Clarksdale does not look like it once did. And, as everyone in this town can agree, the change has not been positive.
We are not talking about the downtown area. Your Clarksdale Press Register is talking about the residential neighborhoods where the voters, the people, the families live.
Neighborhoods that once sported groomed yards and freshly painted houses with a car or two in the driveway don’t look that way now.
There are still those cared-for yards, well-kept homes and carefully parked cars out front, but they are often right down the block from a burned out hulk of a house. Or worse that eyesore is next to a family who is working hard to pay the note on their home with the hope it will increase in value.
One of the best ways to build a nest egg is buying a home, making payments, raising a family and then selling the place once you have built up equity or hopefully paid it off.
If the neighborhood stays nice, maybe that aging couple will retire in this home and enjoy their golden years and the freedom of no rent.
Sadly, the blight that has infected many neighborhoods in Clarksdale has killed that dream for many who live and vote in Clarksdale.
That is why we are confused by Mayor Chuck Espy’s three-pronged plan to clean up Clarksdale.
We admire the Mayor’s effort to give people choices, but they should always be good choices and not ones where you hold your nose and pick.
The choices Espy presented to your Commissioners are:
• Maintain the status quo and leave current ordinances in place.
• Hold a citywide referendum and vote for or against stricter ordinances.
• Allow residents to petition, block by block, if they want tougher ordinances.
The first one is an obvious non-starter because people don’t like the current situation. It should never have been a choice. It’s like asking someone, “do you want to vote to fail.”
Holding a city referendum is expensive and is a favorite ploy of Espy’s. He did it with his CPU appointment several years ago. When you don’t want to make a tough decision, let the public vote and like Pilate, you can wash your hands of the measure and point at “them.”
Allowing people to petition block by block may be the most asinine choice. Letting people pick block by block won’t improve neighborhoods and bring pride to city streets. This needs to be a city-wide effort that is fair and enforced equally on all.
We urge Mayor Espy and Commissioners to simply listen to the people.
Let’s break from the status quo and fairly enforce the law. If they are bad ordinances, let’s change them so they do work.
Yes, it’s a hard decision, but it is best for the future of Clarksdale and the people who live here.
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