Mayor Toby Barker Talks to USM Students About Their Concerns

HATTIESBURG, MISS. - Mayor Toby Barker visited his old stomping grounds today. Barker held his office hours not at City Hall, but on campus at the University of Southern Mississippi.

“Ever since my days in the House of Representatives, we tried to be consistently involved on campus, because this is the place that brought me to Hattiesburg,” Barker said. “These citizens are not the Hattiesburg of tomorrow. They are the Hattiesburg of today, and the more we give them a voice, the more we listen to them, then we are going to be able to respond to their needs and really start to push an agenda that’s for their well-being.” Because of the dense student population within the city of Hattiesburg, Barker says it is important to make sure students’ voices are heard. Among students’ concerns, Barker says the key factor is their quality of life. “It’s nice to know that you can talk to your representatives,” USM student, Jared Gould said. “It is nice to know that they are out there and they are willing to sit down and have a conversation with you about the things you are concerned about.” Overall, Baker says he will continue to provide students a voice and he looks forward to hearing what they have to say.