Jackson Free Press

Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin's endorsement last Friday made a big difference for Councilman Marshand Crisler in the crowded field of Democratic mayoral candidates in Jackson, according to political consulting firm Zata|3.

Prior to McMillin's announcement, incumbent Mayor Frank Melton led the pack with 27 percent of voters, in a poll of 500 Jackson voters completed April 1. After the endorsement, a second, April 3 poll shows Crisler in the lead with 27.5 percent, especially among white voters.

"t's safe to say that the Sherriff's embracing of Councilman Crisler was a nice bump," wrote Zata|3 President Brad Chism in an e-mail. "But we all expect that to flatten out some."

Chism said that both polls oversampled white voters.

"Estimates vary over what percentage white vote we will see in the Democratic primary—a lot depends on the media and GOTV budgets among the top candidates," Chism wrote. "(In a low dollar race, white voters represent a higher percentage of the electorate.)"

The second poll put Melton in the No. 2 spot with 19.1 percent, followed by former-mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. at 17.7 percent. The rest of the field shows state Sen. John Horhn at 9.7 percent and Tax Collector Eddie Fair at 6.9 percent. Voters showing a preference for another candidate dropped two percentage points to 9.2 percent, while undecideds accounted for 9.9 percent of those polled.

Last Wednesday, McMillin resigned from his post as Jackson's chief of police for political reasons.

"I couldn't stay as chief in this administration while I was not supporting the mayor's bid for re-election," McMillin said. "I thought it would say a lot about me and my integrity and honesty in taking that salary without supporting the mayor."

McMillin took on the city's top cop job in 2007 when Melton appointee Shirlene Anderson stepped down amid heavy criticism. He served in the dual position as county sheriff and city chief for over a year.

Melton and McMillin have frequently disagreed, even before McMillin began working for the city. Melton did not support McMillin during the last election cycle for Hinds County sheriff, for example, and while McMillin endorsed then-incumbent District Attorney Faye Peterson for another term at her job, Melton endorsed the current D.A., Robert S. Smith.

Melton appointed Police Cmdr. Tyrone Lewis to replace McMillin as interim chief.

Previous Comments

ID

145588

Comment

[verbatim] Former Jackson Police Chief and State Corrections Commissioner Robert Johnson, one of 12 Democrats running for mayor in the Jackson primary to be held May 5th, says enough is enough. Johnson today stated the telephone polls reported on the first week of April conducted by Zata3 are a bogus attempt at trying to sway the electorate unfairly. "The keypad touch telephone polls conducted by Zata3e are nothing more than an attempt to create the impression that certain candidates are ahead. That is never more obvious than the recorded message asking those answering the phone if they support one of a handful of the candidates by name and the remainder of the 12 candidates being bundled into an 'other' category. If Zata3 wants to give voters, the media, and bloggers a true picture of this race, then all 12 Democratic candidates should be listed so that those answering the phone can press one through 12, not one through five and then six for 'other' and seven for 'undecided.'" Johnson challenged the media to report on the scientific validity of this poll and refrain from merely reporting without the facts. "I urge the media to stop reporting these poll results as legitimate. Covering a large field of candidates, specifically 12 Democratic candidates who are all seeking support as Mayor of Jackson is arduous, but reporting these polls as legitimate is a disservice on the part of our news organizations that want each of us to rely on them for the facts in making an informed decision on May 5th."

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2009-04-06T11:56:42-06:00

ID

145592

Comment

Wow, this race is turning out to be way juicier than the last one. No stone left unturned!

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2009-04-06T12:25:35-06:00

ID

145595

Comment

Let's keep this going onward and upward! This is what PROJACK is all about!

Author

Razor

Date

2009-04-06T12:48:25-06:00

ID

145596

Comment

Who is Zata|3? From their Web site: We believe in the Democratic Party and in the progressive agenda. As natives of Red and Swing states, we understand that the battle is fought and won largely outside the Beltway. Each campaign is different and we are committed to a customized program for every client. … Last March, the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) held its annual awards ceremony for the best in political consulting work in 2007 in Santa Monica, CA. These "Pollie" awards are conferred after peer review of the work of hundreds of consultants across the country. Zata|3 Consulting was recognized for 27 Pollie awards, more than any other direct voter contact firm. … The American Association of Political Consultants recently honored Zata|3 with 19 "Pollies" for excellence in telephone voter contact programs in the 2006 cycle. Although our team is led by experienced political consultants, this was our first cycle to compete for honors under the Zata|3 banner–a record performance for any first-time award winner. " Brad Chism holds an honors degree in political science from Millsaps College and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2009-04-06T13:04:19-06:00

