10/14/2026
Thirty-two years ago, on October 12, 1994, Alice M. Scott celebrated her election as mayor of Canton, becoming the city’s first Black mayor and first female mayor.
At the time of her election, Scott was principal of McNeal Elementary School and had served as a principal for six years.
She held bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Jackson State University in reading and supervision and had also served as a county election commissioner.
Her campaign theme was simple and direct: “Time for a change.”
And her platform was ambitious. Among its priorities were improved educational facilities, police and fire protection, economic development, a comprehensive flood and drainage plan, downtown parking, development along Hickory and Cameron streets, and improved race relations.
Following her victory, Scott told the Madison County Herald, “I feel like the city of Canton is ready to get in line and carry out our theme of ‘Time for a change.’”
Scott’s election was significant not simply because of the barriers she broke, but because of the era of Canton history she would come to represent.
Her years in office, 1994–2002, coincided with a period of enormous change as Canton entered the twenty-first century and found itself at the center of one of the largest economic-development projects in Mississippi history.
The arrival of Nissan transformed Canton’s trajectory. When the company announced in 2000 that it would build a massive automobile manufacturing plant just south of the city, Canton suddenly became part of an international story.
The project brought unprecedented attention, investment, construction and thousands of jobs to the area.
And Alice Scott was mayor as Canton navigated that transformation.
Yet even as Canton looked toward its economic future, Scott’s administration also played a role in preserving the physical reminders of its past.
During her years as mayor, Scott left a lasting mark on the preservation of historic Canton.
In 2002, she signed the ordinance substantially expanding Canton’s local Historic Preservation District, bringing a much larger portion of the city’s historic neighborhoods within the locally designated district.
The ordinance was formally adopted on March 5, 2002, and bears the signature Alice M. Scott, Mayor.
That expansion built upon preservation efforts begun years earlier.
Canton created its Historic Preservation Commission in 1988, and the original local Historic Preservation District was established in 1989 during the administration of Mayor Sidney Runnels.
So, even as Canton stood on the brink of extraordinary growth, it was making a statement:
Progress didn’t have to come at the expense of the places that made Canton, Canton.
Today, history is repeating itself.
As the Amazon megasite and massive data-center development usher in another era of unprecedented growth, they have also sparked a renewed appreciation for the history, character and unmistakable beauty that make Canton unique.
Thirty-two years after that historic election, Canton continues to live with the legacy of both preservation and change.
Our historic neighborhoods remain one of the city’s defining features. Automobiles continue to roll off the assembly line at Nissan just outside town. And now, … Amazon packages arrive on our doorsteps within hours.
