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On Tuesday, residents of Valley’s district one will take to the polls to elect a new member to the Valley City Council. Incumbent Jim Clark, who was appointed to serve in 2019 when Paul Story was elected as the county’s Probate Judge, will face-off against Bo Colley who also ran for the same seat in 2016.

Both candidates have very specific, yet distinct platforms and ideas about moving the city forward.

A native of Valley and graduate of Valley High School, Clark brings years of management experience with him.

“My experiences include hiring, training, budgeting, planning, and process improvement,” Clark said.

Clark’s goals for the next four years include bringing new business to the city to create more jobs and tax revenue for Valley. In addition, Clark hopes to curtail the number of dilapidated homes by working closely with code enforcement. He also wants to continue improving the city’s infrastructure, which is a hot topic amongst much of the community.

Clark, who has been battling COVID-19, is looking forward to continuing to serve the community he grew up in and lived in for the majority of his childhood.

“I have worked very hard for the citizens of District 1 and all residents of our city. With your support, we can make our city even greater for all,” Clark said.

Colley, also a native of Valley, currently works in the Chambers County Circuit Court Clerk’s office. He has also worked with State Representatives Debbie Wood and Randy Price. Colley said keeping people in Valley is one of the biggest challenges facing the city.

“We are doing a good job of bringing jobs in, but we have a lot of things we have to do to keep people here,” Colley said.

To tackle this issue, Colley says the City of Valley needs more youth programs and more entertainment venues to create a more friendly environment.

“I want people to live here, want people to work here and I want people to go to school here,” Colley added.

Colley said he’s experienced a lot of personal growth since the last time he ran for public office.

Colley came under scrutiny a few months back as some social media posts resurfaced from 2015 where he used a racial slur.

“I never used those words hateful toward anybody,” he said. “It was more talking to friends, but it wasn’t right and as a kid, you don’t know that you don’t understand that those words hurt people.”

Both Clark and Colley urge the community to come out and support them by casting their ballots on Aug. 25.