Newly elected Mayor of Clarksdale is excited about the future of the town
Orlando Paden, who was recently elected mayor of Clarksdale, had plans early in his life to hold a political office. “Originally, I had this big dream,” he says. “I always wanted to become a U.S. Senator and I said that I wanted to make sure that I participated in all aspects of government to get there. But, the mayor is a prized position I wanted because I can really help with day-to-day problems, and I’m back home serving the people in a more intimate way.”
On the way to becoming mayor, Paden spent nine years representing Coahoma and Bolivar counties in the Mississippi House of Representatives, where served on a variety of committees, including Agriculture, Public Health and Human Services, Tourism, Transportation, Universities and Colleges and Youth and Family Affairs.
Prior to his election to the House, he was Student Employment/JLD Coordinator at Coahoma Community College, where he was responsible for monitoring student payroll and financial aid counselor. He also worked as the community college’s Career Services and Placement Manager for two years.
He graduated from Alcorn State University with a bachelor’s in political science.
In the city that is widely known as the home of the Blues, it seems fitting that the mayor is the owner of Red’s Juke Joint, an internationally known blues club founded by his late father. Paden held his victory party at Red’s after winning election to the mayor’s office in June.
Among his top priorities as mayor is the beautification of Clarksdale. “We are working on a massive cleanup effort to bring life back to the community because we want to be inviting to the world and to businesses. We are heavily recruiting businesses to come to Clarksdale.”
He plans to prioritize infrastructure improvements with a focus on beautifying key areas like downtown and tourist-heavy districts, including improving streetscapes, signage and public art. He said he plans to collaborate with local artists and volunteers to enhance the city’s aesthetic appeal.
Paden wants to showcase Clarksdale’s cultural assets, increasing the awareness of the city’s museums and festivals.
In his platform, Paden outlined his goal of strengthening tourism through the city’s cultural heritage. “Clarksdale’s blues culture is already a strong draw, but there an opportunity to expand tourism by tapping into the city’s civil rights movement’s history, gospel much history and agricultural history which remain underexploited,” according to the platform. He promised his administration will revitalize the city’s economy “by leveraging Clarksdale’s rich cultural heritage while addressing the challenges of limited funds, declining population and underutilized assets.”
Paden’s goals for economic revitalization include developing the Civil Rights Heritage Trail, expanding the Civil Rights and Blues festivals and increasing support for the Delta Blues Museum and other cultural centers.
He plans to partner with local universities, community colleges and nonprofits to create a small business incubator focused on tourism, arts and culture.
Paden is working to engage citizens in the mass cleanup initiative and is joining with the Coahoma board of supervisors in the effort.
“Everybody seems to be pitching in and doing their part and that’s what I’m excited about,” he says.
Paden is also focused on workforce development efforts to create jobs in Clarksdale. “As far as job development, we have a huge asset here in the community college,” he says. Paden plans to work with businesses and the college to help identify opportunities for employment. Other goals include establishing training programs for residents in hospitality, event management and arts-related careers.
Paden says the main challenge to moving the city forward is getting resources to finance projects.
“You have to have money to match the policies. We are contacting our Senators and our Congressmen and also state agencies. We’re looking everywhere possible and being aggressive in going after those resources,” he says.
Paden wants Clarksdale to be prepared for the future with Artificial Intelligence through education. That effort will include collaborating with local schools and universities and technical college to offer AI curricula, coding workshops and other training to give students and workers the skills to thrive in an AI-driving economy.
Paden also says he will work on expanding high-speed Internet access throughout the city, especially the underserved areas.
Looking ahead at his city’s future, Paden says he is optimistic.
“I just see everything looking brighter,” he says.