The CANDIDATE
Serving The Community
As a dedicated representative of the people, I am committed to delivering results for our city. From day one in office, my focus on honesty, integrity, and a strong work ethic has been the driving force behind my efforts to serve the people of Ward 6. I have deep roots in the City of Ocean Springs, and I am passionate about continuing to make a difference for the place I call home.
My track record speaks for itself, and I am proud to have worked hard to address the needs of my constituents. I believe in open communication, and I am always ready to listen to the concerns of the people I represent.
Join me in continuing to shape the future of Ward 6. Your support is crucial in continuing the progress we've made together.
Meet Mike
Additional Information
· Married 20 Years and Father of 2
· Lifelong Resident of the Ocean Springs Area
· 12 Year Track Record of Principled Decision Making
· Common Sense Informed Representation
· Mayor Pro Tempore—FY 2016-17 / FY 2021-22
· Finance Committee—10 years
· Co-Creator Insurance Committee—10 years
· Human Resources Committee—Multiple Years
· Draftsman/Designer at Engineering Resource Group (previously Myron James and Associates) since July 2000
· Long time member of St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church of Ocean Springs
· 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus (Council #10499 / Assembly #2059)
· Former Ocean Springs Police Officer—11 Years
· Former soldier 1355th S&S Unit, Mississippi Army National Guard - O.S. Armory (Ryan Youth Center)
ENDORSEMENTS AND TESTIMONIALS
JOHN giLL
KENNY WILLIAMS
JOHN McKAY
For 36 years, I served as an alderman for the City of Ocean Springs. Most of it as the alderman for Ward 6 and the last few terms as the alderman for Ward 1. Eight of those years I had the pleasure of serving side by side with Mike Impey. He never came to a board meeting that he had not read the agenda from front to back and researched the issues. He was always prepared when the gavel fell to start a meeting. Even when we disagreed on issues, Mike had a well-reasoned argument on why he felt the way he did and he always stood on principle. As the longest serving alderman / city councilman in the history of Mississippi, I know what it takes to get the job done in city government. You could not ask for a better representative for Ward 6 than Mike Impey and that is why I am endorsing him for Alderman.
JOHN McKAY
KENNY WILLIAMS
JOHN McKAY
I have known Mike Impey for most of his life. I coached him in youth sports and later served as his commanding officer in the Mississippi National Guard. He has grown up in this area his entire life and his love for the City of Ocean Springs is evident to even the casual observer. He approaches the position of Ward 6 Alderman with the heart of a servant. As a former Ocean Springs Alderman and Jackson County District 5 Supervisor myself, I can attest to the amount of time necessary to do this job effectively. As one of his constituents, I know that Mike puts in that time and more. When you go to vote at the Civic Center on April 1, return honesty, integrity and a proven work ethic to the Board of Alderman. Vote to Reelect Mike Impey as your Alderman for Ward 6. (Lt. Col., MS ANG / Former Ocean Springs Alderman / Former Jackson County District 5 Supervisor / First Ocean Springs Parks and Rec Director)
KENNY WILLIAMS
KENNY WILLIAMS
KENNY WILLIAMS
I am proud to endorse Mike Impey for Alderman of Ward 6 in Ocean Springs. Over his 12 years in office, Mike has demonstrated exceptional leadership and a commitment to improving our city. His work on the budget has been transformative, taking us from a position of financial cuts to achieving a $2.6 million reserve. He has prioritized equity in city resources by upgrading Trentwood Park, ensuring residents in the east part of the city enjoy the same amenities as those downtown. In collaboration with Alderman Blackman, Mike successfully advocated for pay increases for city workers, helping to retain talent and strengthen our community. He is deeply committed to ethical and responsible growth for Ocean Springs, balancing progress with preservation. Mike Impey is a responsible conservative, a competent leader, and a caring individual who understands the complexities of modern city governance. Ocean Springs is fortunate to have him. (Restaurateur/Entrepreneur - Evergreen, Mosaic Restaurant and Bar, Red Apple Lounge, Neon Moon, Lost Springs Brewing Company and Eleven Cocktail Lounge)
JOHN O'HARA
KENNY WILLIAMS
I totally support Mike Impey's candidacy for Alderman of Ward 6 in Ocean Springs. My wife and I moved to Ocean Springs 23 years ago. I have known Mike for 12 of those years since I supported his original bid for our Alderman after meeting with him. We have become good friends and community supporters since then. I am a Retired Senior Army Officer who has served on the Ocean Springs Planning Board for 8 years. We live in Trentwood Subdivision, where my wife, Maureen and I have served as Subdivision Board Members several times during our 23-year residency. Mike is an honest, driven and devoted husband and father. He is extremely competent and is fully knowledgeable concerning the needs of our city. He has always demonstrated that he is willing to put in long hours as our Alderman. You can be assured he will fight for all of us!! Vote for Mike on April 1. (Col., USA - Ret.)
