The Black Informant

Here comes the mayor

(iht.com) JACKSON, Mississippi: The mayor of Mississippi’s largest city and two police bodyguards were acquitted of using sledgehammers and sticks to demolish a duplex he considered a drug house.

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton, 57, would have been forced to resign if convicted of any of the four felony counts, and he could have faced jail time. The officers were also acquitted of the charges.

[…]

The first-term mayor was elected by a landslide in 2005 on promises to root out the crime problem that is blamed for suburban flight and an evaporating tax base in Mississippi’s capital city.

But it was not long before his unorthodox tactics, including carrying guns and cruising the inner city in the police department’s mobile command center, landed him in the sights of the district attorney’s office.

Melton and detectives Michael Recio and Marcus Wright were each charged with malicious mischief and two counts of conspiracy in the August attack on a duplex they considered a blight on the community. (more…)

I just saw an interview of this mayor recently and he seems like the real deal. His tactics did not seem to be “photo ops”. The impression I got from him that the people hired him to do a job and he was just tired of politics.

(Anybody who is more familiar with this story than I, please chime in.)

Here are some of his past quotations as recorded on Wikipedia (source):

“Now the election is over and it is time for our city to move forward together. To do so, we must build a team with the best people that Jackson and the surrounding area have to offer. To be on my team, you must have a passion for your job and serving others. In my administration there will be no politics … no race … and no negative influences. If this is the sort of environment you would like to work in, I encourage you strongly to apply for a position with the city of Jackson.” — Frank Melton

“To our youth … You want a job, you have one with the city. But we have a rule—we will not pay you a dime until you do something to help someone in your neighborhood. … To qualify for this program, you must be in school with acceptable behavior, and you must be in church on Sunday. While I must admit that I am crossing the line with this request, I must tell you that I was one of you as a teenager.” — Frank Melton, Inaugural Address, 4 July 2005

“I want to publicly apologize about my language. When you’re being backed up against the wall, there is so much a man can take. I am going to spend the next 30 days working on my language.” — Frank Melton, one day after a “rambling, obscenity-laced and somewhat incoherent” live telephone interview on WMPR-90.1 FM, 4 May 2006

“(The media) come and ask me questions, then they run out and ask the public what they think, like I give a sh*t what they say. You come and set me up and then ask people what do you think. If I cared what they think, I’d ask them before I answered your stupid question.” - Frank Melton, post-City Council Meeting comment with camera running, February 28, 2006

“I will cream you personally.” - Frank Melton, post-news conference statement to reporter, March 10, 2006

“Before you go up in there and f*ck him, make sure he gets a job.” - Frank Melton, comment to young women after an 11:55 p.m. search of a private home resulting in no arrests, April 2, 2006.

“I am the ultimate authority.” - Frank Melton, in response to allegations of abuse of power, May 1, 2006

“It’s been such a stressful two weeks. I wanted to shake their hands. I wanted to touch them. That’s all it was.” - Frank Melton, explaining why he had police pull over four school buses on their way home on an interstate on a Friday afternoon, May 3, 2006 (related)

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