There is a certain despair spreading among many Jacksonians. Some devoted citizens are even saying they might leave the city because of Mayor Melton's antics and poor leadership. One JFP blogger, "justjess," posted under Adam's last cover story about the administration's apparent lack of a plan for fighting crime: "I try very hard to keep the optimism of 'ladd' that 'the city can and will prosper despite this administration'; however, I have the concern of 'madd' that 'this city is not going to prosper under this administration.'"
Certainly I share the concerns of "madd" and "justjess," as I've expressed already. Melton needs to decide to be mayor, then figure out how to go about doing it. At the least, he needs to decide to do no harm along the way if he is not going to be a strong mayor.
That is, dump the sidearms and stop crying "wolf" by declaring "states of emergency" to sub for a solid plan for fighting crime (thereby weakening the whole idea of a "state of emergency"). Stop the "raids" and searches that are going to get us sued, and stop carting minors around on the Mobile Command Center to be in the line of fire through its thin walls, should those demons who constantly threaten him ever decide to start shooting in the direction of the big-ass camper.
All that said, I've been thinking a lot about the future, especially since Adam wrote in such detail about the mayor's propensity to spread untruths two weeks ago and then last week about the city's ineffective (or non-existent) crime strategy. Certainly, as "justjess" says, it would be easy to sink into despair.
But that would be foolish—and the jerks who want Jackson to fail would win.
After pondering this in the shower, while driving around retrieving my trashed distribution racks (thanks, Ledger), while blogging, while on the Y treadmill, I've come to a simple conclusion: We must stop enabling the mayor to hurt the city. We must stop coddling ol' Frank. We must stop using him as a source of amusement around the water cooler. We must admit our own role in this mess, and then take steps to repair the problem.
Folks, the mayor only has as much power to hurt the city as we give him—at least in the long run. In the short term, he can make life, liberty and the pursuit of economic development tough. He can disparage efforts to renovate the King Edward, he can jet around looking for alternatives he can take credit for, he can jettison attempts to get federal grants, he can waste resources by staging "searches" at intersections and backing up traffic during rush hour. Certainly, that is the price we as a citizenry pay for believing in his hype about fixing crime in 90 days, for choosing the wild hare over the determined-and-steady road to progress.
But he can't kill our spirit. And the spirit of progress is strong in Jackson. There is enough talent, dedication, business savvy, creativity and determination here to make Jackson into the crowning jewel she's never been. We're sidetracked by the antics of a showman, but it would be silly for us to give up because voters believed too many sound bites in one election. Each of us just has to work a little bit harder to overcome some obstacles that have cropped up between us and progress.
But we can, we will, we must.
Personally, I gain strength from our recent battle with The Clarion-Ledger to maintain our distribution channels. It's been hard work, and we've been burning the candle on both ends. That's why a lot of you haven't seen Todd and me around as much; we are spending our time meeting with other publishers, looking for our trashed racks and talking to other small business owners to explain to them that a huge power is trying to dampen our spirit, to keep us from reaching as many people.
But the David v. Goliath experience is actually invigorating—it is rekindling my belief in this city and its people and its business community. We are getting calls, e-mails, petitions and prayers from people we've never met who believe that the JFP—and the other free publications we've joined forces with—are vital to a strong, resilient Jackson. Regardless of political views, these people are joining together to help small publications weather the Gannett storm—in a grassroots, stubborn way that is attracting national media attention.
Furthermore, the challenge is bringing out our business best. We are expanding distribution, solving problems, getting to know our distribution points, offering them choices they're not getting from a newspaper conglomerate obsessed with control.
It's that kind of local, can-do spirit that cannot be squelched by a mayor who shies from the truth, respecting the law and doing his job well. There is a fire in the belly of Jacksonians of all races and backgrounds—one that reminds us every day that, together, we are greater than what all sorts of people think we are, whether urban-bashers, narrow-minded outsiders who think we're dumbasses, a corporate newspaper company that thought none of us hicks would understand what they were doing, or a mayor who treats all young black men like criminals only he can save.
People, we have come so far in the last five years. We are a city that young people want to stay in, a place that fuels creativity, instead of driving it off. We are a city with a maturing media that is winning impressive awards (like WAPT's recent Emmys). We are a city where people of all beliefs are joining forces to rejuvenate our downtown. We are a city on our way up—and of that we must be proud.
I want each of you reading this to take a second and silently pledge to do your part to help our city and our people be everything we can be. It can be as simple as showing up to one or two more events a month, volunteering as a mentor to change one young person's life, or just correcting someone who tries to misrepresent what life in Jackson is like.
Together, we can overcome the obstacles now in our path. Throughout our ordeal with The Clarion-Ledger, I've been bolstered daily by Alice Walker's words taped over my desk: "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any."
Keep the faith, folks.
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