Jackson Free Press

David Hampton at the Ledger writes:

Frank Melton says he doesn't do politics, but last week's Jackson mayoral primary showed he does politics quite well — with a lot of help from Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.

Johnson's loss in the Democratic Primary was more than an election defeat; it was a trouncing. For a first-time challenger to get 63 percent of the vote against a two-term incumbent says the race was probably over before it started.

While municipal elections can turn on issues as mundane as drainage, this one was less about policy and more about style. And politics is all about style.

Melton's straightforward, aggressive style has been his trademark throughout his career. It served him well as CEO of WLBT-Channel 3 and has made him a natural for local politics.

People running for office like to play down political skills, thinking politicians have a bad image.

Full article here.

Previous Comments

ID

137448

Comment

Y'all check this out. In the Ledge columns Sunday, an interesting paradox arose: In this column, Hampton writes that the mayor lost because he could not sing his own praises: While he would work tirelessly behind the scenes on a project and gain success, he had little idea of relating successes to the public. ... The P-word, perception, was a very big issue with Johnson because voters perceived his administration was sluggish and indecisive. And, in politics, perception is reality. (Of course, Hampton does not take responsibility for his paper's role in spreading these perceptions, but I digress.) In Eric Stringfellow's column the same day, he attacks Chief Moore for singing his own praises: Throughout his three-year stint in Jackson, Moore never passed up an opportunity to articulate his greatness. Damned do, damned don't, Ledge? Or, could there possible have been more going on here that might have actually involved terrible media coverage? Just sayin'.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-05-09T11:38:43-06:00