Jackson Free Press

"Honestly, God just provides. I'll go somewhere, and somebody will just come up to me and say, 'The Lord told me to bless you.' ... We call them in the church Holy Ghost handshakes."

— Jackson mayoral candidate Tony Yarber on the sources of his income, which he said also includes part-time educational consulting and motivational speaking.

Why it stinks:  In these days of slow economic recovery and shrinking congregations, pastors of churches big and small have to come up with innovative ways to pay expenses, including their own salaries. That's not the issue with Yarber. Rather, it's one of transparency and accountability. If Yarber, who founded the church with his wife, Rosalind, six years ago, is accustomed to this informal method of doing business, it seems a tough habit to break if he gets into the mayor's office. How can the public know for sure that Yarber won't award contracts and conduct other city business on the strength of the Holy Ghost handshake? He needs to convince the voters that he handles finances more carefully than that.