As voters in Jackson contemplate electing a mayor and a new slate of leaders to the Jackson City Council, the Mississippi Free Press listened to people who live and work in the capital city as they spoke about Jackson’s challenges, the issues they care about and what they’re looking for from the candidates.
Incumbent Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba is seeking a third term but faces a host of challengers in the April 1 primary and June 3 general election following allegations of bribery and a federal indictment.
Information on voting in the April 1, 2025, primaries is available here.
Ward 1: Bethan Read
Read is a Jackson native who spent 13 years in Canton before moving back to the capital city. She is a former volunteer with Keep Jackson Beautiful.
“We’ve got to have a strong leader to pull this city together.” —Bethan Read
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: Read cited code enforcement, creek maintenance and residents having a lack of education about the existing ordinances. “I’m not in an HOA. We don’t have covenants and bylaws for things that the City needs to take care of and they just don’t do it and people do not know the ordinances,” Read said.
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “Nonprofits that are taking care of the city.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: “We’ve got to have a strong leader to pull this city together. Everybody is wandering off here, there and another (direction). It needs to be pulled together.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: Read said that she wants city leaders with “compassion, empathy and civility,” but she also wants a city council representative who is “more involved with the ward.”
Ward 1: Duan Carter
Carter is a Cleveland, Ohio native who moved to Mississippi to attend Jackson State University in 1993 and has lived here ever since. He is a founding member of the civic organization Jacksonians4Jackson and works in the human resources field. “I really believe in Jackson’s potential. Jackson really has potential,” Carter said.
“Jacksonians have our issues, but the thing that blows me away are the folks in Rankin and Madison who feel like ‘it’s not my problem.’” —Duan Carter
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: “We’ve got to get a handle on our politics and we’ve got to get our citizens engaged in our city politics. You’re constantly seeing people—some stranger comes to Jackson and they’ll do a video on the blight and how poor it is and then they grab a local who says, ‘Somebody ought to do something.’ But, it’s like, you live here. You have to get engaged. That’s the biggest thing with Jackson.”
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “The one area that I’ve got to give a lot of credit to is the group Fondren First. They took the bull by the horns and said, ‘You know what? We got this and we’re going to get this done regardless of who’s in office, from the statewide perspective to the local level. I think they can be a great catalyst for the rest of the city.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: “When our population numbers start bouncing back, that’s when I’ll know we’ve got something to work with. This city is built for 200,000 (people). If you drive from County Line Road North to Byram, that’s a good haul. We’re technically bigger than Cincinnati, Ohio.
“Jacksonians have our issues, but the thing that blows me away are the folks in Rankin and Madison who feel like ‘it’s not my problem.’ Here, it’s tribal. Instead of us complementary developing a region, it’s almost like we’re going to move this from here and move it over there.
“It’s cutting off your nose to spite your face, assuming that it’s going to hurt someone else. It’s a shame that they don’t see that they also need to be invested in turning this around.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: “(Current Councilman) Ashby Foote’s OK, but the standard is Jeff Weill. Jeff would ride his bike through the neighborhood and check on the citizens.
“I will likely be going with a new candidate (for mayor). The political issues that the incumbent is facing, we don’t have time for that drama. We can’t afford it. I need somebody with some sense, with control and not afraid to say that they don’t know everything but they will put responsible people in place to get the things done that we need.”
Ward 2: Charlie Braxton
Braxton, a McComb native, originally moved to Jackson as a child with his family. The poet and writer spent years living in various cities around the country but said that “the formative years of my life were spent in Jackson.”
“As long as there’s a Black man (as mayor) and a predominately Black city, (the State is) not going to give it much help.” —Charlie Braxton
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: Braxton cited infrastructure, economic development, education and public safety. “Crime is a major issue and it needs to be addressed but it’s hard to address crime without addressing economic issues. The next mayor, whoever they are, needs to have a plan that addresses those issues.”
