William “Bo” Brown is back in the political arena, and he wants to be the next city councilman for Jackson’s Ward 4.
Flanked by family, friends and supporters, Brown officially announced his candidacy during a 10:30 a.m. press conference Tuesday, March 17, in front of Scurlock’s Donut Shop & Eatery on Robinson Road.
A veteran insurance agent and sports journalist, Brown served two terms as councilman from 1997-2005. “I want to basically hit the ground running, because I know what the job requires; I was a part of the job,” said Brown.
“We need someone who is going to try to pull this community [Ward 4] back together. And, I think God has given me the vision and discernment to be in a leadership role to try to do that,” he said.
A priority for Brown is to help revitalize West Jackson. He said that promoting small and minority business development is key to such revitalization.
“The reason I held my press conference here at Scurlock’s is to draw attention to the importance of our small businesses,” he said.
“We got to come up with ways where the city can support these businesses and develop these businesses, because West Jackson is not [just] going to be developed by a big time mall operator. West Jackson is going to be developed by small businesses.”
Twenty-year businessman Mark Scurlock hopes Brown is successful in his bid for Ward 4. “We can’t seem to get any franchises; we can’t get a movie theater on this side of town for the kids to go to; we don’t have a skating rink. We don’t have anything for the kids to do,” he said. “So, it’s very important that we revitalize the area and keep the small businesses going,” Scurlock said.
Ward 4 resident Johnnell Smith said the ward needs some new direction. “I’ve seen some things that happened in my ward that wasn’t addressed last year, but I think Bo Brown will definitely whip those things out.” Smith said.
Dawn Brown said her father would also focus on getting the young adults involved in the political process because they are Jackson’s future. “He’s going to listen to the needs of the people,” she said. She and Smith agree that he will blend well with the other councilpersons.
Brown graduated from the former Brinkley High School of Jackson.
He is a graduate of Tennessee State University, with a bachelor’s in political science; and Jackson State University, with a master’s in public policy and administration.
He has also done postgraduate work in Urban Studies at University of Santa Clara (California).
Professionally, he has also served as a teacher and football coach, worked for the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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