Jackson Free Press

"Hold up, Wait a minute, Put a Little Love In It"

That's the message the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District sent the Jackson Redevelopment Authority yesterday over JRA's decision to terminate its lease with the Farish Street Group.

In a three-page letter to JRA Executive Director Willie Mott, CMPDD CEO F. Clarke Holmes said JRA's purported termination notice was sent in clear contravention of the FSG/JRA lease, because the CMPDD, who is acting on behalf of MDA (and protecting it's $4.7 million investment in Farish Street) wasn't given prior notice.

"CMPDD request that JRA immediately withdraw the Termination Notice as to the Subject Properties until CMPDD is provided reasonable notice and opportunity to cure any defaults under the JRA-FSG Lease, or JRA is allowed to exercise its rights under the Leasehold Deeds of Trust and the Consent Agreement to protect its security for the CMPDD Loans," the letter read.

It might not be a pardon, but the letter could serve as a temporary reprieve for Farish Street Group and its embattled manager David Watkins. The better news here for Watkins is he seems to have CMPDD on his side in the negotiations going forward, because JRA isn't likely to pick a fight with the wing of MDA it has to deal with on a regular basis.

The letter concludes with this message: "In the meantime, we believe the best course of action for all of the parties is to move forward with transparent discussions aimed at getting the Farish Street project completed in a manner that achieves everyone's goals."

Just as Sam Cooke predicted, a change is gonna come—to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.

Last week, the board's two newest members—Darrel McQuirter of District 2 and Tony Greer of District 4—were officially sworn in and will sit for their first meeting on Monday, Nov. 18.

The additions represent a huge shift in power on the board of supervisors, where President Robert Graham and Vice President Kenneth Stokes have run the show for a long time. Along with ex-interim Supervisor Al Hunter, the three men could—and did—do whatever they wanted.

With the new dynamics, the question now becomes whether Graham and/or Stokes be deposed as board president and vice-president?

Either scenario is plausible.

Stokes was vocally anti-McQuirter during the Democratic primary for the District 2 seat, supporting challengers Willie Earl Robinson and, later, Hunter. Graham, although he did not publicly take sides in the special election, has locked horns with Hobson-Calhoun on a number of issues in the past, and she could seek payback by removing him from power.

Greer, a white Republican, is unlikely to get either of the board's top two slots, but will nonetheless be influential (perhaps even more so than his predecessor, Phil Fisher) because of his relationship with Democrat McQuirter.

The other interesting thing to watch will be how McQuirter's relationship develops with Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, who also endorsed Robinson in the primary. If there is any tension the men, they will have to bury the hatchet and find a way to work together as a large chunk of District 2 overlaps with the city.