Endorsements: Jackson City Council

The Jackson Free Press endorses the following candidates in contested council races:

Ward 2: Real estate broker Stacey Webb

Stacey Webb might not have been ready to lead Ward 2 in 2009, but he is now. In the last election, Webb, a relative newcomer, ran against current mayoral candidate Chokwe Lumumba. Since then, Webb has earned a degree with Jackson State University, completed work at the Citizens Police Academy and graduated from the Leadership Jackson program. We like his tough talk on promoting small businesses as opposed to mourning the loss of big-box stores, his laser focus on infrastructure needs and his commitment to doing what’s right to help the city of Jackson as opposed to just Ward 2.

Interview at jfp.ms/staceywebb

Ward 3: Former police officer Zachery Williams

The former police and Mississippi Gaming Commission officer has done his homework since the 2011 special election and come out on the other side looking like a solid candidate for city council. His experience working on the Farish Street Festival executive committee, the non-profit 100 Black Men and his graduation from the FBI’s citizens class are all commendable. Williams wants to see renters become homeowners and Jackson become more business-friendly, two changes that will certainly help him achieve his goal of stabilizing our communities.

Interview at jfp.ms/zacherywilliams

Ward 4: Veteran De’Keither Stamps

An Iraq war veteran, Stamps is running to assume the vacated position of mayoral candidate Frank Bluntson. Stamps inspired us with his talk about changing the Ward 4 culture by building on a rich history he learned about while growing up working on his family farm. Stamps does not agree with state oversight of spending on a proposed 1-percent sales tax increase in Jackson, and pledged in his interview with the JFP to stand up for the capital city in negotiations; we believe he will also use his gravitas to build bridges with the suburbs and the state.

Interview at jfp.ms/dekeitherstamps

Ward 5: Footcare specialist Plavise Patterson

Plavise Patterson came out of nowhere to be a voice of common sense in a wild race for the Ward 5 City Council seat. She believes our focus should be on small business expansion, opposes charter schools and wants development to come to Jackson, but not at the cost of fixing infrastructure. Her work with the youth of Ward 5 is encouraging, and her platform of promoting arts and entertainment in Jackson should make it a more appealing place to the next generation of Mississippians.

Interview at jfp.ms/plavisepatterson

Ward 6: City Council President Tony Yarber

Yarber is one of two sitting City Council members (in contested races) that the JFP is endorsing, mostly because his no-nonsense approach as City Council president has been commendable. Yarber won his seat in 2009, and since then has worked for the people of Ward 6 by engaging south Jackson young people and campaigning against drug paraphernalia at convenience stores. He formed two new committees, the Education and Youth Ad Hoc Committee and the Economic Development Committee, and did the best with what he had to work with when appointing heads of the various other committees.

Interview at jfp.ms/tonyyarber

Ward 7: City Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon

Barrett-Simon has long been a voice of reason on the council, and has a long list of accomplishments during her city service. We’ve known her opponent, June Hardwick, a long time, though, and admire her intelligence and grit. However, Hardwick did not file a campaign-finance report for 2012 even as we knew she spent money on her campaign, and later did not show up for two scheduled interviews in which we planned to ask her about the report, among other questions. Thus, we do not see Hardwick as ready for the rigors of public office, while Barrett-Simon brings her experience and energetic dedication back to the council once again. We encourage Hardwick to get organized and try again in the future.

Interview at jfp.ms/barrettsimon