Opponents aren’t backing down
By Stephanie R. Jones
Contributing Writer
Phase One of an attempted takeover of the Medgar Wiley Evers-Jackson International Airport has succeeded. The Mississippi Senate voted 29-18 to approve Senate Bill 2162, despite vehement objections from Jackson and state officials.
The bill filed by Sen. Josh Harkins, R-Flowood would create a nine-member regional committee to oversee the airport, which Harkins himself admits is running just fine as it. Jackson owns the land but Harkins and other Republicans want a say in governance.
Democratic senators, namely John Horhn, David Blount and Sollie B. Norwood, spoke against the measure, which now moves to the House of Representatives.
“The bill sponsored by Rankin County Senators to take the Jackson airport is a blatant attempt to take property that was bought and built under the law,” said Blount. “The bill is not in the best interest of the airport, the people who use it, and the long-term growth of the metro area. The Jackson delegation is united in opposition to this bill and we will use every means at our disposal to fight it.”
Mayor Tony Yarber said city officials are dismayed and disheartened by the “blatant abuse of power that some legislators have taken in an attempt to strip away power that rests within the hands of our citizens who made the sacrifice of investment in our municipal airports over 60 years ago.”
He added, “Sadly, we are once again reminded of the divisive abuse of power by some elected officials who would deprive Jackson of such rights. We will continue to work with our state representatives to ensure that what is best for the city of Jackson is the focus and remains at the forefront of the conversation.”
City Council President Melvin Priester Jr. posted comments on his Facebook page regarding the matter. Read his comments below:
“The “hostile” takeover is a fight over money; more specifically, this is a money fight over the development of land. For years, Jackson and the Airport Authority have owned land that wasn’t worth much of anything because there were no roads to access that land. What’s changed is that there is a new road that cuts straight through the city and airport’s property on the east side of the airport. Because of this new road, all the city land that was useless is now ripe for significant development.
Priester went on to say, “The road is the East Metro Parkway. The East Metro Parkway has been in the works for decades but only really got interesting in 2011. Phase One opened in March 2013 and connected Flowood and Lakeland Drive to El Dorado Road in Pearl. Phase Two started with the Eldorado Road portion and made improvements to Crossgates Boulevard. As everyone involved recognizes, the East Metro Parkway will fundamentally shift traffic patterns in the area. For example, for people coming to Highway 80 to go shopping at Dogwood, they can take this parkway up instead of battling Lakeland traffic.
“So, in sum, Jackson’s airport board has a say in how this newly valuable land will be used. Because the appointees to the board are Jacksonians and are accountable to the people of Jackson, I know that they care about the things that matter to the future of the city of Jackson. For example, I know that the board as it is currently composed will do things like make sure that when people try to develop the property that the city owns along the parkway, some of the jobs and contracts go to Jacksonians. Because the appointees to the board are Jacksonians and care about Jackson. I know that if a project on this city land may hurt other city interests, they won’t do the project or will push to do the project in a different way. Change the composition of the board in a way that no longer gives Jackson a majority of control and there will be a free-for-all for this newly valuable property.
“So, this matter has nothing to do with who runs the day-to-day operations at the airport and has everything to do with who controls the development opportunities, jobs and contracts associated with hundreds of acres of land in one of the most valuable areas of the state of Mississippi.
“Wanna know why Rankin County Republicans are making this gangster move right now? This is not about who awards the contract for airport attorney or who will be the concessions vendor at the Delta gates. Legal Fees at the airport are small potatoes and Southwest ain’t coming back because someone from Rankin County is now a board member. This is all about the East Metro Parkway.”
Stephanie R. Jones can be reached at srjones13@gmail.com or (601) 454-0372.
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