There was snow on the ground this week, but the spring election season is heating up.
There have been a couple of political “gatherings,” the coffee shop talk has turned to who has the best chance of being our new mayor and we are seeing candidates smiling and shaking hands in places they haven’t visited in some time.
Just like a V of ducks tells us it’s duck season or a redbud tree blossom tells us the fish are biting, there are indicators its election season in Clarksdale.
The signs have popped up in local yards and decisions are being carefully made by city officials who don’t want to offend a single voter.
This is nothing new, it’s not inherently wrong and it is the clumsy way politics works at the local level.
So what are the top issues in Clarksdale this spring?
Crime
Any candidate who says crime is not the Number One problem in Clarksdale and can’t give you a solution to our crime problem, doesn’t need your vote.
We had more than 20 homicides last year with three of them involving teenagers under 15 years old.
I see the security camera videos people post on Facebook of thieves walking up to homes without a mask or fear of arrest and then walking away with your property.
The next city board will pick a police chief. Make sure you ask your favorite candidate who they have in mind. What this town needs is a strong, active police force led by a strong and active police chief.
And the questions don’t there. Will our new Mayor and Board of Commissioners let the men-in-black do their job without political interference? Will they budget the dollars needed to hire good cops to do good police work?
We also need to look at our courts and appoint judges who will get tough on crime. It does us no good if a policeman risks his life to make a good arrest and the judge lets them go.
And I’ve harped on this before: Are we ever going to do something about those unpaid fines?
I will add we need a juvenile crime officer and a gang task force and they could easily work together. The juvenile crime officer could try and save kids before they become adults. The gang task force would then be in the loop on how to deal with those bad boys when they turn 18.
Now ask your candidate how are they going to fight crime in Clarksdale, will they stay out of the Police Department's way and how do they plan to pay for more police.
Blight
Clarksdale must do something about abandoned and burned out houses.
If a house catches fire, the property owner should be given 60-days to begin repairs or begin demolition.
Clarksdale also needs a strong code enforcement department that will not tolerate excuses. We need to team up with CPU and before water or electricity is turned on, a certificate of occupancy must be obtained from the city. And property owners who violate our rules should get stiff fines.
The junk car problem has dropped out of the headlines for now, but a drive down any street still shows abandoned cars parked in yards and on the street. This needs to stop.
The city also needs to figure out a way to make people mow their property. I can’t imagine tending to my yard and living next to a grown up yard full of knee-high weeds.
I met with a group of businessmen last winter at a downtown venue. They told me their names, I looked at their jewelry, dress and the way they carried themselves and the questions they asked. I got casually got their names. It was not too had to figure out these guys had money.
They asked me two questions: What is the highest valued house in Clarksdale and why don't we do something about blight.
I asked them to look at how I was dressed and I didn't know the highest-priced house in town. I also told them I don't know why someone doesn't do something about blight.
Five questions
This is not rocket science and most of us know what Clarksdale needs from its next Board of Mayor and Commissioners.
1.) Will you vote to reduce your salary?
2.) Are you going to hire or fire people?
3.) Are you going to raise taxes or cut expenses?
4.) Do you realize the state and federal grant bucket is going dry?
5.) Do your know how to read a balance sheet and make hard financial decisions that make people mad?
Clarksdale has some big questions to answer when they head to the polls this spring. I hope they find the right answers.
Floyd Ingram is the Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. He and most of the people around here, know this town can’t stand another four years like this. Call him at 662-627-2201 with your answers.
