Jackson Free Press

In a fax sent to media this afternoon, union president Brenda Scott announced that the Mississippi Alliance of State Workers, Communications Workers of America, Local 3570, AFL-CIO (that's all one union) will endorse Chokwe Antar Lumumba in his bid for his father's seat.

"Among his other qualities," the release says, "we find that he possesses a genuine desire, like his late father the Honorable Chokwe Lumumba, to continue the vision of bringing new economic ideas to the city anchored in green job creation, living wages, and strong worker protections."

The official endorsement is scheduled for the steps of City Hall in Jackson on Friday, March 18, at 3:00 p.m.

House Minority Leader Bobby Moak released the following statement on the announcement that Harrah's will close its Tunica casino:

Jackson, MS- Today Harrah’s announced they are closing their casino in the Tunica market. This is a loss of Thirteen-Hundred (1300) Mississippi jobs, not to mention a tremendous blow to the credibility and future viability of our Mississippi gaming market. Casinos are a legal business in our state. They account for over twenty-five thousand direct jobs and, in particular, are the main reason Tunica was able to remove itself as one of the poorest counties in the nation.

Leadership in our state has refused to afford this vital industry the tax incentives and credits it offers to existing businesses or even those used to lure in new industries. We are now paying the price for this with the loss of jobs and tax revenues to local governments and the state. Contrary to popular belief, casinos are not immune to both economic downturns and the dramatic impact of the growth of out-of-state gaming operations in neighboring states such as Arkansas. We are no longer the only game in town. Regional gaming competition is not a phenomena that ends in Tunica, either. It is one of the most dangerous threats to the Mississippi gaming markets and lurks around the corner in states like Alabama, Florida and beyond.

No taxpayer funds are expended when a new casino enters our Mississippi market and creating, on average, 1,500 good-paying jobs. In return for their investment, Mississippi does not treat this industry as others within our borders. Mississippi offers no credit for hotel renovations or infrastructure, no credit for restaurant construction/improvements and does not even allow front line employee training, as other businesses are allowed to do, at the community college level - even though they pay taxes to support the community college system.

There is lacking a vision by Mississippi leadership to look at other jurisdictions and implement sound business investment incentives to take care of the casino industry that now resides in our state and foster growth and reinvestment by existing operators. With the closure of Harrah’s Tunica, we are seeing what happens when we exclude this industry from our overall state business investment model.

This industry must be allowed the opportunity to develop assets that not only help their bottom line, but state coffers as well. It has been almost 3 years since the federal government opened the door to internet gaming at the state level. Mississippi has refused to even consider allowing this to be developed in our state. While I am not asserting that internet gaming is the silver bullet that will allow gaming in Mississippi to regain its foothold, there is no doubt that it is but one tool of many that could be effectively employed to increase the attractiveness of this market to gaming-centric tourists. Harrah’s is a leader in the internet gaming effort in the halls of Congress and states around the nation. We have continually shut the …

Jennifer Riley-Collins, executive director of the ACLU of Mississippi, made the following statement about Gov. Phil Bryant's signature of HB 49, which would require drug testing for some people receiving federal-state assistance:

Today is a sad day as Governor Bryant signed into law HB 49, thereby subjecting Mississippi's most vulnerable to unnecessary and costly drug testing.

Most recipients of TANF are children. The Mississippi Department of Human Services website states “monthly TANF benefits are made for eligible children and their needy caretaker relatives who do not have enough income or resources to meet their everyday needs.” We should not subject the most vulnerable among us to the false assumption that they (or their caregivers) are drug users. It’s unfair and untrue. The small amount of public assistance goes to provide limited funds to cover basic necessities such as food and shelter for families.

Such a law would cost the state of Mississippi considerably more to implement than it would save. A comprehensive report put out by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2011 reviewed the estimated costs of implementing various proposed welfare drug testing programs in twelve different states. Not a single one of the legislative cost estimates showed net savings to the state as a result of a proposed drug testing program.

Governor Bryant has stated that he is concerned that “single mothers are not abusing drugs or other substances and try[ing] to maintain a family”. He goes on to justify why “single mothers” are singled out by saying “when someone is taking tax dollars I think we have the right to determine whether or not that individual is abusing a substance”. Almost all of us receive government assistance in one form or another, yet we don’t treat preschoolers, veterans, seniors, or the disabled, to name but a few, as suspected drug users and force them to prove their innocence. We don’t ask anyone else to sacrifice their Fourth Amendment Rights to receive government benefits, public benefit recipients should be treated no differently.

