Jackson Jambalaya

We need a "None of the Above" option for the Brandon Mayoral race.

Will be interesting to see how BPD and SO get along if Shanks wins. Going to go out on a limb and say SO won't be offering much help to BPD. Maybe BPD writes tickets to the SO employees riding their golf carts downtown.

Flowoodian here. I see the outgoing mayor in every single campaign piece Kathy Smith publishes. It's almost as if he isn't really retiring, ya know?! Any thoughts on this from anyone else?

Flowood could use a blast of fresh air and sunshine, and Greg Wilcox is the just man to make that happen!

I'm a county resident with no say in either, but I know the candidates. I'd go with Kathy and Fred.

Greg is just kind of the guy who is always there. He has no discernible talent. Showing up to Chamber events does not qualify one to be Mayor. Kathy has a good head on her shoulders.

Fred would be good for Brandon. He's got some fresh ideas, which Brandon could use. It's going to be tough for him though. Brandon folks are pretty happy, and Butch has done some good things.

Coin toss between Lee and Shanks for Brandon mayor.

Will Fred last more than a few weeks on the job, if elected, unlike his last bid as a local alderman? Butch has a lot of people that he supposedly asked to put out a social media campaign for him, versus doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. Seems like the lesser of two evils in the Brandon race. Lots of people have strong opinions for and against both candidates.

While Lee has rankled a lot of people in Brandon, you can't argue with improvements made since he has been in office. He may not have been directly responsible for all these but the amphitheater is a success, downtown is alive, the Quarry baseball fields are always busy, there are some great mtn biking/hiking trails, etc. I have no allegiance to either candidate but I like the direction Brandon is headed at this point.

Bring Back Roe Grubbs!!

I dont vote in Brandon race. Will be voting for Greg Wilcox in Flowood race.

I've heard (allegedly) Butch can be an ass but sometimes leadership can be viewed that way by others. I've also heard he's not afraid to sit on a backhoe and do what's necessary to get things done. I don't know much about Fred other than he can apparently run a good campaign. Being a mayor will have different challenges and sets of decisions than being a state rep. Fred is untested but would likely be serviceable. It'll be interesting to see the results.

Butch & Smith both over 60%

I once saw Butch Lee ask all the elected officials in the room please stand to be recognized and gave a short speech about the sacrifice of public service...... in a room full of vets at the veterans day program

How about some information on the Pelahatchie mayoral race please.

Butch can be very charming but and he's not stupid, but he's been a major disappointment in that he doesn't know what he doesn't know and won't listen to those who try to help enlighten him.

2:47. Butch on backhoe?Don’t think so!!! Almost everything in Brandon is done by Hemphill not City personnel. At whatever hourly rate they want to charge!!! That’s my biggest beef with Butch. He only bids out work when forced to.

Flowood has relinquished a significant portion of its police jurisdiction, allowing Jackson's influence to expand into the area. This shift has led to a surge in crime, including shootings, domestic violence, flash mobs, illegal street racing, assaults, theft, vandalism, and excessive littering. Additionally, the continued presence of government-subsidized housing and the influx of out-of-town leasing agents bringing Jackson residents into Northwest Rankin persist in areas with relatively few registered voters. These developments raise serious concerns about the policy decisions that enabled these changes, despite the long-standing and well-documented decline of Jackson and its public school system. Yet, neither Flowood mayoral candidate has addressed these pressing issues, leaving residents without clear solutions or accountability.

What about Pearl?

and age/term limits

@5:04 I agree. They’ve run on popularity but not addressing the upcoming issues that will face Flowood. Flowood is a hodgepodge of zoning and development that’s evolved, but doesn’t seem to have a real direction, yet we have fast food and spec houses everywhere. Plus an outdoor mall that’s emptying at a rapid pace that, if not addressed, will be a cancer to the area. But, if chicken and Mexican eateries are your thing, then come on over.

Wasn’t Rhoads son, Dusty Rhoads(what a rankin county name, but not a wrassler) heavily involved with the Siemens fiasco while on the Flowood board of aldermen while Gary was mayor? Seems fishy to me. One big grift.

As a Long time Rankin County Resident my Hat's off to Flowood Leadership. Mayor Chasten Flynt certainly set a High Example of managing Flowood's growth in his day. Gary Rhoads has certainly continued this Managed Growth while providing the Lowest Ad Val tax rates in Rankin County and the Metro area. All my Life Flowood has been consistent with the Police Force while managing Not to annex to many Rooftops. Growth catches up after while & had to Annex some Rooftops instead of only Hwy 25 Developments for Retail Taxes. I imagine every other Municipality in Rankin County & the surrounding area are only envious of this History. Hard to Not Choose Kathy Smith since she's been a participant in this for several years.