ID

145597

Comment

Here are Chism's responses to comments thus far: "There are lots of arm chair quarterbacks in this race. And there are some passionate advocates on behalf of many of the candidates who are looking for an edge. We get that. If people are talking about the race online and trying to poke holes in the data, then we have accomplished one objective in all this--the bloggers will help increase civic awareness and MAYBE we will have a stronger turnout of informed voters. "As the character assaults and attacks on our motives, it would be counterproductive to respond. We are doing this for fun and aren't gonna get into a pissing match with anybody. We have paying clients across the country to take care of. "Suspicions about motivations of the poll and who's behind it. I am paying for it internally. "John Horhn has been a friend for 20 years. His campaign manager is a friend who learned of the job thru me. "Marshand Crisler has been a friend for a long time. I have worked with his campaign manager on two other races. "Eddie Fair -- I have contributed in the past to Eddie Fair's campaigns for Countywide office. "Harvey Johnson – I worked on his race 4 years ago. I gave him money. His wife is my banker. "I know casually some of the other candidates but not to this degree. (Melton not among them.) "The swing from Melton to Crisler. "The bump comes with the McMillan news. Early in the race, with few people communicating with paid media, this is natural. As we said, it will level off some. "Why we are doing this: We have several friends in the Jackson Mayor's race but no candidates who are clients. We are intrigued by the dynamics of this race and have decided to do some survey work for public dissemination. "About the survey. This sample of 500+ voter phone households is a rough approximation of historical voter registration and turnout.While we do track the respondents self-identification by age, race, and gender we have not weighted the survey by these demographics or by voter frequency. The pivot tables are available that allow you to drill down by demographics and ward. [The JFP will post these shortly.] We caution you not to draw too many conclusions by ward as these sample sizes are small. "Methodology We used an interactive, automated call with keypad responses to record results. The numbers are scrambled and randomly dialed with a quota of respondents by ward. As the name suggests, our ZATAPULSE takes the pulse of the electorate. It is not an "MRI". It is a useful tool for short surveys of this nature and we have used it for more than 200 races across the country. We employ a similar methodology as Survey USA or Rasmussen. Still, the tool has limits. We caution you that this race is very fluid and that each candidate is likely to have a more robust, internal poll. Nonetheless, we are confident that this is the most accurate, timely information that is publicly available."

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2009-04-06T13:16:02-06:00

ID

145598

Comment

The Twitter dates are showing as if they were posted in March. Someone might want to fix that. Now, back to your regularly scheduled posting.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2009-04-06T13:27:48-06:00

ID

145599

Comment

Yes, I know. I've put in a request to the tech department. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-06T14:02:06-06:00

ID

145601

Comment

Did Chism say if/why they didn't include more of the candidates, which seems to be one of R. Johnson's complaints? Also, per a comment about this under a different post, if Chism is trying to influence the race for H. Johnson, I'm not sure why he would have publicized the second poll showing Crisler's big bump and H. Johnson dropping. There may be legitimate beefs with this poll (there are with most any poll), but that's probably not one of them. Also, we've worked with this firm before to do a Melton poll a few years back, which found Melton more popular than many people would have liked. There were some JFP-haters who jumped on it because we were involved, but it made no sense at the time because why would we (or WAPT, whom Melton hates as well) have publicized the results if we were hiring Chism to skew it. People can be real dumb-butts sometime. There's not a whole lot in what I've seen so far that I find surprising, and the first poll pretty much match what other polls, not publicized, have been finding, at least for the front-runners. And Melton having a 20 percent-ish support base is not surprising at all. If there was only one or two other candidates in the race, he would likely have the same "base," and people would be talking about how far he's dropped. You always have to put stats and polls in context and be skeptical, while not looking for booger-bears that don't exist.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-06T14:13:17-06:00

ID

145609

Comment

"John Horhn has been a friend for 20 years. His campaign manager is a friend who learned of the job thru me. Chism"Marshand Crisler has been a friend for a long time. I have worked with his campaign manager on two other races. "Eddie Fair -- I have contributed in the past to Eddie Fair's campaigns for Countywide office. "Harvey Johnson – I worked on his race 4 years ago. I gave him money. His wife is my banker. So there you have it why only these names appeared on the "survey". It's nice to have a pollster as a friend...