The Jackson Free Press last week requested an interview with Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood about the pending Michelle Byrom execution.

He so far has declined an interview issued this statement instead. Needless to say, we still have questions.

Reprinted verbatim:

Basis for Requesting an Execution Date When Certiorari has been denied in a case, pursuant to the rules of the United States Supreme Court, the order of denial is legally effective as of the time of its entry by the Supreme Court and the Mississippi Supreme Court may then take further appropriate action in light of that denial. It is at that time, that the State must file a motion to set an execution date and pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-106, assert in the motion, “that all state and federal remedies have been exhausted . . . .” The denial of certiorari after federal habeas corpus litigation has normally been the end of the normal litigation in a death penalty case. Then, pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. § 99-39-29, “the Supreme Court of Mississippi shall forthwith fix a day, not more than thirty (30) days distant from the date of said denial or the vacating of any stay entered by any federal court, for the execution of the sentence, and a warrant shall forthwith issue accordingly.” The State filed the motions to set execution dates in both Byrom and Crawford on the day of the denial of Certiorari, which was February 24, 2014. The Mississippi Supreme Court then ordered responses to those motions from Crawford and Byrom. Crawford filed his response on February 28, 2014, and Byrom filed hers on March 3, 2014. Both motions are still pending with the Mississippi Supreme Court as of March 25, 2014. We would also note that both Byrom and Crawford filed motions with the Mississippi Supreme Court for leave to be allowed to file a successive petition for post-conviction relief in the trial court. Those motions are likewise pending before the Court. In the past, in such situations, the Court has withheld setting an execution date until it has taken action on those motions. Thus, it is doubtful that any dates will be set in either of these cases until the Court has ruled on those motions.

The late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba didn't just inspire his voters, he also took risks for others without expecting to be repaid in return. As others remembered him, the immigrant community never got to say goodbye to the late Lumumba, who won a Freedom from Fear award in 2011 for an anti-racial profiling ordinance he wrote as a city councilman. But that doesn't mean we're not concerned about ways in which we can keep his legacy alive in our own way. The anti-racial profiling ordinance championed by Mayor Chokwe Lumumba during his time as a city councilman intended to keep the police from inquiring a person's immigration status whenever they were in contact with Jackson police.

Though this ordinance was a step in the right direction, the ordinance wasn't always implemented leading to instances of racial profiling against a local Jackson family recently, which sets a terrible precedent for how Latinos and the various immigrant communities are treated across the state of Mississippi. The time is now to take larger risks for immigrant communities, even if they aren't always able to vote due to their lack of immigration status. Undocumented and documented immigrants alike contribute to Jackson and Mississippi's economy, culture and life on a daily basis, and deserve better recognition and services from the city they call home, build businesses in, and pay taxes to.

Several mayoral candidates are currently sitting in the Jackson City Council, and others are in powerful positions in which they can have a positive impact in immigrant communities. To all Jackson mayoral candidates: you do not have to win this election in order to include us in your future vision or plans for Jackson, and the time to start including us is now. It is especially important to find ways to include those who are undocumented, and youth who are not eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) because they are basically paying taxes without any representation from anyone in the state or federal level, and the City of Jackson has the power to represent those who are not given a voice through regular electoral processes.. Here are some suggestions for what Jackson's mayoral candidates can and must do for immigrant communities whether they win these elections or not:

1. Open city and local job opportunities to undocumented people. Jackson is having a conference on co-operatives and these are endeavors immigrant communities can be a part of. Beneficiaries of the DACA program can now legally work for the city of Jackson, and it's important to encourage them to apply for open positions in the city. Those who are undocumented are legally able to open businesses and participate in work co-operatives using a Tax ID assigned by the IRS or registering an LLC, and it is imperative that the city of Jackson keeps track of this knowledge in order to open more economic doors of opportunity to undocumented people and the city of Jackson itself.

2. Develop and …

Despite submitting paperwork to run in the city of Jackson's special election for mayor, two individuals have been removed for not meeting requirements to seek the office.

They are:

Tonya Brooks of Valley North Boulevard

Tammie Patterson of Carleton Street.

That shaves the number of people seeking the office down to 13.

The election is April 8.

