By Othor Cain
Contributing Writer
State Senator John Horhn has represented portions of Jackson in the halls of the state Capitol since 1993 and now wants to take that experience and use it to lead all of Jackson by becoming the city’s next mayor. In a public announcement Tuesday, Horhn joined by his wife Gail, mother-in-law Charlene, brother-in-law David and a host of other family members, friends and supporters, said, ‘Jackson is ready for ‘results.’
“I’m happy today because we can give Jacksonians what they want. We can give Jacksonians what they deserve. We can give Jacksonians results,” Horhn said to a very enthusiastic crowd of supporters.
This isn’t Horhn’s first time vying for the top job in the state’s capital city. He previously made two unsuccessful attempts in 2009 and 2014. Horhn joins a growing field of candidates seeking to become the CEO of Jackson, including: incumbent Mayor Tony Yarber, attorney Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County Supervisor Robert Graham and Ronnie Crudup Jr., executive director of New Horizon Ministries.
When asked what separated him from the crowded field of candidates, Horhn said, “I have a proven track record of getting results…when you look at the field, I’m the only one with the experience that this city needs. Horhn promised if elected within the first 100 days of his administration, he would “set the wheels in motion to get results.”
Those results he said includes, lifting the furlough burden that city employees are currently under, taking care of infrastructure, securing neighborhoods and restoring trust to city hall. “Too many people have been shut out of the process of city hall,” he said. “Too many stories about where our money is going and who it’s going to…so we are going to do an immediate audit of the books.”
Horhn promised to tap into millions of dollars to help improve the city. “I plan to draw down tens of millions of dollars for innovative programs, equipment and technology from the Violence Reduction Network from the U.S. Department of Justice,” he said. “I plan to implement the findings of the Capital City Crime Prevention Plan.”
Horhn briefly mentioned what many citizens deem as going to be a big campaign discussion item, the “1 percent sales tax.”
“I think we’ve missed an opportunity with this tax, projects are delayed, we’ve collected $36 million, we’ve spent $5M and $1 million of that has gone to the project managers,” Horhn said.
After a quick fact check of Horhn’s numbers, we found that $840,000 had been paid to IMS, the project managers and roughly a little more than $35 million had been collected. Further review shows that about $31 million has already been obligated or contracted for use.
Horhn is currently working with other senators to get a bill passed this legislative session that would also be designated for infrastructure projects in Jackson. “We will strengthen our capital city,” Horhn said. “I’m heading to Washington, D.C. tomorrow to advocate for Jackson…we will improve relationships.”
The democratic primaries will be held in May.
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