Author

Robert Johnson

Date

2009-04-06T16:45:31-06:00

ID

145612

Comment

Robert Johnson, The tea leaves have been read; you will probably not win this race. Most of the people I encounter know who you are but they are backing one of the four that Chism asked about. Crisler is leading now and that is far better than a repeat of four years ago. The City of Jackson will be the loser if Crisler does not maintain his lead. There are many reasons why we need new leadership. One is this is 2009 and we don't need a Mayor who was born before 1955.

Author

Razor

Date

2009-04-06T19:48:14-06:00

ID

145614

Comment

Ive been running today.(Ive got an entertainment district to build:-) and I was alerted to this discussion. Let me say this. Ive never given credence to polls. Not here, not even during the Presidential election. Presidential approval ratings, phone polls on whether or not the mayor should resign etc. Ive consistently NOT paid that much attention. Whenever you're dealing with only a portion of the population it just isnt a way to accurately guage what the people are saying, thinking or feeling. Catch the right people on the right day you get one number. Catch the wrong people on the wrong day..you get other numbers In a city of well over 100,000 to me 500 people is just not a big enough "control" group to use even as an impromtu survey. Now dont get me wrong, although I think that several of the candidates would have been better served to NOT run. A few in essence are overmatched. If they have made the ballot then the ONLY fair way to take a poll is to include all of them individually. PErhaps more accurate numbers would paint a picture dim enough to cause a few to drop out. who knows. This city is way too mired in conspiracy theories about white power structures and unsubstantiated rumor to give fodder by broadcasting a poll that targeted mostly folks over 60 and mostly white folks in a majority African American city. A ten point jump in a day does seem steep. Melton even leading a poll seems non-sensical. And although I personally dont think a poll would influence even the most ill-informed voter why risk it? Mr. Chism even admits to knowing the more well known candidates in some way or another which to me cancels out his credibility. And in the end gives more ammo to those who ridicule the rest of us who wish to do things to push a positive Jackson like create some PROJACK T-shirts. Just let the people decide and let these candidates win or lose on their own merits. Thats why we've been doing the forums at Peaches so that even the "lesser known" candidates could have a platform. This election MUST involve everyone or the results will forever be questioned **Perhaps we'll find out one day if I can carry a precint or not. Who knows.....

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2009-04-06T21:00:16-06:00

ID

145615

Comment

Chism: "...We are doing this for fun..." Kaz - I'm with you. There have been some pretty heated discussions about the seriousness of this Mayor's race and City Council races here on the JFP. As serious as the issues are in this election, to create a poll/survey that generated quite a lot of ink and air time "for fun" is pretty low. Is integrity a part of the polling process?

Author

JenniferGriffin

Date

2009-04-06T21:46:55-06:00

ID

145616

Comment

Go Harvey Johnson

Author

NewJackson

Date

2009-04-06T22:44:20-06:00

ID

145618

Comment

Money can buy a vote, or influence polls. As the Jackson Free Press is the "Cities Smart Alternative", certainly it wants the voting public of Jackson to be as informed as possible about all 12 candidates before casting their ballot. This being said, I am sure that the Jackson Free Press will do everything they can to insure that all 12 candidates are able to get their message out. Money can buy votes, or influence polls.

Author

mllg

Date

2009-04-07T07:04:38-06:00

ID

145623

Comment

I would guess this "poll" got more attention that it really deserved. Id also suppose that it was easy, based on Chism's record and experience, to just announce the poll and not do any more research. Thing is, this election particularly is too important to let things just rest at face value. To now say it was for "fun" kinda peeves me. Its like the stink is out of the horse and you cant put it back. So I gotta call it fair on both sides. As much as I don't want to say, this DOES look like a poll "conducted to guage the white vote" just based on the folks he says he surveyed. and unfortunately it DOES give credence when someone accuses the media or pollsters of trying to poo poo the black vote. Any pollster has got to be sensitive to the dynamics of a city. Period. If it was for fun..it should have never left your desk Mr. Chism. I hope this hasnt set us back. Thats seems a bit much but... and btw a "theory" without FACTUAL information to back it up is just that... A Theory. Your "opinion" cannot be real or fact. Though one may feel strongly or passionately about a subject, unless you have figures, pictures, statements, emails, confessions, or the like at your disposal, you cant say anything is FACT.

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2009-04-07T08:48:12-06:00

ID

145624

Comment

... this is 2009 and we don't need a Mayor who was born before 1955. Razor, have you heard of agism? That's discrimination based on a person's age. As someone born in the 50s, I am offended by your implication that people in their 50s (and older)are somehow unable to form new thoughts and opinions, or lead without entrenched attitudes. "New" and "young" isn't better just because it's newer and younger. Discrimination in any form--against race, sex, age, disability, income status, birthplace, whatever--diminishes both those who discriminate and those discriminated against. I'm all for infusing American politics with new energy, but let's not simply throw everyone over 30 or 40 under the bus.

