A First 100 Days Interview with Mayor Tim Taylor of Canton, MS

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tim Taylor was elected Mayor of Canton, MS on June 4, 2025, and began his term on July 1st of this year. The Jackson Advocate sits down with him to discuss his first 100 days in office where Mayor Tim Taylor tackles crime, skyrocketing utility bills, and business development. The interview was conducted by Andre’ Johnson II. 

Jackson Advocate: We’re sitting here with Tim Taylor, so let’s jump right into it. Who is Tim Taylor?

Mayor Tim Taylor: I would like to describe myself as a homeboy to some degree, for lack of a better statement, just to make sure that it reaches everybody. [I’m a] hardworking individual. Despite the things that we go through in life, we still keep pushing; we still keep dreaming and having the hopes of those whose shoulders we stand on. I’m a relentless individual. I’m an aggressive individual. Don’t let the good looks fool you. [laugh].  I like to say that, but I think that pretty much describes me. 

I’m a caring individual. I have all daughters that I raised. My baby was six years old when I got custody of her. She’s 34 now, so that tells you the relationship. And I got a 41-year-old, a 39-year-old, and a 36-year-old, along with a 34-year-old. So I think with that particular process, it groomed me. It groomed me for a lot that would be coming ahead and even with the idea of what I went through when I was 50 years old. And that’s the loss of sight to some degree, but yet still being relentless, still pushing. So that’s what defines me – looking back, but yet still moving ahead.

JA: It’s only been a hundred days since you’ve taken office. In your own words, what would you say has been your greatest achievement so far?

TAYLOR: The ordeal of getting here. You know, it wasn’t easy for me to get here.  I went up against some giants, to some degree – giants with money. Here I am fighting a battle that is a replica of David fighting Goliath – a smaller man in stature, finances, and all that. But some people believed in this city going in a different direction – the inclusiveness, pushing for diversity, and the holistic approach of just getting along and moving forward. Look, I tell people all the time, my first day on the job and the first 30 days, I think I stayed here late every night. And it gave me a chance to get in touch with myself and truly be thankful for where I am. I stand out in the hall and if anybody passes by, they’d think I was talking to myself. I am so grateful for this opportunity.

JA: What has been your single biggest obstacle or setback in your first 100 days in office so far? 

TAYLOR: Realistically, I had no setbacks. Everybody’s working alongside me. They believe in what we’re doing. We’re going to have to evaluate some things from a financial standpoint because I am responsible for the fiduciary health of the city. And we look at things; we have to cut things that are not needed. 

They were painful to some degree, but we got through it. But at this particular point, there have been no setbacks.

I know the water crisis in the city of Canton has been a big issue, but let me set the record straight. The City of Canton and City Hall have nothing to do with what’s going on over at CMU, although I empathize with what’s going on. I know the rates are high, especially for people who are on fixed income. That includes our senior citizens, and we’re trying to work through a process with them to get things going and get them back on track. But of course, some of my opponents have said that the rates didn’t increase until this new mayor got in town. It has nothing to do with me. So as far as the setbacks, there have been none thus far.

JA: I know many citizens are still getting to know your style and your priorities – still trying to feel you out as mayor. What do you hope people see about your leadership over the next year that’s different from the previous administrations?

TAYLOR: Complete fairness. Complete transparency. What I say I’m going to do, I’m going to work hard at doing it. I’m a very visible mayor. I know we haven’t gotten to the plateau of a hundred days, but I’ve been here every day. I have a lot of businesses tell me that you don’t have to be at work every day. But if I’m going to accept a paycheck in good faith, I’m going to produce. And in that production, I want to be prepared. I’m not a micromanager, but I am involved in everything. Everything that comes across my desk is going to get read and it’s going to be questioned. And we got to look at ways of doing things better – the innovative ways of the 21st century. I know that we are in the technological revolution, but we’re going to stay with the standards also. That thing that got us to where we are now – the reading, writing, and arithmetic – I’m still a proponent of that. I’m a little bit old school, but I know this is what got us to the mountain top.

JA: What new policies, programs, or partnerships have you initiated to curb crime and boost public safety in the city?

