Jackson Free Press

As 2006 comes to a close, it's become achingly clear that Jacksonians are going to need to do something about the way we're governed. The indicators are clear and, oddly enough, they closely mirror what's going on in this country on a national level.

Just last week, The New York Times ran a story recounting that both Republicans and Democrats in Washington seem relieved that there's a changing of the guard in Congress and, one would hope, more oversight in store for the Bush administration. From budget deficits to corruption and hypocrisy, from the Iraq debacle to our tarnished star on the international stage, it seems that there's a near-universal call for change in the priorities of our federal government.

I, for one, look forward to the idea that Congress might govern again. What a year it will be if Congress passes smart laws, manages the budget and offers real oversight to curb the excesses of the Bush administration.

On the local level, the mismanagement of Jackson has reached a similar level of crisis. Not only does the mayor of Jackson remain under indictment for felony charges for burglary, malicious mischief and inducing a minor to commit a felony (did you try to explain that to out-of-towners over the holidays?) but two of his "boys" are back in jail for breaking parole and committing bizarre new crimes. His reputation as a mentor has deservedly suffered, and he's proved that he needs serious oversight in that role.

We recently reported that the Melton administration moved $200,000 out of the Public Works budget in order to demolish apartments earlier this year. The federal government would have paid for the demolition had the city done the appropriate environmental survey; they didn't, and now the City is forced to foot that bill. That's utter mismanagement, and we can't afford it.

In the past week, the City Council has finally stepped up to question the extraordinary number of city "employees" who are hired and paid through temporary agencies, as the JFP has questioned for months. Unlike regular city employees, temps are not subject to background checks and drug testing, and the decisions to use them and to hire certain individuals appear to be so personal to Mr. Melton that he literally has the files locked away in his office in City Hall, where the managers who work for him can't even get at them.

As a result, the council has put off approving payment to the temp agencies, which was wise, even if it comes rather late in the game. The Council needs to stay on the mayor to explain these hires and any other budget irregularities.

Unfortunately, the new year will find us without some key people, such as Peyton Prospere, whom we've been counting on to manage our finances even during these times of turmoil created by Mr. Melton.

The City Council, which has become more assertive in the past few weeks, needs to continue on the oversight front, and it needs to get some "old business" off its agenda. That includes some important personnel decisions—the interim fire chief, Todd Chandler, needs to come before Council immediately for an up-or-down vote, for instance.

And it's time for the council to demand accountability from Police Chief Shirlene Anderson, who has been virtually MIA through both the drama of the Melton indictments and the precipitous rise in crime. It's time to demand that crime stats be released regularly and explained to the public, that a plan is put forward to hire and retain good officers, and that a community-focused strategy is put into play to help send crime trends in the direction they were headed before Melton took office.

The council needs also to very carefully consider its oversight role in the case of the new helicopter that is being trumpeted by the historically quixotic SafeCity Watch group. I find this inclination to outsource important police functions extremely disturbing, and I think the idea of putting so many funds into a semi-official "police" helicopter is misguided at best. (We also need to watch the $300 per hour overage charges in the agreement approved by the council.) At a time when JPD has lost around 50 officers in little more than a year and police cars are falling apart, I think that $600,000 for a helicopter, no matter how altruistic the intentions of local mogul Jim Barksdale, could have been better spent on a true effort to jumpstart a serious community-policing effort in the capital city.

The press has historically been called the Fourth Estate of government because of its role in oversight, a role that The Clarion-Ledger has essentially relinquished in Jackson, particularly as regards crime. I'm reminded of a recent column by Editorial Director David Hampton, in which he wrote:

"In Jackson, people seem to fall into two camps when it comes to dealing with crime. There are those who see it as rampant, out of control, with bumbling elected officials in the criminal justice system. Then there are those who are defensive, who dismiss crime as just another part of modern urban America and something we tolerate, especially as long as it doesn't affect us personally. Neither of those positions we hear is accurate nor helpful without action to address specific problems."

I imagine Hampton is trying to be constructive here, but this binary thinking—and the notion that anyone "dismisses" crime—is insulting. Indeed, it's the Ledger's editors who have seen fit to dismiss some good plans and good people that didn't fit their narrative of a city saddled with rampant crime in recent years, a narrative based in part on selective reporting and sensational editorializing that, with hindsight, has proved irresponsible.

Their narrative has seriously hampered the ability of the people of Jackson and many good-hearted people in the Metro to look past the ratings-friendly antics of our local folk heroes and instead debate and discover thoughtful solutions to the issues of crime, poverty and development in this city.

What Jackson needs is planning instead of personalities, smart governance instead of sound bites, and serious, insightful journalism instead of conventional-wisdom stenography. The key word in all this is oversight—from all of the "estates" of our democracy.

2007 is as good a time to start as any.

Previous Comments

ID

74246

Comment

Nice, Todd. I thought this was the money quote: ...look past the ratings-friendly antics of our local folk heroes and instead debate and discover thoughtful solutions to the issues of crime, poverty and development in this city. And you are right about the need for the police department to shape up. It's sad when ratings trump common sense. Come on, people, we are smarter than that, aren't we???

Author

Izzy

Date

2006-12-29T12:37:33-06:00

ID

74247

Comment

But the problem is how much the media enjoy this circus. I heard Wyatt Emmerich saying on the radio this morning about how great all this has been for the media. What planet is he on!?! Yes, the Melton frenzy has "helped" the JFP in a sense—our credibility has gone up and up because we've broken so many of the stories about him and were right about him from the beginning, and were willing to report the whole truth as we discovered it. But there is nothing fun about having to spend most of our resources on a media maniac who believes everything is a sound bite, lies without hesitation and threatens anyone who criticizes him. There is certainly nothing fun about him coming in and hurting this city so badly at a time when so much good is happening, and so many people are on board about our future. The Jackson Free Press will continue to cover this story and, probably, lead on it because it's important to the city of Jackson for media to finally tell the truth about these people. However, we don't want to chase Melton all the time. There are other stories that desperately need to be done that aren't getting done, and I don't exactly see the Northside Sun filling any news voids. They've got the whole black-males-commit crimes one covered quite nicely. Wyatt Emmerich and I are certainly in this business for different reasons.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-12-29T12:43:58-06:00

ID

74248

Comment

**But there is nothing fun about having to spend most of our resources on a media maniac who believes everything is a sound bite, lies without hesitation and threatens anyone who criticizes him. **<--Ladd, 11:43 am Just curious, Donna: have you and/or JFP received any 'feedback' from Melton since yall broke the Ridgeway Street story? BTW, I'll understand if you can't say.

Author

Kacy

Date

2006-12-29T12:51:25-06:00

ID

74249

Comment

Its better to do one thing well........... The C-L is all over the map and has opinions on just about anything but they have NOT covered Melton well. Not during the campaign nor since. They are just beginning to see the light but their reporting does not reflect even reading their own stories from 2005. So, while it may not be 'fun' covering Melton, it is necessary for the health of the City and to insure the JFP's reputation for truth. Nothing can replace the memory and instincts of human beings. No 'recent to Jackson' reporter can possibly understand the nuances. The last 30 months' tenacious investigations and reporting by the JPF should be studied by journalism students as an example of where and how the press insures our freedom. The combination of news and discussions we are all allowed to witness and/or participate in these 'blogs' is an emerging field and IMHO, well done at the JFP web site. Keep up the great work!

Author

ChrisCavanaugh

Date

2006-12-30T09:02:49-06:00