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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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Credit: Courtesy Albert Wilson

Almost as soon as Albert Wilson learned Councilman Kenneth Stokes was running for a Hinds County supervisor’s position, he decided he wanted to campaign for the job of representing Ward 3. Last week, Wilson made his candidacy official.

Wilson, 45, founded Genesis and Light Center in 1992. The organization tutors and counsels children in families in Ward 3.

“This ward has deteriorated over the years. There are things I want to do,” Wilson told the Jackson Free Press this morning. His motto is “It Can Be in Ward 3.”

He said that means his ward should have movie theaters, supermarkets and shopping centers so residents don’t have to travel to Flowood. Wilson contends to do that, the Jackson City Council needs a more business-friendly approach.

” A lot of times, they are hindering businesses instead of helping,” he said. He claims, for example, that city officials don’t take property crime in Ward 3 seriously. “A lot of people don’t report the crime–what’s the use?”

He also wants to do more to fix roads in the city. “These streets and roads are tearing up cars and people’s vehicles,” he said.

MFP Solutions Lab logo

The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.