A runoff, which is expected, between the top votegetters would be on April 22.

In an election this short, money can make all the difference.

Unfortunately, we won't know who the big money players in the Jackson mayor's race are for at least another week, however.

Information from the Jackson city clerk's office shows that pre-election reports are due April 1, 2014 — one week before the election. Candidates are required to itemize each contribution over $200; donations under $200 can be lumped together.

Runoff candidates would need to file another report by April 15. All candidates are supposed to file statements of economic interest (SEI) with the Mississippi Ethics Commission as are current office holders and some other appointed officials.

Since so many of the candidates are current or former officeholders, I decided to pull their SEIs.

Here's what I dug up:

First, there are two glaring omissions. A search of the ethics-commission website returned no results for Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber, pastor of Relevant Empowerment Church and consultant with Bailey Kirkland Education Group, LLC. Yarber has been on the council since 2009 and told the Jackson Free Press this week that he draws now salary from his church and earns a living doing educational consulting and through the generosity of others, which he called "Holy Ghost handshakes."

Only one result, from 2009, came back for Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon. On her form, Barrett-Simon listed no business interests aside from her position on the city council; she listed her husband, Dr. Al Simon, as an employee of Jackson State University.

Former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.'s most recent report, filed in 2012, also shows that he held no economic interests outside of his office; he is seeking re-election to his former seat.

Democratic State Sen. John Horhn lists his wife, Gail, as an employee of Jackson Public Schools on his 2012 report. Horhn, a 2009 Jackson mayor candidate, also lists himself as an officer in three businesses: Branch Consulting Group LLC, Horhn & Associates and Landfair Solutions LLC that year.

Finally, in January 2013, Melvin Priester Jr., listed his law practice — Priester Law Firm — as a business interest and indicates that he has represented the Capital City Convention Center Commission. At the time, Priester was a candidate for Ward 2 city councilman; currently, he is seeking the mayor's office.

The Jackson city clerk's office provided 15 names of potential mayoral candidates who have filed paperwork to run in the special election. The deadline was today at 5 p.m. The election commissioners are still qualifying the list, however, so it could shrink. They are:

Kenneth A. Swarts, Sedgwick Drive

Albert Wilson, North State Street

Francis P. Smith, Jr., Pear Orchard Road

Melvin V. Priester Jr., Westwind Road

Gwendolyn Ward Osborne Chapman, Morgan Avenue

Tony T. Yarber, Dorgan Street

Harvey Johnson Jr., Hallmark Drive

Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Pear Orchard Park

John Horhn, Waverly Drive

Margaret Barrett-Simon, Hazel Street

Rodrick "Rod" Walker, Hallmark Drive

John E. Reed, Post Oak Road

Tonya Brooks, Valley North Boulevard

Regina Quinn, Autumn Hill Drive

Tammie Patterson, Carleton Street

We will update you when the candidates have all qualified.

We took a spin around social media to see what the candidates did for St. Paddy's Day. Here's what we've found so far. (Candidates -- if we missed anything give us a shout @jxnfreepress on Twitter.)

Three more candidates have submitted paperwork to run in the April 8 special election for mayor of Jackson.

Last week, the first to file their documents were Albert Wilson and Francis P. Smith — both of whom sought offices last year — and Kenneth Swarts.

The latest information from municipal Clerk Brenda Pree shows that Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber and Ward 2 Councilman Melvin Priester Jr. have also filed papers.

Gwendolyn Ward Osborne Chapman, who also submitted her name in the 2013 Democratic primary for mayor, will also appear on the ballot again.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, to file with Pree's office.

Verbatim, from the Chokwe Antar Lumumba campaign:

The Lumumba family would like to announce the birth of their baby girl Alakè Maryama Lumumba! She was born today March 18th at 11:01 a.m. Weighing approximately 6 lbs 4 ounces. Both Ebony and baby Alakè are doing well. Alakè (means: one to be honored) Maryama (means: gift of God) Lumumba (means: gifted). “Our family is overjoyed by the arrival of our little girl and are more resolved than ever to make this world a better place for all of our children,” said Chokwe Antar Lumumba.

A resident in Fondren sent us this voicemail message, which is an apparent robocall trying to suggest that Margaret Barrett-Simon's campaign is designed to help Tony Yarber.

