The Mississippi Free Press sent the following questionnaire to Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba ahead of the April 22, 2025, municipal Democratic primary runoff, in which he is running for a third term against his challenger, Sen. John Horhn. We present his responses with no edits.
You’re running for re-election. What do you hope to accomplish in the next four years that you have not done in the previous 8 years? What challenges remain today?
Although I am grateful and humbled by what we have been able to accomplish together – including securing $800 million for our water infrastructure, paving 144 streets, and preventing the state takeover of Jackson Public Schools – I am acutely aware that there is much more to be done. We have many more paving projects to complete, including Woodrow Wilson, which took years of study to identify how to make the repairs without damaging the water main that runs underneath the street. We have identified creative ways to finance these projects and it would be important to see them through.
We have developed the necessary partnerships to streamline blight remediation of state owned properties and have improved our services and communication with commercial and personal property owners in this regard. As a result, we are poised to advance blight removal at a greater pace. It is my hope to build on this work.
We have made some significant investments in public safety including pay raises for officers, upgrading equipment and training for JPD, and launching the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery. All of these initiatives are part of our comprehensive approach to making Jackson a safer city. JPD now has a homicide solvability rate of 81 percent. This means that 8 out of 10 homicide cases result in an arrest and conviction. This is up from 65 percent in 2023, which was still higher than the national average of about 50 percent. Still, whether it’s 8 out of 10 or 9 out of 10, if a case involving a loved one has not been resolved, there is little consolation in our progress.
It is my hope to make greater progress in our efforts to address issues of gun violence and other violent crime, dig deeper into addressing root causes, and strengthen our support services for youth and families. We heard from many young people in the city about how the lack of constructive things to do contributed to youth violence and an overall sense of hopelessness among many. We listened carefully to them and in collaboration with our youth serving partners, developed an initiative [youth centers] to provide our young people to address this need.
Jackson is a city with numerous challenges but even greater potential. Imagine how far we would have come if the state would have simply supported our city in an equitable manner. opposition and struggle over our resources with the state. There are those who are redoubling their efforts to takeover our city’s assets. One very important piece of unfinished business is protecting these assets and ensuring that they remain in the hands of Jacksonians. I am committed to continue the work of building the partnerships required to do this. I am also committed to being an unequivocal advocate for this city.
Many of Jackson’s voters selected other candidates besides Sen. Horhn and yourself during the April 1 primary. What do you say to voters who are still undecided?
I say to undecided voters, look past the mud slinging and negativity to my Administration’s actual record of accomplishments; accomplishments that we achieved together. I have never professed to be the one who can solve all of your problems. But I am the candidate who has stayed committed to listening, to drawing on our collective genius and addressing these challenges together. I am proud that so many candidates in the primary race have offered their support and endorsement. I am committed to fighting for Jackson. I am committed to fighting for you.
When you started your tenure as mayor of Jackson, you said that you wanted to make it “the most radical city on the planet.” Is that still your goal? If so, what does that look like today? In what ways would you say you’ve made progress toward that?
I learned from my parents and from community about the radical power of love. Love transforms strangers into neighbors and all of us into family. I have been blessed to experience this kind of love and care for community here in Jackson and I believe that that love as public policy, as co-governance, as community driven solutions to our shared challenges is what it means to be the most radical city. That will always be my goal to build that kind of city together. We have made some progress through our People’s Assembly, our Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery and other initiatives but we know there is still much more to be done.
How will the City of Jackson’s Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery curb gun violence?
The Mayor’s Office of Violence Interruption and Trauma Recovery (OVITR) works with Jacksonians, community groups/organizations, advocates, non-profits, law enforcement, the courts, other City agencies, and foundations to ensure that each part of our public safety system works well and works together so that every Jacksonian is safe and treated fairly.
The Office is committed to the ongoing development of a city that is “free from fear and need.” We believe that this can be achieved through an integrated approach that includes investing in community-led and based social support services including trauma-informed approaches to implement data driven, evidence-based, trauma informed and proven national program models of violence prevention, victim support services, positive youth development, mental health, addiction support services and more.
