Jackson Mayor John Horhn is holding a briefing right now. The press conference is live-streamed below.
* "We are out to change the culture" in city government, said Mayor Horhn.
* Mayor Horhn said he is re-establishing the Civil Service Commission. It had not met since last year. He said it was part of restoring accountability and transparency. Attorney Peyton Prospere, Ronald K. Moore (PhD), Onetta Whitley (Former Deputy Attorney General)
* Mayor Horhn said trying to get his hands around city government was like "drinking from two fire hoses at full force." He said every rock he overturns has a "cobra, big-mouth rattlesnake, or a water moccasin."
* The Mayor said the city was in danger of seeing the lowering of its fire rating to a level 4 or 5. The city currently has a fire rating of level 3.
* The Clarion-Ledger's Charlie Drape and asked if the Mayor favored raising water rates. Mayor Horhn said he is opposed to a rate increase. "We've got to come up with some solutions, though," said Hizzoner.
* Mayor Horhn said 20 tenants remain at the Blossom Apartments. He said his administration has been providing water to the tenants as well as sending the fire department's water trucks to assist tenants with water for laundry, etc. Stewpot's "Housing Navigators" are visiting the tenants today to help them find other places to live.
* "Public safety is our number one priority," said the Mayor.
* WAPT asked Hizzoner about a large hole in the road across the street from UMC on North State Street.
* Thalia Mara Hall update. "Thalia Mara is not back, it's almost back" said the Mayor. The city needs to spend $350,000 on asbestos mitigation, fire curtain, and other projects. The elevators are not ADA compliance. The Mayor said they found the money to make the repairs and said the auditorium should reopen within six weeks. The Broadway touring company will present seven shows.
* Audit. The audit can not be completed until the city receives financial information from JXN Water. The problem is the city is on a fiscal year while JXN Water is on a calendar year. He favors attaching JXN Water's audit to its own audit as an addendum.
* Hizzoner blamed the recent shootouts on neighborhood gangs.
* Mayor Horhn said he was going to try to hold a press conference every two weeks. "Being a State Senator is a walk in the park compared to this job," he said.
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53 comments:
Did anyone ask Jxn Water about the information for the audit? It's my understanding they turned in the
Information.
Let's see - no entourage pretending to be some sort of celebrity like the former dumbass - check, topics and answers to questions that contain substance and explanation - check. I believe Horhn is truly putting his best effort into this and I'm behind him 100%.
Kick the can down the road.
Clarion-Ledger's Charlie Drape asked if the Mayor favored raising water rates. Mayor Horhn said he is opposed to a rate increase. "We've got to come up with some solutions, though," said Hizzoner.
He's a solution John, let it all go to hell again.
Even if it's all talk, it's so refreshing to see someone besides Chokwe up there.
I guess the city doesn't care if there's
enough money to operate the water
system.
I wonder if he's fixed the hole on Denver street. It was way larger.
You expect him to fix every damned pothole and problem in this city after 40 years of corrupt municipal management? Either turn your cap around or leave town!
Wasn't able to watch. Anybody get a count of how many times he said "right"?
Horhn has his work cut out for him. On the water issue, they need revenue and rates are the only way to get it. Raise the rates and pay for your own system like an adult.
Did anyone ask when the missing annual audits for the city will be completed?
Shout out to Sister R wherever she is.
I'd say she's missed at these city functions, but that would be a lie.
What a breath of fresh air.
What I liked was he just walked from the Capitol after meeting with dean Kirby who is white and a republican. That tells you a lot about the guy.
Oh look it’s a real mayor instead of some grifter jibber jabbering about how the city is a victim.
Guess it is asking too much to ask residents of COJ to pay a reasonable charge for water service.
KF has Mr. Teeuwissen's job changed
from CAO to chief of staff?
"Hizzoner blamed the recent shootouts on neighborhood gangs."
He can right out and said it's gangs, not "interpersonal conflicts," or some other mealy-mouthed dodge.
It's just nice to not be lied to all the time.
Horhn's answer regarding the rate increase question is EXACTLY why the system can never be returned to the control of politicians of the City of Jackson. You reading this State Legislators??????
Not the ONLY way; JxnWater needs to fix the collections system and make people pay their bills. They are not constrained by the foolishness of the Lumumba administration's 'operations' wherein they put a moritorium on cutoffs - but yet, for three years they have not been cutting off users for non-payment. Yes, I know --- as KF has 'reported' earlier, repeating the claims of JxnWater - that would not be enough. But, it needs to be where they start, don't raise the rates on the 70% that are paying their bills because the other 30% are receiving free service.