Link: Robocall Audio

Barrett-Simon responded to the call on her Facebook page last week: "I want to be clear that, should I decide to enter the Jackson mayoral race, my campaign will not engage in these or similar tactics. I would also like to call all of those who decide to enter the campaign to renounce the use of 'robocalls' and similar anonymous 'hit and run' methods."

As one might expect, the call doesn't identify the party paying for it; it does appear to originate from a Washington State area code. When we called the Caller ID number in the message, we reached an automated attendant willing to put us on a no-call list.

If you receive robocalls that you can record or that reach voicemail, please email them to reporter R.L. Nave (rlnave at jacksonfreepress dot com).

From a Facebook post:

The West Central Jackson Improvement Association (WCJIA) invites the public to attend the upcoming Mayoral Forum to hear candidates for Mayor discuss their vision for the City of Jackson.

All candidates for Mayor of the City of Jackson are invited. The Forum will be held Thursday, March 20, 2014 beginning promptly at 6:00 pm. The location for the Forum is the Johnnie Champion Center, 1355 Hattiesburg Street in Jackson, MS. The Center is located on the grounds of Shepherd Park next to the JSU Continuing Ed Learning Center.

The moderator for this event is Dr. Rickey Hill, Interim Chair Jackson State University Department of Political Science.

Additional Information is available by calling or emailing Ms Renee Shakespeare @ (601) 201-1445 or [email protected]

Melvin Priester Jr. is getting support from the U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson—their campaign radio ads are even similar—who represents most of Jackson on the U.S. House of Representatives and is the only Democrat in the state's congressional delegation.

It's an interesting turn of events, considering the following:

• Thompson was fairly tight with the administration of late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba. You might remember last year when Thompson came out strongly for then-Councilman Lumumba who was running against upstart Jonathan Lee. Thompson unleashed a torrent of anti-Lee publicity, linking Lee's supporters to white Republicans who oppose President Barack Obama. In kind, Lumumba came out albeit half-heartedly for Thompson's pick in a Hinds County supervisor's race. In addition, a former Thompson staffer, Synarus Green, holds a key appointment at city hall.

• Charlie Horhn, Thompson's longtime state field director, is the father of state Sen. John Horhn, who is also running.

• There are so many people in the race, that it's difficult to know what could happen at this point. One would expect an operator of Thompson's stature to sit back and chill and see how the race shakes out before throwing his weight around.

So why is Thompson on team Priester so early?

It could be that his support of Lumumba was a marriage of necessity more than a genuine adherence to the principles Lumumba stood for. Again, going back to last year, Thompson wasn't vocal in the mayor's race until it came down to Lumumba and Lee, whom Thompson regarded as too-white-friendly.

Thompson is close with Hinds County Judge Melvin Priester Sr. — the councilman's father — and supported Priester Jr. in his bid to succeed Lumumba as councilman of Ward 2 last year, which included hosting at least one fundraiser for Priester last April. Priester is also a graduate of the Mississippi Black Leadership Institute, which Thompson chairs.

Of course, it's also possible that Thompson is grooming Priester for an office beyond the mayor's seat, such as his own congressional seat. Thompson has served in the House since 1993 and, at age 66 (the average age of U.S. House members is 57), is probably looking around at who might eventually replace him.

Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon officially announced her candidacy for mayor March 17.

A source close to Margaret Barrett-Simon's family confirmed to the Jackson Free Press tonight that she is entering the mayor's race. She will officially announce Monday. Stay tuned for time and location. We reported Monday that Barrett-Simon was considering a run and would decide by today.

Francis P. Smith Jr., pastor of Total Praise and Worship on Cedar Lane in south Jackson, has qualified for the race to be the next mayor of Jackson, information from the city clerk's office shows.

Smith competed as an Independent in the June 2013 general election for mayor, which late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba won in a landslide.

In an interview leading up to that contest, Smith told the Jackson Free Press: "I'm running for mayor, simply, to bring Jackson out of the slum, out of the abyss, out of the pits of hell."

Smith served as the Housing and Rehabilitation Manager for the city from 2002 through 2011 under Harvey Johnson Jr.'s administration and, later, the Frank Melton administration.

The JFP reported last year:

In that position, Smith supervised the Housing and Rehabilitation staff as they enforced city codes, executed community improvement projects, assured recipients spent Community Development Block Grants funds properly, and assisted elderly and disabled citizens with housing needs, such as roofing, electrical, plumbing and foundational repairs.

