Name: Columbus Dunn Jr.
Age: 64
Address: Clarksdale
Previous political office: None
Political affiliation: Democrat
Memories of the 2014 flood and its effect on the people and wildlife of his Coahoma County neighbors is part of what prompted Columbus Dunn Jr. to seek a spot on the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board.
Another reason was Willie Gregory, the commissioner whose seat he is seeking to fill after Gregory’s death last year.
Dunn said he and Gregory were good friends and served together on the board for the local branch of the NAACP.
Dunn said that friendship and the 2014 flood have stuck with him as he recalled the number of homes and businesses that were impacted by the floodwaters that year.
“There was a lot of flooding in this area and that should not have happened,” he said. “That struck my attention that something needed to be done. People were affected by that flood and, still to this day, they’ve had difficulty in recovering.”
If elected as the levee board commissioner, Dunn said he wants to see the massive structure revisited, especially the area bordering Coahoma County.
“The current system as it is needs to be not only reinforced, but built up,” he said. “The height of the levee needs to be built up that a heavy rain will not cause a problem.
“We have to protect the lives and wildlife of Coahoma County. Coahoma County needs to be protected from any future flooding and that is a concern of mine. Coahoma County is my home.”
A Clarksdale native and Aggie High School graduate, the 64-year-old Dunn served in the U.S. Air Force and is a Vietnam veteran. He was a professional nurse for 40 years, working in hospitals, nursing homes and with independent contractors.
A self-proclaimed “devout man of God,” Dunn is a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and is an elder with the Batesville church and also associated with the Clarksdale congregation.
“People want Godly leadership and I certainly have a proven record of being a man of God,” he said.
Dunn said he wants to affect positive change in whatever way he can.
He believes the levee board could stand some “fine-tuning” and it would be his desire to protect and improve the lives of the people the board serves, as well as those employed by the levee board.
He says he is a “dedicated and civic-minded individual committed to serving the people.”
Dunn said that was something he did successfully as a district director for the NAACP.
“That entails some great efforts and maneuvering and people-managing skills. That alone speaks for itself,” he said of his time as the NAACP director.
“People that know me know that I’m serious-minded, dependable and trustworthy. I will not abuse the office for my gain, but will seek to improve the office for the people it serves.”
