Jackson Free Press

Former Hinds County District Attorney candidate Michele Purvis endorsed incumbent Faye Peterson over the weekend. "When looking at the remaining two candidates, based upon experience I feel she is the best person for the job as far as the community is concerned and what's best for the community. ... I know (the Jackson Free Press) did not believe me when I was running, but again, my only reason for running was trying to make a difference for the community," Purvis said Monday. "With the problems we're having with crime and things of that nature, I just believe Faye is the best person to try and correct those things."

No candidate running for Hinds County DA captured the required 50 percent ranking to take the office, forcing an Aug. 28 run-off between Peterson and challenger Robert Smith.

Previous Commentsshow

A hat tip to L.W. for really breaking this yesterday in Truthwatch.

DonnaLadd

Aug 20 2007

Great! I just couldn't see Michelle endorcing Smith after she was, in my opinion, double-crossed. I didn't think that any of Smith's excuses for jumping off of her team as campaign manager and goin out on the road by himself made any sense.

justjess

Aug 20 2007

Well, he certainly wasn't very kind to her on the campaign trail. Still, this is the August Surprise, I would say.

DonnaLadd

Aug 20 2007

YEEEAAAAA!! Way to go Michelle. That's a good look for her! I'm proud that she made this public and I am glad that she made this decision...shouldn't have been hard at all....

Queen601

Aug 20 2007

Let's see if the CL reports this endorsement at all.

thetruth

Aug 20 2007

I was thinking the same thing, thetruth. They (a) won't like it and (b) won't like that we reported it first. Maybe Hampton will put it in his column after the run-off. That's the way they like to deal with, er, sensitive political stuff, it seems.

DonnaLadd

Aug 20 2007

We could do a pool on how long it takes.

DonnaLadd

Aug 20 2007

Donna, not that I want kudos but I think I reported the endorsement on truthwatch first. lol

thetruth

Aug 20 2007

OOPS. Sorry, thetruth. I glanced back and thought L.W. did it. I stand corrected. This one definitely came from the Greater Jackson Blogosphere. (Although technically Bluntson's radio show did it. )

DonnaLadd

Aug 20 2007

Oh, and I never mind folks claiming credit where it's due. Mississippians need to stand up and be counted every damn chance we get!

DonnaLadd

Aug 20 2007

I have one question though: why nothing was said during the primary campaign as to Mr. Smith's lack of integrity by Mrs. Purvis if she thought he had issues with this. She had time to do commercials on him too concerning this, but chose not too, so far as I know. It seems to me things were said or intimated about Ms. Peterson that weren't totally true when measured by an honest and knowing rule or stick. Did Mr. Smith do anything besides run against Mrs. Purvis to cast doubt about his integrity? I can't and wouldn't knock the endorsement of Ms. Peterson who I believe is a good person and good district attorney. I have no doubt that Mrs. Purvis and Mr. Smith are good and able people too.

Ray Carter

Aug 20 2007

I hope stand up (vote) an be counted for Peterson next Tuesday.

thetruth

Aug 20 2007

Ray when you run against an imcumbent you attack the incumbent. You don't waste time and money on the other challenger.

thetruth

Aug 20 2007

I just called the clarionledger and asked them did they know about Mrs purvis endorsing Faye and they said they knew about Purvis calling the radio show and giving her endorsement of Peterson. So they know if they put it in the paper thats another story. But i also asked why no endorsement of a candidate for hinds D.A before the august 4th primary and they replied they dont endorse for primaries and they would endorse for august the 28th election.

NewJackson

Aug 20 2007

Beat me to it truth! Good answer. I hope those who drink it enjoy the Smith kool-aide - it causes heart-burn.

pikersam

Aug 20 2007

THEY DON'T ENDORSE FOR PRIMARIES??? Who told you that, NewJackson? Who were you talking to? (You little Sherlock, you.) If they know about the call-in to the radio show, why haven't they reported it? I tell you, Melton may be Peterson's No. 1 enemy, but it seems clear that The Clarion-Ledger is No. 2. It's as if they lose all sense of journalistic good sense when it comes to her. Remember this little goof-a-roo?

DonnaLadd

Aug 20 2007

Thanks Truth.

Ray Carter

Aug 20 2007

"Sherlock holmes" maybe i just have a passion for jackson. I called the number for news tips, the young lady was very helpful and made me i said made me stay on the phone until she found the answers to my questions. She seemed like she didn't know that they didn't endorse a candidate before august 4th and she looked up the history to see if i was right and thanked me for being for holding, i was shocked the clarionledger, she than told me to stay on the line until she got an answer from an editor. but she said they did know about mrs purvis endorsement of faye.

