Nine candidates vie for District 28 Mississippi Senate seat

“District 28 is all Jackson”

By Ayesha K. Mustafaa

Editor

Candidate Marshand Crisler said, “District 28 is all Jackson,” as he and the other five candidates out of nine who came to meet the public and be questioned on their positions on many topics Tuesday, Jan. 22, at New Horizon Church International.

Present among the candidates were Cindy Ayers-Elliott, Sollie B. Norwood, James “Jimmy” Stewart, Tommy L. Wallace II, Cassandra Welchlin, and Marshand Crisler. Absent at the forum were candidates Tamarra Grace Butler, Antonio Porter and Kathy L. Sykes.

Moderator was June Hardwick of New Horizon. The questions ranged from how the capital city of Jackson is funded (or the lack thereof) from the state to charter schools and the attempts to close the only abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi. There were the issues of housing, welfare and child care.

As all six present candidates stated their objection to advancing charter schools in the state, Robin Jackson of Jackson State University and it is “Miss Freshman” asked, “If charter schools are so wrong, then how do we make public schools better?”

As time restraints did not allow for all the questions to be posed, at the close of the forum Hardwick gave homework assignments to the citizens in attendance:  research how do we increase minority participation in state contracts; how do we make these candidates accountable once one is elected; track their legislative voting records; what about our seniors and veterans; how are our representatives affected by lobbyists who are sometimes coercive; join an organization – there is power in numbers.

District 28 election is Feb. 5, 2013.

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