Dynamic Duo
Recently married and fresh out of law school, alumni couple starts big
with successful mayor’s race
by Jennifer Farish
A quick look at the couple’s individual accomplishments—in addition to their law degrees, Parker (JD 08) holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Mississippi State University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Lindsey (JD 09) holds an accountancy degree from Mississippi College—reveals a couple eager to take on new challenges.
It’s also easy to see why this year Starkville voters chose Parker, 29, as their new mayor in June 2009. He is the youngest mayor in the town’s history. His election may come as a surprise to some, but people who know Parker agree that he has a natural ability to lead.
“Parker just seemed to have such a zeal and confidence in both his academic and personal pursuits that most of us weren’t that surprised when he became mayor of Starkville,” said Barbara Vinson, director of law admissions.
Parker is the first to admit that his victory in the election was partly due to the dedication of his wife, who took on the challenge of a campaign in addition to her commitments at the law school.
For the first year after the couple married in August 2008, Lindsey commuted from Starkville to Oxford as she completed her final year of law school. After graduating in May, Lindsey accepted a position with Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC.
Despite the commute and distraction of the campaign, Vinson said she never saw Lindsey without her beautiful smile.
“She was always willing to offer a helping hand whenever we needed a law student’s assistance,” she said.
(1) Lindsey Wiseman graduates from law school in May 2009, a year after her husband Parker. (2) The Wisemans are married in August 2008. (3) Parker’s campaign for mayor is launched in January 2009. (4) Parker’s campaign signs take over parts of Starkville. Approximately 30 volunteers signed on to help with the campaign, and Parker says those volunteers worked ‘hundreds of hours’ to cover every part of Starkville. (5) Parker speaks to his supporters following his victory. (6) Parker sits watching election results in his campaign headquarters.
During that time, Parker was campaigning in Starkville, so much of their time together as a couple was spent knocking on doors and talking to potential voters.
“It was really a lot of fun,” Lindsey said. “I got to meet people and discover this brand-new community, which I have come to love dearly.”
“That’s what Lindsey called door-to-door campaigning—meeting people,” Parker said with a smile. “I had to remind myself while campaigning that this was my hometown, but it wasn’t Lindsey’s. So everything was a completely new experience for her, and she handled it all with remarkable grace.“
Parker’s decision to run for Starkville mayor was not an impulsive one. In fact, it began with a conversation he had with a close friend just before his second year of law school. Initially, Parker dismissed the suggestion.
“But the longer I thought about it, the more I kept coming back to the notion that it might be the job that I would enjoy more than anything in the world,” he said. “It appeals to the interests that I have and also presented a wonderful opportunity to make a positive impact in a place that I love. I guess the process of getting from dismissing the thought to deciding this is something I want to do took about a year and a half.”
During that time, the relationship with Lindsey had gotten serious enough that Parker knew he had to talk to her about her willingness to move to Starkville.
“For Lindsey at that time, saying ‘Yes, I’ll move to Starkville’ was a tremendous sacrifice,” he said. “She was on a career track. She had clerked at firms in Memphis and Jackson, and this decision was going to take her in a completely different direction.”
It’s been a whirlwind of activity for the couple, who were married just after Parker’s graduation from the UM School of Law, where they met during Parker’s second year of law school and Lindsey’s first year.
“I was teaching an academic excellence program class designed for second- and third-year law students to provide a tutorial to first-year students on first-year courses. Lindsey walked into one of those classes, and I was immediately struck by her,” Parker said.
It would be some time before he worked up the courage to talk to her, but their friendship grew quickly after both were elected to serve on the Law School Student Body government.
They worked together for two years, with Lindsey serving as secretary and then treasurer and Parker serving as a senator, vice president and then president.
From the beginning, Lindsey said she saw Parker’s leadership skills and admired his attitude of service.
Over their time working on both the LSSB and the Mississippi Law Journal, the friendship grew into more. After being turned down by Lindsey twice, Parker succeeded the third time he asked her out, and the couple went on their first date to City Grocery in Oxford. Fittingly, Parker proposed to Lindsey in the Law School Student Body office after sending her on a scavenger hunt all over Oxford.
“It was so special because we really spent a lot of time there together, and he had found the roll where I signed into his AEP class that first year,” Lindsey said. Turning to Parker, she smiled and added, “I still can’t believe you were able to find that.”
In some ways, history has repeated itself with Lindsey and Parker. Lindsey’s parents Roy (JD 82) and Amy (JD 82) Smith met while they were students at the UM School of Law.
Parker is sworn in as Starkville mayor by U.S District Court Judge Michael P. Mills on July 2, 2009. His campaign strategy was praised by political analysts for its focus on grass-roots efforts and organization.
“It’s interesting because my parents’ class was one of the first to have classes in the current law building, and Parker and I were among the last to have classes there,” Lindsey said. “My dad also was the LSSB president like Parker, and my mom was on the senate every year, so they also worked in together on the LSSB.”
Dean Samuel M. Davis said he was privileged to get to know both Parker and Lindsey.
“Although I had known Parker early on, I worked with him especially closely during his year as LSSB president—closely enough that I knew right away that he had great leadership abilities,” said Davis.
Both Lindsey and Parker feel their time at the law school prepared them for the challenges they will face not only professionally but also in life.
They established friendships that continue. In fact, several of their law school friends sponsored a fundraiser just after Parker announced his intention to run for mayor. Numerous other friends and professors offered support through encouragement and financial contributions.
Claire Cowart Haltom (JD 08), one of the fundraiser sponsors, said she met Parker during the summer of 2001 when they both interned for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (JD 65) in Washington.
“I remember watching Parker ‘work the crowd’ of interns and staffers, greeting each with, ‘Hi, I’m Parker Wiseman,’” she said. “I remember laughing to myself and thinking, ‘This guy is going to be the governor of Mississippi one day.’”
Claire and Parker started law school together in 2005, and along with law school friends Will Bardwell (JD 08) and Gabe Roberts (JD 08), began meeting once a week for dinner on the Square.
“The dinners would often last for several hours with heated debate,” she said, adding that topics ranged from Facebook etiquette to politics. “It was during those dinners that the three of us began to understand Parker’s commitment to civil service and agree that he had the deeply held resolve to serve as an elected representative.”
Claire’s husband, James Haltom (JD 09), said they hosted the fundraiser because they firmly believe in Parker’s leadership and his dedication to the political process.
“When I first met Parker years ago, I instantly knew that he was a man of his word and that he had a deep belief that government can serve a vital and important role in helping build and better our communities,” James said. “There was no hesitation when Parker announced his candidacy that we would do all we could to help two people who are devoted and determined to improve their community.”
Parker has significant goals for his time in office including economic development, land-use development, public safety and developing a better, more efficient government. However, most of his time in office has been spent dealing with a shrinking budget. As the economy continues to affect tax revenues for cities, counties and the state, Parker said he and other city officials have been focused making sure every penny is spent wisely.
“When you are faced with a lean budget outlook, inevitably difficult decisions have to be made,” he said. “We have spent a great deal of time discussing with department heads about operationally what is necessary, what is in the best interest of the city and what is possible under the current budget constraints.”
He added his law education provides an important foundation for his work as mayor.
“Even though I am not practicing law right now, I deal with law every day,” he said. “Government does business in law and having a working knowledge of the foundation of that law that underlies everything we do is priceless in this job.”
And, though it is a challenging time for both Parker and Lindsey as they face new careers and new challenges, those who know them agree that this is only the beginning.
