I love watching government at work because it gives all of us a true glimpse of what a community will let lead them.
I firmly believe one of the problems of our form of government is we vote for people who look, act, conduct business and have the morals of us.
Seriously, take a look at federal, state and yes, even local government.
Now let me clarify that not all elected officials are bad. I’m not bad. You’re not bad. It’s those other people who are bad.
And in Washington, Jackson and Clarksdale, that is what we have in public office.
We will have candidates qualify for Clarksdale Mayor and Commissioner posts today. That news didn’t fit our print cycle, but we will have a story on our website about suppertime tonight.
We’ll see what kind of leaders step up. We hope they are Clarksdale’s best.
Party Politics
You know my joke. People ask me if I’m Republican or Democrat and I tell them I’m worse than that, I’m Southern Baptist.
It has been interesting to watch Democrats come out of the woodwork this election year and call themselves conservatives. There are some who can’t quite go that far, so they label themselves Independent.
If you are a Republican, then say you are a Republican, and if you are Democrat, or Independent, – or Southern Baptist – then say so and be proud of your party. I am of mine!
And in Mississippi party politics always has a racial undertone. Let’s be careful about labeling people as racist or Uncle Toms if they vote a certain way. Let’s not fear the color of a man’s skin.
Be your own man
Let me encourage all local elected officials to always vote their convictions.
There is nothing wrong with a 3-1 vote in the city. There is nothing wrong with a 3-2 vote in the county.
But there is something wrong with playing politics and not voting your convictions. The people who put you in office deserve to see how you really feel about issues and the future of our community.
I’ve only been in this community a few years and it is hard for me to write these things to a community I care about.
I do express my convictions on this page and please remember it says Opinion at the top.
But to our leaders, have the courage to have your say, vote accordingly and let’s move on.
Leadership
There have been headlines about issues involving crime, cleaning up Clarksdale, spending Federal COVID money and which city streets are being paved. A lot of people want to offer their advice, when what we really need are leaders.
We need men and women who will take a stand and tell us not only what they are going to do but how they are going to do it!
Don’t listen to promises. How many of you have been told the street in front of your house will be fixed this year or they are creating jobs for you? Get them to tell you where the money is coming from and how they are going to make it happen. Get them to tell you when it’s going to happen!
We need to look around and encourage elected officials with talents and skills to do their job. We need to stand by them when they do the hard thing and start taking heat for their decisions.
Many will be running for our Mayor and Commissioner’s bloated paychecks. That is the wrong reason to run for office. You are not brilliant, you are greedy.
I also want to point out Clarksdale has some tough decisions to make. We have to hire a police chief, competent people to run various offices and departments and make some decisions that will make people mad. We can no longer hire our buddies and cut people city checks and not demand they earn them. Clarksdale also needs to appoint competent people to boards and commissions.
These choices will be painful to Clarksdale and the elected officials who execute them.
But Clarksdale can’t stand four more years of business as usual. We have $2 million in unpaid fines, schools that are less than the best, a high crime rate, chronic unemployment, limited job opportunities, slim retail shopping choices and a community that deserve a better way of life.
We need leaders. We want leaders. We are looking for leaders who will make a difference.
Floyd Ingram is the Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register and has covered local government in three states for more than 30 years. Call him at 627-2201 if you decide to run for office and can be a leader.
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