Jackson Free Press

The excitement was palpable in the rotunda of the state Capitol on March 2 when a diverse team of city and state leaders showed up at a historic rally to encourage the state Legislature to clear the way for Jackson to build a 125,000 square-foot convention center. The project's supporters have drafted legislation that would allow Jackson to ask residents to approve a 1-cent local option sales tax for the $100 million project.

The legislation is not a slam-dunk—both the governor and Senate vocally oppose to any tax or fee increase—but the crowd beamed anyway, in part because of the people who stood with Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. to support the city's efforts to remake itself. Among the racially mixed crowd of leaders and businesspeople were several surprises for anyone familiar with the city's political, business and race history. And even some unlikely ones seemed to revel in the unexpected rainbow coalition gathered.

One surprise was Liles Williams, a white, conservative businessman who has worked with the Stuart C. Irby Company for many years. "As you can see by the people represented here today," Williams said, "the Capital City Convention Center has the backing of a diverse group of leaders. Our interest in this project transcends political and philosophical differences. We share a common interest...the economic success of our capital city."

Williams said no other project on Jackson's horizon is more vital to the economic development of downtown. He urged Mississippians outside Jackson to grasp its importance: "[as] goes your Capital City, so goes Mississippi."

Even conservative City Councilman Ben Allen and Sen. Richard White, R-Terry, stood up with the mayor, although neither made public remarks. Until recently, White was vehemently opposed to a convention center for Jackson, routinely saying that the city needed to take care of downtown crime before building a convention center. (Downtown crime is now at record lows; overall, Jackson crime is at its lowest point in 15 years.)

Johnson told the crowd that one penny on the dollar will pay for "a facility which will generate $70 million in economic impact and create more than a thousand new jobs." His office distributed materials that say the convention center would create 1,344 new jobs, and that the 1-cent tax (exempting groceries and drugs) would completely pay for the project in eight years.

John Lawrence, president of Downtown Jackson Partners, was grinning ear to ear after the speeches. "I'm very encouraged at the diversity of the support," he said. "I'm encouraged that the Legislature and business community seem to understand that Jackson is not even in the game when it comes to tourism alternatives."

The background buzz, which attendees were less likely to put on the record, was that the gathering marked a turning point for the city: that is, a racially, and politically mixed group of business interests actually agreed on something—and a project that, if successful, could score major points for the mayor. Many seem to believe this is a first for the city and, hopefully, augers for healthy collaboration in the future, even if the players don't agree on every detail.

No one from the governor's office attended the rally, however. The day after the press conference, during a noon panel discussion at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Mississippi Development Authority Leland Speed said he would like to see Jackson get its convention center, but not by raising the sales tax. "We must be sensitive to the tax base in Jackson," he said. However, Speed said he would support a hospitality tax on visitors to local hotels and restaurants to pay for the project, much as other cities do.

Malcolm White, who moderated that panel and attended the Capitol rally the day before, said he supports the 1-cent sales tax—"the people of Jackson should pay for it"—but predicted that the Legislature would not allow the question on the ballot. As an alternative, he urged attendees to talk local restaurant and hotel owners into supporting the hospitality tax, saying they do not want to collect and be blamed for the tax. But they would benefit in the long run, White said.