Ellington

May 12, 2005

Even as Frank Melton savored his Democratic primary win—and presumed shoo-in candidacy for mayor—his Republican opponent said it ain't over until it's over. In a press conference the next day, Whitlow said that the low turnout last week (33 percent of eligible voters bothered to show up and vote for either candidate) means he has a chance because there are many voters waiting to be swayed by good ideas.

One way the 51-year-old former sportcaster believes he can lure all those undecideds is by providing specific plans for fighting crime in Jackson—which he calls the city's top issue. He cited his commitment to a zero tolerance policy on crime, while protecting the individual rights of the accused—a concern of critics of Melton's record at the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics when he set up unconstitutional roadblocks near the state Capitol to troll for drug possession.

"Now this philosophy is aggressive," Whitlow said his of "zero tolerance" ideas. "I know it has its pros and its cons, and it will almost certainly have its critics, but for the past two years I have studied it in great detail, and I believe it to be the course of action to take to reduce crime in Jackson."

Whitlow also stressed a partnership of metro-area components of the criminal justice system, saying he would "encourage them both publicly and privately to support and buy into the zero tolerance crime-fighting plan." He said the effectiveness of the policy would be assessed quarterly, that abuses of civil rights would not be tolerated, that officers will be held accountable for their actions," but that they would also have the "complete and total backing of the mayor's office."

The Republican characterized the philosophy of zero tolerance as a system that "sends a message" to serious crime offenders that the law is non-negotiable for them by cracking down on lesser offenders. He could do this by enforcing the laws already on the books, and officers need only adhere to the zero-tolerance policy to accomplish this, he said.

Zero tolerance is not "a panacea to crime," Whitlow said, adding that it would need to be monitored and adjusted. When asked if it meant more arrests, he said the policy would "disrupt their (the criminals') comfort zone." A reporter asked where he would put the felons, given the current crunch on jail space. He said it is a "long-term thing" and that they'll have to make some room. "I'm keenly aware of the space problem," he said.

Whitlow did not completely turn his back on "community policing"—considered an opposite, and more modern, approach to zero-tolerance policing in criminal-justice circles and the one used by the current administration. He emphasized community involvement, stating that many answers for crime can come from citizens. He said he will "demand" that officers get out of the squad car and interact with citizens. He said he'd support programs to raise citizen involvement in fighting crime and that he'd heard of a program that encouraged officers to reside in their communities, and that he'd inquire about it once he was mayor.

The candidate indicated that the new police chief would have to be a "tough individual on crime, who buys into the zero tolerance" and that he'd likely appoint an officer from within the current JPD. Melton has indicated that he is looking outside the department and may appoint Shirlene Anderson, formerly of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.

Whitlow did not waver from his contention that crime must be reduced before economic development can succeed: "Implementing the zero-tolerance policing policy will protect those investments and encourage others, which in turn improves the quality of life, broadens the tax base, improves education, and creates opportunities for affordable, traditional home ownerships, and also creates new jobs."

However, Whitlow said he is for the Convention Center and will protect the current downtown investments and others in public parts of Jackson. He supports Farish Street development and will continue work on it, adding that he is skeptical about Melton's campaign promise to the hip-hop community to build a recording studio there.

Whitlow is also running on an education platform, and cited his service on the JPS Strategic Planning Team as an eye-opener for him in regards to the challenges that educators face, and emphasizes parent involvement, classroom discipline, and listening to the professionals as his tactics for a better educational system. He said Jackson suffers a dearth of activities for young people—no Putt-Putt, no movie theaters. He noted that Magic Johnson has built movie theaters around the country and said he would call Magic and ask him about building a theater in the city.

Fellow Republicans and businesspeople, Whitlow said—"both politically and in the public and private sector"—can move business along a lot quicker. He indicated that Gov. Haley Barbour, as well as U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Trent Lott, and people who want to see Jackson succeed and whose support he could accrue as a Republican mayor. He said he "can't think of anybody better to help" than those three figures, and "people like that."

None of those three men have endorsed a Jackson mayoral candidate, although people close to Barbour, including Mississippi Development Authority Director Leland Speed, helped with Melton's campaign. Barbour appointee Liles Williams, chairman of the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission, campaigned for Mayor Harvey Johnson and against Melton's crime record, pointing out that he had an abysmal record of drug arrests while at MBN.

Melton cited both Lott and Cochran at a March appearance, saying they could help him get federal grants to help pay for his strategies. However, both men said they had not spoken to Melton about such grants.

Is Whitlow concerned about the strong Republican voting bloc that supported Melton? "I was disappointed but not discouraged," Whitlow said.

Correction: The first paragraph of this story contained a preliminary percentage of how many Jacksonians of voting age turned out to vote in the mayor's race ("fewer than 30 percent"). Updated numbers we were provided an hour before we went to press raised that percentage slightly to 33 percent, which was used in other stories, but this story was not corrected. We regret the error and have corrected the first paragraph above. —ed.

Previous Comments

ID

169721

Comment

Rick Whitlow ain't got a snowball's chance in hell.

Author

Black Man

Date

2005-05-11T13:35:36-06:00

ID

169722

Comment

From what I am hearing his version of "Zero-Tolerance" policing is not the heavy handed approach that Giuliani used in New York; but, more an "attitude" or "catch-phrase" that needs to be adopted as a sign to the criminals that we will tolerate no more crime. Is Melton's way of fighting crime going to be any different come the end results? I think not. These guys are running as tough on crime candidates and that means tough on crime rhetoric. Itís an old term that he seems to be working into more concrete ideas he has for fighting crime here in Jackson. I was glad to see in the article that community policing was a component of his plan. Whitlow is showing us he doesn't have all the answers; but, that he is open to various ways of fighting crime. Zero Tolerance appears to be the most pointed way to sound bite his idea. We have two news personalities running who can get more mileage out of a sound bite then necessarily explaining why or how a plan works. I am glad to see Whitlow talk the issues with the JFP even when he knows that his policies may get the big thumbs down from many who read these pages. We need to hear more from both candidates about the issues no matter who or what media source it is.

Author

tortoise

Date

2005-05-11T14:54:49-06:00

ID

169723

Comment

Is Melton's way of fighting crime going to be any different come the end results? That's a good question because at this point both candidates' crime policies are attitudes, not actual policies (besides a change of police chief). Whitlow has attached a bold name to his crime-demeanor but there's little yet to debate. Hopefully we'll be able to compare/contrast in a meaningful way before election.

Author

Walker Sampson

Date

2005-05-11T16:02:16-06:00

ID

169724

Comment

True, the "how" would be nice to hear aboutófrom both candidates. Funny that crime is deemed the "no. 1 issue" by so many folks who don't then demand to know what the candidates are going to do about it. Bizarre reasoning.

Author

ladd

Date

2005-05-11T16:05:21-06:00

ID

169725

Comment

The Clarion-Ledger editorial board woke up this morning and realized that the elections aren't over, yet. Alert the media. They, thus, advise today: "Get to know the candidates and their positions." ROTFLMAO and then ROTFLMAO some more. Er, thanks, Ledge. Glad you're there for us to remind us of these things now and then.

Author

ladd

Date

2005-05-19T10:40:46-06:00