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Memo from President Duane O'Neill

TIME FOR ACTION ON

CONVENTION CENTER

On November 5, 2006, the citizens of Jackson overwhelmingly voted to pass the referendum on the Capital City Convention Center.  The passage of this referendum was the exclamation point of diligent and unrelenting hard work by numerous individuals. For once, everything seemed propelled in the right direction in Jackson’s effort to revitalize itself.  Even skeptics were at a loss for criticism.  Nothing could disrupt the plans for moving ahead on the Convention Center.  Or could it?

The money will begin to be collected in March. Many of the questions concerning the facility have already been discussed at length.  The language passed by the legislature was quite specific.  What could possibly sidetrack us now? Once again, politics enters the discussion.

To get things moving, the members of the Capital City Convention Commission must be appointed.  This governing body will make all the decisions from henceforth regarding the convention center.  Legislators crafted the enabling legislation in such a manner that politics would be removed from the process.  However, much to the disappointment of many involved, the selection of the members for the commission seems bogged down at this crucial time.  Unfortunately, your Chamber and Mayor Harvey Johnson are at the center of this impasse.

Simply put, here is the issue. According to the statute, the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership is to offer to the Mayor the names of four individuals for service on the commission.  The Mayor in turn is to choose two of the four to be seated on the commission. They will join seven other members to complete the selection of the nine-member commission. The qualification is that the nominees must be affiliated with a business in the City of Jackson.  As required by the legislation, the Chamber submitted names of four nominees who had been most active in the entire process of making the proposed convention center a reality.  Those names include the leadership of your organization: Bill Farmer, Chairman; Eddie Maloney, Chairman-Elect; Bill Lampton, Chairman Emeritus and me.

For reasons not clearly stated, the Mayor has procrastinated on his choices from our four nominees.  Speculation exists that he may not choose from the nominees, but instead reject them and ask the Chamber to resubmit a different slate.  Such action by Mayor Johnson flies in the face of what the legislature attempted to achieve in the language they passed in the 2006session.  It is also action that seems to be without legal standing according to our counsel.  Therefore the Chamber’s Executive Committee has reconfirmed its position of submitting the original four nominees.

This is a difficult position for our organization.  Clearly, it would be easy to change our slate of nominees.  However, to alter our choice merely to appease the political wishes of the mayor threatens the integrity of the Chamber and the wisdom of our decision.  If technicalities were the issue, we would be scrambling to correct the problem. But the motive behind this dispute has nothing to do with technical changes.  We made a promise when we endorsed the Convention Center that we would not let the endeavor become a political consequence for furthering anyone’s personal agenda.  It is for that reason and that reason alone that your Chamber will remain steadfast in our decision on these nominees. This is the opinion of the Chamber’s Executive Committee and we thought you the members should hear where we stand. Feedback is always valuable and encouraged.   Now that you know the question behind the question, please feel free to offer your opinions to us.

Executive Director, Shirley Tucker

Leadership Jackson Addresses Education

As part of the training of Leadership Jackson, current members of the 2006-2005 Leadership Jackson class allocated a full day exploring the state’s education system.  On Wednesday, February 9, starting at 7:30 a.m., local business and community members and officials from Jackson Public Schools, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and Piney Woods Country Life School convened at Chastain Middle School in Jackson, MS. The panel focused on education from preschool through higher education, including an investigation on education reform, public education, curriculum, and literacy in metro Jackson. The group later met at Tougaloo College where the dialogue continued on the challenges and resources of higher education.  The invited panelists were metro Jackson private and public officials, principals, headmasters, administrators, college presidents, Parents For Public School officials, JPS parents and others.  Attendents included Dr. Earl Watkins, Randy Bernamonti, Michael Thomas, Lucy Hansford, Greg Kelly, H. Ann Jones, Christi Hollingshead, Susan Womack, Michael Ellis, Cupuccine Robinson, David Blount, Debra Gibbs, LoRose Hunter, Jean Jones, Sekufele M. Lewanika,  Dr. Don Fortenberry, Dr. Beverly Hogan, Monique Guillory, Gerald Hasselman, Dr. Rob Rockhold, and Bettie Parker.

Now that the members of Leadership Jackson have gotten a closer snapshot of the issues and concerns surrounding education, they are charged with taking an active position in helping promote a quality education for all children through volunteering, mentoring, lobbying, and assisting with the needs of this community

Nominations for the 2005-2006 Leadership Jackson class will be taken in May.  For more details, contact Shirley Tucker @948-7575. Find out more about our youth program, also.

2006-2005 Leadership Jackson members pose with Dr. Earl Watkins, Superiendent of Jackson Public Schools and Michael Ellis, Principal of Chastian Middle School