Horn Lake elections: What do mayoral candidates see as top issues for the city?

Yahoo

02-06-2025

Horn Lake is the lone DeSoto County municipality with a contested race on the general election ballot. And the city doesn't just have one contested race — it has eight.
Most notably, the votes cast on June 3 will elect the first new mayor Horn Lake has seen since current Mayor Allen Latimer was elected in 2013. Latimer did not seek reelection.
Democrat Jimmy Stokes and Republican Danny Klein Sr. are vying for the mayor's seat. The winner will serve a four-year term, which begins July 1.
From paving roads to supporting first responders to attracting new businesses, here is a closer look at both candidates and their top priorities if elected.
Jimmy Stokes has always looked to get involved in his community. The Whitehaven native moved to Horn Lake after he got married and has raised his kids here, and was inspired to get further into politics after working with Alderman LaShonda Johnson in 2017.
Stokes, a Democrat, said he is running to build a better Horn Lake.
'I was sort of inspired to do more for my community,' he said. 'I saw some opportunities that Horn Lake has that nobody was taking advantage of, economic especially, [like] providing the city with family-friendly entertainment activities. We have more of a spirit of letting things go to Southaven versus building for ourselves."
Stokes, who has represented Ward 5 on the planning commission since 2017, made clear what he believes needs real change in the city.
'We're 34 years behind on infrastructure,' he said. 'Horn Lake has flooding everywhere due to damaged water mains. Probably 70% of our streets haven't been repaved… most people haven't had their street repaved in 30 years. When you look at that, that's a city that's on life support.'
To pay for improvements like that, and better the quality of life in Horn Lake, Stokes said the city needs to attract major businesses that can help it grow.
'We have to build an economy. We have a strong small business community, but what we got to do is bring a balance with corporate business, businesses that pay more than minimum wage,' he said. 'When you become a major city, you got to be able to afford the growth that you have… You can't be afraid to go after corporate business [while] still supporting your small businesses.'
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When it comes to livability, Stokes hopes to bring something to Horn Lake that emulates the sports complexes at Snowden Grove in Southaven, engaging both young and old.
'We need something that supports parents and caregivers throughout the day,' he said. 'You know, where can I take my parents to have fellowship, to keep liveliness within their spirits? How do we keep kids off the streets? It's easy to talk about how bad the kids are, but if you don't have anything for them to do?'
Stokes said it is all about the people of Horn Lake — he's met many residents over the years and said the friendliness of everyone there shines through. He said his message benefits all people in Horn Lake, regardless of party.
'We have a really good city, a lot of great people. Diversity is beautiful, we have gifted kids, wonderful teachers,' he said. "I want to make sure it's clear that… safety is a priority, but the key is to help keep these kids from going in the wrong direction, and that's what I want to work on.'
Current Horn Lake Alderman At-Large Danny Klein says he likes to stay busy. Klein has been in management most of his life, he's been with the DeSoto County Election Commission for 17 years, worked on the Horn Lake Planning Commission for 16 years, and served as Alderman At-Large since 2021. Now he's seeking the office of mayor.
Klein, a Republican, said he's accomplished multiple goals as an alderman that he hopes to continue as mayor.
'We've grown our first fire department from 40 first responders to 70, we've put on an ambulance and additional ladder trucks,' he said. 'Now we can get the state to come in and review us and hopefully go from a 4 to 3 [fire rating]. So that's one I like to hang my hat on.'
Another is infrastructure — early in Klein's alderman term the city contracted a five-year program focused on street management, and since then at least 80 streets that were identified as needing improvements have been addressed. Other accomplishments during his term include improvements to Latimer Lake Park and the start of upgrades to the city's lighting that Klein said would pay for itself with the electricity saved.
As far has his future priorities go, Klein wants to keep Horn Lake clean and appealing to families who may want to raise their kids there.
'I'd like to see us clean the city up. Goodman Road is our front porch, and I want to start seeing… [the street] well groomed and cleaned to where people get a good impression of the city,' he said. 'I want to make sure that we have plenty of activities for families, that they feel safe here, that they want to raise their kids here."
Attracting new businesses to Horn Lake is also important to Klein, who hopes to use his management experience to work with developers and invite businesses to increase the city's revenue.
'To me as a leader, I need to make sure each one of my departments have the tools they need to succeed,' said Klein, who has lived in Horn Lake for 40 years and had four children graduate from high school there. 'It's been a wonderful community over the years. I think it just needs a little bit more tweaking and guidance to get it more family oriented."
Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering DeSoto County, as well as Dining in the Memphis area. You can reach him at [e-mail].
Mayor:
Daniel Klein Sr. (R)
Jimmy Stokes (D)
Alderman At-Large:
Heather Dupree (R)
Larry McKinney (D)
Alderman Position 1:
Joseph "Joe" Zachery (R)
Joshua Langston (D)
Alderman Position 2:
Tommy Bledsoe (R)
Yolanda Kay Hassell-Rook (D)
Alderman Position 3:
Jackie Bostick (R)
Marrell Brand (D)
Alderman Position 4:
Dylan Smith (R)
Kelly Lee Smith (D)
Alderman Position 5:
Jacob Hisaw (R)
LaShonda Johnson (D)
Alderman Position 6:
Charlotte Armstrong (D)
Robby Dupree (R)
Polls in Horn Lake are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. June 3.
You can find your polling location here.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Horn Lake mayor election: Where candidates stand on top issues