I’m Parks Smith, a lifelong resident of Ward 1 in New Albany, Mississippi. I believe in New Albany, and as your alderman, I’ll work hard to

• promote our town,
• preserve what makes us great, and
• make the progress we need to make our town even more appealing for residents, businesses, and visitors.

Promote New Albany

New Albany has a lot to offer, and we can do more to help residents and visitors explore and discover our remarkable city … and to help small businesses and one-of-a-kind local restaurants thrive. Working together, we could put changes like these in place:

• Add signage on the trail and at the library parking lot inviting visitors to walk the short distance to the trailhead and enjoy more of what New Albany has to offer. Far too many people riding and walking the trail are parking at the lot by the library and never seeing our beautiful downtown area at all.
• Place a directory of downtown businesses and restaurants at the Tanglefoot Trailhead, so guests from out of town can learn more about shopping and dining options at a glance.
• Install signage directing visitors to landmark attractions, including the Union County Heritage Museum and the Faulkner Literary Garden.

Preserve What Makes Us Great

I grew up in New Albany … but I’ve lived and worked in other places as well, so I know how rare it is for a city our size to have a thriving downtown. Preventing decline in Ward 1 means:

• Marketing weekend and day-trip plans that draw attention to the unique opportunities for dining, shopping, and lodging in Ward 1.
• Repairing and extending sidewalks, making the city more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. Even a one-point improvement in Ward 1’s Walk Score (a rating of walkability) could result in a $500-$3000 increase in the value of homes in our area. (Source: StrongTowns.org).
• Avoiding any further loss of historical landmarks and attractions. When something like the Rainey Hotel disappears, we lose a piece of our heart. Let’s preserve our historic downtown … and encourage the development of historic buildings before they are lost to time.

Make Progress on Improvements Needed

With just a little work and wise investment, we can make our downtown area easier and safer for families and visitors to navigate:

• Walking under the old railroad trestle (now the Tanglefoot Trail overpass) on Main Street requires pedestrians to step out into traffic. Let’s improve that situation by installing a sidewalk and adding better lighting.
• Have you tried turning left when driving down Bankhead Street toward the bridge? Currently, making this turn is difficult and dangerous. Installing a left turn signal at this intersection could make turning from Bankhead onto Main Street much easier.
• Walking to the Union County Heritage Museum and the historic Northside neighborhood from downtown requires residents and guests alike to cross an awkward, unattractive set of railroad tracks. Adding a sidewalk over the exposed rails will make the crossing easier for pedestrians and bike-riders alike.
• Much smaller towns in Mississippi have high-speed fiber internet connectivity for businesses and residents. Improving the quality of internet service offered in Ward 1 will make learning easier for students, attract new businesses, and let you stream your favorite shows in high quality faster and easier than ever before.

I Believe in New Albany

I grew up in New Albany. I’ve chosen to live here, raise my family here, and teach in our remarkable public schools. Working together, we can make New Albany better … starting with our downtown and then progressing outward into all of Ward 1. I’m excited about our future, and I hope you’ll give me an opportunity to put my belief in New Albany to work for you.