Career pilot Roben Dawkins has spent much of his professional career in the sky, but will now look to take the Starkville Board of Aldermen to new heights after qualifying to run for the Ward 7 seat.
"I was just attending the Board meetings sitting back and watching and just got tired of sitting," Dawkins told the SDN on Wednesday. "I'm not a politician. I'm a voter that has sat on the sidelines long enough."
Dawkins will be running as a Republican against Democratic incumbent Henry Vaughn and political newcomer Ann Moore. He officially qualified for the Ward 7 race on Jan. 3.
Dawkins has been employed at Mississippi State University for 27 years and said leadership skills he developed there can be attributed to the stellar work of administrators he served under - namely Dr. Donald Zacharias, who served as president of MSU from 1985 to 1997.
"I have worked under some outstanding folks and I have seen how things got accomplished by folks like (Zacharias) with much constraint," Dawkins said. "Back when he was president in the 90s, he did a lot with a little."
In terms of educational background, Dawkins holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from Mississippi State University.
Schools are also on the radar for Dawkins. He says it's important to ensure the city's schools are strong and have the absolute best administrators in place, starting with school board appointments.
"Most of all we as a Board must listen to our constituents cares and concerns," Dawkins said in a press release. "One of the most common mistakes of an elected official is not listening to different ides or concerns."