A few months into his sixth term as alderman of Ward Two, TerryBates said he still loves Brookhaven and its people as much asever.

“It’s about the citizens in Brookhaven, the citizens in my ward,and I feel good that I can help them when they call upon me,” hesaid. “Serving the public, you’ve gotta be a special person to dothat, you do all that you think you can.”

Mayor Les Bumgarner announced at Tuesday night’s board meetingthat Bates has been inducted into the Mississippi MunicipalLeague’s Hall of Fame. The group, which represents municipalitiesin the state, recognized Bates for being elected to six terms, aswell as his work on the Dr. A.L. Lott baseball complex, Habitat forHumanity, and other projects in the city and his ward.

“We’re proud of you, congratulations, and job well done,”Bumgarner said.

Bates said that his lengthy career has been one he has enjoyed,but that he never knew it would last this long. He said he didn’teven get elected the first time he ran.

Since then, he’s taken things one day at a time.

“Every time, you say this might be the last time, but the longeryou stay, the longer you want to stay,” he said. “Halfway throughthe term, you start thinking about the things you still want to do,and if the people still want you to serve then you stay there totry to keep making things better.”

And part of the blessing, he said, is seeing long-term projectsstart to come to fruition.

“The decision you make is not for today, it’s for tomorrow, andfor years down the road, and that’s what makes you feel good aboutbeing an elected official,” he said. “The decisions we make on theboard will start popping up in the next 10 to 20 to 30 years. Likethe industrial park – there’s nothing there yet, but in five to 10years, I will think ‘Wow, I was a part of that.'”

Bates said above all else, after living as far away asCalifornia during his life, he feels blessed to have been a part ofthe leadership of such a positive city.

“It makes me feel good to be living here, to be a part of it forthe 20 years that I’ve served, because they’re a part of me and I’ma part of them,” he said. “I can bump into people when I’m eatinglunch, and even if they’re not in my ward they tell me to keep upthe good work. I just want to say thanks to the citizens ofBrookhaven for supporting me for 20 years, and especially tocitizens of Ward Two.”