Just The Facts II: A Reader's Guide to JFP Melton Interviews

The interviews with Frank Melton touch on several issues, names and events that are not explained fully in the text. Here are factual summaries about some of those issues.

The Saga of King Eddie
Melton moved into the mayor’s office last July saying a HUD application for loan money to cover remedial costs for renovating the King Edward never got mailed. Weeks later, Melton said investors were taking too long to get their act together and gave them a 30-day deadline, or he would “implode” the building. He then reported to the media that his own administration was actually the bottleneck and gave his own office workers the same 30-day notice. His administration quickly mailed out the HUD application that following week.

Weeks later, investors learned that the city missed its deadline for the $2 million BEDI environmental grant, but HUD extended the deadline due to extensive hurricane damage in the region. Four months later, HUD declined the application, despite the deadline extension. The city blamed national competition for the money; investor HRI blamed the city. Investors and their supporters coaxed the Mississippi Senate to authorize a $2 million interest-free loan to replace the lost HUD money, due to be signed by the governor this week. Congress passed the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005, qualifying investors in storm-ravaged Mississippi to take advantage of more tax incentives.

Melton v. Strip Clubs
In January, Mayor Melton closed Centerfolds, claiming he witnessed full nudity and other city code violations. The owner was arrested. City officials denied the license application for Centerfolds three days later. Some topless bar owners filed restraining orders against the city in federal court. Then the mayor and police closed down Girls of Paradise, and later Danny’s, after Melton said he witnessed more violations while on nighttime raids. Babes Showclub re-applied for a temporary license, but the city said it can’t give a temporary license. Attorneys for Babes argued that a temporary license is the only one they can get because the city would not complete the permanent license application process on its end.

In April, U.S. District Court Judge Henry T. Wingate sided with Babes, ruling that the city should not expect Babes to comply with the process when the city itself does not comply with it. Babes attorney Chris Ganner said Babes’ owners will sue the city for civil-rights violations, saying the city imposed restrictive ordinances upon the club intended to close them down.

$1 Billion in Investments?
Melton has taken to complaining that while the media focus on his nighttime shenanigans, “we have over a billion dollars in private investments coming to Jackson,” as he told WLBT’s Bert Case.
But Ward 1 Councilman Ben Allen said Melton may be jumping ahead of himself on the $1 billion figure. “If the implication is that these are done deals, that’s not accurate because they’re not,” he said.

Allen believes Melton’s $1 billion is a reference to numerous projects either currently underway or in the very beginning stages of development. And they didn’t all start on Melton’s watch. “We’re talking about the King Edward, the RFP (Request For Proposal) for the corner property of State Street and Pearl Street. Another possibility would be the refurbishing by Robert Polk of the Dickies Building, across from the old Youth Detention Center. There’s also the possibility of Parkway Properties building a sister structure right by the one they’ve already got, then there’s the Convention Center, which adds $65 million right there,” Allen said. “If we were adding up all these projects and others and coming up with a figure of more than $1 billion, that would be accurate, but we’re a long way from having those done. (Melton’s) just excited about some of this stuff, but there’s a whole lot of stuff that’s got to get done before it all happens.”

On the Sh*t List
Even as the Jackson Free Press has (temporarily?) moved off Melton’s sh*t list, other reporters have taken our place. Melton is especially piqued at Andrea Malloy of WAPT-TV. Malloy recently did a piece, including video of Melton telling her and other reporters—including the JFP—that: “(The media) come and ask me questions, then they run out and ask the public what they think, like I give a sh*t what they say. You come and set me up and then ask people what do you think. If I cared what they think, I’d ask them before I answered your stupid question.

Previous Comments

In the “Not-bad-for-a-guy-that-only-ran-as-a-Democrat-to-get-the-Black-vote” department: Frank is going to be a “special guest” at the Democratic Elected Officials Appreciation Dinner this Saturday.

#79513 | Author: Rex | Date: Apr 20 2006

Yes, I remember him at the Dean dinner. He didn’t look real comfortable.

#79514 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: Apr 20 2006

Melton’s going to attend a dinner sponsored by Democrats?! Just wondering out loud…will his wife be by his side or one of his “boys”?

#79515 | Author: Joerob | Date: Apr 20 2006

He has to be labeled as a “special guest” because he is not a Democrat! He stated he had to run as a Democrat inorder to get elected. Have we forgotten that?? It was very disappointing the Democratic Party during the election did or say nothing about this. It was obvious he was not a true Democrat because he had not voted or there was no record on the Democratic roll where he voted. Wakeup Jackson, we’re in BIG trouble.

#79516 | Author: maad | Date: Apr 21 2006

He was labeled as a “special guest” also because he acts like someone that is on a weekend pass from an institution. Remember the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, well here we have One Cuckoo that Flew Over the Rest.

#79517 | Author: rufus | Date: Apr 21 2006

rufus, true, he has “Flown Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” but, I will only be impressed when he flies out of Jackson. It is still beyond my level of understanding and comprehension that a man has a wife and two children in Texas and that he has traded spaces and places with for more than 20 years. When we try so hard to make sense out of non-sense, the only rational conclusion we can arrive at is:” There is something rotten in” Jackson.

#79518 | Author: justjess | Date: Apr 21 2006

There is something rotten in” Jackson. -justjess It stinks all the way to Texas. I would love to have a sitdown talk with Ms Melton. Or better still I would love to be a fly on the wall while she is talking to someone that she would be open with. In one part of the series that JFP is doing on him, he spoke of how he came to Jackson with his family broke and trying to make it but BORROWED one million dollars to buy a tv station. You mean to tell me that this woman would leave this man here in Jackson AFTER he bought a tv station? You mean to tell me that she would go over 2 or 3 hundred miles and START a medical practice? You mean to tell me that this man has these “group homes” in Texas but he is running a tv station here in Jackson? Yep justjess, it really has started to stink….. something serious.

#79519 | Author: rufus | Date: Apr 21 2006

he spoke of how he came to Jackson with his family broke and trying to make it but BORROWED one million dollars to buy a tv station. -rufus He then borrowed several million from a bank. I want to know what bank loaned a broke man that knid of money! I also would like to know the formula he used to repay them both within eighteen months. This man thinks that we all rode in here on a watermelon truck. If this man had this much savvy with money, why is the city in such bad shape? Why dosen’t he pass his secrets on to the youth so that they can make better lives for themselves and their families? Frank really believes that he can p!ss on our backs and make us think that it’s raining.

#79520 | Author: lance | Date: Apr 22 2006

It’s unanimous, Frank is looney. He’s not merely a cowboy, or a little boy who wanted to be king or play police chief.

#79521 | Author: Ray Carter | Date: Apr 25 2006