TAYLOR: We have three major corporate businesses in our surroundings. That’s Amazon, that’s Coca-Cola and Nissan. What the city so desperately needs is funds and recognition. What we have to do from within is change our image in the way that we’re doing things. The one thing that I put first and foremost is good customer service. If you don’t have the ability to convey it, you don’t need to be here. And number two, professionalism. As you see around the city, it’s no more of your swagger that’s going to come in here. We’re going to dress professionally. I will be leaning in on Fridays with blue jeans, but during the week, this is a business and we’re going to handle it like a business. And we’re going to look like a business.

Along with looking like a business, we’ve got to look the professional way that we need to look. And I’m going to set the example. The one thing I do know, when you look around the metropolitan area and you look at successful cities, why are they so successful? They set expectations. And that’s what we’re doing here. We’re setting expectations. Now for those people who can’t comply, I will be the first to shake your hand and tell you bye. But we’re going to get it done. And I see the increases in all of the departments that are revenue makers. Things are going up and the compliments as well.

I just said in the meeting this morning, let’s keep the momentum up. We’re doing it. We’re getting it done. The cosmetic outlook of the city is in better shape than it’s ever been. I had a gentleman down on Center Street here say that he’s been living here for 42 years. Some of the things, especially what’s being revealed now, he didn’t know they existed. That’s a compliment to this city. And no one person will get the credit. Although I’m the person out front, I’m going to get both the good and the bad. But I’d rather get the good. And whatever bad comes, get the opportunity to work on it. That’s what we’re doing.

JA: Under the previous administration, there was some controversy with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and unnecessary profiling.  I saw recently that they were reinstated to patrol within the city limits again. Are there any safeguards that your administration is putting in place to prevent excessive profiling among minority communities?

TAYLOR: Here’s where we are with that. I did reach out to the Madison County Sheriff’s Department because this city is going through a situation that’s unnecessary to some degree. I do think when you are the top law enforcer in the county, your presence should be a part of the availability that we need. So I did reach out to the Madison County Sheriff, Mr. Randy Tucker, and we are going to have a follow up as to where we’re going from here. 

Now, with that particular episode, it’s behind us. We know the ACLU did sue. And a lot of the things that came out of it are teaching moments. They’re teachable to where you should not go ever again. I can remember reading a passage about the Holocaust, and the German people said, we will never travel this road again. I believe they mean that. So you learn from your mistakes. I don’t think all those guys are bad over there. But don’t get me wrong, sometimes negative exposure can help you down the road to the positiveness or the optimism that you need. 

Look, I know roadblocks are set up, and they said that the roadblocks were just focused on Black neighborhoods. Well, here’s where I stand on this. If you got the accommodations that permit you to ride on the state of Mississippi streets, highways, roads, and anywhere else – if you are in good shape with that – you don’t have anything to be concerned about. And when I say the accommodations, I mean your driver’s license is valid. You’ve got your seatbelt on; you have no outstanding warrants. You’re not under the influence. Then you’re in good shape because those types of things are supposed to be put in place to deter all the negativity that’s going on. So I know a lot of the residents are going to question me, but I’m more than willing to show up wherever I need to show up and defend my actions. My overall responsibility is the safety of the city of Canton, and what better way to do it than with your local law enforcement. 

And at the same time, we’re building our police department. It’s gone lacking for a very long time. And the one thing that helps me is that I was once an alderman. So I’ve been on the other side, and I know what the needs are. They’ve got a mayor that’s going to fight for them – for the things that they need – whether it’s police cars, equipment, ammunition. I’m in their corner because I’ve got to do what I can to keep the city safe.

JA: I can remember growing up, I played youth baseball over at Saab Park. And I know that some people think that if you address the root cause of youth restlessness, then you tend to thwart crime to a certain degree. Are there any youth baseball programs or youth football programs that are being implemented within the community in order to give the youth more to do? 

TAYLOR: They’ve always been there. But in order to utilize them, our parents have to get involved and get their kids interested and involved. I mean, we can spend money. We have a budget right now for all that, but it’s not being completely used the way we would love for it to be used. You talked about when you grew up. When I grew up, softball was big in Canton. To some degree, it has died, and I know what’s taking place of it. Some of the things at home, the computers and all that. So we’ve got to get very creative in what we are doing to draw the interest to outside activities so our children can get involved in it.

