Two-term Columbia Mayor Justin McKenzie, who has twice been Mayor of the Year by Keep Mississippi Beautiful and was named as one of the Top 50 People under 40 by the Mississippi Business Journal in 2021, is running for a third term as he faces Republican challenger Caymen Watts.
McKenzie, who is also in his second term as the President of the Pine Belt Mayors Association and has been on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Municipal League for five years, has accomplished a lot during his tenure and secured millions in funding both from the state and federally.
“Hopefully what we’ve been able to do and what I’ve been able to do throughout our community will speak for itself,” McKenzie said. “I’ve worked hard for our city and will continue to do so. I really hope people are satisfied and will reelect to me.”
If elected for a third term, the mayor aims to continue a lot of the ongoing work in Columbia, including paving projects, water and sewer infrastructure improvements and The Pitch, while also working on future projects to improve public safety, including taking a hard look at the city’s golf cart ordinances.
“One of the goals would be to continue working on improving the fire rating and providing the citizens and our community with the very best services possible while also continuing to work with our police department to ensure that they’re well trained,” McKenzie said. “Not only do we want the basic training, but we want advanced training in both departments. When you’re constantly going through staff and constantly hiring new people, you have to start all over at the bottom and it’s hard to focus on the advanced training because you’re having to focus on the basic fundamentals.”
The Columbia Fire Department has seen very little turnover during McKenzie’s tenure while lowering its fire rating multiple times. The Columbia Police Department, however, went through substantial changes in 2024 as Michael Kelly and several officers resigned amid controversy, but McKenzie and the Board of Aldermen listened to the community and hired Chief Adrien Fortenberry to replace Kelly.
One of the previous campaign promises McKenzie has followed through on during his mayoral tenure is improving infrastructure.
“My slogan to begin with was ‘Building a Better Columbia.’ That was to focus on the infrastructure and have something to market,” McKenzie said. “Over the last eight years, we’ve been committed to community development block grants that have helped us bring new water and sewer projects. We’ve been able to work on our infrastructure.”
Repetitive flooding downtown was a major issue when McKenzie took office because every time there was hard rain, businesses on Main and Second streets, as well as the surrounding area, would flood.
“We were able to remedy that 100-year problem,” McKenzie said. “I think we have a lot of opportunity and a lot of things ahead of us that we can continue to work on and build upon. There are a lot of projects that I am committed to getting done.”
The mayor said being able to point at infrastructure improvements the city has made is a great recruitment tool for bringing more industries to Columbia.
“I’m hoping we can continue what I have as ideas and a basic concept to attract industry here or to even create an incubator for new industries or new startups,” McKenzie said. “We’re continuing to work on the Reichhold site — that’s 82 acres in the heart of Columbia that has been abandoned since the 70s. We’re working with DEQ and our contractors to ensure that everything has been done that can be done to make sure that property is safe, sound and ready to reinvest in. We want to put that property back to working for our community as well. There’s no sense of having that big chunk of land setting idle.”
Another focus for McKenzie will be finding a path forward for new residential construction. He referenced a recent study conducted by a professional company through the Marion County Development Partnership (MCDP) that indicated the need for homes, apartments and various rental properties. One of the obstacles for Columbia in that regard is getting the zoning ordinances updated, which McKenzie said hasn’t been done since 1971.
McKenzie said the city has been working on it for some time, and he believes the completion of it would really help the future of Columbia and could alter its trajectory. He explained that updating the zoning ordinances would coincide with fostering a comprehensive plan for development in Columbia.
The process would include switching some residential areas to commercial areas that would allow businesses to move in and vice versa. He said over the past 50-plus years as businesses opened — on Church Street for example — those lots were individually turned over to commercial and classified for certain periods of time and certain uses.
“What we’re going to do is come back in and clean all that up because so much of it has changed over the years,” he said. “It’s just hard to hold anybody accountable for something 20 years old, especially when you have to look through all the records, find out what was done for it, find out what (the property) is eligible for, find out if the ordinance is suspended and then have to start all over. There’s just so many questions and issues with existing zoning maps. We want to update all that and clean it up.”
He added the ordinances also include old materials that are no longer used, such as asbestos siding, and he said it’s time to update it all.
McKenzie also referenced bringing more potential events to the Columbia Expo Center that would make both the city and community more money.
“I feel like it’s an underutilized tool in Columbia. I just want to make sure, in every way, we’re using it to the best of our ability,” he said.
Glen McKenzie initially announced his intention to run for mayor as a republican as well, but he has since withdrawn, leaving the incumbent and Watts.
The mayor’s race will be decided April 1 in the primary election as there are no candidates running for the democrat party.