TIM REYNOLDS
I have known Mike my whole life …. you will not meet a man with the more integrity and passion for his constituents and for his lifelong city!!
He has, from Day 1, communicated and made himself available with phone, email, social media, etc.
Mike has served his Ward well and will continue to do so. Any questions, just reach out to him and he will definitely hear you out as he has always done!
He definitely deserves your vote!
He has always been readily available and consistently gives updates on projects. He truly cares and proves it!
(Business Owner, Lifelong Resident)
PAMELA SEYMOUR COX
I am proud to endorse Mike Impey for Alderman of Ward 6. Mike is a lifelong resident of Ocean Springs and is currently serving his third term as Alderman of Ward 6. During Mike’s term in office, he has served two times as Mayor Pro Tem.
I had the opportunity while working for the city to observe how Mike always came to each meeting prepared for the business at hand and the challenges on each Agenda.
He is an active community leader and has served our city well. Please re-elect Mike so he can continue the important work of moving our city forward. (Retired City Employee)
GREG DENYER
MARILYN STREIFF
KRIS KWITZKY
Mike has served the city with honesty and integrity. I hope he is reelected. (Retired Educator, Former Alderman, Current School Board Member)
KRIS KWITZKY
MARILYN STREIFF
KRIS KWITZKY
No doubt about it. The best person for this job. Keep up the good work. (Ocean Springs Business Owner)
MARILYN STREIFF
MARILYN STREIFF
MARILYN STREIFF
No matter where I see Mike Impey, he always has time to answer my questions and I'm not in his ward. He has done a great job keeping us informed of all that goes on. (Retired Educator)
OCEAN SPRINGS WEEKLY RECORD CANDIDATE PROFILE QUESTIONS
CANDIDATE PROFILE QUESTION RESPONSES
Recently, the Ocean Springs Weekly Record sent out questions to each of the municipal primary candidates. These were to be featured in the publication beginning March 28 in a candidate profiles section. I put a lot of thought and time into answering these questions as I am sure other candidates did. Since they have yet to appear in print, I am sharing the questions and my answers here on my FB page as well as my website at ward6.godaddysites.com.
1) Please tell us about you, your family, work, and why you are running for office again.
I am a 58-year-old lifelong resident of Ocean Springs. I have been married to Rene’ Buchanan of Biloxi for 20 plus years and am the father of two daughters. For the last 25 years, I have worked for a Mechanical Engineering Firm in Biloxi as a draftsman/designer.
I am running for office this year for the same reason I ran the first time. I grew up here and I love Ocean Springs. I think it is a special place to live, and I am proud to call it home. I want it to continue to be a special place in hopes that my children will settle here to raise their families in the future. It has been my pleasure to serve the citizens of Ocean Springs in various capacities over the years. I served as a soldier in the 1355th S&S Unit, Mississippi Army National Guard - O.S. Armory (Ryan Youth Center) (4 years), as an Ocean Springs Police Officer (11 years) and through my church as a 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus (St. Elizabeth Seton Council #10499 / St. Alphonsus Assembly #2059). It has been my honor to serve the last 3 terms as Alderman Ward 6 and I hope I will have the privilege to continue to serve the people for another term.