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “I’m a poet and writer. I think what Jackson has going for it is its entertainment, arts and culinary scene. Jackson has entertainment going for it as opposed to Madison. In Madison, you can go out there and shop but if you want to hear some good music, you need to come to Jackson. That needs to be expanded upon.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: “I would like to see the mayor and city council work together more and stop being so adversarial towards each other. They need to have one thing in common: I want to do what’s best for the city.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: “One thing that I will say that I like about Lumumba is that he does stand up to the (State’s) Republican administration. If they take Jackson’s airport, Jackson is cooked. It’s dead.
“If the proper leadership can get in place—city councilmen, county supervisors and mayor—if that aligns and they all have Jackson’s best interest at heart, the sky’s the limit for Jackson. There’s no reason why Jackson can’t be Atlanta, but there are people who don’t want it to be Atlanta.”
However, Braxton said he believes that “as long as there’s a Black man (as mayor) and a predominately Black city, (the state is) not going to give it much help. They want to develop the areas around Jackson and pockets of Jackson. And once they convince the Black middle-class to move out, they’ll take over. That’s what they’re trying to do.”
Ward 3: Gwen Ward Chapman
Chapman is a Jackson native and has spent her life working with children. She currently works as a substitute teacher with Jackson Public Schools and is a member of the Georgetown Community Neighborhood Association.
“We—as a people—have to pull together.” —Gwen Ward Chapman
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: Chapman points to education, community connectivity and the welfare of Jackson’s young people. She is concerned about what she sees as a widening gap between Jackson’s elderly community and the young people. “It’s almost like they don’t have a sense of divine energy greater than themselves. For some of them, the dollar is their God and they have a disrespect for the elders.”
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: She says she is optimistic in Jackson’s growth because of the resurgence of community groups like the Georgetown Community Neighborhood Association.
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: “We—as a people—have to pull together.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: Someone invested in supporting Jackson’s young people and families.
Ward 3: Anthony Moore-Washington
Moore-Washington is a native of southern Louisiana whose “family has been in Jackson since post-Reconstruction.” He graduated from Tougaloo College with a degree in economics, works in the real estate industry and serves as the Community Liaison for the Georgetown Community Neighborhood Association.
“I think a lot of Jacksonians are tired of the shticks and gimmicks that politicians put out to create an image for themselves.” —Anthony Moore-Washington
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: Moore-Washington cites housing costs and availability, economic development, and job creation.
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “I think Jackson has decided to prioritize their neighborhoods, the people have. This is coming from my observation of a resurgence in neighborhood associations and community associations throughout the city—more specifically, disadvantaged neighborhoods. It’s been the response from the people to organize and I think that’s a bright spot in the city.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: Moore-Washington said that in the next four years, the City must prioritize staffing up its Public Works and Parks and Recreation departments by offering “more jobs that help facilitate the basic maintenance and operation of the City itself versus administratively. This would be more people on staff to fix traffic lights or fix sidewalks and public right-of-ways.”
“As far as economic development, the solution that I would like to see implemented today is more of an emphasis and prioritization of (business development near) major thoroughfares and mid-size thoroughfares throughout the city. They have historically served as anchors. They connect neighborhoods but they also employ those neighbors within the community.
“Recreate, redevelop the economic base of neighborhoods. As of now, the city is driven towards high economic centers like County Line Road versus having a decentralized economic base–the economic base is kind of centralized to one region. I would like to see more banks on ordinary corners, more restaurants and mom-and-pop (shops) throughout neighborhoods.
“Lastly, there is a growing issue with housing costs in Jackson. I think it’s underrated as far as a political and social discussion here. Jackson had the highest rising rent in 2015. At the time, I was boarding eviction at various stages, but I was on my way towards earning an economics degree. It forced me into finding a solution for housing.
