Jackson Jambalaya

“Our” city. Glad he’s seeing that the terrible shape Jackson in is THEIR fault. Not the state or federal government’s issue.

Well there wasn't of Lumumba's usual Marxist hatred in the speech. That is a nice start.

"Bad place" is putting it nicely. I'm exhausted just driving through Jackson every day. Between the potholes and the idiots running red lights for fun, we don't even need to talk about the crime rate. You can't drive during or after rain because you can't see the potholes. Someone on FB reported that he bent his rim driving on Meadowbrook. Jackson is what Cabrini-Green would look like if it were a city.

Jackson - Hinds County - still has a crook for a DA.

and Governor

It may not be the best but it is better. At least the city will more reflect the aspirations of typical Jackson residents, not Detroit or New York radicals who want to impose their failed social agendas on a captive city.

Don't think I heard him say equity once.

That's the best speech (or part of) that I've ever heard Mr. Horhn give and I've been around him for 30 years. Perhaps there's hope for Jackson yet. Godspeed, Mayor.

Won't be for long !

There is something wrong with his speech. He didn't say "right" one time. Right?

No question John is saying all the right things.

@11:51 Thank you for telling us what we already know. Why don't we try being positive about the future now?

This speech was a very encouraging one to hear. Nothing will happen overnight, and it may take a while to see drastic change, but it is refreshing to hear someone actually point out problems and say we're going after them. If the city, county, state, and fed. gov. will get along then it's hard to imagine Jackson not doing much better a few years from now. We'll see, but this is a good start.

The suburbanites predicting that a Horhn Administration will be nothing more than a continuation of the same black separatism/isolationism that marked the previous 8 years are in for a rude awakening.

None of the activism talk and calling people racist is quite refreshing.

"Our city is in a bad place right now" and its about to get even worse!

It's pretty significant that Tater attended and spoke at this event. I'm assuming the invite for the prior two inaugurations was lost in the mail

Lumumba has been the laughing stock of everyone, every race, every background for quite some time. Sure, some people bought into the BS initially, but to see damn near every other politician, black and white, state and federal level attend Horhn's inauguration speaks volumes. Hell even Benny was throwing shade at Chokwe during the event talking about him running it in the ground. No one is as universally hated around these parts as him. He had his little experiment, now it's time for the adults to run the show.

It's been a bad plase AT LEAST FOR the past eight years.

Horhn may not be an ideologue but the results he achieves will speak for themselves. It won't be hard and won't take long to determine if he is on the right track. If he doesn't immediately close the zoo before the next fiscal year starts then more of the same is more likely than any awakening, rude or other.

12:12 PM
Yeah that crook governor that stepped in and stabalized Jackson's water system. What an asshole.

Well recognizing there's a problem is step one in remediation. Green shoots? I'll reserve judgement until a later date.

Horne's goal is to provide basic services.

He may not be a black separatist, but what he's said about the airport, water system, republicans "hollowing out jackson" has more in common than you would like to admit.

2:07 is correct
You NE jacksonians are celebrating as if a republican was sworn in.
Horhn is a hard- core Democrat.

Will my water continue to be free? Asking for a S. Jackson resident.

I wish he hadn't listed prayer as action step 3. People have been praying for Jackson for a very long time. It hasn't worked for anyone other than the self-appointed pastors and deacons who make a living off the praying poor. It's not prayer that's needed, it's getting rid of the deadbeats that work for the city, closing various departments, having the guts to close the blasted zoo and kicking some ass in general.

Where is the free stuff that he promised?

I’m sure hoping that Jackson will improve. If not get ready for more Jackson residents will move to the suburbs and turn the suburbs into Jackson. I don’t know why people here don’t see that. While they root for Jackson to fail. Promise you Brandon and Madison will be next in next 10-15 years when they flood into the burbs

1:25 - This "suburbanite" lived in the city of Jackson for 65 of my 71 years. It and so many people, places in things are still home to me. I'm so glad to hear John, who I've known for 30 plus years talk about getting things done...Harvey J would have paid for "a study" first. John will be the best mayor we've had in a long time. Thank you Mayor John Horhn!

My hope is Jackson can at minimum clean up some major areas, fix some infrastructure, and try to get some handle on the crime.

Too many in Mississippi act as though Jackson doesn't matter. It does and should to more of us. It likely will never be what it was in the 1970s but just stopping the bleeding will be an improvement.

He'll probably be about like Harvey Johnson, and I'm fine with that. ANYTHING is better than Chokwe over the last 8 years. The bar has been set very low.

If Horhn could approach the competency of Magee in Ridgeland, it will only take him twenty years to bring Jack City up to "habitable". He must surrender the airport to regional-State management, sell the Convention Center, accept regional management of the water system, close the zoo, stop race-based hiring, accept merit-qualified contractors from all over, focus on his core responsibilities for Garbage, crime and streets and city asset maintenance. Many of us despise the parking app meter system, BTW. Not that downtown is ever a destination.

I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm thankful Horhn won, especially knowing the huge margin of victory Chokwe had last election. I just pray Horhn will be a man of action and not a Harvey Johnson retread. It is certainly helpful that Reeves seems (for now) to be on board.

I believe the man was speaking with sincerity, that he actually believed what he was saying. Let the man go to work, encourage, and strengthen him if you can. It could be that this man is the answer to the prayers that have been spoken. Prayer is an example of faith, but faith without works is dead, being alone. The prayer has been made, now it's time for work.

Horne also said he has not received any help from Chokwe during the transition. He said the first few months are going to be difficult.

"The suburbanites predicting that a Horhn Administration will be nothing more than a continuation of the same black separatism/isolationism that marked the previous 8 years are in for a rude awakening."

Surely you meant to say 'the previous 28 years'. Every mayor for the past 28 years has been a black separatist and isolationist.

Has there been a white department head, police chief, administrative assistant, secretary, non-elected official or city hall spokesperson in the past three decades?

Yep...we've all witnessed the definition of separatism and isolationism. This applies to the employment office that Jackson has become as well as its contracts in multiple 'whites need not apply' administration after administration.

@2:58. Agreed. The people on here that say "My property value in Madison just went up" and wish for Jackson to fail don't realize that Jacksonians will be their neighbors in 15 years if Jackson continues to fail. Just look at how many Jacksonians have moved to the suburbs over the last 10 years. Rats on a sinking ship will always look for higher ground.

I guess since Memphis has finally surpassed Jackson in per capita homicide, there was no need to specifically mention crime.

Some of you knucklehead posters still insist on blaming Reeves for the shape Jackson is in. No governor has a damned thing to do with running a city, running it in the ditch or pulling it out of a ditch when it winds up there.

Good Lord the Contagion Theorists have shown up en masse on this one KF.

4:19 So you would say the white separatists run the towns outside Jackson that do not have black department heads? Leave it alone.

Harvey had several white department heads and the elder lumumba had them as well. Raff ran HCS during yarber and antars terms as well. His successor was white. Rick Hill served in several of these administrations

Are you surprised?

Did Horhn say during the campaign what his intentions were, re: the water system? Will he leave it in the hands of the current (apparently competent) administrator, at least for the time being?

The mayor doesn't control the water or sewer system.

Madison is as white as they come. Kianca Stringfellow is black and runs the Community Development department (site plans, zoning, etc.). Dexter Shelby is black and he was public works director until he quit.

@8:58 it isn't his decision to make.

Will he be any different? What did he do in his other elected position?

Rick Hill served when Sherman burned the city to the ground.