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2009-04-07T09:15:19-06:00

ID

145625

Comment

Folks, come on. There is nothing "low" about doing a poll for fun or for any other reason, just as there is nothing low about any of us expressing our opinions about a race. There are many polls being done out there about this race (with similar findings, I'm told), and Chism is the first to just put the information out there. Cheers to him for not hiding the results because they might benefit one or another candidate. The poll is getting people to talk, and just like a good column, that's the best that come of it. If you don't like the results of the poll for your candidate, get out there and do something about it. It's remarkable to me how many candidates try to reach voters with empty sound bites, and dumb TV ads, rather than with steady substantive messages more than a week or two before the election. And then complain, whine and grouse when they don't get taken seriously by media, polls, voters. Joke's on them. And I agree with Ronni: blatant ageism, whether young against older, old against younger, is just as unattractive and ignorant, and limiting, as any other kind of –ism. We must hold each other to higher standards than that.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-07T10:13:24-06:00

ID

145626

Comment

There are many reasons why we need new leadership. ~ Razor One of those main reasons is that we, as an electorate, didn't educate ourselves well enough about the candidates that were running four years ago. And you, essentially, are saying that the main piece of information we need to find out is the candidates birthday? That is just more of the same short sighted generalization based thinking that gets us into trouble to begin with. We need new leadership for sure, but "new" isn't what we need most. Leadership is, real leadership. That in itself will be new. We don't need more sound bites with no substance, which is exactly what you will get if you are only interested in the superficial outward appearances of the people and not the substance of what they believe and say. Wake up kid! School is over. This is the real world where decisions are difficult and require thought beyond some bumper sticker platitudes.

Author

WMartin

Date

2009-04-07T10:14:46-06:00

ID

145629

Comment

Ignoring your snark, mllg, I will remind you the JFP started doing in-depth interviews with the mayoral candidates months ago, and are doing at least one per issue, as well as coverage of the Council races. We don't have the resources to do an in-depth interview with every city council candidate, or we would, BUT we have sent a substantive questionnaire to all mayoral and council candidates, and have only gotten a few back (but there's time). Some candidates have not even returned phone calls to give us information on how to get it to them. If the candidates want their message to be heard, and to gain in the polls, wherever they are, they really ought to spend the time to answer these questions and get them back to us as quickly as possible. We will be posting all the answers in their entirety and running excerpts and ads about the full Q&As in the print edition between now and the three elections (primaries, runoff and general). We are giving them a forum here; let's see how many take advantage of it, or bother trying to put a message in the media source that bothers to ask real questions and give them all the space they want to answer them. Meantime, we are collecting our coverage of the city elections at: http://www.jfpelectionblog.com . Also, if any candidate does not want to type up answers to the questionnaire for some reason, get in touch with JFP intern Jackson Breland at 601.362.6121 ext. 2, who is spearheading this project. He will arrange to take down your answers and post them.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-07T10:21:04-06:00

ID

145631

Comment

Donna, I think you may be missing everyone's point. What I was saying(cant speak for everyone else) is that based on his control group and knowing the make-up of this city, he could have done a little better with his "random" calling or at least look at his results and then go back to make adjustments. If its was for fun..to make a talking point..then he should have said "this is for fun", "something I did in some spare time because I was intrigued by this race.", "this is not solid data" etc...Then ideally we could have looked at it and commented on it. But 3 stations reported it and to someone who doesnt know any better they may change their vote. People like to back winners. human nature. Someone whos undecided could have seen that poll and say "hey, Crisler's winning, Ill vote for him" sounds crazy but thats how some folks react. The mere fact that a LOT of people are up in arms(folks that ARENT candidates or supporters of) should say that perhaps all parties should have called Chism and asked a few questions before reporting it. I would expect that of the CL, or WJTV but not here. ..and incidentally Im not as put off by this as I would if it were them because JFP has always remained above board and has tried to present BOTH sides of this city even leaning toward making sure folks know the GOOD that goes on here. unlike some other outlets. but it doesnt help when the mcmillan resignation, this poll, and the media's grasping of it all come at the same time. I have to walk around town and hear folks say the fix is in..When I campaign everday to get them out of that silly a** mode of thinking. just saying.