Wasn't Wilcox only supported to Vote for Rankin County to help fund the Convention Center?

Shanks is currently serving in a body that cannot even pass a simple budget to fund government on time.

Flowoodian here, @1:43, Greg Wilcox introduced many of the newer developments we now have in Flowood. If you read the posted city meeting minutes, you can clearly see who was pushing for the betterment of Flowood. Kathy not once asked questions or proposed any development projects. I have known Kathy for a number of years and, although she does okay for an Alderman place holder, I do not feel she has the experience needed to pull off being mayor.

https://www.cityofflowood.com/search/node/Minutes

Butch should be voted out for hiring MHP to take over Brandon PD and destroying what was left of the department if nothing else.

If Shanks hasn’t asked Lee everyday to apologize for foisting those two complete dumbasses Dearnan and Pack and all the clowns they hired onto the citizens of Brandon then he will deserve to lose.

I'm sorry Mayor Rhoads but you have danaged the Flowood PD because you kept overturning DUIs and tickets for your family, friends and Flowood VIPs.

It’s the future County Line Road, where out-of-town commercial property developers consistently outpace our elected officials. With weak zoning laws and only permitting apartments, a mayor with dementia who should have retired 15 years ago, and the only alternatives being two individuals who’ve flanked him for the past 15 or 30 years.

I've asked before, and the question was ignored...Will Shanks give up his legislative seat in order to run for the mayoral position?

I don't think he can be both at the same time, but some positions DO require leaving one position to run for another.

Running unopposed should be interpreted as a lack of democratic contest rather than universal approval.

There is no question Butch gutted and micromanaged the police and fire departments in Brandon. Many long term employees left to find work elsewhere because of Butch. Take that for what it is worth.

If Fred wins, will his police department enforce his squatted truck law he authored in the legislature? It doesn't appear any municipality in the metro area is doing anything about it.

@8:03 am Fred does not have to resign from the legislature to run for mayor. He must resign before he takes office as mayor if he wins.

Butch by at least 5 points.

Consensus in Bulldog Country: There are a lot of people that don't care for Butch, but there are more people that despise Fred. Polls will show Butch by a lot, however most of those votes are more anti-Shanks than pro-Lee. That's the word around town.

At the end of the day, there is very little "pro-Butch" support. Very few people that have to interact with Butch actually like the guy. But his opponent is an empty suit. And, despite Butch's faults, which are numerous and well-documented, there are very few that see Fred as a viable alternative.

Butch had nothing to do with Bubba Thompson leaving the police department. They got along fine so don’t try to start rumors here about that.

11:36 what about the patrolmen, lieutenants, sergeants, and investigators that left? What about the fire department?

Agree!!

Shanks is a super nice guy, but not a step up from Butch. Butch has successes during his tenure that out=weigh his failures. He wins by 10. Shanks is like his cousin, just a suit looking for a paycheck, really doesn't bring anything to the table. With his faults, Butch has improved Brandon.

Agree, but gotta do better than Shanks.

He could unseat Butch.

Bingo!

Flowood resident here. Kathy Smith has a servant's heart and a vision for the future of Flowood. I'm excited to vote for her. Greg Wilcox is an opinionated showboat.

Las Vegas has "The Strip". Flowood has "The Chicken Strip". I hope Kathy's vision has throttling back some of this and turning 25 into a more established and zoned area. Otherwise, we are going to look more and more like a fast-food one stop shop in the middle of a pine thicket.

Ole Butch is just so unlikeable. He was a firefighter that has done nothing but let Brandon run a second-rate fire department. Clown show in Brandon.

Flowood is in deep trouble. Bad elements continue to encroach into the city and it’s going down the tubes very quickly. Property values are nosediving.

As a Flowood resident, I’m planning on moving.

Just wait till Mother Clucker’s gets on the chicken strip, man that’s some deluxe dipping sauce.

Maybe Wilcox has finally learned his lesson after getting his @$$ trounced yet again.

I said when we moved here that we will have to move again in 10 years but Covid pushed it to 5. Flowood will succumb to Jackson. Northwest Rankin is already a JPS school because again there was no plan for our elected leaders to absorb all the families and school aged children that are fleeing the collapse of Jackson and JPS.

Unlike the politicians, at least the out of town commercial developers are out in front providing fried chicken spots, car washes, storage units, and dollar stores. If not for Mexican restaurants and their willingness to occupy empty spaces all of this area would be blight

When they start knocking down the trees in the rural areas surrounding Jackson for the next planned communities you have about 25 years before they will collapse.

Well when you defeat your opponent 2 to 1 in votes there would appear to no contest in either of Flowood's or Brandon's elections!

9:39 Flowood is now what 72 years old and it has not collapsed yet and is now on it's third Mayor!