JA: Has the city been in direct conversations with Nissan about future trade policy shifts? I know with the tariff and all of what’s going on that it might affect the local job market within Canton. I can remember some months back that they had a large layoff. So are there any types of economic developments or any talks with Nissan in order to keep the job market stable? 

TAYLOR: When I won this job, I sent a letter to Nissan and I know of the broken promises of the past and the bitterness that existed between the city of Canton and Nissan. So I did send a letter asking the question, what is it that the city of Canton can do to rehabilitate its relationship with Nissan? I was already on my way to Washington, D.C. to talk with Congressman Thompson. So what he did was set up a meeting with a gentleman by the name of Victor Taylor, who is the Vice President of Operations at Nissan. And we talked about a little bit of everything – what we’re trying to do in the city and what we plan to do in the city. And I referenced the concept of living in a shotgun house.

You may not know what that is, but a shotgun house had only three rooms in it. You had your living room, you had a middle room, and you had the kitchen, and you could stand on the street and look straight through. That’s why they call it a shotgun. You take a shotgun and shoot through the house and it’ll go straight through the back door. With that concept, I can remember my mama always saying that no matter what you do, keep the living room clean. Well, the city of Canton is the living room to Madison County, and we’re going to clean it up. 

We’re going to put an effort into whatever we need. We have new people on board, especially Mr. Glen Cotton, who has a profound knowledge of equipment. I told Mr. Cotton to get his list to me, and I’m going to fight for what he needs. In order for him to get done what I need to get done, or what I’m requesting, you’ve got to have the necessary tools. So you’re going to see a complete makeover as we go forward. And you can just about see it now because I just had a talk over the phone with Southern Living Magazine. They’re impressed. We know we got the flea market coming, and we are going to do some things a little bit differently to talk about our inclusiveness and bringing people together. I just saw this weekend over at Rogers Park, they had a popup that was well attended. We’ve got to include all this stuff and make an impact when it comes to those dollars. That’s what we need. Every city needs it to grow. 

When I talk about numbers, I’m looking at the city of Ridgeland –$1.3 million a month in sales tax revenue. I look at the City of Madison – $950,000 a month in sales tax revenue. Then you’ve got Gluckstadt. The numbers have yet to be announced, but we know they’re going to be strong numbers because of all the growth and the development down there. Now we get to Canton – the oldest city in the area, the county seat – and we’re just at $320,000. We got a lot of room to grow. And I’m not going to look at it from a negative standpoint. I’m looking at it saying we’ve got some growth possibilities, and we’re going to go there. 

I’ve said to different agencies that we appreciate the industrial business, no doubt, but commercial business is what brings the tax dollars. That’s what we want. Every time somebody does business a ton of these big places like Costco – every time they run their credit card – we’d get credit for that. So this is what I’m looking at. I’ve been heckled at a couple of meetings where people are saying it’s impossible, but I look at the possibility. I’m not going to be deterred by what a few people say can’t be done because I still remember that little train saying, ‘I think I can’. We will, and we’re going to push. And if we fail, we’re going to fail trying.

JA: There’s been increasing attention to Amazon’s data center projects and distribution centers in this region. I’ve heard that there have been some environmental and infrastructure concerns. What are your views on these projects and should they be managed locally?

TAYLOR: When we look at companies like Amazon and Nissan and all these people that are finally coming and migrating to the South, that’s what’s called progress. And in order to be in this competitive market, we’re going to have to open up and lean towards some things. Point in case – when Costco was getting ready to come to Ridgeland, they fought it very hard. But they’re not fighting it anymore because it’s an asset. It is truly an asset. And for the city of Canton, I know that there have been a lot of complaints about the dust, the dirt, and the sinus problems that go along with that. I think environmentally, there’s a way to fix that because we know all around the country, structures have been coming up and people have had the same problems.

