Walls’ Mayor Alday hopes to carry same attitude to legislature [The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.]

Dec. 25--Walls Mayor Gene Alday said he will approach his new job as a Mississippi legislator the same way he has approached his job as leader of DeSoto County's smallest municipality for the past six years.

<p>"I will be patient, I will meet with the people in my district, and I will do the best job I can for those who elected me to this office," said Alday, who defeated Rep. John Mayo, D-Clarksdale, to win the state House seat in District 25 in the Nov. 8 general election.

Alday will resign as mayor of Walls on Saturday. Walls Deputy Mayor Lynda Austin will assume duties as mayor until an election is held 30 to 45 days after Alday leaves office.

"While he has been mayor, Gene has done a good job, and we will miss him," said Austin, who also is an alderman. "Gene has been a different kind of mayor. He has been one to get out on a tractor and cut the grass or take his little truck to pick up litter. He has not been too important to do things like that for the town that he truly loves."

Alday, 54, is a native of Walls. A mechanic by trade, he ran his family's garage for years. In 2003, he got his first taste of city politics when he served as the town's police chief.

In 2005, he ran for mayor and won. Since then, Alday has left his mark on the town that has grown from a few hundred to 1,120 residents today.

He worked with the county to get them to lease the town a building for its first city hall. He also secured a building to house the town's police department.

Alday helped shore up the fire department by getting two full-time firefighters, which in turn helped lower the fire insurance rate for homeowners.

And he fought tirelessly to get businesses to come to the town. In the past year, four new businesses have opened in Walls, and Alday was still working his last few weeks in office to secure at least one more.

But there have been some misses and disappointments during his six-year tenure.

The town is still recovering from its annexation battle with Horn Lake. Earlier this year, the Mississippi Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision that had denied annexation bids by the two municipalities.

Walls sought to annex the land in question, which includes two apartment complexes and the Delta Bluffs subdivision, to grow the town's tax base and population.

But neither Walls nor Horn Lake got any extra land, and Alday said the town is still paying off the legal fees from the annexation attempt.

Even though the $2.7 billionRiverbend Crossing Development, which would expand the town dramatically, has been stalled in its development tracks by the national economic downturn, Alday is still hopeful.

"It's still on the table until 2015," Alday said.

He said leaving his job as his hometown mayor is bittersweet.

"I hate to leave my job as mayor, but I can do much more for Walls and the other small towns in my district on a state level," Alday said.

He will not be sworn in as the District 25 representative until Jan. 3, but he has already been traveling throughout the district, which includes portions of DeSoto, Tunica and Coahoma counties.

"I was elected because I am real," Alday said. "I mean, I cut my town's grass to help cut expenses. I will take this same attitude with me to the state.

"Already, I have met with or plan to meet with everyone I can because I know about running a small town, and I know that knowledge will transfer in me, helping my constituents as I move to the state level."

He said he plans to ask Austin to run to replace him as mayor.

"I support her 100 percent because she loves this town just like I do, and her financial background will help the town continue on the right path," he said.

Austin said she has not decided if she will seek the mayor's job.

"Let's just say I am interested in the position, but I have not made a firm decision yet on if I will or will not run for the office," Austin said. "I do know that Gene has worked hard to make our little town a nice community, and we all want that to continue."

Business owner Muhammad Aqraa, who runs Mike's Handy Foods and Gas, agrees.

"With the mayor leaving his post, it makes me sad, but I hope they get someone who cares like he does," Aqraa said.

Alday said he will live in a Jackson apartment when the legislature is in session, but he will maintain his Walls home and come home on weekends or as often as he can.

-- Yolanda Jones: (901) 333-2014

___

(c)2011 The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)

Visit The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) at www.commercialappeal.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services