When I was a boy, I was blessed with a family of elders whom we would today call "role models."  I was fortunate enough to get to know one of my great-grandfathers and both of my grandfathers.  In fact, my paternal grandfather, Mr. E.L. Cole, Sr. is still very much with us today, at age 87.  I was blessed with a host of uncles and great-uncles, several of whom were veterans.  My greatest hero, then and now, is my father, Robert L. Cole, Sr., a self-made man and lifelong farmer who has always made a living for himself and his family by depending only on the Good Lord, the good earth, and hard work.

To a one, all the men who helped to shape my character have been committed and involved citizens.  Though none of them held public office, they were keenly interested in public affairs and instilled in me a great respect for our nation and a sense of civic duty.  My earliest memories are woven around trips to the Ellisville courthouse with my granddaddy, Oscar McCardle.  My Uncle Burnice McCardle and Uncle Kernell Young were both veterans of World War II , and I listened in awe to their stories of that epic struggle.  Busy as he was with the farm, Daddy still managed to serve on the ASCS committee, and Pawpaw (E.L. Cole) served more than thirty years on the Dixie Electric Power Association Board of Directors.

Their examples taught me to be an active citizen.  The examples set by great leaders like Senator John C. Stennis, Congressman Sonny Montgomery, our neighbor Lt. Governor Evelyn Gandy and Governor William Winter led me to aspire to public service.  One of my proudest early involvements in political campaigning was leading an absentee ballot effort for Mike Espy in his successful bid for Congress in 1986.  I have always tried to follow Senator Stennis's motto:  "Plow a straight furrow right down to the end of the row."  Congressman Montgomery's three points on leadership are constant reminders of the path to follow: Have 1) Passion for your path and direction in life 2) Compassion for the people you lead and serve and 3) Courage to pull the trigger on your integrity.

It is with this upbringing and with these role models that I have endeavored to be of service to our state and our country.  I have given my full measure as a political activist, working up through the ranks from a youth organizer to a state and national Democratic Party leader over a period of more than twenty years.  My record is far from perfect, but I will let the public be the judge of my service thus far.

So now the opportunity presents itself for me to be of service as Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce.  I won't reflect negatively upon the incumbent, but I do believe that I can do a better job.  I wouldn't be running if I didn't.  I have learned that a leader must listen to those he would lead, and he must seek the wisdom of others.  No man in public office, regardless of his education or experience, can make sound judgments on public policy issues without listening to the best experts and to his bosses, the citizens themselves.  I believe that my practical experience of fifteen years working full-time producing and marketing fresh vegetables to over forty retailers, coupled with my experience as an organizer, network builder, advocate and spokesman at the local, state, and national levels of the Democratic Party equip me pretty well to be Mississippi's chief agricultural officer.  I know that I cannot manage the Department of Agriculture and Commerce alone, and I will surround myself with a team of public servants who are all experts in their respective fields.  Most important of all, I will be accessible to the public at all times.  I will never forget that I work for them.

I'm running because I was raised to do my civic duty as I see it.  I'm running because the good examples that were set for me have shown me how to approach the job. I'm running because I have the experience and temperament necessary to understand the mission and to lead the department.  I'm running because we need a change, and because we can do better.