JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – On Tuesday, Jackson residents will elect a new mayor.

State Senator John Horhn (D), Kenneth Gee (R), Rodney DePriest (I), Zach Servis (I), Kim Wade (I) and Lillie Stewart-Robinson (I) are on the ballot.

Servis said revitalizing the capital city begins with hiring a Public Works director and getting rid of contracts. If contracts are used, he wants to make sure they’re bid out correctly.

“We turned down $14 million of blight elimination funds from the state. In my administration, we’re going to use the money we have. We’re going to use the resources we have, and we’re going to start targeting these issues instead of dancing around them,” Servis said.

DePriest said the relationships with lawmakers at the Mississippi State Capitol are critical. He said one of the major issues with blight is tax foreclosed properties being held by the Secretary of State.

“When these properties are held by the Secretary of State, that there’s funding that they have to help clean up that process,” he said.

Stewart-Robinson said lawmakers have already appropriated money to the capital city. If elected, she said she will work with the legislature.

“We will collaborate with them to make sure Jackson’s infrastructure is improved. The ditches need improvement. The potholes, we know. We want to make sure that we pave our interests to Jackson,” she said.

Horhn has about 30 years of experience at the State Capitol. He believes the HUD office in Jackson has more than $6 million.

“If that’s true, we’re going to use that money and pointed toward South Jackson to start eliminating blight right away. West Jackson, we’ll follow that,” he said.

Gee said building relationships with state government will be a priority for him.

“I will advocate relentlessly for the funding and resources Jackson needs, whether it’s for safer roads, improved public schools, or expanded mental health services,” he said.