10/08/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2025
Vicksburg Mayor Highlights Cityās Role in Mississippiās Growth during Statewide Panel
VICKSBURG, Miss. ā Vicksburg Mayor Willis Thompson told a statewide panel of Mississippi mayors this week that his city is working to become the stateās technology hub, pointing to early partnerships and state support that are already moving the river city in that direction.
āFrom the moment I took office, my goal has been for Vicksburg to lead when it comes to innovation and technology,ā Thompson said during the Oct. 6 discussion at the Mississippi College School of Law. āWeāve already taken concrete steps to make that goal a reality for our people by building on our existing federal assets.ā
Those steps include a memorandum of understanding signed in Vicksburg by Gov. Tate Reeves with ERDCWERX, the Mississippi Development Authority, and the Mississippi Apex Accelerator. The agreement is designed to expand technology transfer, commercialization, and small-business innovation.
The mayor also cited a new strategic partnership with Cisco Systems and Rust College to provide MCITy ā the Thad Cochran Mississippi Center for Innovation and Technology in Vicksburg ā with advanced networking infrastructure, technical support, and workforce training. The city recently secured nearly $300,000 from Accelerate Mississippi to help expand MCITy, a sign, Thompson said, that state leaders are formally backing Vicksburgās push.
āHaving the Governor come to Vicksburg, sign the MOU, and commit to this work alongside us is meaningful,ā Thompson said. āIt shows that our state sees what we see: Vicksburg belongs in the conversation about innovation, defense tech, entrepreneurship, and regional growth.ā
While discussions around technology drew headlines, Thompson told the panel that the ālittle thingsā like right-of-way beautification and improving streets still matter most. āEvery time we deliver on promises like these, we build credibility with our people ā and that trust fuels bigger change and directly affects our ability to attract new, outside investment,ā he said.
Thompson also urged fellow mayors to work together across jurisdictions. āNo city can go it alone in the 21st-century economy,ā Thompson said. āIf we leverage shared resources, knowledge, talent, and infrastructure, then every community can benefit.ā
Thompson said Vicksburg will continue to pursue public-private partnerships, workforce pipelines, and capital investments as long as heās mayor. āWe really are doing the groundwork now so that a few years from now, Mississippi will look to Vicksburg as the place where innovation took root because of local talent, vision, and action to back it up,ā he said.
The panel discussion was hosted by the League of Women Voters of the Jackson area, Mississippi College School of Law, and WJTV and included the mayors of Jackson, Byram, Canton, and Vicksburg.
