Jackson Free Press

Delores Williams drives a Greyhound bus full time. I'd be willing to ride anywhere with her after being on board Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.'s 18th "Mayor's Pride Ride" last Saturday. The mayor welcomed us on board, calling us VICs—very important citizens—and then introduced Delores. Throughout the ride, she proved over and over why she gets this special assignment, maneuvering that big dog deftly down narrow, crowded streets, turning at tight corners without touching nearby power poles or parked cars, and zigzagging through the crowded parking lot of Jackson State's Athletics and Assembly Center so that those on board finishing their sweet tea from the Chimneyville BBQ Smoke House didn't spill a drop.

We glided out of Galloway Elementary School's parking lot at 10 a.m. Sitting beside me was Betty Willis, a secretary at the UMC Blood Bank, on the ride because when she called City Hall with some questions, it was suggested to her that she might want go on the ride to learn first hand about what's happening in Jackson. And learn we all did. Projects abound in the city, and the mayor had the facts and figures at his fingertips, and I don't mean on paper, either.

For instance, the mayor told us the Jackson Medical Mall is "very unique in the country" with almost 1 million square feet of space, 90-95 percent occupied. Heads turned from side to side as we continued up the old Delta Drive, and the mayor soon pointed out the Freedom Corner marker, saying, "that's the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Medgar Evers Boulevard. … This is supposed to be the only place in the country where there is an intersection named after these two famous civil rights workers." He told us that city employees created the marker and its mural.

Over the four-hour ride, Johnson's pride in the city's accomplishments was evident to her, Willis later told me, in the way his voice changed as he spoke to us, sort of like a man who is proud of his new toy, be it a car, boat or miter saw. After all, she said, "Men are big boys and this [the city of Jackson] is his toy."

"Look down Farish Street, and you see how we are making it better," Johnson stated as we turned onto Amite in front of the Dr. A. H. McCoy Federal Building, drawing laughter from the pride-riders as we looked at the construction. "Now, that might not look better, but, believe me, it's going to be better," he continued. "We're spending about $250,000 … [in what] will be the Farish Street Entertainment District."

Everyone on board applauded, except for Delores—she kept on driving—right up until she pulled to a stop in front of Galloway, but not before we had learned something interesting about the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Facility—the city recently signed a 30-year contract with the West Rankin Sewer Authority. The pact will add Richland, Pearl, Flowood, Brandon, Jackson International Airport and the Reservoir to the current customers—Jackson, Madison and Ridgeland.

That's a prime example of regional cooperation. Jackson is at the heart of the metropolitan region, and cooperation is a key to success, no matter what the project, he said.

The December "Mayor's Pride Ride" is scheduled for Sat., Dec. 6, 2003 with departure at 9 a.m. Call 960-1084 to reserve your seat and to find out the departure point.