Smith is just the third candidate to officially qualify for the April 8 nonpartisan contest to replace Lumumba, who died late last month.

In case you think Republicans all get along. The lieutenant governor's verbatim response, sent earlier today:

STATEMENT OF LT. GOV. REEVES ON HOUSE VOTE AGAINST TEACHER PAY PLAN

“Unfortunately, the House voted today against teachers getting $3,500 more in their paycheck by July 1, 2015. I had hoped this week Gov. Bryant could sign a significant teacher pay increase that included merit pay and was within our budget, but the House let political posturing win over increased teacher pay.”

OK, this is the first mayoral campaign event, beyond announcements, that I've heard about so far. You can get free coffee at Broad Street Thursday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and ask Tony Yarber questions.

But don't jump to conclusions (that Yarber is the candidate of owner Jeff Good, who tends to vocally support a mayoral candidate).

A disclaimer at the bottom reads: "road Street Baking Company does not endorse any candidate for office, but we certainly do endorse getting our customers something of value. Free coffee and a chance to meet important individuals in our community are BOTH things of value! Enjoy a free cup of coffee and some knowledge about what's going on in your community."

In other words, we don't whether Good plans to endorse a candidate or sit this one out. Time will tell, and we will tell you when we know. Here's the mailer:

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/mar/12/16419/

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce and WLBT 3 will host a Mayoral Debate live on WLBT and MSNewsNOW.com in prime time, Thursday March 27, 2014, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. location to be announced. For more information contact Cynthia Buchanan, Executive Vice President, Jackson Chamber of Commerce at 601-948-7575 or [email protected] or John Ditto, Chair, Jackson Chamber of Commerce at [email protected]

As we told you yesterday, state Sen. John Horhn officially joined the Jackson mayoral race this morning at Cade's Courtyard on Mayes Street. Horhn ran for mayor in 2009 and is known for drawing bipartisan and multiracial support.

Here is his 2009 JFP Interview when he was running for mayor: http://www.jfp.ms/horhn2009

We will post audio of his announcement shortly.

In other mayoral news, Albert Wilson and Kenneth A. Swarts have filed paperwork to qualify to run for mayor.

To date, six candidates have officially announced either at a press event and/or directly to the Jackson Free Press: Harvey Johnson Jr., Tony Yarber, Melvin Priester Jr., Regina Quinn, Chokwe Antar Lumumba and John Horhn. Margaret Barrett-Simon said she will decide by the end of the week. We are hearing that Robert Graham may run, but have not confirmed one way or the other. Jonathan Lee said he is not running.

We'll keep you posted on new developments. Follow this blog at http://www.jfp.ms/politicsblog for the latest.

CORRECTION ABOVE: I originally said that candidates have qualified. The city clerk corrected me to say that they have filed paperwork: "The commissioners are verifying the signatures and will qualify the candidates upon completion of their process." I apologize for the error.

A campaign has several parts. First, especially, if you're an unknown candidate, you have to tell your story. Then, you have to talk about your big ideas. After that, you have to convince people that you're the best person to put those ideas into action.

As if presenting to a jury, Melvin Priester Jr. paced in front of a bank of TV cameras as he made his opening argument — for his candidacy for mayor of Jackson.

Priester broke with several other candidates whose announcements came at Jackson City Hall and held his first official campaign event at his law office in north Jackson.

"Who I am isn't at city hall. Where I'm from isn't at city hall. What I believe, who I'm with, what we want to do to change this city isn't based at city hall," Priester told media and supporters this afternoon.

Priester said he wanted to continue to build Jackson, which includes renovating his law office on Executive Place as well as promoting the development of Jackson's Midtown neighborhood.

Priester was the third candidate to reveal intentions to seek the mayor's seat today; a fourth, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, will hold a news conference at 5:30 p.m. inside city hall due to rainy weather.

Attorney Regina Quinn, former general counsel for Jackson State University, confirms she's throwing her name in the growing hat of Jackson mayoral candidates.

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 also plans to seek 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, the only woman so far to definitively declare her candidacy, told the JFP this morning.

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

"I don't have doubts about anyone's leadership abilities, but what I have confidence in is what I bring to the table," she said.

