Clarksdale is a picturesque town that many who live here are so proud to call home.
Tourism is also big business around here and our visitors love to come downtown and take photos of the artwork that adorns our buildings. They eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, listen to our music and take pictures of all of it.
And some dig a little deeper and decide to move here, maybe invest in a business or bring an industry to town.
That is why your Clarksdale Press Register is confused by Mayor Chuck Espy’s decision to not rid our community of junk cars that spoil that picture of a quaint and clean Clarksdale.
Back in February all four of our city commissioners agreed something needed to be done about junk cars in yards around town. It’s a concern in every neighborhood in Clarksdale and city fathers felt it was time to clean up our act.
It looked like Clarksdale was finally going to do something about an urban blight problem that has plagued this city for years. Many in the business community applauded the effort. Many with a junk car in a yard next door were happy about the move, too.
But in March, Mayor Espy said he would not allow city employees charged with keeping Clarksdale clean and safe to haul off junk cars.
Why?
The Mayor said he was too busy with more important things and didn’t have time to worry with a junk car in your neighbor’s yard that is hurting the property value of your home.
Mayor Espy dresses nicely and we really don’t expect him to wrap a chain around a junk car and then tow it away. We do expect him as a professional executive to simply direct city employees to handle that task.
Yes, the Mayor is a busy man and there are more important issues, but as Ward 3 Commissioner Willie Turner pointed out, while the city has big projects underway, they don’t need to forget about the smaller issues that touch us all.
Your Clarksdale Press Register would also like to point to a story on Page One of today’s newspaper that reminds us how our Mayor and City Commissioners handed themselves big pay raises last summer.
With a pay raise in the real world comes more work and a work ethic to do more for the people paying the bills. In government that is Clarksdale taxpayers and property owners.
We understand that citing someone with a junk car in their yard will cost the Mayor a vote, but the two people living next door, and probably the person across the street, would be pleased. And three votes are more than one.
We’re asking Mayor Espy to reconsider his stance. Let’s show some pride in our community, solve this simple but chronic problem, and clean up Clarksdale.
