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“You don’t have to leave Mississippi to become successful. I made my first million right here in Mississippi. I made several millions right here in Mississippi,”
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— Latrice Rogers. See page 14-15 for story
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The Race for Jackson Mayor: Security, Crime, Water Take Center Stage by Kayode Crown
March 31 - April 27, 2021 • jfp.ms
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Kayode Crown
D
avid Martin, a 29-year-old engineer at Hunter Engineering Company’s Raymond office, says that a boosted Jackson economy is on his wish list for Jackson’s next mayor. The Jacksonian packed his red car at Raceway gas station on Highway 18 to fill up on gas on March 20 and spoke with the reporter there to interview Jackson residents on what they want from the winning mayoral candidate in the coming election. Seven people are running against Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba to wrest the city’s leadership from his grasp after his first term ends in early July. Two Democrats are running against him: fireman Kenneth Wilson and west Jackson native Patty Patterson; two Republicans: Jason Wells and Ponto Downing; and three independent candidates: Shafeqah Lodree, Charlotte Reeves and Les Tannehill. The April 6 primary election only includes candidates running as Democrats or Republicans. The three independent candidates will join the two parties’ primary election winners as contestants in the June 8 municipal general election. Martin said he believes that the city is full of potential awaiting exploration. Rather than see degradation, he sees possibilities and wants an emphasis on management, refusing to buy into the narrative that Jackson has a shortage of resources. “I want more concern with how money is being spent in Jackson,” Martin said. “Jackson is not—I guess you could say—a poor city; we have a lot of resources that are mismanaged basically.” He did not provide any data to back this claim. “You have a lot of (calls for) help that goes unanswered like they don’t—I guess—try, they don’t try all the things that they could be trying to make this city better than what it could be,” Martin added. “You got a lot of rundown areas of town that could be used, we can boost the economy, we’ve got the space, and we’ve got the people, so we’ve got the workforce, but there are no jobs for the workforce we have.” Martin says more opportunities for
Jacksonian David Martin said that increasing employment opportunities for the young people in the capital city should be a priority of the person who holds the mayoral position.
young people will go a long way. “But if there aren’t nobody hiring, what else (are) they going to do?” he asked. “I just want to see (a) better direction for the city.” Carrie Jones, also at the gas station, expressed concern about the city’s water situation, still reeling from the February winter storm that resulted in water outages and a month-long citywide boil-water notice. She wants repairs to be a priority, including low water pressure. Even after the city lifted
the boil-water notice one month after the water crisis started, “people are still afraid to drink the water,” Jones said. “People (are) still kind of leery of it.” City of Jackson Election Commission Chairwoman Linda Sanders said her team is preparing for the 138,000 people on the voter roll, but projected based on past numbers that far fewer will turn up to vote. “We have ordered equipment, and we also ordered ballots for everybody, and we’re
prepared and ready for them,” she told the Jackson Free Press on March 18. “We don’t even get 50,000 voters for the municipal, but of course we prepare for them, and we are ready for them.” The capital city’s population is currently about 160,000 people, down from a historic high of 200,000. Chokwe A. Lumumba, Incumbent Democrat In statements provided to the Jackson Free Press, Lumumba referenced his popularity in the 2017 municipal election that ushered in his first term, saying he won the large Democratic primary field convincingly without a runoff and claimed numerous achievements. On why he is seeking reelection, he touts his experience of the last four years. “Jackson needs a mayor who has been tested, who has shown up for our city, who understands the process and, in spite of the challenges, knows how to collaborate and get things done,” he said in the statement. Lumumba’s reelection website contains a video of him addressing the increased rate of homicide—128 in 2020—in the city under his watch and what he plans to do about it. “Most important aspect of this job is the work that we do to protect the lives of our residents,” he said. “The violence we have experienced in our city has
Polling Place Changes Some polling places have changed this year either temporarily or permanently. These changes, as of March 18 per the City of Jackson, are as follows: Temporary Change
Permanent Changes
Ward 1
Ward 4
• Precinct #45 (St. Phillips Church) has temporarily moved to McLeod Elementary School, 1616 Sandalwood Place which is Precinct #36. Voting will be held inside the cafeteria.
Change for Municipal Elections Only
Ward 3
• Precinct 12 (Bonner Institutional Church) located at 3032 Bishop Avenue • Precinct 50 (St. Luther Church) located at 1040 Banks Street
• Precinct #24 (formally French Elementary School) voting will now be conducted at George Kurt’s Fieldhouse Gymnasium located at 125 Gymnasium Drive, Jackson, MS • Precinct #90 (formally Woodville Elementary School) voting will now be conducted at Christ Tabernacle Church located at 1201 Cooper Road
Ward 5
• Precinct #89 (formerly located inside the Metrocenter Mall) voting will now be conducted at Greater Mount Bethel Church located at 4125 Robinson Road
• Precinct #54 (Hardy Middle School) voting will be conducted at JPS Career Development Center located at 2703 1st Avenue
Ward 6
• Precinct #96 (formerly Miracle Temple Evangelistic Church) 418 Lakeshore Drive voting will now be conducted at Fire Station #22 located at 1590 Lakeshore Drive • Precinct #94 (formerly located at Higher Ground Family Worship) 3520 Forest Hill Road voting will now be conducted at Willowood Community Center located at 229 Lake Cove Drive No changes have been made to Ward 2 or Ward 7. These voting precincts will remain the same.
