Talk of cleaning up Clarksdale has been going on for years.
Recent stories, photos and Letters to the Editor in your Clarksdale Press Register have revealed a heartfelt desire by longtime residents who love this town that something must be done about junk cars, burned out houses, entrances to our town and litter in our streets.
It is obvious this is not an issue that is going away and we urge city leaders to show some political courage and legislative power and clean up Clarksdale.
There is a process to get rid of decaying houses. Yes, the city tore down two houses without the proper procedure and had to pay the property owners handsomely, but we urge them to put that behind them and focus on the task at hand.
There is also a process to rid our neighborhoods of junk cars. We point a meeting where Mayor Chuck Espy was absent and Commissioners voted unanimously to start that process. Espy came back two weeks later and stopped the vote. Why didn’t commissioners over-ride Espy’s veto and tell city workers to start hauling junk cars out of yards?
Finally, the condition of several buildings in downtown Clarksdale must be addressed. These buildings are dangerous, an eyesore and a health hazard. The day glass breaks out of a window or a brick drops on someone, the city will be faced with a lawsuit.
City fathers have talked of cleaning up these buildings for years. City leaders have talked about towing off junk cars for years. Commissioners have talked for years about tearing down abandoned houses and turning them into grassy lots.
Your Clarksdale Press Register says talk is cheap and as one elected official likes to say, “Let’s go to work!”
It’s pitiful when our neighboring communities comment on the trashy appearance of Clarksdale. It’s shocking when business owners of unsightly property tell elected officials Clarksdale is a dump and to leave them alone.
And perhaps worst of all it is a shame city leaders don’t take any pride in Clarksdale and won’t work to clean up their town and earn those high-powered paychecks.
Stop talking about trashy problems in Clarksdale and do something about it.
