April 2022
Meet the Mayors
Whether it’s in a big city or a small town, being mayor is a prestigious honor. Along with the glory comes plenty of hard work. Part-time or full-time, mayors do so much more than show up to board meetings once or twice a month and cut ribbons at business openings. It takes a special person to step up and lead their community. A mayor will field phone calls at all hours, deal with town emergencies and always work to improve the overall quality of life of the community they and their voters love to live in. The Community News Flash is proud to introduce you to area mayors in the series Meet the Mayor.
The Community News Flash
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Meet the Mayor: Farmington’s top official works till the job is done By Lucy Weber Reece Wallin enjoys leading his local government from the mayor’s seat in Farmington City Hall. Wallin, elected to his first political office in 2020, is already planning to run for reelection in 2024. His goal for small Alcorn County community is to see the town grow in both population and business in the coming years. “I didn’t realize that there was so much involved” in being mayor, he said. “It has been a learning process. Coming from a corporate background, I have learned that government is so much different. It is rewarding, though, to interact with citizens and to address their needs.” While the elected post is
This a call for all civic groups, church members and concerned citizen to come out and participate in the community wide clean up day. I’m asking all pastors to galvanize their members to participate in this gallant effort. Plans have been set for Saturday, April 23rd from 8 am-12 noon. We will meet at the corner of Meigg St and Crater St. Please join us in this cleanup effort.
considered a part-time one, Wallin said his hours are “however long it takes to get the job done.” Since taking office, the mayor said interest in the operation of city government continues to rise as more and more residents attend the board members on the third Tuesday of each month where Wallin and the five aldermen, all elected at-large, discuss and make decisions in the best interest of the 2,155 residents. Wallin entered the mayor’s race after two citizens, who knew him and his background, asked him to run. “I started talking with other citizens and all said it was time for a change, so I gave it a shot and won.” Wallin’s business background comes in handy in dealing with the operation of the town. A graduate of David Lipscomb University with a degree in accounting, Wallin earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Belmont University. Wallin worked in the manufacturing, human services and construction industries with positions including controller, chief financial officer and Information technologies director in jobs that took him and his family around the globe. He grew up in Gary, Indiana, where his father worked in the steel mills. Before Wallin’s junior year in high school, the family moved to Farmington where his parents owned 200 acres. Wallin and his wife Rebecca retired home to Farmington in 2014. The couple has been married for 45 years. Rebecca is the daughter of the former Tom’s Peanut distributor Billy McEwen.
Mayor Chris Wallin
They are the proud parents of son Daniel, who has a communications type business and lives in Nashville, and daughter Emily, a veterinarian in Dahlonega, Georgia. So far in his term, Wallin said he and the Board of Aldermen have been busy. “We have expanded the size of our town with the annexation of 240 homes. We are in the process of finalizing the construction of restrooms in our city park. Two new businesses have opened in our town with another to be opened very soon.” Farmington’s elected officials are also dealing with several major issues. “One is the American Rescue Plan, money we received from the federal government, and the ARPA matching grant money that the Mississippi Legislature is dealing with and the (other issue) is medical marijuana legislation. Also, our sewer system requires a lot of attention. A
priority is to upgrade our existing sewer system along with expansion of the system.” Farmington has five fulltime employees and eight parttime employees, who work in the Police Department. “Farmington has one of the best volunteer Fire Departments in the state of Mississippi. There are currently 48 volunteer firemen,” the mayor said. Farmington is a wonderful place to live and raise a family, Wallin said. “It’s a quiet community and the people are friendly. We have a great citizenry.” The town is known for its history concerning the Civil War. “The battle of Farmington occurred on May 9, 1862. The town was unincorporated at that time. Farmington was re-incorporated in 1997,” Wallin said. Mayor Chris Wallin thinks that it’s the right time to live in Farmington