2) Please explain the details of your campaign, what points are you most concerned about getting out to voters?
I am proud of the work we have done during the years I have held office to grow and stabilize our city finances. The City of Ocean Springs is in better financial shape than it has been in many, many years. The most that could be said of city finances when I first came into office is that they were stagnant. I do not think the average citizen had any idea how bad things were financially at that time. One of the first board meetings I attended as an elected alderman was just a few months prior to the end of that fiscal year and the recommendation came from the city clerk to have all department heads cut their budgets by 5-10% across the board so the city did not end the year in the red. The Reserve Fund was just over $900,000 and was not going to be much help in the aftermath of a hurricane or other emergency. Since that time, we have made great progress improving the finances of the city. Sales taxes in the city have been in record territory year over year for at least the last 12 years and we have built the size of the Reserve Fund to $2.7 million. Among other things, this renewed financial stability has allowed us to raise employee pay across the board and replace outdated equipment. We did this all while maintaining a balanced budget. This increased revenue has also allowed us to pursue grants we could not otherwise apply for as we did not have the available matching funds. This was not an easy thing to accomplish. But we made the hard decisions and did the things necessary to allow Ocean Springs to prosper.
3) Please tell us (in your own words) anything about your campaign, political goals, work as a key leader, or more about yourself and your positions concerning the city and resident matters, etc.
My campaign today is no different than it was the first time I ran for office. I am walking door to door and trying to meet as many constituents as I can. I feel that the citizens deserve this face-to-face interaction with a candidate. In my opinion, anyone who is not willing to put in time to do this should not be running.
My goal as an alderman is to make the city I grew up in and love the best it can possibly be. My family has been here for generations. I want to be able to say to my children, and the generations of people in the future, that we left the city in the best possible shape we could for them.
During my time in office, I have worked with three mayors and several different aldermen. I pride myself on being able to work with anyone who will work with me on an issue. I have always taken whatever time necessary to study the issues brought before the board and make the most informed decision I could. I have not always agreed with my fellow aldermen, and they have not always agreed with me. The goal that I have always strived for is to make the best choice I can to improve the City of Ocean Springs. Have I ever made mistakes? I do not know anyone who hasn’t. I am reminded of a quote by an author named Joseph Conrad that I ran across once. “It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.”
I have proved my work ethic and leadership by being willing to serve in various capacities beyond just the position of alderman. During fiscal year 2016-17 and 2021-22 I served as Mayor Pro Tempore, as a member of the Finance Committee for 10 years and the Human Resources Committee for multiple years. When I came into office and joined the Finance Committee, I began reviewing our city finances in detail. I reviewed the cost of our city insurance policies and realized we were not doing our due diligence to shop our city insurance policies around to get the most for our money. It was at this time that I, along with another member of the Finance Committee, suggested the addition of a new committee. The Insurance Committee is comprised of two alderman, the Mayor, the Human Resources Director and the City Clerk. The committee begins meeting months in advance of the insurance policy renewal to begin reviewing potential increases or decreases in the insurance premium as well as potential changes in the coverage. The creation of this committee has saved the taxpayers thousands upon thousands of dollars during the last 10 years.
4) What project, development, or plan in the city is most important for you as a key leader in Ocean Springs?
As the alderman for Ward 6, it has been a struggle during my time in office to bring attention to the east end of the city and the opportunities there. In the last several years, we have seen attention from some new commercial operations including Aldi, Tractor Supply and Rib Crib. With the appearance of these locations, in addition to other existing retail locations, it brought about renewed interest from home builders. Madison Place Phase II is now moving forward as well as the build out of Savannah Estates Phase I. I have been in talks with the developer of Madison Place and received a commitment to provide 1.7 acres of Phase II for a children's park. Savannah Estates had the distinction of being the location of the 2024 St. Jude Dream Home.
