The snow that fell across Clarksdale and Coahoma County Friday morning was just about perfect.
We got about 4-inches and were greeted with a winter wonderland, it was pretty and then it was gone.
Please remember that Post Offices were closed Thursday and that meant yours truly was driving down West Second at about 4:30 a.m. Friday, to get bundles and bags of papers in the mail so they would be delivered to your home on time.
All the work your Clarksdale Press Register staff does is not worth a hill of beans until it gets in the hand of our readers.
I want to tip my hat to City and County crews for their preparation and effort to get most of our roads clean and safe by noon.
Rotary Speaker
The Clarksdale Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at Stone Pony and this week our speaker was David Crews, who is currently an author, documentary film maker.
But in another lifetime he was Clerk of the U.S. District Court of North Mississippi in Oxford. He played a key role in the 2002 federal crackdown on crime in Clarksdale. He has even made a documentary film about those events, called Gangs and Gun Violence, the Clarksdale Story.
I’ve only been here five years and while I’ve heard bits and pieces about that effort, but the numbers he quoted stunned me.
The FBI, Federal Court, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Highway Patrol, Clarksdale Police, Coahoma County Sheriff’s Department and the local District Attorney came together with an investigation spanning about a year.
It resulted in 92 federal indictments that led to 82 federal convictions and 20 convictions in state courts.
He said over the course of the investigation, 122 state, federal and local law enforcement officers -- armed to the teeth - spread out over Clarksdale to serve warrants.
“I was with the U.S. Justice Department and a call from then Mayor Henry Espy got it started,” said Crews. “The work we did dismantled violent crime and disrupted the illegal drug trade in this community.”
It's time for a new mayor to make that call.
Consolidation
It was great to see City and County road crews work together this past weekend.
Floyd was able to deliver papers to the post office. The post office was able to deliver papers to you. You were able to read about the important things going on in this town and county.
It is great when people have a goal, don't care who gets the credit and are willing to work hard to make something important happen in their community.
With that said, the Mississippi Legislature is eyeing consolidation of state agencies and is even talking about reducing the state’s 138 school district to one each in the state’s 82 counties.
As with any consolidation, the goal is to save money, focus resources and get rid of waste.
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have touted their Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a federal solution to our federal problem.
And I don’t want to just pick on our schools.
A consolidated E-911 that would serve the city and county, a consolidation of city and county garbage collection services, consolidation of city and county fire departments and maybe even one of these days a consolidation of our police with the Sheriff’s Department, are all good ideas.
With a declining population base, a declining workforce and a declining tax base, consolidation is in this community’s future. Consolidation is a solution that could solve the expensive problems we have.
This spring ask candidates how they are going to reduce taxes, save money and make Clarksdale better? Don’t let them give you the “once I get elected I’m willing to study the issue.” Ask them if they are for consolidation and ask them to give you a yes or no answer
Change come slow in Mississippi, and as a native son of the Magnolia State who has lived in several places, I’ve found change comes very slow in The Delta.
Good News Ahead
Last week we talked about how I am looking forward to 2025.
As I have said many times I do not have a crystal ball, I don’t bet on the unknown and I work to make good things happen rather than hope good things will happen.
We need to get help with our crime problem. We need to get to work on our blight and trash problem. We need to elect qualified, smart and honest people who are looking to make this town better and not looking for a paycheck.
There was a day and age when people served on the school board and were not paid. They served as Mayor, Commissioners and Supervisors for little pay and often used their paycheck to help others.
I’ve said it before, if elected office is the best paying job you’ve ever held, you probably don’t qualify to hold it.
Floyd Ingram is Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. He moved here five years ago and some days he likes it here. Call him at 662-627-2201 if you like it or don’t like it here.
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