When the cell phone first came on the scene, you had a lot of people complaining about it – what it was going to do, what it was going to cause. We were just coming out of the beeper age at that time. I guarantee you’re not going to walk anywhere and find anybody without a cell phone. Same thing in the city of Canton. One of the old newspapers back in 1922, when the federal government said that you could no longer utilize outside toilets, people fought that. They said the federal government was getting personal and getting in their business by making them use the restroom inside. Tell me where an outhouse is now. Progress is imminent, and it’s going to change the way people look at things and the way people utilize things. And I hope that the issues in both Rankin and Madison County – with all of these structures coming up and going into the 21st century – I hope we can look at it with a different set of eyes and mindset and know that this is going to benefit us in the end. That’s what progress is about.

JA: I recently saw a photo of you with Tiffany Haddish while she was in town. I guess they were filming a movie. How is Canton positioning itself to invite more film production opportunities?

TAYLOR: It’s small opportunities like we just got with Ms. Haddish and Maggie Grace. These are big name people that come to your small town. So what we’re trying to get positioned for are the major attractions that will come. And there are some more things on the books. They get me to agree to non-disclosure agreements, but I get so excited to hear these things, especially when they say they want to meet me. It’s just one of those things that’s like a dream come true. Ms. Haddish and Ms. Grace, they are very nice people.

I didn’t get a chance to meet the young man that played in the karate movies [Ralph Macchio]; but he was here. I think I ended up going to something on the coast. But Canton Tourism is working hard to brush up the image of the city of Canton and make it a welcoming process. Hopefully, people can take something away and spread it as they go beyond. And there are people who have contacted me, and all I can say is that when you’re on I-55, there’s an exit called 119, and we’re going to put up a sign that indicates that this is the City of Lights. We would love for you to come and make the lights a little bit brighter.

 JA: What are some other sectors of industry, beyond heavy manufacturing and data, do you think the city has untapped potential for growth within Canton over the next five to ten years?

TAYLOR: Of course, we got Coca-Cola here, and it’s going to be a major deal for us. We got some more people that showed some interest, but there’s some things that we still have to fix in the city of Canton. Number one, we have to fix our school system. Not that we’re not doing a good job over there, but we want to go beyond the level of good to attract the necessities that we need to attract. And of course, Coca-Cola is drawing interest in other businesses. They are reaching out, wanting to come take a tour, wanting to come sit down and talk to me. And I am the ambassador of the city, and my job is to point out where we are, where we’re going, and where we plan to be in the next 10 to 15 years. We have an enormous task ahead of us, but we have enormous energy and we are ready to receive whatever’s coming for us.

JA: I have to ask this, and you kind of touched on it before. A lot of citizens, from what I hear there, have been alarmed about the skyrocketing water/sewage bills in Canton and the CMU service area. What caused these bills to increase, and what can residents do to offset some of these price hikes?

TAYLOR: CMU is an entity within itself, but they don’t set rates. The Public Service Commission does that. And I think what has happened is they’re probably about 10 years behind on this rate increase. So when it finally hit us, they did it all at once. But if you had started 10 years ago, you could have done it in increments. I can remember a meeting in Washington, D.C. with Congressman Thompson, and I was there with the general manager from CMU. He was talking about some of the disparities and creating new water wells so we could get full capacity of water. If you don’t have water capacity, you’re not going to get any new developments. You’re not going to get housing, you’re not going to get businesses because you can’t support their water needs. And that water need is both drinking water, water, and sewage. They drive each other. 

I can remember very well what Congressman Thompson inquired. When was the last time you raised your rates? This was a process that was going to come. Now there are some other variables in this, but they are all litigation matters and I don’t want anybody to see this and say ‘Tim had a table view of everything.’ So I won’t go into the specifics. I think we’re some years behind in not raising the rates to some degree. We live in a world that’s very fast in manufacturing and everything else that goes along with it. And the one thing I will say, it was an undue situation for most of our people on fixed incomes. I understand that. But it started revealing other problems that we had with the infrastructure. A lot of people have water leaks that they didn’t know about. Now this is coming to fruition, and hopefully they can get something done. But the best thing about it is that CMU is willing to work with those people. They have a payment plan in place that if you need it, they will assist you. As we go forward, we’ll work out the kinks, and we’ll have a better handle on what’s going forward. 

JA: Looking ahead, what are the top three things you hope to accomplish by the end of your first year in office?

