Nick Whitt, a couple months removed from an election that saw him retain his seat on the Henderson Board of Commissioners, has filed to run again.
Whitt, who is starting his second year on the job, said a reason he wanted another term is because it’s difficult to implement change in a couple years.
He said he wants to continue efforts to redevelop and revitalize the East End, attract more businesses to Henderson and provide opportunities for young people.
One such opportunity for young people is the athletic complex currently being constructed on Airline Road. He also said that he’s had conversations with people about finding more ways to utilize the old Municipal Golf Course for young people.
But Whitt, 36, said not all youth are interested in sports, and he’s also looking at developing activities for them.
Another item on Whitt’s list is helping the homeless.
“That population that is struggling seems to be growing,” he said.
Both the Board of Commissioners and Fiscal Court are considering a $17,500 match to the Henderson County Homeless Coalition that would supply the salary for a homeless case manager. Whitt called this a good first step that “will hopefully help (homeless people) find their resources.”
A final topic Whitt mentioned in the interview with the Hendersonian is creating more opportunities for local entrepreneurship. Several years back, there was an entrepreneurship space at the Peabody Building where small businesses could work. He said he’d like to develop something similar so that new businesses could be created locally.
After a fifth place showing in the 2022 city commission race, Whitt was appointed to the Henderson City Commission at the beginning of 2023 after one of the top four finishers, Jay Randolph, resigned before the term began. In November, he won an election against Dwight Williams to serve out the second year of the term.
Williams has also re-filed for the next election.
With the passing of Friday’s 4 p.m. filing deadline, the field for the Henderson City Commission race is set. Rodney Thomas, Tom Williams, Robert Pruitt, Kelsey Hargis, Williams and Whitt will vie for the four seats. Because the number of candidates did not exceed eight, there will not be a May primary election for this race.
The Hendersonian has introduced Whitt, Hargis, Williams and Thomas in our recent coverage. We will introduce Pruitt and Williams in future e-newsletters.
