Arlington mayor will seek re-election
Arlington Mayor Mike Wissman announced Jan. 4 that he will seek reelection in the Sept. 19 election.
“Some of these things you work on for so many years take seven to eight years to come to fruition,” Wissman said.
“There’s some things lingering out there that I’d love to be a part of and see come to fruition.”
Wissman was first elected mayor of Arlington in 2011 and re-elected without opposition in 2015.
He is also a full-time driver and EMT with the Memphis Fire Department and was a Shelby County School Board member from 2008 to 2013.
2011 platform
Wissman said he ran in 2011 on three things: Arlington developing its own school district, increasing public safety and improving parks.
The town has its own school system now and a second fire company is budgeted for the new fiscal year. Arlington also has seen a huge increase in park space and facilities, but more is to come with current construction of tennis courts.
“It takes a few years just to get used to the office, to learn all the language of what goes on to make a town run,” Wissman said. “It’s more than just being the face of the town, its trying to learn how infrastructure and schools work and the different wants and needs of the town and its residents.”
Wissman’s new projects
There are other projects Wissman would like to be part of as mayor, he said, including the plan to develop a West Tennessee Veteran’s Home in Arlington and the goal of bringing an emergency room to town.
Wissman said he credits the town staff and aldermen with progress in Arlington and that he wants to continue working alongside them.
“It’s not about me,” Wissman said. “I hope that I’ve done a good enough job (the voters) them to feel comfortable with me moving forward as their mayor for another term.”
Email Katherine Burgess at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or follow her on Twitter @kathsburgess.