Jackson Free Press

Northside Sun

Recently, instead of hearing, "I really do hate/love your columns in the Northside Sun," I've been hearing, "What's your take on the Jackson mayoral election?" That's apparently on everyone's minds, nowadays, but readers have taken some devilish delight in asking my opinion because of my past articles in support of Harvey Johnson's police chief, Robert Moore, and my myriad of columns praising Frank Melton's "Bottom Line" commentaries over the years. Well, dear reader, you asked for it, so here it is:

Harvey Johnson got off to a rocky start as Jackson's mayor in 1997. While Frank Melton was raking corrupt city politicians over the coals, the new mayor was sending the message that his only response to any crisis was to pay for another study or support another tax hike. Johnson was personable, and presented the professional image we wanted our mayor to display on the state and local stage, but Clinton, Pearl and Canton were benefiting from his inability to attract and keep key businesses.

But…Like a brash young President Kennedy, who rose from the Bay of Pigs fiasco to save the world during the Missles of October crisis, Johnson has grown in the job, and he's become a quiet but effective leader. This leadership may be seen in his budget, crime control and infrastructure guidance. And since our unassuming mayor has not been one to brag, what you're about to read may really surprise you.

Johnson has balanced his budget and worked within his means every year since 1997, and that despite diminishing state and federal support. He has eliminated over one hundred administrative and clerical positions while raising salaries for those who actually do the work. That, my friends, is leadership.

Thanks in large part to Johnson's choice of Robert Moore as police chief, the JPD has grown from 370 officers to 500, and our city has seen a reduction of reported first quarter crimes from 20,000 in 1997 to 13,500 in 2005. Homicide is down 47% since last year. And these stats are from an independent source, the Clarion Ledger. Yes, we are an urban area with a large impoverished underclass, so we will always have crime. The issue is whether we're doing anything worthwhile about it. The statistics say Johnson and Moore are getting it done. And more importantly to me, no one in our neighborhood has been robbed or burglarized in the past two years. That's improvement enough for me.

Infrastructure is literally what a city is all about, and it is in this arena that Harvey Johnson has best demonstrated his growth as an effective politician. An impressive Telecommunications Center rises above our downtown area, and a Convention Center will join it soon. Beneath our streets, time worn sewers (which Johnson inherited along with a myriad of other difficulties) are being repaired. Our tax base is stabilizing as whites return to Belhaven and Fondren from their former safe-havens in Madison and Rankin Counties. High Street is a wonder to behold, and Farish Street is no longer the crime-ridden eyesore that it once was, and may yet become a historical district we can all be proud of. Sub-stations downtown and in the malls help reduce crime, as does the Jackson State parkway, which is linking JSU to downtown. The city has torn down 1700 ramshackle houses, invested several million in building decent housing for the poor, and is now working with Deuce McAllister to refurbish the King Edward Hotel, the key to the revitalization of the western downtown area.

Column republished with permission of Northside Sun Publisher Wyatt Emmerich.