Lauderdale County residents will see a familiar face making the rounds in the community this summer after Chief Deputy Tax Assessor Whitney Hodges on Monday announced she is running for Lauderdale County tax assessor.
Hodges brings more than a decade of experience in the tax assessor’s office to the table having first joined the department when former Tax Assessor James Rainey first took office in 2011. A former banker, she was named chief deputy tax assessor in 2015 and has helped lead the department ever since.
Rainey, she said, was a good friend and mentor, who prepared her well to step up into the tax assessor role.
“He was a great mentor and boss,” she said. “And he really helped me to get the schooling and the knowledge that I needed.”
In announcing her candidacy, Hodges said she plans to continue Rainey’s emphasis on serving the public with initiatives such as Saturday hours during the filing window for homestead exemptions. The weekend hours, which are held once a month, were implemented to help county residents who work during normal business hours and are unable to make the trip to the courthouse.
With the recently completed Lauderdale County Government Center, Hodges said she also sees an opportunity to bring new technologies to the tax assessor’s office that will make it more efficient and agile.
Rainey, a Meridian native and former member of the Mississippi Air National Guard, died Feb. 16 after a short battle with cancer. He had just begun his fourth term in office.
Lauderdale County supervisors appointed Rainey’s wife, Karen Rainey, to fill his position until a special election could be held. Hodges said Monday that the decision was made to hold the election along with November’s presidential election to reduce the cost to taxpayers.
Hodges will join candidates in what is expected to be a high turnout election. The 2024 ballot will feature the race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to decide which of the two will serve another four years in the White House.
Also on the ballot, Sen. Rodger Wicker is running for another 6-year term in one of Mississippi’s two U.S. Senate seats against Democrat Ty Pinkins. A native of Rolling Fork, Pinkins is a civil rights attorney and veteran who ran unopposed in the primary election.
Several county election commission seats and spots on the Board of Trustees for the Lauderdale County School District are also up for reelection this year.
Hodges said she wants to thank her family and friends who came out to support her during Monday’s announcement, and she looks forward to meeting new friends on the campaign trail. The tax assessor’s door, she said, is always open.