Jackson Free Press

Attorney Regina Quinn, former general counsel for Jackson State University, is running again for mayor after making a good showing in last year's election.

Quinn finished in fourth place in last year's Democratic mayoral primary. When the race came down to a runoff between then-Ward 2 Councilman Chokwe Lumumba and businessman Jonathan Lee, Quinn threw her support to Lumumba. Many of her supporters also got behind Lumumba; currently, several members of her campaign staff hold positions in city government.

That sets up an interesting race given that Lumumba's son, Chokwe Antar, is seeking the seat and is expected to draw much of his late father's political base.

"I've worked so closely with Chokwe and, honestly when Antar said he wanted to run, I kind of felt like I'd be running against my nephew. But then I really started thinking about what Jackson needs and what I could bring to the table to get that done," Quinn said.

Quinn also stressed that her candidacy does not mean she has doubts about the leadership potential of Chokwe Antar or anyone else who is running.

She said that Lumumba's push for a water and sewer rate hike was premature. "I would have first started with the local option sales tax referendum," said Quinn, who said she helped broker a deal with the city and Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce to give the city to give input into who would sit on the 10-member commission, which has been at the center of controversy since the Legislature passed the law in 2011.

"I thought it would be tough to get done, but it was not," she said.

One of three women who will appear on the ballot, Quinn said that she plans to galvanize renewed support and excitement from women this year that she believes was absent from last year's bid. One of the parts of late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba's agenda that appealed to her most involved equal pay for men and women in both city employment and in awarding city contracts.

"In Mississippi and in Jackson and across the nation, that's an issue. If we can really address that issue we can go a long way helping to in eradicate poverty," Quinn said.

To watch all the candidates' full interviews with the Jackson Free Press editorial board, visit jfp.ms/jxnmayor_video.

Many stories about the candidates are posted at jfp.ms/jxnmayor.