NewJackson

Aug 20 2007

New Jackson... The CL says they don't endorse candidates in the primaries? In case anyone has not noticed, the election on the 28th IS the primary. It just happens to be a runoff for the Democratic primary. So if the CL says it does NOT endorse candidates in the primaries, then don't expect an endorsement in the Hinds County DA's race. But wait... didn't the CL endorse Michael Guest rather than David Clark in the Rankin County DA's race? Didn't the CL also have an endorsement in the Madison County's sheriff's race? Hmmm. Maybe the CL's policy has changed since the prior endorsements in the past few weeks... Yeah... That's it.

xxgreg

Aug 20 2007

Actually folks, count Melton as the one who has changed. Check out this article out where he claims he'll wipe out crime in 180 days! But, don't dismiss looking at the article because you've heard it before - behold: Melton said his first priority is to put together a transition team. "It's going to be the most diverse group of Jacksonians that you have ever seen, and I will announce who they are in the morning," he said. Melton said it will be important for his administration to work closely with Hinds County officials. [color=red]"I attend to work very closely with the district attorney, giving her all the assistance she needs for swift and sure prosecution," Melton said. "She is understaffed, and that's a problem, and we are going to take care of that."[/color] Say what Melton?!? Another failed promise, another lie, another let down... Like this one justjess? ;-) Found it just for you while researching his awesome "transition team" - the likes of which we've never seen - for the Fordice thread. In fact, we don't see them today because most jumped ship!

pikersam

Aug 20 2007

Good job, sherlock. Remember to ask for the name next time; it's easier to hold them accountable that way!

DonnaLadd

Aug 20 2007

not telling yall a lie she said it plain as day i knew it was an excuse when she said it, but she also said it like they knew it was going to be a runoff and only wanted to endorse in the final vote on the 28th, but since they knew Guest and David clark was the only two they could go ahead an give a endorsement for rankin county/madison county (often referred to as heaven). The clarionledger entertains for the suburbs and the rest of mississippi and jackson is the entertainment, i guess they say the only way to get the essence of the entertainment is to live and work among them. i say the clarionledger should moved to madison they are more pro suburbs than city.

NewJackson

Aug 20 2007

How in the world would they know it was going to a runoff—maybe they were in on the scheme!?! (kidding) That's amazing stuff. Good job, NewJack.

DonnaLadd

Aug 20 2007

New Jackson... I think most posters on this board agree about the overall quality of the Jackson media, electronic and print media.

xxgreg

Aug 20 2007

A hat tip to L.W. for really breaking this yesterday in Truthwatch. Actually, it was thetruth that broke it. I just added a C-L link about the clergy support to back up what thetruth said.

LatashaWillis

Aug 20 2007

Oops, just saw the correction. Need to sloooooow dowwwwwwn.

LatashaWillis

Aug 20 2007

ladd call the news tip line 601 961 7000 and ask the same questions if its a white female and dont ask me how i know she was white, its biult in but if she give you the same reply shes the one, but dont be hard on her she was veedy veedy nice and professional she might have lied but its only peer pressure around her.

NewJackson

Aug 20 2007

Oh, I wouldn't never think this buck stops with her. We know better.

DonnaLadd

Aug 20 2007

Pikersam, I'm loving it! How soon some forget.

justjess

Aug 20 2007

I am excited about the endorsement! It stands to reason that after the dust settled, Michele was honest in her assessment. Thanks for shoing us class Michele!

blkokc

Aug 20 2007

Folks, am I missing The Clarion-Ledger report today about Purvis endorsing Peterson? Is this, er, "old news," too? I can't believe they'd prove us right in such a dramatic way. If they really didn't report this in a race that that is so important and newsworthy here, someone ought to report them to the home office in Virginia. This is really bad. Maybe it's buried in Southern Style or something?

DonnaLadd

Aug 21 2007

Today the same 'ol voices are calling the radio shows and talking about how it is "time for a change" in the DA's Office. These are the ones who brought us the current administration. Remember Jacksonians and Hinds County Citizens, not all change is progress any more than all motion is forward! Faye might not have done everything the way others would have done it but she is working in a tight money situation with what she has to work with. Personnel is inadequate and the Courts evidentally do not want to match Judge Delaughter's pace. If any of you potential Smith voters still believe he is not Melton's candidate, look whose show went into action Sunday night and who this host's guest was: Bluntson and Higginbottom. Like I said, the same voices who created the storm we are now experiencing.

ChrisCavanaugh

Aug 21 2007

Donna, I took the opportunity to mention Purvis' endorsement in the comment section to their editorial about "flight" from Jackson. It is painfully obvious that the CL does not just want to report on capital city politics, the CL wants to show that they can control capital city politics. That's sad because their meddling helped lead to the present mayor of Jackson as well as the current mess that the city is in. Their "selective journalism" is atrocious and borders on being criminally deceitful.

thetruth

Aug 21 2007

What about the CL being silent on the issues with which current Madison/Rankin county DA David Clark deals? The Clarion Ledger kept silent during the 2003 DA election in which David Clark defeated incumbent Rick Mitchel, then shortly after the election ran a front page expose dealing with Clark's disability in the months prior to his election. Nice job of keeping the public informed, PRIOR TO THE ELECTION, CL.

xxgreg

Aug 21 2007

Well, there seems to be no doubt that Melton and his folks want Robert Smith in office. You can state that as fact.

DonnaLadd

Aug 21 2007

Eek, it's ugly over on the Ledge forums, thetruth. I don't blame you for pointing it out, but you'd better get in and out there, or you'll need a sandblast to get the crud off. I noticed somebody is calling their staff "crackheads"; wonder if it's the same person who was over there saying that I do crack. I'll be interesting to see if they delete that one—they should, but it would be hypocritical since they've left the crack accusations about yours truly up there. I think it's all hilarious. Except that it's very serious—especially when it comes to Metro/State withholding information that people need (like Melton lying in the Meridian lawsuit, the Ridgeway demolition, etc., the Juvenile Detention history of Bluntsons et al.) The Gannett home office in Virginia really ought to be paying attention to what is happening—or not happening down here int he hinterlands.

DonnaLadd

Aug 21 2007