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Ward 1 Voters Stayed Consistent: No to Johnson

Voting patterns in last Tuesday's general elections tell a story about Jackson: Citizens were tired of voting, and the city's whites and blacks don't necessarily agree on who should be the city's mayor.

Brown: Governor Will Cut School Funding

State Rep. Cecil Brown is warning that Mississippi's children will be the ultimate losers in the current budget battle if the governor gets his way. In an e-mail sent to his constituents and forwarded to the Jackson Free Press, Brown, who is chairman of the House Education Committee, warned that the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, MAEP, is on the governor's hit list of programs to cut.

Budget Stalled Again

Mississippi lawmakers failed yet again to come up with a budget for the 2010 fiscal year. A small budget committee has been working overtime to come to an agreement, but yesterday's midnight deadline has passed without producing a result. The new fiscal year begins July 1, 27 days from today, and it's looking like the governor will need to call a special session to get a budget passed.

[johnson] Drowning Jackson

When you look at it abstractly, Two Lakes developer John McGowan makes an easy villain: an old, wealthy white landowner intent on taking public lands for private profit with the help of wrangling politicians. But when you meet this man, it's tough to place him in such a diabolical role.

Get Out and Vote, Jackson

Read the JFP Endorsements

Read Candidate Interviews, Opinions and More on the JFP Politics Blog

The 2009 JFP Interview With Robert Amos

Robert Amos is the youngest remaining candidate for mayor. At 35, he's already worked in more fields than some do in a lifetime—health care, education, criminal justice and business—and he's currently an adjunct professor at Jackson State University's College of Lifelong Learning.

Jackson: Unite on June 2

Division in the city heavily affected both the Democratic mayoral primary and the runoff. It is time to put division aside and turn out June 2 to support the presumptive next mayor of Jackson: Harvey Johnson Jr.

Legislature Back in Session

State lawmakers have returned to Jackson today to hammer out the 2010 budget. The Legislature must agree on the Mississippi budget by the end of June as the new fiscal year begins July 1.

The 2009 JFP Interview: David Archie

Independent Jackson mayoral candidate David L. Archie is a political animal. Over the last 10 years, he has run for the positions of local judge, Ward 3 councilman and Ward 1 councilman.

Jackson, Let's Shoot for the Top

As I write this Tuesday, I have no idea who will be the Democratic nominee for mayor when you read this. As always happens in Jackson and Mississippi, it's been a tough campaign that has wallowed in the mud and brought out the worst in many of our neighbors.

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Break the Cycle

What is it about elections that turns ordinarily sane people into back-stabbing, devious, scheming liars?

Dwindling Republican Party Regrettable

As a 30-year-old Mississippian who never strongly identified with a particular party, I am excited to call myself an Obama Democrat. During the first 100 days of this administration, the Democrats made great strides in how they communicated with constituents to reflect the will of their respective districts.

State Budget in Limbo

Mississippi lawmakers are still deadlocked on a budget agreement for the upcoming fiscal year after spending last week in fruitless negotiations. With state revenues down $350 million to $400 million for the year, House and Senate negotiators remain about $37 million apart in their proposals for the roughly $5 billion 2010 budget.

Runoffs Provide Decisive Wins

More than 32,400 voters turned out to vote in Jackson yesterday, handing former Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. a decisive win in the Democrat runoff elections. Hinds County's unofficial results show Johnson beating former two-term City Councilman Marshand Crisler by just under 8,500 votes. The final tally is Johnson, 20,475 (63.089 percent) to Crisler, 11,979 (36.911 percent). Johnson now faces a slate of Republican and Independent candidates in the June 2 General Election.

Moderate Turn-Out Marks Runoffs

Beulah White, poll manager at Precinct 81, Callaway High School, described turn-out as "kind of slow, but steady."

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