Winston Fortenberry and Bill Pigott have a lot more in common than just a spot on the ballot in Tuesday’s general election.
Each hopes he will be elected representative for House Seat 99 on Tuesday so that he can go about strengthening the economy in south Mississippi, enabling the youth who grow up here to have a home to come back to if they want.
Tylertown businessman Fortenberry beat Ryan Bruhl in a Democratic runoff in September, while Pigott defeated Randy Stogner in the Republican primary in August.
The seat was vacated by Rep. Robert E. Vince, D-Sandy Hook, who has decided to step down.
Both are running on platforms of education reform and economic development.
Fortenberry, who served in the U.S. Air Force, also wants to improve conditions for veterans, particularly those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pigott, a Marion County dairy farmer, wants to see agriculture in the state diversified.
Education reform isn’t a cure-all for Mississippi’s problems, according to both men. But it’s a step forward, they said.
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Fortenberry said many students are not going to pursue a college degree — whether because of learning disabilities or lack of interest. Those students should have an option that will allow them to get a high school diploma while also learning a technical trade.
But the results of the current system are frustrated students, hamstrung teachers and an under-trained workforce in much-needed areas, Fortenberry says.
“Not everyone is going to be the smartest kid growing up that has ever been,” Fortenberry said. “All our schools offer right now are college preparatory classes or special ed with a certificate.
“I know people who have children who are 4.0 students, and they go to college — some of them to be lawyers or teachers. And it’s real frustrating for them to sit in a class and not go beyond the basics. That hurts that 4.0-student because when they come out and are competing, they aren’t quite as sharp as they can be.”
He looks at his own son, who is dyslexic and has other learning disabilities. During his junior year, the Fortenberrys learned that their son was reading on a fourth-grade level. While he would be allowed to graduate, he would receive “just a certificate.”
After much thought, they pulled him from public school and sent him through a National Guard program for students, where he left with his GED, carpentry skills and better self-esteem — and was reading at an 11th-grade level. He also helped build five Habitat for Humanity homes in the nearly six months he was there.
Today, he works for a construction firm.
“But with his certificate in special ed, he couldn’t get a job at a gas station,” Fortenberry said. “These are the children that go out on the street and give us a problem.”
Pigott said as he campaigns across Walthall, Lamar, Pike and Marion Counties, he hears people talk a lot about the subject.
“It’s on everybody’s minds in south Mississippi — improving the level of education,” he said. “What we need to do is support our teachers more and make sure people are getting the best education they can. Yes, education should be fully funded every year, but we need to hold our education system more accountable. Each child needs every opportunity they can get to learn.”
Pigott said curricula should be adjusted to serve the appropriate children.
“We have those bright kids that don’t get pushed to their level … and we need to have the right curriculum for everyone,” he said. “We need to support our vo-tech centers and our junior colleges.”
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As small businessmen who grew up in southwest Mississippi, both Fortenberry and Pigott are concerned, yet hopeful about the future of the local economy.
Both have seen a steady procession of kids growing up and moving away from home. Pigott has even seen his own son move to another state to find work.
“We really have a unique and good setup here,” Fortenberry said. “One of the keys is knowing and using your resources. Infrastructure has a whole lot to do with economic development.
“You look at who has the best rail service. Well, McComb. They have a good north-south line,” he said. “But Pike County may not be able to come into it with the best land mass because of its population. Walthall County doesn’t have a railroad, but we have land and we’re less than 20 minutes from a railroad.
“Marion County has people who might need jobs. And they sit over there and say, ‘Well, we’re less than 20 minutes from Tylertown.’ That will help us raise our (tax base) and get their people into work.”
With city and county leaders working together — with help from state leadership — the area could draw in quite a bit of new business, Fortenberry said.
Pigott said successfully developing new business here depends on two things: cooperation and diversification, particularly in agriculture.
Agriculture brought $6 billion into Mississippi last year, according to the state agriculture commission. In Pike County alone, agriculture income was $59.67 million, with poultry and forestry leading the way with nearly $50 million of that.
Pigott believes there is the potential for so much more, though.
“We have to look at what we can do with the landfills,” he said. “We have to look at alternative fuels. Agriculture has always been important here, and it is still important. But there’s not enough emphasis on value-added products. We need to look out of the box at what is feasible for us.”
The ultimate goal is to provide an able, homegrown workforce, he said.
“We need to try to make south Mississippi a better place for our young people who want to stay and make a living,” Pigott said. “We have a good climate and excellent people here, a good infrastructure of roads and towns. But we need to provide quality jobs. There are young people leaving who would love to stay here.”cellent people here, a good infrastructure of roads and towns. But we need to provide quality jobs. There are young people leaving who would love to stay here.”