 TAYLOR: By the time we get to July 1st next year, I plan to have the police department fully staffed. That’s anywhere from 25 to 30 police officers. This week alone, we just hired four. The goal is at least 10 to 15 a year. Number two, we’re going to substantiate our police and our firemen pay. We’re going to get it up to par. My goal is to get them at least $50,000 a year. Now, there are going to be other people that disagree with that, but I do believe you pay for talent. And beyond the talent, you pay for the protection and service. Every call could be a detrimental call to our police officers, even the fire department. We have to look at that and make these types of things a priority as to what we’re trying to do. For so long, we’ve looked over two components in our growing infrastructure throughout the United States. That’s been police officers and school teachers. Now, the school teachers are getting up to par, so should we. If we say we’re going to protect and serve, we should do the same thing with the people who are employed by us – protect them and serve them with a quality employment and pay raise. That’s the one thing that I’m going after.

JA: Are there any issues that you wish you had more runway to tackle?

TAYLOR: I wish I was more aware and educated on the tax base. But every day I get to come here, it’s a new opportunity to wrap my mind around it. I think to some degree, I’m there at it. I’ve never dealt with anything over a million dollars. So when you’re talking about $18 million, the decimals get a little bit different. I wish I was more aware of the tax base, the tax abatements, and some of the old provisions that are out there as to what we can and can’t do as a municipality. But just keep in mind, I served as an alderman, no doubt, and as the mayor I’ve got veto power. But I don’t have voting power. 

So when you look at the three branches of government, you’ve got your judicial, which is our attorney. You’ve got your legislative, which is the board. Then you’ve got the executive, which is me. We have a strong board, weak mayor. But I like to say this – even though the structure and the organization is set up with a strong board, weak mayor, I am not a weak man. I don’t mince words. I’m going to go after what I think I need to go after. And if you disagree, let’s sit down and talk about it. But I plan on winning this talk that can turn into an argument or a debate, because our city needs just what other cities need. These are human beings here too. And we are going to push forward very hard in getting the necessary things that we need.

JA:?So how do you plan to stay connected with your constituents to receive feedback, or maybe even criticism, and to assure transparency and accountability?

TAYLOR: Everybody knows that I’m a very visible mayor. Any given Sunday, I’m at somebody’s church. I try to get to my church at least two times a month. If I’m out, I’m either sick, I’m out of town, visiting those children or grandchildren, or I’m somewhere. You’re going to see me. I go to Walmart, and this is what’s so amazing. I was telling my daughter just a couple weeks ago, it’s hard to go to Walmart now because I can get in there at 11 o’clock and I don’t come out until 3 p.m. because everybody wants to talk. And it makes me feel good. People can see me coming through the parking lot and say, ‘It’s the mayor! Can we get a picture with you?’ I’m like, wow, Denzel Washington, eat your heart out. [laugh]

I thought it was going to be overwhelming to some degree because it’s so much to do. But I get up here on a Saturday morning, and I spend about three hours. And some Sundays after church, I come up here and spend about three hours. This catches me up with all my reading and the things that I know that are going to go forth in the week. I know every Monday morning I’ve got a staff development meeting with my directors, so I come in and get prepared. I’m usually here by 7:15 a.m. We don’t start until eight o’clock, but I think preparation is the key to any success. Preparation plus opportunity equals success. So after these four years are up, we’ll see just where I fall in that place. 

JA: Alright, so I know we talked a lot about business in the city. What does Tim Taylor do in his free time? 

TAYLOR: I read quite a bit. I’m an avid reader. I get a lot of speaking engagements, so I have to read, especially if it’s dealing with a subject matter that I’ll be talking about. Most of the time, it’s dealing with economic development – where we are now and where we plan to be. I study and am going through a reeducation process with myself. That’s the most beautiful thing about life. Every day you get to live, you get to learn. And I try not to let it be an exception. Just go forward in every aspect. 

Just this morning in my meeting, I was talking about the first 100 days and my appreciation to all of my directors. But at the same time, I made a comparison between a story in the book of Exodus where Moses was fighting the Amalekites. As long as his arms went down, he was losing the fight. When he was raising his arms, he was getting weary, so he had two people to come help him. And they helped him stay propped up. And this is what I’m saying to the directors, I am nothing without you. So don’t put yourself in the bottom of any situation. Because as we go along in life, we realize we all need help and assistance. And for those who may feel like they’re on the bottom and not recognized, it takes the bottom to hold up the top. 