It seems like the mayor has never talked to jxn water about the audit
Information. Cause he said I'm told.
I heard Jxn Water had turned in their
Information.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor!
And Kingfish, can you please not disrespectfully refer to him as "Hizzoner"? It was fine for Chock.
15,000-25,000 water service accounts remain unpaid. Hennifin should pay for disconnect contractors yesterday.
Yea. We need a real data-driven and data focused conversation. Most cities have collection rates 90+% ours is 70%. Even if our collection rate was 100%, that would not cover the operating costs. Period. So rates need to go up. Period. But at the same time, we need to get the collections rate up, and we need to institute hard water shutoffs. We also need to punish landlords like the Louisiana HUD grifter Tony Little clown who did not pay his tenant's water bills for years.
I’ve got my fingers crossed that he will do the right things and turn the city around.
@3:30 pm knows only one damn song. HELP.
Not saying he's perfect...but the bar so low that this guy looks like a hero already.
I hope the residents are properly ashamed of themselves for willingly signing up for years with that prior bumbling idiot thief after seeing what basic decency looks like,
Y'all better give this guy some grace to fix the mess your former bow-tie boob caused.
Jxn Water is cutting people off for non-
payment. There will be 1,000 letters
going out each week. They sent out
2500 letters and half got cutoff for non- payment. There are not 25,000 accounts unpaid.
I assure you that any well-run operation has a collection rate that is over 99.9%. The utility might disconnect 2-3% for non-payment, but then those 2-3% have to come in and pay the bill, along with a reconnect fee to get service restored. After that is done, you should have less than 0.1% remaining unpaid.
Some of you people are so miserable! Do you expect the man to turn the city around in 40 days?! Give the man a chance for crying out loud. Anything is better than what we had. Geez
If Horhn doesn't close the zoo he simply isn't serious.
@3:48 keep them crossed real tight lol.
There are now orange and white barrels around the big hole on State Street that WAPT asked about. Around 11AM today they were filming the hole.
After watching the Mayor's press conference, I am truly encouraged for the future of Jackson. He spoke with respect and humbleness, unlike the previous administration. Thank you Sir!! We finally got some adults on board!!
I find it distasteful and un-American to pay $40/mo to make up for people who expect and demand free water! Please get the water system under regional control (not COJ) asap.
Let this latest Hizzoner earn honor before respecting him, aye.
The cutoffs should have occurred several years ago, but Ted was too busy pushing his socialist pricing agenda. It took too long to get to cutting off the non-payers. Even if Wingate finds tens of millions of dollars to clawback it still won’t prevent rates from being raised. It’s not complicated.
The way the mayor was talking about the water raise the city should not have
water system back.
I find it distasteful and un-American that slumlords don't pay their water bills and the tenants suffer because of it.
According to the city's bond rate covenant the city was suppose to raise
water rates long before Jxn Water came to town.
That big hole on State Street is another example of Chokwe’s neglect. It’s been there a long time. It’s just now getting attention.
I don't think the mayor understands how a water system works. Jxn Water doesn't even have the highest water
rates in this area. Other cities near
charge a fee higher than Jxn Water.
Here are the water charges for the different systems in the metro area.
https://www.wlbt.com/2025/07/15/analysis-jacksons-water-sewer-rates-rank-fourth-metro/
Walking Corpse
"I find it distasteful and un-American that slumlords don't pay their water bills and the tenants suffer because of it."
I agree. Turn the water back on for the tenants. Then go after the landlord.
I would think this would be a political goldmine for the AG's office, if they even have the staff to do it.
The city owes Jxn Water a big water
bill if they haven't paid it. Someone
should have ask him if he has paid it.
With all the problems Mayor Horhn has to worry about right now, he should be thankful water service is not one of them. I’d worry about putting that problem back on my plate only after I had solved all of Jackson’s other ills.
Canton Municiple Utilities (CMU) raised water/sewer rates on some by 150% last month.
Democrats. They just make everything worse.
CHANGE: The City was out on State Street at 7:30 this morning. One hour later it is in the process of getting fixed.
I agree he needs to worry about everything else and not water. He doesn't run the water system.
The next one to get fixed should be Denver Street if it's not fixed yet.
Yep. Let JXN Water continue to do what it's doing. The city has bigger fish to fry.
Now just wait a minute! Chowke has stated that there are no gangs in Jackson, and there is only a "perception" of crime.
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