House District 72 candidates share plans

Candidates for House District 72 participated in a public forum Tuesday at Fresh Start Christian Church. Pictured are Theresa G. Kennedy (from left), Synarus Green, Debra Gibbs and A. Shae Buchanon-Williams. The election is Aug. 23. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE R. JONES

Election is Aug. 23

By Stephanie R. Jones

Contributing Writer

Candidates for House District 72 participated in a public forum Tuesday at Fresh Start Christian Church. Pictured are Theresa G. Kennedy (from left), Synarus Green, Debra Gibbs and A. Shae Buchanon-Williams. The election is Aug. 23. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE R. JONES
Candidates for House District 72 participated in a public forum Tuesday at Fresh Start Christian Church. Pictured are Theresa G. Kennedy (from left), Synarus Green, Debra Gibbs and A. Shae Buchanon-Williams. The election is Aug. 23. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE R. JONES

Four candidates in the running for District 72 Mississippi House of Representative fielded questions from moderators and the audience during a forum Tuesday evening at Fresh Start Christian Church in North Jackson.

Candidates who participated in the forum were Theresa G. Kennedy, Synarus Green, Debra Hendrix Gibbs and A. Shae Buchanon-Williams. The forum was organized by Women for Progress and S.T.A.N.D., a coalition of women’s organizations and support groups.

The Aug. 23 special election is to fill the seat vacated by Kimberly Campbell, who was re-elected in November but recently left the Legislature for a position as state director of AARP.

All the hopefuls expressed commitments to working on better funding for public education and better health care options for Mississippians.

All, too, said they recognized that as Democrats they would be stepping into an arena ruled by a Republican majority.

Green, a Legislative/Congressional liaison for the city of Jackson said, “This is not the first time we’ve had to deal with a super majority. This is not a time to be passive.”

Buchanon-Williams, a former Marine who called herself a “servant leader,” said she recognizes that in order to be effective she must cross the aisle.

While Green said there were some good things that came out of the recent Legislative session, Kennedy, who has worked with Dress For Success – an organization that helps women re-enter the workforce – and various other community organizations, said it was the “worst by far for the city of Jackson.” She referred to “attacks” on education and health care, pointing out the state’s refusal to accept funding to expand Medicaid.

Panelist Peter Stewart III posed a question to the candidates regarding the effort by officials outside Hinds County to take control of the Jackson Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, something he considered a disrespectful gesture toward the city. “How would you teach the GOP to respect citizens of District 72?” Stewart asked.

“When we were made aware of the airport issue, we hit the ground running to circumvent that,” Green said.

Buchanon-Williams said the key would be building coalitions with Jackson and Hinds County officials to address such matters.

Joy Redmond, anchor of MSNews Now, asked the candidates about their understanding of the role of a legislator.

“A legislator is a person who has a servant’s heart, someone who is engaged with the community,” said Gibbs, an attorney who was voted Parent of the Year by the state’s PTA.

Answering a question from the Rev. James Henley Jr., pastor of Fresh Start Christian Church, about state tax laws (basically no offer-and-compromise option on state taxes) he believes adversely effects African Americans, Green and Kennedy said educating the public on rules is key to gaining relief.

Said Green, “Tax relief isn’t there, and people don’t know the rules.” This, he said, has made Mississippi more palpable for payday lenders. He said that is something he would work to remedy.

Kennedy said teaching tax literacy all over the state is important and making sure tax preparers are legitimate. Some people have been harmed by having people do their taxes who were not competent to do so.

Addressing questions concerning high unemployment rates in the state, especially among African Americans, all the candidates pointed to better education as the starting point for improvement.

“Unemployment comes from lack of education,” said Gibbs. “We are doing a disservice to children in not educating them.”

Green said, “The solution is two-fold – create jobs and job-ready people.” The state can’t survive off a single industry, such as Continental Tires or Nissan, so opportunities must be created for small businesses to thrive, he said.

Asked if they supported a state lottery, all candidates said they wouldn’t propose legislation but would not oppose it if proposed by someone else.

Because the forum was in a church, some were hesitant to answer that question.

“I’m sorry Rev. Henley, but …” Buchanon-Williams said. She mentioned that Mississippians are “crossing the river” into Louisiana and spending their money there on lottery tickets.

Green said he would need to see a plan on where revenues would go before deciding to support a lottery.

Stephanie R. Jones can be reached at srjones13@gmail.

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