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2009-04-07T10:31:27-06:00

ID

145634

Comment

Kaze, perhaps you're missing mine. All this whining about the fact that Chism did the poll is very small-town-sounding. He put his methodology out there; if the stations didn't report it, then hold them accountable for it. But any statements that it's low for the poll to be done, or the results released, is silly. And obviously, candidates who aren't doing well in the polling are going to complain. But the rest of us don't have to play directly in their game either. The truth is that this polling firm has a good reputation, nationally and in the state. Chism is straightforward and transparent about what he does. And he has a good reputation of being right. For instance, there is little in this poll that seems outrageous or surprising. If Ms. Benford was leading, that would be cause for thought, but the poll seems to make a lot of sense, and I'm glad to finally see some polling numbers made public. Now, that doesn't mean I think polls are the end of the world, this one or any other. But they can be a jolt of possible reality to candidates who aren't doing enough, or to voters who think their candidate is going to cruise to victory, etc. I'm really turned off by candidates who complain about polling, instead of doing everything possible to reach the public in a substantive way. I don't want whiners representing us. They do themselves a disservice. And we're also in that dangerous territory that is so prevalent in Jackson: letting a few people spread myths because they don't like how something is going. It's a bit disheartening. Jackson just has to grow up.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-07T10:41:46-06:00

ID

145635

Comment

and what about thos folks who don't read JFP OR the CL and get most or all of their info from TV? they saw those poll results. I mean respectfully, youre telling some of the lesser known candidates that they can possibly(not surely) get their poll numbers up by posting answers to questions here, when folks have seen on TV that "other" is polling at 5 or 6%?

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2009-04-07T10:44:40-06:00

ID

145636

Comment

And if people think the "fix" is in because Crisler got a bump from an important endorsement, and a poll reflected that, then it sounds like some education is in order. This city has been ruled for too long by that kind of mythmongering, allowing certain people to take advantage of the voters. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some of the candidates are going around saying that. But for God's sake, the rest of us need to keep our feet on the ground and help educate people. Polling may not be the end of the world, or right every time, but complaining that they are a big conspiracy because they don't say what you want them to say is just a load of unneeded drama. Sure, criticize the methodology if you want, or the questions or anything else, but the conspiracy-mongering is just not good for the community.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-07T10:47:22-06:00

ID

145637

Comment

No, I'm not saying they should only get their word out by giving substantive responses to the largest weekly in town, the only one that is read all over the city. (Now, the Ledger is throwing around a 19,000 Jackson circ number, we hear, btw.). What I'm saying is that they should take every advantage to get their word out substantively. What you too often see are candidates around here who think the campaign is won in a bunch of negative TV advertising in the last two weeks of the campaign and the last one standing wins. That's backward. As for people polling at 5 or 6 percent at this stage, I don't know what the answer is for them, frankly. They should get their message out every way possible and refrain from whining and personal attacks of other candidates (and pollsters), though. I do know that. I will also remind you that we are both involved in organizing debates that will be seen mostly on Web sites, this one and WAPT's. The point obviously is not that every voter will see everything posted here, or anywhere else; it's about the buzz they create through what the candidates themselves say and do. Every media outlet is a megaphone at best. It would behoove the candidates to use the megaphones that reach a lot of people who care about politics–and most importantly, the health and future of the city–and are willing to go out and talk to everyone they know about what they get from those megaphones. Of course, politics hasn't been traditionally done that way in Jackson. But it doesn't mean we can't become more sophisticated and stop treating Jacksonians like idiots who can't understand the issues. The JFP refused to follow other media's lead on that, and as a result we have readers in every part of this city. We talk up to people, not down to them. Serious candidates should do the same.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-07T10:54:34-06:00

ID

145638

Comment

I think in the end, with him oversampling white voters..it doesnt accurately reflect the dynamic that exists in Jackson. all Im saying. only 500 people as well. Nobody wants grown-ass whiney men or women as mayor or city councilpersons, Im with you. But the lesser known candidates have a point. Their names should hae been added. Thats the only FAIR way to do it and remove yourself from any skepticism. good rep notwithstanding, NUMBERS have to be right or VEEEEERY close lol ther cant be much room for error..thats what a math teacher once told me(probably why I preferred English over it lol)

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2009-04-07T10:57:09-06:00

ID

145639

Comment

And cheers to your Peaches forums, and all the forums where candidates have gone directly to the people. That is such a sign of progress. Now, if we can keep our turnip from falling off the truck in these last few weeks, filled with rumor and innuendo and candidate-whining, maybe we can turn the corner. Or at least peek around it to something better.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-07T10:58:46-06:00