There are two major projects that have needed attention for years that I have been pursuing. Deana Road and Riley Road are both major north south connectors between Highway 90 and Ocean Springs Road. The Deana Road Improvement Project has met many obstacles along the way. However, the project has been designed, and the bid package is ready to go out for bids. When it came time to obtain the MDOT permit for the project, the permit was denied. Our City Project Manager and engineering firm immediately made an inquiry to MDOT as to the reason. The firm designing the Hwy 90 Expansion Project did not account for the depth of the north south drainage ditches feeding into the ditches running parallel to the highway. When this came to our attention, we asked for a meeting with the Southern District Highway Commissioner Charles Busby to begin to resolve this situation. The MODT engineering firm and our city engineering firm have been working to reconcile this issue and bring the ditches into proper alignment. I recently had a meeting with our City Project Manager Sarah Harris. It appears that the engineering teams have come to a resolution. A meeting was held last week with the two engineering teams to finalize the documents. Once the drawings are finalized, this will clear the way for MDOT to issue the permit that will allow the Deana Road project to go out for bids and proceed.
The preliminary design for the Riley Road Improvement Project is moving forward and should soon be complete. Hopefully we can have the design and bid package on this project ready to go as soon as the Deana Road project is completed. Both projects will include slight widening, drainage improvements and a sidewalk from Highway 90 to Ocean Springs Road. Mayor Holloway was able to obtain the funding for both projects so that these will be exclusively city funded projects.
WARD 6 IMPROVEMENTS
TRENTWOOD PARK
DEANA ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
DEANA ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
During my time in office, I have worked with Parks and Rec to add a little more every year to the park at Trentwood when possible. We have added several pieces of equipment, and the Girl Scouts kindly donated the big swing set a few years ago. The last addition was the shade structure. My goal was to add to the park so that people did not feel they had to take their children downtown to have a little outdoor time.
DEANA ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
DEANA ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
DEANA ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Update (031425):
Before the OSEA Candidate Forum at the Mary C last night, I had a meeting with our City Project Manager Sarah Harris. The engineering teams have been working the drainage issue, and it appears they have come to a resolution. A meeting is being scheduled between the two engineering teams to finalize the documents. Once the drawings are finalized and reissued, this will clear the way for MDOT to issue the permit that will allow the Deana Road Project to go out for bids and proceed.
This project has had a few unfortunate delays. In all honesty, it should have been built by now. However, it is fully designed and funded with a prepared bid package. There is one final hurdle to clear to immediately move forward and go out for bids. Our engineers are working with MDOT engineers to resolve conflicts with their Highway 90 Expansion Project. The highway project was designed without taking into account the elevation of the drainage ditches flowing into the ditches running along the highway. Once MDOT resolves this problem and issues a permit, we can go out for bids.
RILEY ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
RILEY ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
RILEY ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Update (031425): I spoke briefly with one of the engineers on this project last night and he said the design is moving forward at a good pace. The preliminary design should soon be complete. Hopefully we can have the design and bid package on the Riley Road Improvement Project ready to go as soon as the Deana Road project is completed. Both are well traveled north south connectors for Ocean Springs Road and could not, will not, be under construction at the same time. I will keep everyone updated on this project as it moves forward.
This project is fully funded and is nearing initial design completion. We will soon be starting the next part of the process regarding the acquisition of two small right of ways. At this point, the design can be finalized and the bid package prepared. This project will have to be coordinated with the Deana Road Project as both cannot be under way at the same time.
NEW PARK COMING TO WARD 6
RILEY ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
RILEY ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
I am excited to be able to share this news with the residents of Ward 6. Madison Place Phase II will be coming to the Planning Commission for Preliminary Plat approval on February 11. In my conversations with the company, I have spoken to Brandon Elliot about the possibility of donating some land to the city in Phase II for a park. They have agreed to this and set aside 1.7 acres in the area where Madison Place Phase II will potentially connect into the back of Lakeview at Pinehaven Drive. I am really happy about the possibility of adding a children's playground for the residents of this area. Obviously, this is in the very early stages of development. But I will keep residents posted as to the progress.
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