Local alderman announces they will not run in 2025

Dear Friends,

As we begin a New Year in our city, I want to let all of you know how much I appreciate all of you and the support and encouragement that you have provided me over many years. It has been my privilege and honor to represent you and our city as the Alderwoman-At-Large, Mayor Pro Tempore, and as a committee chair and board member of the Mississippi Municipal League. Over the course of my service, I have also become a Professional Certified Municipal Official.

As many of you know, my longtime career has been in non-profit association management, and in April of 2023 I was asked to go to Washington, D.C. to serve as the Interim President and CEO of Sister Cities International. I initially became involved with Sister Cities when, as the new Alderwoman-at- Large, I was asked by Mayor Fisher to form a Sister City between Clinton and a city in Uzbekistan, following a request by the Mississippi National Guard. This wonderful organization was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 to bring lasting peace to the world through citizen diplomacy and partnerships between cities in the United States and cities in other parts of the world. We now have thousands of partnerships world-wide, and Sister Cities International partners with the U.S. Department of State, the White House, the National Security Council, other international organizations and embassies around the world. We have recently been awarded a 2.4 million dollar grant by the State Department to recruit, train, and manage eighty-eight Youth Ambassadors to serve in the U.S. Pavillion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan in 2025. We have had over 900 applicants for these positions, and I am proud that some of them are Mississippians. Sister Cities International historically hosts one of the first inaugural events around the inauguration of the President of the United States, and we are currently planning our inaugural event honoring the incoming President and the role of Sister Cities in international relations.

Because of the work that has been done over the past twenty months, the Sister Cities International Board of Directors has asked me to continue in the role of President and CEO. For that reason, I have decided not to seek re-election as your Alderwoman-At-Large. I am deeply honored that so many of you have asked me to run again as Alderwoman-At-Large or to run for Mayor, but I really believe, despite my love for Clinton and the work of the Board of Aldermen, this is the best decision.

I do hope that one or more of you will run for this position. Currently, there is no one running for this seat that has the knowledge, maturity, and work ethic that is required to serve in this role. It has been a tradition for the Alderman-At-Large to serve as the Mayor Pro Tempore, since it is a city-wide elected position, like that of Mayor. It needs to be filled by someone who can easily move into the mayoral role if necessary. I care deeply about Clinton and its future and know how important visionary leadership can mean to any organization or city. Clinton is at a crossroads, and the future Mayor and Board of Aldermen need to be of the highest caliber and commitment.

I want to thank you, again, for your support, advice, and friendship over the past eight years and beyond. I look forward to my remaining months as your Alderwoman-At-Large, to continuing to support our city and its residents, and hope that you will call on me anytime.

Ricki R. Garrett