“A solution is more homes built, including in long-standing neighborhoods. We need access to multi-family homes, especially in economic thoroughfares because it connects people to place. But we also need a whole host of in-fill development in historically Black neighborhoods where the homes were already built subpar. We have to bring up the market value of the homes that are here already and the only way to do that is to invest in the neighborhoods, invest in place-making at the heart of neighborhoods along corridors and invest in neighborhood organizations that support those efforts whether they are banks or civic organizations.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: “Transparency. When I say transparency, I mean no gimmicks. I think a lot of Jacksonians are tired of the shticks and gimmicks that politicians put out to create an image for themselves. I’m looking for an authentic and transparent leader. I would hope that my next council person has an eye for bettering our ward but also the entire city and I hope our next mayor has a transparent disposition for their motivation for all areas of Jackson.”
Ward 4: Seymore Bell
Bell was born and raised in Jackson, is a business owner and leads the Westside Community and Civic Club.
“I’d like for our citizens, our officials, everyone to feel like it’s our responsibility to make this a better city.” —Seymore Bell
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: Crime, blighted property and community cleanliness and relationships between residents and City officials were among the issues Bell highlighted. “When it’s election time, you see a lot of interest in things going on in our city and these candidates making promises about what’s going on. What I’d like to see is, keep that same energy once you get in.”
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “I see a movement of concern with the citizens wanting to make it a better city. You see it in boards being created like the Jackson Association of Neighborhoods, Leadership Greater Jackson. You see this interest, this uprising, in people wanting to get involved in our city.
“I’d like for our citizens, our officials, everyone to feel like it’s our responsibility to make this a better city. We’re not here to put the bulk of the load on our elected officials’ backs for them to carry it for us. It’s our responsibility but also it’s theirs. I wish everyone would take an ownership mindset of our city.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: Bell believes city leaders should prioritize proper planning and persistence in following through with those plans. “It’s easy to start something and get people with great ideas to say, ‘Let’s start this, let’s do this.’ The trick is being persistent and continuing it.”
He’s seen for himself how small acts over time can plant seeds to inspire others in his community.
“I tell people that about our (neighborhood) cleanups. I’ve had people who probably thought I was out of my mind about cleaning up and picking up trash. So I try to set the example. I don’t say things and not live them. I think the responsibility is mine just like I wish other people thought it was theirs.
Our neighborhood association does a ‘Yard of the Month’ every month. We put a sign out and give them a certificate. Now, we’re also thinking about giving them a gift card to somewhere like Lowe’s or Home Depot. It gets people motivated.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: “What I’m looking for in all my officials is for them to have a relationship with one another so that they can work together to accomplish goals for their constituents. And I also want you to feel responsible for other wards and the city as a whole.”
Ward 5: Elizabeth Perkins
Perkins is a Jackson native who now operates the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation named for her parents. Perkins describes herself as a “die-hard West Jackson person.”
“How can you build a city without having conversations about the youth?” —Elizabeth Perkins
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: Perkins pointed to water quality, safety of Jackson’s youth, retaining college graduates and housing.
“A lot of our children don’t live in the community after they graduate because they had to move away to get jobs. Back in the day, when this organization first started, kids would come back here and be part of the community. But now, because there are no jobs in Jackson, our kids that we’re raising and graduating from college, they’re not even coming back here.”
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “There are several organizations throughout Jackson that are truly making a difference. Their dedication and impact serve as a beacon of light in our city and community.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: Perkins said that while she understands why some families choose to leave the capital city, she wishes residents would stay in Jackson to make the city better instead of moving to the surrounding suburbs.
“I understand that people want better schools but if they poured into our schools here, they would be better. When I go down Lakeland (Drive), it’s like everything is at your fingertips. I understand the pull of being in those places. But no one wants to make a sacrifice because it’s all about ‘me’—it’s not about ‘we.’ We’re so individualistic.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: Perkins said she attended a mayoral candidate forum recently and is concerned with the lack of conversation about how city leaders will serve and support Jackson’s young people. “My biggest concern is the safety of our children. How can you build a city without having conversations about the youth?”
Ward 5: Mykia Cannon
Cannon is a Tupelo, Miss., native who moved to Jackson to attend Jackson State University. After graduating, she stayed in the capital city and currently serves as the Youth Director at the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation.
