Jackson Free Press

Mayor Frank Melton's stated desire to take a leave of absence from his job as mayor to become a vigilante lawman and "bring in" a former gang member and alleged murderer was disturbing to us here at the Jackson Free Press. Not only does it sound like the plot line for a relatively rote episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger," (which is, no doubt, a popular show in part because its characters can be counted on to present such "can-do" attitudes on a regular basis), but it also suggests a larger pattern with this particular mayor and his young administration.

Mr. Melton doesn't seem to want to do his job.

Aside from Mr. Melton's general demeanor—in particular the public shouting matches and bouts of cursing to which he's been subjecting television and print reporters—and how that demeanor reflects on the City of Jackson, what we're most concerned about is the city's lack of any sense of accountability to the citizens of Jackson. That argument turns on three different points, all of which are becoming more and more newsworthy as we receive snippets of disconcerting information from the Melton administration.

First, the city seems to lack fiscal leadership. The city's general fund has been depleted at an alarming rate, as the Jackson Free Press broke several weeks ago. A budget that was balanced at the end of the last administration is now at least $6 million in the hole. That could severely affect the city's bond rating, which has been stellar for years and is one important component in any sophisticated plan for recovery and expansion for Jackson. Losing that through mismanagement will dig us into a hole that we assume no Melton supporter expected from the mayor. Especially so quickly.

Second, it's difficult to ascertain exactly what the Melton administration is paying for—and who and what they do, and exactly whom is responsible for what. That is, in large part, due to a culture of lawlessness that Mr. Melton himself has set for his administration, and particularly its contemptuous view of open records and sunshine laws. There is a great deal that Mr. Melton would like to keep secret from the media and the public, and he's gone so far as to tell our reporters that he has no intention of releasing public information to us—an overt admission on his part that he intends to break the law. A responsible elected official doesn't withhold information from the media or the public that they have a legal right to see.

Third, the lack of crime statistics from the city is frustrating. The people of Jackson should call on the mayor and the police chief to reverse their stance and begin to be as open with crime statistics as was the previous administration. The fact that JPD withholds these statistics from the media is confounding after Melton swept into office on an anti-crime platform, promising that crime would be all but eliminated within 90 days. Clearly nothing like that has happened, or we would be seeing numbers.

But there are other very important reasons for him to release those numbers. As has been suggested elsewhere, knowing that there is a spate of petty theft in a particular area of town can focus citizens on vigilance when they're in those neighborhoods. Knowing that the entire city is faced with an increase in burglaries or carjackings, for instance, would help us know whether or not to buy the Club, or to keep paying that $15 a month to the security company. The public cannot help fight crime if we do not know where and how often it is happening.

But aside from the obvious, there are some important legal and business reasons for the city to put out crime statistics. Real estate agents and attorneys—particularly for commercial clients—need to know crime trends in an area before they can locate a large business in a particular part of town, as part of their due diligence. If, for instance, such a person encourages a business to locate in an area that is later shown to have an atmosphere of violence, that individual may be liable. By not making that public information available in an efficient and effective manner, the Melton administration is adding to the liability problems of these consultants, which will likely lead to less development in the inner city, not more.

Finally, Mr. Melton's demeanor in the past few weeks is an embarrassment to the city—we're hearing the moniker "Mayor Meltdown" a little too often now for it to be an isolated joke. It's time for the mayor to rein in his sailor's mouth and start getting on message about the issues facing this city. When he stands in front of a television camera, he needs to stop whining about the coverage he's getting, and start showing his constituents that he's moving forward with an intelligent plan of action and a more diligent eye for the management tasks that face him.

In particular, we recommend that Mr. Melton make the faces of his professional advisers more prominent than they have been in the past. If we're to have confidence in the men and women who are running our city—and if we're to believe that they're doing a good job—then it's time for Melton to step out of the spotlight a little and put forward some of these professionals, particularly people like City Administrator Robert Walker, former mayor of Vicksburg, who we are left to assume has his hand firmly on the rudder of the good ship Jackson—although there is no way to be sure now. If so, let's hear more from him, including the city's roadmap for fiscal responsibility.

