Jackson Free Press

I love both Hinds and Rankin counties equally. Rankin is where I grew up (and where I currently live), and Hinds is where I've been able to figure out who I want to be and what I stand for. That's why I've kept a foot in both places. I don't want to give up one for the other, but Mississippi government and those who represent my area are making that decision harder and harder.

Before it passed the Senate on March 4, I hadn't been paying as much attention as I should have been to the airport "takeover" bill. I went on Twitter the day it passed to look at our tweets from the capitol mainly out of curiosity. Our state reporter, Arielle Dreher, and our city reporter, Tim Summers Jr., had been there for a while, so I wanted to see what was happening.

I laughed out loud—hard—at the first tweet I saw from Arielle. Sen. David Blount had proposed an amendment to the bill that would take a "regional approach," giving Shiloh Park in Brandon to the state in exchange for it taking over the airport. It made sense to me. Take something from the City of Jackson, and in turn, the City of Jackson can take something from Rankin County, right? It's only fair. The other senators didn't think so, and they struck it down. But that's when I really started to pay attention.

It seems odd that in a state like ours, instead of passing laws that help us get off the bottom of good lists and from the top of bad lists, some legislators create bills like this one, which are about power and control. The Senate passed the bill even if it means losing state and city money in the process, and even if it means the state will probably have to through a lengthy legal battle, which it could ultimately lose, resulting in thousands of valuable tax dollars spent. For what? So Rankin and Madison counties can take majority control of the airport board—and probably the "shovel-ready" land around the airport—from Jackson.

I get the need to develop it. And I get that Rankin County wants a say in what happens, because after all, the East Metro Parkway will go through the area. The way it is right now makes my trips from Brandon to Flowood much quicker, so I'm OK with the surrounding counties (including Hinds) having a say in what happens. If something directly affects you, you want to have a voice, right? But taking sh*t and keeping it for yourself is what a bully does.

Jackson Sens. Blount and John Horhn tried to pass other amendments to the bill that would make it a little more friendly to everyone, such as creating a development council or a task force to study development around the airport. Those are suggestions that could actually help the airport and the cities near it. They could bring more money in and wouldn't wrest control from one place and give it all to another. And they could cut down on the litigation. But no. None of those amendments passed. The bill passed the Senate 29-18, without amendments on a party-line vote. Horhn entered a motion to reconsider, which was tabled March 7, sending the bill to the House of Representatives on the road to becoming law.

Here are some questions I have to ask. First off, why is it necessary to change the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority? If they want to develop the area around it, why can't the other senators play nice with Jackson senators? I know that's an insane idea, but still. Why not help Hinds County? If you see it as a bad place, why not work with the city and county government to make it better? Also, why is this a partisan issue? Development (because it's ultimately what this is really about) should be nonpartisan, because it affects everyone.

And one last thing: Why is this an issue we should be fighting about? Mississippi is still poor. Education is still underfunded. We still rank in the top three on most obesity and diabetes lists. The infant mortality rate is still high. So out of all of the things legislators could fight about and worry over, they choose wresting control of the airport away from the capital city. Because that's one of the most important issues to talk about. Right. To say I'm disappointed in the people who represent Rankin County, my county—Sens. Josh Harkins, Dean Kirby and Chris Caughman—is an understatement.

Amber Helsel is assistant editor of the Jackson Free Press. Email her at [email protected].