“With people coming here from around the country, (Jackson) should set the example for the rest of the cities.” —Mykia Cannon
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: She pointed to the city’s appearance, education, street maintenance, security and student safety at Jackson State University.
“Just the sight of Jackson is kind of ran down,” Cannon said. “I just think that with it being the capital, it should look up to par. With people coming here from around the country, it should set the example for the rest of the cities.”
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “People are talking about the issues and trying to make things happen. I see the community wants to get involved, so we just need the right people in place over the city.”
Cannon said that Jackson State University is also a highlight for the capital city, particularly with pushing students to be civically engaged.
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: “(With) most of the kids, everything is technology or screen time now. When I was growing up, I was always outside … so just have something for the kids to to do.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: Cannon said that city leaders should focus on securing the Jackson State campus. “Anybody can just walk onto our campus. It’s very open.”
Ward 6: Halima Strong
Strong is a Jackson native, business owner and public school teacher who “comes from a family of educators,” she told the Mississippi Free Press.
“Raise up all of Jackson. That’s what I want to see in the next mayor.” —Halima Strong
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: “Access to business opportunities within Jackson. … I’m in a neighborhood where Kroger is gone, the Walgreens is gone, very few fast food places—so the opportunity to patronize different businesses within Jackson is low, which prompts a lot of people to go outside of the Jackson city limits to Ridgeland, to Byram, to Clinton.
“Of course I think the streets could always be better. And also, having people advocate for all of Jackson and not certain parts of Jackson. You see some areas seem to be thriving and other areas look like food deserts.”
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: She points to police precinct meetings and organizations that offer programs for youth.
Strong said the number of people running for office this year is a good sign. “I believe that out of the 20-something candidates trying to run for mayor, that somebody out of that group genuinely wants better for Jackson. It gives me hope that people aren’t just abandoning the city. There are people that want Jackson to thrive. There are people that believe in what Jackson has.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: Bring new business, focus on street repaving, increase salaries for JPD and improve the Jackson Public School District, she says.
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: “Do what’s best for Jackson. It almost looks like (the different parts of) Jackson, in some sense, are different places. Where I live, it looks drastically different from North Jackson. Those things that get enforced in North Jackson should also get enforced in West Jackson and South Jackson. Raise up all of Jackson. That’s what I want to see in the next mayor. I want to see the signs (of progress). We hear a lot of promises.”
Ward 6: Meredith Coleman-McGee
McGee is a Los Angeles, Calif., native whose family moved to Mississippi after the 1965 Watts Rebellion. The author and business owner has resided in South Jackson for 26 years. McGee said that she has “great neighbors” and that “Jackson is a great place to live.”
“The problems are severe and if they don’t have a good work ethic, this job ain’t for them.” —Meredith McGee
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: McGee says leaders should fully staff all City departments and improve customer service, fix infrastructure around businesses and save the Jackson Medical Mall.
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “Infrastructure is being improved in terms of replacing gas and water pipes and we still have some striving business districts in the (predominately) white areas of Jackson. Those districts are helping to bring tourism here.”
McGee added that some of Jackson’s highlights include restaurants like Johnny T’s, Stamp’s Burgers and The Big Apple Inn as well as cultural attractions like museums and the Mississippi Blues Trail.
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: “We started in West Jackson in ’68 and I grew up in North Jackson. We didn’t have any pothole problems then. Our infrastructure was walkable, we had a wonderful tax base and we had fully staffed employment for the city.
“We could have saved the Burlington (Coat Factory) if they had just repaired the potholes around the Metro (Center) Mall. Most of the people in my neighborhood were still going to Burlington in 2021. We had to pass around potholes. Those things kill businesses.
“The zoo has got to be brought up. We need retail businesses in the mall. Those are anchor businesses. Continue to tear down the blight but we need more businesses on Terry Road down towards Byram. There is hope.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: “I would like to see the city council person for Ward 6 hit the ground running to increase the business class and do whatever they can do to improve services. I would like the mayor to bring industries here and consider the infrastructure around businesses and take care of everything the City owns from the Smith Robinson museum to Thalia Mara Hall.
