JACKSON, Miss.—John Horhn has a laundry list of items to address as he begins his tenure as Mayor of Jackson. Fixing potholes, repairing streets, fortifying public safety and attracting businesses to Mississippi’s capital city are among his priorities.
But as he delivered remarks to a room of supporters gathered for his swearing-in ceremony inside a ballroom at the Jackson Convention Complex on Tuesday, July 1, Horhn said that one of his main priorities is restoring hope in the capital city.
“Our biggest responsibility is the delivery of hope,” he said on Tuesday. “I was on a radio show the other day and, after the show, someone who was listening texted me and said, ‘You’re doing a good job. You’ve got to give the people hope.’”
“The definition of hope is that tomorrow is going to be better than today,” he continued. “The moment we quit feeling that way puts us in a dangerous position. That’s a feeling of defeat and that our efforts are going to be defeated—that our city is going to be defeated.”
The new mayor said that growing unity among the state’s elected officials is a key part of fostering that hope.
“County, state, federal government—if we have the help of those entities, there’s no holding Jackson back,” Horhn said.
Several former and current elected officials attended Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremonies for the mayor and members of the Jackson City Council.
Former Jackson Mayor Kane Ditto spoke on Horhn’s behalf while another former mayor, Harvey Johnson, looked on from the audience. Horhn publicly thanked the mayors for their support, as well as Gov. Tate Reeves, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Hinds County Board of Supervisors President Robert Graham—all of whom he said have pledged to do more to support Jackson.
Reeves delivered a speech early in the ceremony, commending Horhn for “his deep love for the capital city” and his decades of service as a state senator.
“Make no mistake, then-Senator Horhn and I did not always agree on everything. And I think we would both say today that now-soon-to-be Mayor Horhn and I are probably not always going to agree on everything,” the governor said. “But I hope and I sincerely believe that there is one overarching theme on which we have full agreement: the City of Jackson is vital to the future of Mississippi.”
Reeves faced criticism for his approach to the capital city under former Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba’s leadership. The pair’s relationship was often contentious, coming to a head during the highly-publicized Jackson water crisis when Reeves blamed Lumumba for the City’s woes.
The Republican governor also vetoed sections of legislative bills that would have provided state funds for projects like the Jackson Convention Complex and the Russell C. Davis Planetarium, WLBT reported in April 2024. Lumumba characterized Reeves’ decisions to repeatedly strike that funding as “targeted attacks against the City of Jackson.” The former mayor also criticized Reeves for state efforts to take over Jackson’s assets and a state-run court system in the Capitol district.
Horhn defeated Lumumba in the Democratic primary earlier this year. The outgoing mayor did not attend Horhn’s inauguration ceremony, telling reporters during his final press conference the previous day that he had a prior commitment to attend.
During his speech at Horhn’s inauguration on July 1, Reeves said that he was certain he and Horhn shared a goal of wanting to see Jackson and the entire state thrive.
“Together, we can write a new story for Jackson, one rooted in collaboration and shared purpose,” the governor declared.
Following Reeves’ remarks, Democratic U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson, who presided over the ceremony, said he expects officials to follow through on their promises.
Follow coverage of the John Horhn administration and other Jackson-area news in our Capital City Free Press at mfp.ms/jackson.
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