Dear District Two Voters,

My name is Sidney A. Woodson and I am a resident of the White Sand Community and I have been a proud Pearl River Countian for the past 22 years.

I am married to the former Margaret Alieen Jones, of Taylorsville. Our daughter, Sydney Aileen, is 28 years old and works in the hospitality industry on the Gulf Coast. My wife Margaret is a licensed real estate agent and is very active in our community. She is also District Two Election Commissioner.

I am a Christian and an ordained minister.

For the past 20 years I have been owner of Woodson Services. We specialize in providing clients with a host of services ranging from security, to mapping, wildlife inventory control and management, to consultation on land purchases, aerial photography and heavy equipment operations.

I have spent over 50 years in land, wildlife and resource management and conservation at local, state and federal levels.

Much of my professional career was spent developing public lands for use, maintaining wildlife populations and habitat, surveying tracts of land, protecting endangered species and serving as federal aid coordinator on numerous land use projects in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and Arkansas.

I began my career in 1959 when I joined the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission as a forester specializing in land and game management. In 1963, I became the assistant chief in the state agency’s Game Division.

In 1968, I was promoted by the agency to federal aid coordinator and chief of the Land Division. There, I specialized in land and title research, disbursement of apportionment moneys and the enforcement of state and federal game laws. .

Making a major career move in 1970, I joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a federal game management agent. In 1972 I became an agent pilot for the agency. My duties included aerial missions to augment highly technical programs used to utilize and protect migratory bird and eagle populations throughout the Southeastern states, and all types of surveillance and detection of illegal activities.

In 1974, the service promoted me to senior resident agent and pilot and I relocated to Jackson. I supervised all personnel in my sub-district, which initially included Mississippi and Alabama. In 1983, I was transferred to Florida where I participated in a number of task force operations conducted jointly by state and federal law enforcement agencies to target and protect native endangered and regulated species.

My career winding down, I transferred to the Slidell office in 1988 where I remained a special agent and pilot until my retirement in 1990. Our family had chosen to make our home in Pearl River County shortly after we were transferred to the area.

As a licensed pilot, I have more than 10,000 hours logged behind the controls of various aircraft, including fixed wing, land and sea airplanes and helicopters. I have flown special wildlife and surveillance missions ranging from the Alaskan bush to the Gulf of Mexico; including Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico.

I am proud of my service to hunters, fishermen, conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts. Working to manage our wonderful natural resources while balancing man’s needs of nature has been my life’s work.

During my career, I have developed a close working relationship with the Mississippi Came and Fish Commission and state chapters of organizations such as the Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited and the Wild Turkey Federation.

In asking to serve as your supervisor, I feel free to bring to the table a solid record of reliability, effective leadership and a lifetime of experience working with people from all walks of life.

I feel I’m old enough to know what needs to be done, and young enough to get it done the right way.

I feel the job of serving as your supervisor in today’s Pearl River County demands a commitment to purpose and a working knowledge of the issues. Expanding utility services, improving our emergency management capabilities, protecting our property rights, funding law enforcement and combating crime and drug abuse top a list of priorities we now face in the post-Katrina era.

We have waste management issues potentially affecting the health and welfare of every man, woman and child in this country for generations to come. We have issues of fiscal responsibility, equal treatment of our citizens, public access of lands and regulating building codes. The list goes on.

Our district, indeed our county, is at a threshold of what many believe will be the greatest period of expansion in our region since the turn of the 20th Century. I want to be a part of building a great Pearl River County where families can thrive economically, live safely and enjoy life.

I am a practical man, an experienced professional and a committed citizen. I am asking you for the opportunity to serve. I’m asking for your vote and support on Nov. 2, in the special election for supervisor, District Two.