ID

145641

Comment

I can see why they would want their names on there. I can also see why Chism didn't include them. And it was his choice (under that pesky First Amendment thing we have to put up with!). But frankly, if they had, the ones who got 1 or 2 percent as opposed to 5 percent would have their own conspiracy cooked up and circulating, I'm sure. Political polling is done every day, and it is often done of only the "top" candidates in a race. If you don't like one poll, find a way to commission another one. But going on a personal, conspiracy-fueled attack against the pollster is just a waste of time, and takes the eye off the ball.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-07T11:04:49-06:00

ID

145655

Comment

Ladd "I'm really turned off by candidates who complain about polling, instead of doing everything possible to reach the public in a substantive way. I don't want whiners representing us. They do themselves a disservice." "candidate-whining, maybe we can turn the corner. Or at least peek around it to something better." To express an opinion or complaint about something you don't beleive to be accurate or with which you do not agree is "whining"? But of course that's your opininon, and I don't consider you a "whiner" for having expressed it....

Author

Robert Johnson

Date

2009-04-07T14:05:07-06:00

ID

145662

Comment

I didn't put out a press release, Mr. Johnson, or start alleging a conspiracy because a pollster admitted he was friendly with several of the candidates running. It's not your pointing out that you don't think it's fair that your name wasn't included that is distasteful. Fair enough. It's all the rhetoric around it. With due respect, you do complain a lot, and not always about things that seem to matter. And that's too bad, because I do think you have a lot to add to the conversation otherwise. I'm not the only one who has noticed this.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-07T14:43:57-06:00

ID

145663

Comment

I understand your point about over-sampling, as does apparently Chism, Kaze. He talked about it in his releases on the surveys. He's been transparent about his methodology and findings all along, so there is really no need for anyone to assassinate his character. Not saying your doing that, but there has been a tone of that in the air, and it's a real turn-off to me, as I've stated.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-07T14:47:51-06:00

ID

145667

Comment

"With due respect, you do complain a lot, and not always about things that seem to matter. And that's too bad, because I do think you have a lot to add to the conversation otherwise. I'm not the only one who has noticed this." I've posted here maybe 6 or 7 times? Sorry to have consumed your's and the others time with my incessant (complaining) blogging. I'll certainly refrain from doing so in the future...

Author

Robert Johnson

Date

2009-04-07T15:10:23-06:00

ID

145668

Comment

well, youre right. I didnt personally attack this gentleman. I questioned his numbers and his sample group. A simple "my bad" would have sufficed from him instead of the long post. Regardless of the intentions and Chism's obvious knowledge of polling. He missed with the sample group. He kiiiinda acknowledged it. and that opened him up for some criticism. comes with the territory. Some may have insulted his character but the rest, like myself have a problem with the "poll" and thats it! Im sure chism's a great guy personally. Shouldnt be a turn-off Donna... at least not from what Im saying.

Author

Kamikaze

Date

2009-04-07T15:20:28-06:00

ID

145670

Comment

I'm not really talking about your posts here, Mr. Johnson. You're rather known for being grumpy, which has grown on me. But it wasn't always so easy when you were Melton's campaign director and gave Adam and me such a hard time for trying to cover him. I think you opened your comments at the Millsaps forum with a complaint. I remember smiling about it at the time. You've complained about candidates holding press conferences, but held one to blast Chism, and seemingly far beyond disagreeing with his methodology. Most imporantly, when your name is mentioned to many people, they say you were a good chief, but grumpy and complain a lot. I'm not saying this to attack you; I'm expressing to you the impression you give off to many people, and have to me and my staff. I actually think you have a lot to offer beyond your grumpiness -- which has grown on me since you've started posting here; you're a good writer -- and I sure would hate to see you refuse to post because I relayed to you what some voters are saying about you. Or because I disagreed with your conspiracy theories about Mr. Chism. And Kaze, I'm not sure there was a real reason for Mr. Chism to say "my bad" just because some people didn't like his methodology or his results. From a polling perspective, he knows what he's doing. And I haven't seen anything yet that demands an apology or a "my bad," yet. Professionals don't start apologizing just because their work isn't received well by everyone in sight. For the record, he expressed the weaknesses of his methodology and the findings from the first e-mail, as a good pollster does. Also understand, I don't know Chism any better than I know Robert Johnson–I've worked with him on a poll once, and he was professional and accurate–so I'm not defending him for any other reason than that he has been attacked unfairly and naively in some cases (reminds me of the candidate who attacked you, Kaze, for calling Harvey Johnson "mayor" at the Millsaps forum, apparently not knowing that is his accepted title even after he leaves office). And Kaze you did make some pretty hefty observations about it being a purposefully "white" poll above. That will feed into the hysteria if you're not careful. The volume should be turned down on this, not up.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-07T16:12:21-06:00

ID

145674

Comment

One thing I haven't seen discussed yet is the impact polling methodology might have on age, assuming it's a telephone poll. Younger voters (a) are more likely not to own landlines, and (b) are more likely to not be at home when pollsters call. Melton's base of support within the city skews elderly, or at least that has been my impression. So I would expect his numbers to potentially spike a little, simply because of the way telephone polls have to be conducted.