I’m a profound believer of that. I’m nothing without them. Yes, I’m the face; yes, I’ll get the credit, but I know how to come back and give credit back. And that’s what I do every Monday morning meeting. I take time out to recognize those who have made it possible. Less we forget those who did just that, or are doing just that. When it all settles down, Tim Taylor will never have gone out and fixed what was broken. I’m just facilitating it. I have great appreciation for those men and women working in the city of Canton. I don’t let a week go by without thanking them. 

JA: Are there any last remarks you want to give to the citizens of Canton? 

TAYLOR: Let’s all work together for Canton! And it’s been a wonderful journey. I’m quoting Maya Angelou now. ‘I wouldn’t give nothing for my journey thus far.’ I get a little sentimental because I miss one person. Thirty years ago, there was a guy running for office. He was in the neighborhood. He stopped by, and he was talking to my mama. He invited her to his town hall meeting. It was at the community center. And my mama asked me to go with her. I’m a talker, and mama said to the lady sitting at the table, ‘He’s going to do something in politics in this city one day.’ That was 30 years ago. And I still think about it. I’ll tell anybody that made a big difference in my life. And it started coming back to me. I’ll never forget the dress she had on. She had on a blue and white dress, and she said that I would do something in the city. I’m doing it, and that’s why I’m going to walk the straight road.

I know there’s so many people who push for me, and I stand on great shoulders to get it done. And I think about that. I’ll tell anybody, if you got a mother living, there’s nothing greater than that. And when you lose them, you remember everything. I’m the oldest in my family and I think about it every day. At 50 years old, I lost my sight for four months, and then I got it back. But it’s still blurry. But my sight has nothing to do with my vision for the city. That’s what I’m pushing for. And I’m pushing for my mother, who spoke it into existence. And I’m still living out the hope of what she thought 30 years ago.

She’s been gone about 32 years now. It’s just amazing how some things just come back and resurrect themselves. There were a lot of people on their knees praying, and I know she was one. So with that, it’s amazing. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. A lot of nights I leave here, and I just go stand out there in the atrium. I just thank God, because this was not supposed to happen to a wretch like me. I can sing “Amazing Grace”, and that one stanza that says “once was blind, but now I see.” Yeah, I see. And I’m working, and I’m thanking God every day for this particular opportunity, and we’re going to see what the end will bring. And I hope it’s a wonderful ending.

That’s why I work the way I work. I’m going to be the first one here. I’m going to be the last to leave. And because I’m loving what I do and I’m learning, it’s not boring work. I come in contact with quite a few constituents, and everybody has something different going on and I have to sit there and receive it all. And it’s truly been a learning experience and a growth pattern for me. I think as I go on in life and get older, it’s definitely going to make me a better man. 

In school, we had memory books, and once you graduated, you wrote your plans in your book. In 1981, I said that I wanted to have three children – two boys and a girl – I got four girls. And on down in that segment, I said that by the age of 32, I wanted to be a lawyer. I didn’t get that because some unforeseen things came up. But then, I said by 40, I wanted to be mayor of the city of Canton. I’m 22 years late, but I got it. It is just amazing to go back and look at this stuff. 

And now my daughters don’t look at the fact of me becoming mayor 22 years later, it’s, ‘Oh daddy, you didn’t want us or something.’ [laugh] That’s not the case. I got the four girls – daddy’s little girls is what I look at it as.

When they get ready to read this, I am profoundly making a statement. No matter where they go; no matter what they do; and no matter who they fall in love with, I want them to remember always that I was the first man to ever fall in love with them. I think that’s what keeps me going – to hear that phone call every day, ‘Daddy,’ which I think is one of the greatest things in the world. I say that now, but I got three grandchildren that call me Granddaddy. It’s just amazing. I’m just so appreciative. I’m thoroughly appreciative of where I am.

JA: Again, congratulations. Hopefully we can sit down again in the next 100 days. 

TAYLOR: My door is always open.