In a move that contradicts the plethora of hats flying into the mayoral ring this week, Jonathan Lee posted on his Facebook page last night that he is not running in the mayoral special election (news broken on Twitter by Ross Adams of WJTV). It was rumored that Lee, a favorite of the business community in his run for the office last year, was interested in running again but was on the fence. We also understand that the business community has been conducting a poll to determine where it will put its collective support, but are not aware of findings at this point.

Ross Adams reported yesterday that 10 candidate packets had been picked up at City Hall. So far, Harvey Johnson Jr., Antar Lumumba, Melvin Priester Jr. and Tony Yarber have officially announced or will today. The Associated Press reported last night that Sen. John Horhn will officially enter the race Wednesday. Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon says she is considering a run and will decide by week's end. We will post other candidate information as we receive it (send to [email protected] or [email protected]).

Here is a screenshot of Lee's statement announcing that he is not running.

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/mar/11/16342/

As the JFP reported last week, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, 30, is running for mayor. He will announce today (Tuesday) at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall that he is running for his father's seat. Note that this is a new time.

We just saw Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon's Facebook posting indicating that she might announce for mayor by the end of the week. Here is a screenshot. We'll keep you posted.

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/mar/10/16336/

We just received the following press release announcing a news conference for Ward 2 Councilman and City County President Melvin Priester Jr.:

Jackson City Council President Melvin V. Priester, Jr., is scheduled to hold a press conference, Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 2:00 p.m., at Priester Law Firm, PLLC, 5375 Executive Place, Jackson, MS, regarding his plans for the upcoming Special Mayoral election.

Priester, the current City Council President, represents Ward 2 in the City of Jackson. He was instrumental in working to help pass the 1% sales tax with the late Mayor and he led the charge to re-establish bus service for the City of Jackson’s after-school program. He sits as an ex-officio member of all council committees. A practicing attorney for 10 years, Melvin Priester, Jr., is a member of his family based Jackson law firm, Priester Law Firm, PLLC.

Priester grew up in Jackson and has deep ties to the community. He is the grandson of the late Jackson matriarch and business owner, Mrs. Bernice Allen Stimley, who was a community activist and operated a grocery store in the Georgetown community in Jackson for over 30 years. He is the son of Hinds County Judge Melvin Priester, Sr., and Attorney Charlene Stimley Priester. Priester graduated from Jackson Public Schools as Valedictorian of the Class of 1997, Murrah High School. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard College in 2001, and received his law degree from Stanford University in 2004. On the council, Priester has fought for an improved relationship between JPD and neighborhood groups. Priester has also fought to transform the city’s budgeting process. Priester prides himself on addressing constituent concerns about potholes, drainage, and blighted properties.

Someone just forwarded me a letter they say was distributed today at Cade Chapel M.B. Church that appears to be from former Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. asking for support in his run in the special mayor election. We have been hearing that he is running again, and are trying to confirm it from him directly. Here is a JPG of the letter forwarded to us. I apologize that it's a bit blurry.

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/mar/09/16321/

UPDATED

I just ran into a Facebook post that hints that (a) Councilman Tony Yarber might be running for mayor and (b) that the hashtag #runtonyrun is trending.

After posting about it earlier, Yarber got back in touch with me via Facebook message, saying: "I'm heavily considering a run. I'm being encouraged by a lot of people. Most importantly, people I trust."

When asked when he would decide, he said: "There won't be an announcement right now. I'm going to watch my children do liturgical mime and dance tonight."

Meantime, here are the social-media posts, and a screenshot of the #runtonyrun tags on Twitter that seem associated with him (and I saw three on Facebook). My sense is that there may be more of an effort to take it trend.

And we're off.

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/mar/09/16320/

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/mar/09/16318/

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/mar/09/16319/

JFP News Editor R.L. Nave is at City Hall for the special council meeting to set the date of the special election for the late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba's seat (made interesting because several members may run for the seat.)

Nave tweeted that Councilman De'Keither Stamps and Quentin Whitwell wanted the election April 15, but Tony Yarber and Margaret Barrett-Simon wanted April 8, so it didn't conflict with tax day. Melvin Priester Jr. served as the tie-breaker.

Council also set a special election runoff for two weeks after the special election.

The qualifying deadline for mayoral prospects will be March 19.

Earlier today, Nave broke the news that a campaign is coming together to draft Lumumba's son, Chokwe Antar, to run for mayor.

The Council also announced that Lumumba's body will lie in state in City Hall Friday, March 7, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the public; and 7 to 9 p.m. for family only.