Author

Tom Head

Date

2009-04-07T19:53:58-06:00

ID

145675

Comment

I've posted here maybe 6 or 7 times? Sorry to have consumed your's and the others time with my incessant (complaining) blogging. I'll certainly refrain from doing so in the future.. If you are the candidate Robert Johnson and you are this sensitive to criticism I have to wonder if you have the temperament to handle the job of Mayor. Only part of the job is executive type decision making stuff. A good portion of it will be cheerleader and defender of what's good about our city. The Projack in chief if you will. In my opinion we don't need someone who will pick up their toys and go home when it gets tough, we need people with strength in their convictions, willing to fight for us and our city. But also open minded enough to hear what those who would criticize us are saying and know when the points they make have merit and call them on it when they don't.

Author

WMartin

Date

2009-04-08T06:16:26-06:00

ID

145677

Comment

WMartin makes an interesting point. We just went through four years of game-playing with Melton, depending on whether or not he likes us at the moment, how nice he thinks we are at the moment, whether or not we're agreeing with him or not. No doubt, we do need a mayor with a thick skin who knows that part of a public job is taking and dealing with criticism well, whether in the form of a poll, a newspaper editor or a citizen. That is, who doesn't take off or shut down or try to shut the critics out when you're challenged. No one said being a public leader/servant is easy, and I appreciate that. But that's why not everyone is cut out for it, including myself. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-08T07:05:58-06:00

ID

145699

Comment

baquan2000, I'm with you on the Jeff Weill thing. He has been straight forward and seems not to give a care about hiding the council's and mayor's secretes/wrong doings. He was there, kicking and screaming about the gas card and the abuse of such by City employees and administrators. He stayed on frank until those 1099s became transparent. I don't know who is opposing Jeff and I'm not in his ward. I just know that he has that attitude to git 'er don and did.

Author

justjess

Date

2009-04-08T13:26:03-06:00

ID

145700

Comment

Jackson is on the move yall and we need to get ready. The surrounding cities are going to do all they can to stop the growth but we can't let them. Today I talked to two Fed employees from D.C. that are transfering here and both people insisted on living in Jackson, near downtown. I couldn't resist the question of asking them "why" and they both stated that the "word" in DC was that Jackson would be the next state on the move. Just look around at all the development. It started downtown, has moved to the Fondren area and in my opinion is moving up. In addition, campare the number of houses for sale in Jackson to Madison and Brandon. When you divide it on a percentage basis the numbers are surprising. Madison and Brandon have a much higher percent of homes for sale based on percentage. Don't get it confused, Jackson is truly on the move.

Author

Tell it!

Date

2009-04-08T13:33:43-06:00

ID

145707

Comment

You might just be preaching to the choir, Brother Baquan. But preach on. ;-) Not sure Nascar is our answer, though.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-08T15:00:59-06:00

ID

145708

Comment

We are proximately in the middle of the road to Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, Birmingham, The Florida Coast and Gulf Coast as well! The question - does Jackson offer anything that those locations don't? History? We razed many historic structures in the 60's and 70's. Nightlife? Not much. Jobs? No Fortune 500 companies. Everyone really really really needs to get behind the King Edward when it opens. Ditto Farish Street, if it ever opens. I see both projects as critical to making Jackson a more desireable place to live.

Author

QB

Date

2009-04-08T15:07:48-06:00

ID

145709

Comment

I agree with the Farish Street issue. I rode down Farish Street today to observe any improvements. What I noticed was most buildings have been cleaned and striped down to the bare structure. I take this a being a good sign, signaling that they are preparing for the next step. As a Jackson supporter what can I do to help?

Author

Tell it!

