entire career back into Tate County,” Murphree said.
And giving back to the people of Tate County is just what Murphree aims to do if elected supervisor.
“I have lived my entire adult life in Tate County. In that time, I’ve raised my family and built a successful business. We have benefitted greatly from living here. The county has changed tremendously in the forty years I’ve lived here, and I now see that change accelerating. Growth is inevitable,” he said. “ I want to be part of a proactive response to growth in Tate County, but I also recognize that I am a representative of the people of Tate County. I want the decisions we make to be acceptable and in line with what our citizens want the county to look like in the coming years.”
Murphree believes a good law-maker should have a strong moral compass.
“I believe to be a good law-maker, there is a certain moral compass that must be present any time decisions are made that will potentially affect people adversely or economically. It is a big responsibility when people put their trust in you to decide on matters that directly affect the way they live their life. As I’m involved with others in making these decisions, I will lead with compassion and fairness. I want to consider first, the impact that laws will have not just before they are enforced, but before they are even decided. I already know that I won’t be able to single-handedly please everyone in my district and the county with the decisions I support or disagree with. We all have different priorities that affect our desires. But I do support the least amount of encumbrance and regulation necessary to be placed on people. I don’t support taking away people’s right to do what they want on their land, as long as what they choose doesn’t create a negative impact on other landowners around them. We are all neighbors and in order to foster harmony in our community, we have to respect each other and work towards solutions that are agreeable to one another and not just to one side,” he said.
Murphree said the best way to improve the lives of Tate Countians is through effective management of tax dollars.
“The best way to improve the lives of people in Tate County is to make sure that the hard-earned money they pay in taxes is managed efficiently. As supervisors, we are tasked with achieving the highest standard of living for our residents with the funds entrusted to us. That responsibility extends far beyond the conditions of our roads. We should be proactive in researching innovative ways to extend and enhance fire protection in our rural communities,” Murphree explained. “We need to, at all costs, make sure our sheriff’s department is robust enough that our citizens feel safe in their homes. Attracting good industry to our county that offers competitive pay and benefits right here in our community should also be an ongoing goal.”
As far as changes, Murphree believes in building a better relationship of trust between citizens and the board of supervisors.
“One change I would like to see the future supervisors make would be evening meetings that could be attended by our citizens. I believe the supervisors making themselves more accessible would help citizens feel heard and it would foster a sense of involvement in the decisions that affect them directly,” he said.
