District 2 incumbent Brian Preston will face Democratic candidate Jackie Anderson-Woods in November’s election.

Preston has been in office since February, after he resigned from his school board post to fill the vacated District 2 seat of Fred Auletta, who is now the county manager.

Despite not being in office for long, Preston said he has still made strides.

“The biggest thing I’ve been proud of is my ability to work with the budget and find savings for the county,” he said. “I’m also proud of the fact that I’m co-chair of the economics and education task force that looked at bridging business with education and economic development in the county.”

Preston, a certified public accountant by training, established the wealth-management and business consulting company Preston and Cleveland, and is also the host of the financial interest radio show The Money-Guy Show.

If re-elected, he said his main goal is to bolster economic development.

“If we can bring more business and jobs here, the tax base will grow,” he said. “The best way is to grow our way out of this economy.”

However, he said he believes in conservative spending, as well.

Anderson-Woods owns Woody’s Jump n Play franchise with her husband in McDonough, and has worked as a State Farm claims adjustor and a paralegal.

The daughter of a Hinds County, Miss., District supervisor and former Mississippi House representative, she is no stranger to politics. This is her second foray into the political realm after seeking election to the District 78 House seat in 2010.

Anderson-Woods said the main reason she decided to run was to bring leadership to District 2, having seen so much upheaval.

“Our district brings in the most impact fees from the county, and yet, all the building and development is going on in the northern part of the county … And I think it’s because we don’t have leadership in place or consistent leadership in place,” she said.

She said she wants to see smart economic development — bringing in quality businesses that will maintain the county’s family oriented environment.

Also, Anderson-Woods said she would be focused on bringing transparency to government.

“As an elected official, your job is to represent the people who elected you,” she said. “Before we make a $1 million purchase, that’s something I would bring back to the constituents.”