Alice Harden was such a strong warrior for public education and state workers during her 25 years of service in the Mississippi Senate that now, more than one month after her death, discussing her replacement almost seems absurd.
Can anyone replace Harden? Not immediately.
Harden, a Democrat, entered the Senate in 1988 after having led a teacher’s strike in union-hostile Mississippi during the mid-1980s. Still, Harden earned the respect of her colleagues in the Republican Party.
Fighting against the education agenda of GOP leadership, which involves creating new charter-school districts while allowing districts like Jackson Public Schools to languish under inadequate funding, would be a tall order for anyone, much less a freshman senator from the minority Democratic Party.
We’re encouraged that many of the nine individuals vying in the February 5 special election boast credentials that could build on Harden’s legacy and ensure that the constituents of west-central Jackson have a strong voice in the Senate.
Jackson Free Press readers are familiar with many of the names. Marshand Crisler, a former Jackson City Council president and mayoral candidate has the most legislative experience of anyone in the field.
Kathy Sykes works with the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance bridging the gap between black and Hispanic workers, groups that are too often pawns in elected leaders’ political games.
The focus on preventative health from farmer Cindy Ayers-Elliot and cancer educator Tamarra Grace Butler are perspectives that are too often absent from legislative debates on health-care issues.
Our readers are also familiar with Cassandra Welchlin from her work as president of her West Jackson Capitol  Neighbors Association, which included helping organize a vigil for James Craig Anderson in 2011.
Unlike several of the candidates in the race for the 28th District, Welchlin doesn’t have an extensive track record of running for political offices. What she lacks in on-the-stump experience, she makes up for with chops in the arena of policy development and sheer energy and passion for improvement of our city and addressing the root causes of problems such as crime and poverty.
Welchlin has worked with Catholic Charities, the Mississippi Youth Justice Project and Southern Echo, according to her campaign materials. Most recently, Welchlin has been extremely active as the public face for the Mississippi Low Income Child Care initiative’s campaign against a state program to force low-income parents to scan their fingers to pick their children up from day care.
For these reasons, the Jackson Free Press endorses Cassandra Welchlin for the 28th Senate District.
This article reflects a correction. A previous version misidentified the neighborhood association of which Welchlin served as president. The Jackson Free Press apologizes for the error.
