Vision for a Strong & Safe Clinton

As a Longtime Clinton resident, Elder Law attorney, and local business owner I am pleased to announce my candidacy for Ward 3 Alderman. Having lived, worked and invested in Clinton for over 40 years, I am committed to preserving, protecting and strengthening our city’s future. At the heart of my campaign is my Three E’s platform— Enforcement, Economic Development, and Exit. My vision for our city focuses on ensuring safety, fostering growth, and securing Clinton’s independence from the challenges posed by Jackson and Hinds County.

Enforcement

Clinton is bordered on its eastern boundary by America’s deadliest city. For the second year in a row, Jackson, Mississippi once again holds the distinction of having our nation's highest per-capita murder rate. In fact, Jackson ranks among among the deadliest cities in the world, placing it among such other notoriously dangerous municipalities as Tijuanna, Mexico and Port-au-Prince, Hatti. Despite the danger to our east, Clinton is currently ranked the third safest city in Mississippi, right behind Brandon and Madison. Yet both of these municipalities have a significant buffer between their borders and Jackson that Clinton does not enjoy, making Clinton's record that much more remarkable. But Clinton's public safety record does not arise from any luck or good fortune, but is the result of a commitment from the city's leadership to public safety. I belive that Clinton must continue to be proactive to protect its citizens from Jackson lawlessness, which is certain to only get worse in coming years. Public safety is the foundation of any thriving community. We must ensure law enforcement is well-funded, well-equipped, and supported. Enhanced enforcement will be a top priority, ensuring that Clinton remains a safe and desirable place to live and work.

Economic development

Economic development is another core area of concern to me. Attracting new and diverse businesses, creating jobs, and developing new amenities like retail and restaurants to the city are essential to Clinton’s long-term success. If we do not create economic opportunities for work and entertainment, new families will not come and existing families will not stay. Fewer families and slower growth erode the tax base, both from property and sales taxes. Reliable tax dollars are necessary to support the safe and thriving community that we all desire and expect. It is a proverbial chicken & egg quandary - retail establishments require enough people with sufficient disposable income before they will invest in a city; new and existing residents demand shopping and dining amenities before committing to calling a city "home." Without enough rooftops, retail will not invest; but without enough retail, families will not come. I believe that for Clinton, this cycle ends by attracting and encouraging retail development into our city with business-friendly policies. Clinton already has two of the three top things people demand when choosing a home - great schools and public safety. We also enjoy lower property investment requirements than neighboring Brandon and Madison. But where we have a deficit is in sufficiently diverse retail and professional establishments to attract new residents. Our local government should focus on making our city easy to to business in, and do business with. Unnecessary red tape, endless delays in decision making over variances and revised ordinances, and the failure to honor commitments from one elected body to the next will not attract new business. I believe in fostering an environment where businesses can grow and families can thrive. Clinton should be a city that is easy to do business in, and business with.  

EXit

I believe the biggest threat to Clinton’s future is Hinds County. In recent years, the county’s “leadership” and policies have held Clinton back, and even sought to pull it down. Our city previously had reliable and effective representation on the Board of Supervisors - Phil Fisher, Mike Morgan, Tony Greer, and Darrell McQuirter provided dependable representation and ensured that our city's interests were represented. But, through use of cracking and Gerrymandering, our supervisor districts were drawn in a way to prevent Clinton from electing a representative to the board. The Hinds County Board of Supervisors has intentionally robbed Clinton of any board representation. With the elimination of our representatives came a departure of transparency as to how Clinton's share of county taxes were spent. In previous years the board expressly reported on how much tax dollars came from Clinton, and how many county tax dollars were spent in Clinton, but I challenge you to visit the board's web site today and locate that calculation. Those reports are no longer publicly available. What's more, the county makes decisions adverse to Clinton residents without any discussion with, or warning to, city's leadership. The most recent example is the county's decision to unilaterally raise the per diem incarceration rate charged for prisoners to double what is permitted by state law - after the city had already completed its budget for the upcoming year. 

Other countywide-elected officials pose a danger to our city as well. Our county's district attorney is currently under federal indictment for conspiracy, bribery, racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering, and false statements. This is the elected official that is supposed to be prosecuting crime in our county, not committing it. A recent Hinds County interim sheriff was convicted of bribery. An election commissioner recently plead guilty to embezzlement. In addition to criminal behavior, many Hinds County officials have shown an inability to perform the most basic functions of government. For example, control of the jail in Raymond was stripped from the county by a federal judge because of the county's inability to perform the most basic function of a jail - keep prisoners from escaping. Pandamonium arose just a few months ago in a county election that resulted in disenfranchisement of many because an insufficient number of ballots were printed, and wrong ballots were delivered to the precinct. Election commissioners are elected to serve only one function, and to do so just a few times every four years - that function is to provide ballots and count votes. But these Hinds county election officials could not be relied upon to complete that simple fundamental function of their elected role. In my practice helping families probate the estate of a loved one, death certificates take dramatically longer to be issued by our elected coroner than in neighboring counties. Things are bad throughout Hinds county government, and the future only promises more of the same. Hinds County corruption is only going to get worse, not better. Hinds County taxes, already among the highest in the state, will continue to go up, not down. A Hinds County residency will continue to burden, not a benefit, our property values. Hinds County dysfunction will not improve. 

That is why I call for Clinton to Exit Hinds County altogether! Clinton should control its own destiny. We cannot allow the dysfunction of Hinds County's government to dictate the well-being of our city. When we arrest criminals, we need to count on a prosecutor that will prosecute them. When criminals are convicted, or await trial, we must be able to count on their incarceration while they await trial. We deserve to be able to rely on basic county government services. Therefore, I advocate taking immediate action to legally and strategically separate Clinton from Hinds County, providing greater autonomy and control over local resources and governance. As Ward 3's voice in city government, I will push for this outcome. It will not be easy. It will take significant effort. It will certainly upset and be resisted by those who's agendas are served by the status quo. But this change is necessary if we are to remove ourselves from the chaos, corruption, and complete disfunction, that has become Hinds county.

Join the Movement

I am calling on Ward 3 residents and all of Clinton to stand with me in this important fight for the city’s future. Clinton is a great city, but we must act now to protect it.

I have the passion, the skills, and the experience to best represent Ward 3 in dealing with these new challenges while building on the successes of the past. With your support, and your help, we can and will keep CLINTON great!

I need your support to make this vision a reality. If you agree with me that these are the biggest challenges and opportunities that we face, join this movement. Click the button below for the opportunity to contribute your time to our campaign, contribute money, or simply show support by placing a sign in your yard. But most importantly, I ask for your vote on April 1. Together we can keep Clinton a great city, a safe city, and a city no longer dragged down by a dysfunctional county government.