Managing the City of Jackson will take responsible, engaged, professional leadership. If Melton doesn't have the experience or knowledge to get something in particular done, then he needs to admit it to himself and put front-and-center -the people who do. That's good management, and it might be his only hope for a positive legacy for his administration.

Previous Comments

ID

71804

Comment

If Melton doesn’t have the experience or knowledge to get something in particular done, then he needs to admit it to himself and put front-and-center -the people who do. That’s good management, and it might be his only hope for a positive legacy for his administration. PREACH!

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-03-08T22:40:43-06:00

ID

71805

Comment

This article is a culmination of the concerns and beliefs of the majority of the people that write to JFP. I whole heartedly agree. I believe that one way to gain and keep a positive image is to surround yourself with strong, positive, proven people. I believe in the youth, but I would not turn the city over to them as the mayor has done. I would bring them into leadership working beside proven leaders. Young people have great and inovative visions, but sometimes they need to be harnessed and nutured by someone with experience. I also believe that the mayor got where he is today by being mentored by someone experienced. We MUST be kept abreast of the crime statistics. We ALL have a vested interest in the city's financial status. We are not lambs being led to slaughter by this dictatorial type of leadership. I see a trend of people coming together to protest these actions by the mayor. It has to start somewhere. He got in office by the people coming together to elect him. We also can either put him (FM) back on track, or get him out of the way and replace him with a real leader. Kudos to the JFP for another Masterfully written article.

Author

lance

Date

2006-03-10T06:54:56-06:00

ID

71806

Comment

I just read an article in the CL about the sheriff department and local police are teaming together to crack down on people living here in the city, but having out of town tags for their vehicles. The article stated that 140,000+ tags were purchased in Rankin county. Now it dosen't take rocket science to figure out that there are not that many people living in Rankin County. The mayor should focus on issues such as this instead of parading around our local strip clubs and chasing down "dangerous criminals" and letting them ride with him in his vehicle. Issues like these are where you begin to recover money that we are losing from our dwindling budget. I wonder if anyone from Rankin or Madison county will buy their tag here in Jackson? I have seen other cities across the country use agressive means of improving their financial status. It might not be a bad idea if we would check around and get some other ideas to work with to keep us as an attraction to future businesses and residents.

Author

lance

Date

2006-03-10T07:35:04-06:00

ID

71807

Comment

On my last house-hunting trip to Jackson I read about the Mayor's refusal to allow the city council to see some crime statistics. I could't believe it. It was the kind of thing Mussolini or Hitler would do. I dashed off letters to the editors of both the JFP and the CL about it. I can't believe he's gotten away with that with no consequences at all except everybody being mad about it. He must have a boss -- someone he's accountable to besides an electorate stuck with him until the next election. It appears that Jackson's municipal government is the typical Mayor and City Council form. I can't tell if it's what they call a strong mayor form or a weak mayor form but it looks like it's the weak mayor form -- meaning the City Council is his boss. Please straighten me out if any of you know different. I located the Jackson Municipal Code. It's loaded with passages marked "Reserved," sometimes several chapters. The company that makes it available told me that means either those portions are undergoing revision and are temporarily offline, or the city in question doesn't want them to be available. I wrote to Mr. Crisler (Council Chair) asking about it. I was also curious about the Ward boundaries. He hasn't gotten back to me yet. I'm sure he will. It's important to speak out when we're unhappy with a public official but it's sure not enough. Lots of things people get mad at public officials about are well within their legal stewardship. I guess it's all about getting your ducks in a row so you can decide when, or if, to take action. If anyone knows more than I do about this, about recourse when a Jackson mayor has exceeded his authority, I'd be grateful for your help.

Author

Prospero

Date

2006-04-10T18:18:13-06:00

ID

71808

Comment

If anyone knows more than I do about this, about recourse when a Jackson mayor has exceeded his authority, I'd be grateful for your help. I would like to know too, and I grew up here!

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-04-10T21:08:32-06:00