Jackson Free Press

Ward 3
Ward 3 stretches across West Jackson, from north of Chastain Middle School to the Poindexter Park neighborhood in the south. With a longtime incumbent, the Ward 3 race is small; only two candidates are challenging Councilman Kenneth Stokes.

Candidate Albert Wilson, director of the Genesis and Light Center, a youth center, ran against Stokes in the 2005 election as well. Harrison Michael, an assistant principal at Wingfield High School, is making his first run for public office.

At a Monday forum at Wells United Methodist Church, the two challengers addressed neighborhood concerns and promised rejuvenated leadership for Ward 3. Stokes attended neither this nor a previous community forum and could not be reached for comment.

"When you do anything for 20 years, you should see progress, improvement and pride," Michael said. "You need to ask yourself, ‘Is my ward and my city all that it can be?'"

Both Wilson and Michael noted the strength of Ward 3's neighborhood associations and said that they would like to see those groups become even more active.

Stokes has built a reputation for being accessible and responsive to local concerns, even regularly forgoing the council's Monday work sessions to visit residents of his ward. During Hurricane Katrina, Stokes often informed emergency personnel of senior citizens who were trapped in their homes.

Along with Councilmen Frank Bluntson and Charles Tillman, Stokes usually supports Mayor Frank Melton's initiatives, including the failed summer youth jobs program.

For Poindexter Park resident Arvester Smith, owner of Apollo Hair Design, the most pressing issue in Ward 3 is economic development. While he was encouraged to see people discussing the ward's concerns, Smith thought the absent Stokes has already proven his commitment to Ward 3 communities.

"I think Kenny has done well with what he has had to work with," Smith said. "Ward 3 loses its best minds. When they get an education, they leave. Individuals like Kenny stayed here and fought a good fight."

Ward 4
Incumbent Ward 4 Councilman Frank Bluntson is attempting to defend his seat from six challengers, including the ward's former representative, insurance agent Bo Brown. At a forum hosted by Greater Fairview Baptist Church on April 9, four of the newcomers occasionally struggled to get their points in while the two old rivals skirmished.

In many of his responses, Bluntson, a former administrator for the Hinds County Youth Detention Center, struck a defensive tone. When asked for his greatest achievement on City Council, Bluntson cited several failures, including an ordinance that would have banned sagging pants, a failure he attributed to division on the council. After questioners pressed him to respond directly, Bluntson answered that a councilman was limited to a position of influence.

"A councilman cannot do administrative work," Bluntson said. "You have to have help from four other councilmen, and then you have to get the mayor to sign off on it."

Brown suggested that Ward 4 had declined in his absence from City Council. He cited as evidence numerous infrastructure improvements completed during his two terms, from 1997 to 2005.

"We need somebody in this council seat who will pull people back together," Brown said. "We are tremendously divided."

Alluding to Bluntson's record of votes supporting the mayor, Brown insisted that he would not be a "rubber stamp" or "go along to get along." He also pledged to be more accessible to constituents than during his first stint with the council, saying that he would listen to the "overall masses," along with the presidents of neighborhood associations.

At 23, Henry Fuller, a history teacher at Lanier High School, is the youngest candidate in the field. He emphasized the value of his formal training in Jackson State University's Urban and Regional Planning program.

"I went to school to rebuild this community," Fuller said.

Derrick Trimble, a history teacher at Brinkley Middle School, said that he wanted to see Ward 3 communities investing more time and attention in their young people.

"One thing we need to do is restore a value system in the youth," Trimble said. "A lot of times, these kids lack exposure to bigger and better things."

Trimble said that greater job opportunities for young people would help raise students' exposure. Other candidates echoed his sentiment, with Bluntson bemoaning the council's failure to fund summer jobs for youth last year. Fuller suggested that the city's youth needed more interesting work than cutting grass and called for other city departments, like Human and Cultural Services, to offer work for young people.

All candidates spoke out against a state bill that would allow Jackson residents to levy a sales tax increase on themselves to pay for infrastructure and public-safety improvements. The bill would require that a commission with appointees from the governor and lieutenant governor oversee spending of the increased tax revenue. Jackson Academy basketball coach Jacquie Amos-Norris said that while she opposed the bill, she understood the motives behind it.

"The Legislature, those folk across the street, do not trust us," Amos-Norris said. "They do not think that we can do what we need to do with money, because we can't find it. I'd like to be able to prove to all those representatives that we can handle our own city."

Paula Anders, a nurse, argued that fiscal responsibility should take priority over attempts to increase the city's revenue. Citizens were already paying to improve the city with the school bond issue and a sales tax increase to finance the convention center.

"Let's deal with the budget at hand," Anders said. "Let's assess where we are before we decide to raise taxes. The money may already be there."

Previous Comments

ID

145931

Comment

What happen when Blunston worked for the City of Jackson Youth Detention Center? Why was he fired by the Mayor? Ward 4 has some good choice for a new city council person. Just don't make the mistake of putting Melton boy(Blunston) back into office again. Ward 4 needs leadership not a person that is a yes man for Melton.

Author

Tony Davis

Date

2009-04-15T14:50:58-06:00