Jackson Free Press

In Tyrone Hendrix's bid to become Jackson's newest councilman, the toughest voter to convince might have been his wife, Ercilla. Persuading her to bless her husband's candidacy for Ward 6 councilman, Hendrix joked this morning, required an effort on par with the numerous political campaigns he has worked in his career, including calls from supporters across the nation and full phone-banking operation.

The rest seemed relatively easy.

In a July 1 runoff election against attorney Dennis Sweet IV, Hendrix captured 56 percent of the 2,143 votes cast. Hendrix also came in first place in the previous election, in which eight candidates participated, but did not get enough support to avoid a runoff.

After a swearing-in ceremony with Federal Appeals Court Judge James Graves presiding, Hendrix took his seat among attending city council members as the successor to Mayor Tony Yarber, the previous Ward 6 representative.

It is the first time since then-Mayor Chokwe Lumumba died in late February that Jackson has had a full complement of elected officials. Lumumba's death temporarily paralyzed city government as employees lacked clear leadership and three members of the city council vied to become mayor.

Yarber's election returned some normalcy to city hall, but council members hoped to again have all seven city wards represented to tackle key issues. Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps, the newly elected city council president, described Hendrix's joining the council as "jumping on a ship going 100 miles an hour."

In recent weeks, the city made its picks to the commission that will oversee the implementation of the 1-percent sales tax, which citizens agreed to levy in January. James Anderson, a city attorney and Charles Williams, the interim director of Jackson's Department of Public Works, will join Yarber on the 10-member commission. Additionally, the city is working through snags with the installation of tens of thousands of new water meters as well as billing glitches associated with the new meters.

Hendrix was born and raised in south Jackson. Before running for the Ward 6 seat, he worked on the short-lived campaign of attorney Regina Quinn earlier this year and, in 2013, he helped manage Jonathan Lee's campaign for mayor. Before working for Lee last year, Hendrix—who runs a political consulting firm with his wife—was deputy campaign manager for Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree's 2011 gubernatorial bid.

Council members are optimistic about the progress the city will make now that all seven members are in place, bringing youthful energy to the body.

"This is (the) youngest, smartest city government in city history," said Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman, who served as acting mayor after Lumumba's death.