OT: Jackson Mayor's race, Is Johnathan Lee gonna be able to pull it out, opine

[Maroon Eagle]

One of the things mentioned in one of the Clinton mayor candidate forums that I attended was that businesses like to find out what incomes are like within certain radiuses (5-miles, 10-miles) and Clinton's ability to attract businesses is affected by lower incomes in west Jackson.

 

[MSU Fan.sixpack]

The biggest worry in my town is proximity to your town

The biggest asset to your town is its proximity to Jackson.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

The biggest asset to your town is its proximity to Jackson.

I hear this often. Why? Specifics?

 

[seshomoru]

office space (jobs), hospitals, museums... first three that popped into my head

 

[fishwater99]

If Jackson wasn't here in the first place, there would be nothing in the surrounding towns and counties...

Some people fail to realize that....

 

[thatsbaseball]

You`re right. If Jackson had been able to preserve itself these other communities wouldn`t exist to the extent they do now. The truth is Jackson destroyed itself and will continue it`s demise. I think just about everyone realizes this.

 

[seshomoru]

Yes they would, and they'd be even better. Even the greatest, safest, most entertaining cities in the country have suburbs. The best cities actually have the best suburbs. Everyone in Flowood, Brandon, Madison, Canton, Clinton, Byram, and Florence is dependent on Jackson. You can't just keep moving farther out.

 

[Philly Dawg]

One question: which way is most of the traffic going on 20 and 55 in the morning? The suburbs can't support their population or per capita incomes without Jackson.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Who in the world said they could.? The fact is that where people have to commute to work and where they choose to live, raise and educate their children, shop etc are two different things. How many of those commuters do you think would stay around if they had to live in Jackson ? People of all colors with the ability to do so will ALWAYS move their families to the best(education, saftey, enviroment/quality of life) living conditions they can afford. Unless Jackson wakes up soon the decline will continue. This election would be a damn good place to start.

 

[NCDawg.sixpack]

Lee will win in two weeks, book it....

Don't think so. Lumumba's campaign will tout Lee as the white man's candidate, as they did Crisler, and Lumumba will sweep to victory.

 

[DaRealistDawg]

Lee's experience and cough* cough* debt

Is about to be exposed, if not already.

 

[fishwater99]

The best thing for Lee is that there are less than 2 weeks before the run-off...

 

[mcdawg22]

One of the things mentioned in one of the Clinton mayor candidate forums that I attended was that businesses like to find out what incomes are like within certain radiuses (5-miles, 10-miles) and Clinton's ability to attract businesses is affected by lower incomes in west Jackson.

Another Broken Egg has Franchise Rules like this.
http://www.anotherbrokenegg.com/general-information

 

[horshack.sixpack]

office space (jobs), hospitals, museums... first three that popped into my head

I'll concede that there are no museums in Madison County that I know of, but for the last five years I've lived just fine with the jobs and medical care that I get right here in Madison County. I'd be even better if the state didn't have any stupid rules that keep St. D out. I agree that the suburbs wouldn't be this size if Jackson had not first existed (to Fishwater's point below). But as of now, there is a simple lack of understanding (or care) about how to make Jackson business friendly. Cities with semi-competent leadership would've woken up years ago when Worldcom left, but they didn't and now downtown is a hodgepodge of vacant real estate space, government offices, a few private offices, some nice gentrified areas adjacent to some not so nice areas and major educational system overhauls needed, property values in the cellar and severe crime problems.

The time has passed that anybody truly NEEDS Jackson to exist, other than the fact that it mostly keeps its crime to itself, and the thought of where the people responsible for committing the crimes might end up if it were possible to "close" Jackson completely. I personally would like to see it get fixed which would make things better on everyone in the metro area, but with people like Chokwe as serious contenders for mayor, it's not easy to be positive about that. Not an insult to everyone who lives in Jackson, just a statement that the majority, by virtue of who they elect, are lacking in some basic cognitive abilities. It would be almost impossible to find and assemble the level of buffoonery that has actually been elected to the boards in Jackson and Hinds county, if you set out with that as a goal. It is amazing.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

I say yes but I think there is going to be a big effort to combine all the losers
behind Lumumba. I think it is going get down and dirty.

Man, forget Chokwe. His mamma call him Edwin, ima call him Edwin. He's Edwin to me[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]. I ain't got nothing for a man who gone change his name.[/FONT]

 

[Brahmabull10]

The way elections are held in Jacktown these days, I don't see any reason why residents of Madison, Flowood, Brandon, Pearl, and Clinton don't show up to vote for Lee.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

If Jackson wasn't here in the first place, there would be nothing in the surrounding towns and counties...

Some people fail to realize that....

Disagree with the nothing part, can agree that they wouldn't be as large as they are now. When most of these towns were founded, they existed on their own merits. Pearl and Flowood are really the only "new" cities that appear to be directly tied to Jackson's existence.

 

[EAVdog]

Office Space is out, Hospitals next, Museums won't be long.

If Jackson wasn't here in the first place, there would be nothing in the surrounding towns and counties...

Some people fail to realize that....

There is almost as much square footage of non-governmental office on Highland Colony Parkway as their is in Downtown. The Hospitals are all starting "doctor's offices" in Madison County and petitioning for the right to create full fledged Hospitals. So far they've been told no. Museums, well Jackson has the MS Museum of Art and that is how it should be. Trustmark Park had the opportunity to be downtown but ended up in Pearl.

Jackson needs Jonathan Lee, or someone like him as Mayor. The city is in sad shape, and I'm not happy about that but it is the way it is. West Jackson is nearly a ghost town. The population is set to decline for the next 30 years because of the median age of most of the residents. Unless something happens to bring in young professionals Jackson will end up as a half empty office park with a few good neighborhoods. That unfortunately is also symptomatic of young graduates getting "Their degree and getting the 17 out" of the State as well.

Charter Schools have had a transformative effect on Atlanta. I'm hopeful that they can have the same impact on Jackson. Imagine being able to live in Fondren, Belhaven, etc... and have a great public school to send your kids to. Changes the entire dynamic.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Kingfish posted the election results by precinct yesterday. I don't know why the results haven't yet appeared on the Hinds County Past Election Results site.