Date

2009-04-08T15:20:04-06:00

ID

145721

Comment

Someone just sent me this comment that Othor Cain is sending out on Facebook complaining about the Chism poll. I don't tend to quote Mr. Cain due to his tendency to ignore facts, but this one seems worth discussion being that he is clearly trying to push a major conspiracy out there. I do wonder if Cain-the-journalist has attempted to interview Chism about this; not sure: I had this conversation with Kaze several times today. Donna Ladd was just as wrong as Brad Chism for giving ink to this... she hides behind "fact-checking." And she didn't do it...And she throws words out like hysteria, myths and other terms that she thinks bring division to this community. Fact is there is a sad truth in terms of what happened with this survey....that is it was a blatant attempt to suppress the black vote... OK, what I am missing here? How is this survey a "blatant attempt to suppress the black vote"? Here we go again with Jackson-style hysteria, and it happens with people of all races, especially during election cycles, when it benefits a few people to build the hype and confuse the issues. That's how Melton got elected, if y'all recall. And this kind of hysteria could help him get elected again. The level of irresponsibility here is breathtaking. I will add that the thought of "hiding behind fact-checking" is very amusing. Imagine the alternative. I believe I'll keep doing this. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-04-08T22:59:02-06:00

ID

145723

Comment

If I were trying to suppress black turnout, I don't think I'd stock the poll with an all-black slate of candidates (rightly ignoring the two non-viable white candidates) and go for equal ward distribution. Just sayin'. Othor's a really nice guy and I think he means well, but this just doesn't make any sense. If this is a conspiracy, it's a poorly-designed and inefficient conspiracy.

Author

Tom Head

Date

2009-04-09T00:26:59-06:00

ID

145726

Comment

I so agree, but first things first. How do we change the perception of Jackson. I am so tired of seeing nothing but negative images when it comes to Jackson. We wonder why the citizens don't care more. Why,because we have not given them a reason to care and be proud of where they live. The people in Madison and Brandon only have nice things to say about their city. My question is, when do we decide to take that same stance with ours. Complaining is not helping. We have to find a way to start changing the mindset of Jackson. I know that I am new to the post, but I have decided that I am ready for a change. This is my home and I'm not leaving.

Author

Tell it!

Date

2009-04-09T07:43:20-06:00

ID

145738

Comment

baquan2000, have you visited the website for Harvey Johnson? Check it out. harveyjohnsonformayor.com Another question is: Have you met him and had a personal talk with him without words from some of his negative messengers and critics? There are a lot of people who knew what Johnson was doing, what he did and his plans for the City: A concerted effort was done to keep others from knowing. It is hard if not impossible to unring a bell. All Johnson needed was for this community to have his back: He had OUR front; instead, there were far too many willing to do a Shakespearian Brutae. Although Ladd said several weeks ago that the lie about Johnson living in Madison had been dispelled, we hear it daily as people in certain areas of the City say, "I didn't know that you could run because you moved out of the City." There are still many people who had no problem believing that melton was a resident of Jackson rather than Texas where he homesteads; yet, they don't believe that Johnson, who has lived in one Ward for over 35 years could be a resident. This is CRAZY!!!!! I understand how so many people became alarmed with not only the Chism Poll, but, with the caption used to title the article by the JFP. Knowing what is known now about the biases, the need for others candidates to do something of similar quality is not needed. What is needed, in my opinion, is for this event in the JFP to be used as a teachable moment. We have too many people who are illiterate: Too many people who are atCertainly if the majority of the sample were done in an area of very high white residency, the title would have read: Crisler Gains Bump in Polls From Predominately White Area.

Author

justjess

Date

2009-04-09T13:37:05-06:00

ID

145740

Comment

I know that the blog at 2:37 became confusing at the end. I am having problems submitting entries after I correct them. Jackson has many people who are illiterate and still another group who have a limited understanding and it does not take much to confuse or brainwash from those with access. I'm not talking down to anyone: I'm only giving fact that we all know. Just because a person does not know is not a label of being a bad person. It simply means that we much do all we can with all we have to ensure the pest possible understanding. So, if we all are serious about making Jackson a better place to live and raising the level of intelligence, we must participate in our system of good information and make it transparent and a crystal stair. Baquan2000, don't forget that website: harveyjohnsonformayor.com check out the section on his accomplishments and don't stop until you have read them all. I also challenge other bloggers to do the same. I thank you!

Author

justjess

Date

2009-04-09T14:12:18-06:00

ID

145747

Comment

Go Harvey i was for crisler but hes mac lapdog

Author

NewJackson

Date

2009-04-09T17:03:20-06:00

ID

145750

Comment

I'd prefer him to be "mac lapdog" than hanging off the end of any chain held by Frankie-Boy. And whoever controls Frank should be shot.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2009-04-09T17:35:08-06:00

ID

145795

Comment

when the people have the right to vote, they vote for the only candidate that can turn jackson around..Robert Johnson. Look at WLBT online poll.

Author

victoryforus83

Date

2009-04-12T12:45:59-06:00