We believe that the work of “Community Safety” is both expanding our community members’ access to group and personal security, and the creation of systems that build their sense of agency. When the police enter the picture, the harm has already been done. Therefore, we are building communities of capable and compassionate people who understand that they, personally, can prevent and control violence. We do this through the development of proven community based accountability practices, skills building and other programs including primary and preventative care, as well as accessible community-based mental health care. This is part of a comprehensive, integrated approach that incorporates care that addresses the trauma of interpersonal violence, police violence and the violence of economic insecurity.
The research is clear. Reducing gun violence requires multiple strategies. Prevention initiatives that build community connection, provide trauma recovery and mental health care, and address root causes of violence have been shown to be most effective. We have developed the Office based on these proven methods.
Community Safety is achieved when community members live in peace, harmony and with mutual respect. By emphasizing the “community” aspect, the Office seeks to embrace the importance and uniqueness of the people, culture, historical context, existing resources, and opportunities in our city.
Where do the City of Jackson’s plans to hire a Public Works Director stand today?
It has been difficult to attract quality candidates into an appointed position that serves “at will,” especially if they don’t know if they have at least 4 years of job security. This is why we decided to contract with an engineering firm that had the range of expertise we needed in order to get us through this period.
Some Jackson residents say that street repairs funded by the 1% sales tax have not been equitably done across all neighborhoods. How can you make sure that this is not the case going forward?
When we first came into office, we saw that there was a great deal of inequity around street repairs. We heard numerous complaints about more affluent areas getting preferential treatment and other neighborhoods being left out. Our Administration decided to listen to neighborhood associations and let your input be our guide for how we approached these repairs. We sent out a questionnaire to neighborhood associations all over the city to ask about their most immediate needs. With your input, we developed a plan to make sure that the needs identified are addressed in a systematic and equitable manner; one that takes into account the entire city. This paving season, we will repair streets in neighborhoods across Jackson including Mill Street, Capitol Street, Bobby Rush Blvd, Terry Rd in South Jackson, parts of Raymond Rd, Holmes Avenue from Woodrow Wilson to Bainbridge Avenue and many more. With your partnership and our collective attention to equity, we will continue our work to address past bias. We are grateful to the many community organizations and neighborhood associations who participated in this process. We will also continue to advocate for greater equity regarding the decisions and the representation on the One-Percent Sales Tax Commission. We know that when community is involved in decisionmaking, the decisions more often benefit the community.
What would you say to voters who feel the federal bribery investigation has eroded trust in local government?
I understand and appreciate why that would be the case. And I recognize that this has been a challenging situation, especially with the legal restrictions around what I can and cannot say about the case. I am truly sorry for the distraction this has caused, but I assure you that I have never stopped doing the work that you have elected me to do. Most importantly, I want to be clear that I am not guilty of the charges and look forward to the opportunity to address this matter once and for all.
The Mississippi Free Press also sent a questionnaire to Sen. Horhn. You can read his answers here.
Voting in the Runoff
The municipal primary runoffs in Jackson and other Mississippi towns and cities is on April 22, with the general election to follow on June 3. The last day to vote in-person absentee in Mississippi’s municipal primary runoff elections is Saturday, April 19. Municipal clerk offices in towns and cities the state will be open from 8:00 a.m. until noon. After that, the only option for in-person voters will be on the day of the primary runoff: Tuesday, April 22.
All mail-in absentee ballots must be postmarked by April 22 and received by Municipal Clerk’s Offices by 5:00 p.m. on April 30 in order to be counted. Anyone who voted in the April 1 primary may only vote in the same party’s runoff but are free to vote however they want in the June 3 general election. Registered voters who did not vote in the April 1 primary can vote in either party’s runoff on April 22.
You must be registered 30 days before the date of an election, primary or runoff to cast a ballot in Mississippi and must bring an accepted form of voter ID. More information on voter ID, including how to obtain a free voter ID, is available here.
For questions, please contact the Elections Division at 1-800-829-6786, email ElectionsAnswers@sos.ms.gov, or visit YallVote.ms or contact your municipal clerk’s office directly.
Comments are closed.