“They can’t be slow with it, they’ve got to have a plan of action. We need the politicians to solve the issues that they can solve and be good stewards. The problems are severe and if they don’t have a good work ethic, this job ain’t for them.”
Ward 6: A. Scott Tenon
Tenon is a Jackson native, business owner and licensed cosmetologist who has spent nearly 25 years living and working in South Jackson. “Because it’s South Jackson, people feel like we’re less than,” he said.
“If it’s not North Jackson, if it’s not Fondren, nobody cares.” —A. Scott Tenon
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: “Streets and roads are one major one. I’m dealing with some suspension issues with my truck from these potholes. Also crime … Where is the City, where are the police? Nobody is taking note of this. I’m disappointed in our city leaders. It’s like nobody is taking their job seriously. Nobody cares. If it’s not North Jackson, if it’s not Fondren, nobody cares.
“Drug and Criminal activity in and around abandoned property in South Jackson. ‘Crappy’ city services. Lack of sit-down restaurants in South Jackson. Changing the negative perception of South Jackson and of Mississippi as a whole.
“As a business owner, I have to recruit staff (and) I have to change a lot of the perception of South Jackson. Because it’s South Jackson, people feel like we’re less than. A lot of people feel like South Jackson is a wasteland.
“When I travel and I tell people I’m from Mississippi, they don’t ask, are you from Jackson, are you from Madison, are you from Brandon? They don’t go into all that. But that’s what we’re doing here, we’re too busy building these divides and fences. They look at us all the same.”
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “Tenon points to robust and diverse foodie culture. Diverse music culture from blues to R&B and gospel.
“I do miss festivals like Jubilee Jam and other music festivals; those were signature events that our state held and a lot of people nationally looked (forward) to. I wish we would get back to those events and do those better.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: “I think Jackson can improve in the next four years by taking steps to eradicate these abandoned houses (and) by making a greater movement to improve infrastructure. I don’t think people realize how disturbing it is just trying to leave your home and driving through ten potholes before you get to the stop sign. When I travel outside of the city, there shouldn’t be an immediate difference in the road structure.
“And for us to be the capital city, why do we not have a City of Jackson roads and maintenance department? … We shouldn’t have to wait on contractors. They can create the division, hire competent people to ensure that the city’s infrastructure is maintained well.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: “I am looking for a leader with integrity and a strong conviction to do what’s right in respect to the citizens of the city of Jackson. I’m not expecting somebody to be perfect. I’m expecting somebody to listen and to digest and to really analyze and see what’s going on.
“We need great leaders of integrity, you know, people who actually have heart to improve the City of Jackson. I’m kind of disappointed in Chokwe. I really am. His father set a standard. When his father won, I was really excited about the trajectory of the city.
“I just feel like when (Lumumba) came in, he started off OK, but he just dropped the ball. I really hope that the next leader will have more intention and action to progress the city.”
Ward 6: Johnny Byrd
Byrd, a native of the Delta and business owner, was formerly a data analyst with the Jackson Police Department. He is the president of the Carriage Hills Neighborhood Association and vice president of the Association of South Jackson Neighborhoods.
“We keep voting people in that we know ain’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing.” —Johnny Byrd
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: Byrd says blight, getting people involved and improper usage of City resources.
“Jackson is the largest city in the State of Mississippi with seven colleges and over 30,000 college students and the fourth largest school district. Yet we look like a third world country. You can leave out of Jackson and go in any direction, you see growth and vitality. It’s not the fact that we don’t have the resources—we don’t have the right leadership.”
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “We have an election coming up. That’s great.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: Byrd said Jackson needs increased civics education. “We keep voting people in that we know ain’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: “I need my city council person to be forward thinking, not backward thinking. I need him or her to be able to work with the other council people, state officials and the county supervisors and come up with a comprehensive plan to make sure that our area is OK. We’ve got to have the right leadership; that’s the problem with Jackson.”
Ward 7: Chauncey Spears
Spears is a Memphis, Tenn., native who worked in the capital city while residing in Byram for nearly 20 years before moving to Jackson last year. He is an educator and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated Alpha Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Jackson.
“Jackson really is a college town. What they have to do is capitalize on that.” —Chauncey Spears
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: Spears says improving K-12 education, lack of new housing stock, maintaining Jackson’s tax base and attracting and keeping college graduates.
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “Jackson really is a college town. What they have to do is capitalize on that. It’s an education hub. That is understated here in Jackson.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: Spears says that a magnet public high school could attract families back to the capital city.
“If you could have an all-magnet high school—not a magnet program like a Murrah; literally, you have to test to get into this school—folks would pull their kids out of St. Andrews and Jackson Prep with a quickness to go to a free school.
“In terms of community development for Jackson, if you had a school that was the best high school in the state right here in Jackson, how many families would send their kids there, bring that tax base back? Then (the City would) be able to have the resources to fix the streets, fix the water infrastructure and pay cops and fire people what they deserve.
I think too often—and this is not a bad thing, but—a lot of the leadership is focused on how we manage poverty. You need the tax base to even support the programs that can help poor people. The people who can move, they move because you’re not giving them options. Affordable housing, you need it, but where are the market rate houses? You have to have housing stock that’s going to compete with Clinton or Madison.
“Jackson’s future is tied to how we attract and keep productive people.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: “I think they do a good job in trying to talk about the culture and the food. Yeah, I get it. That’s great and that’s part of what attracts people. But talk more about (Jackson) as a college town, you know, try to create spaces where these college graduates would want to plant roots here.”
Ward 7: Scott Crawford
Crawford is an advocate for accessible infrastructure in the capital city, including sidewalks and housing. He lives in the Fondren neighborhood and volunteers with Jackson’s Americans with Disabilities Act Advisory Council.
“It bothers me a lot to hear folks trashing Jackson who don’t live here. They’re part of the problem, not the solution.” —Scott Crawford
Q: What are the most pressing issues in Jackson right now?
A: Affordable, accessible housing for all, efficient public transportation and walkable communities, Crawford says.
“If we as older adults or people with disabilities cannot live affordably in the community in a space that is safe and accessible, we are going to get marginalized and that factors into our decision as to go into an institution. It factors into our freedom to be in the community.
“We need to be building so people don’t have to ever move if they choose not to. They can age in place. We need integration by class, by race, by everything—by ability so that we can all learn from each other.”
Q: What do you think is going well in Jackson?
A: “We are ‘seeing the light’ in terms of walkable-livable communities and public transportation has improved over the years. We even have a potential ‘transit-oriented development’ study in the works, if the federal government doesn’t pull that funding. All of that is great.”
Q: How can Jackson improve in the next 4 years?
A: “We need good relations between the city and the (Mississippi) Legislature for lots of reasons. We need to somehow—and I don’t have the answer—address the negative impressions that folks have about Jackson but they don’t live in Jackson. It bothers me a lot to hear folks trashing Jackson who don’t live here. They’re a part of the problem, not the solution.
If they really want to make things better, they need to put their money where their mouth is and move to Jackson. Otherwise, they can shut up. We have flight to the suburbs that is gutting the infrastructure, gutting the tax base and marginalizing the city and then they throw stones at the city.”
Q: What are you looking for in your next mayor and/or city council representative?
A: Crawford said the best way to improve the capital city’s image is by having “a mayor and city council of impeccable integrity.”
“That goes way beyond just obeying the law. We need leaders who are going to make decisions that are in the long-term best interests of the city (for) the people that live here, not their own pocket books, not their own egos or aspirations. That takes someone who has a heart to serve and can’t be corrupted.”
Mississippi’s municipal primaries in Jackson and in cities and towns across the State are on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Runoffs in cases where no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote will follow on April 22 and the general election will be on June 3. Go here for more information on voting.
Comments are closed.