Determined, driven, dependable and decisive are words and qualities used to describe Dupree. Johnny Dupree that is.
DuPree, 57, was elected as the first black mayor of the city of Hattiesburg, Miss. in 2001, after having served as a Forrest County supervisor for 10 years. Prior to his work as a supervisor, Dupree began his public service track in 1987 as a member of the Hattiesburg school board.
With more than 23 years in public service, Dupree has his vision set on the state’s top spot. Dupree is one of two candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to become governor of the state of Mississippi.
DuPree on jobs
Having landed his first job at the age of eight as a newspaper carrier, DuPree has a solid work history. From working in corporate America to owning his own business Dupree said, “We must get Mississippi working.”
Dupree believes ‘collaboration’ is the most important vehicle to create jobs in Mississippi. “I can tell you what we did in Hattiesburg that can transform the state. Hattiesburg is one of very few cities in Mississippi that had a gain of 1,000 jobs this past year. We just announced last month that a company from California was coming to town and would add another 1,000 jobs over the next six years. It is a half a billion dollar investment,” DuPree proudly boasted. “This year, they will put $120 million into hiring 220 people with an average salary of $43,000. We (the chamber, state, city, county and folk in economic development) all sat around the table and got on the same page. We realized that we all had the same goals, same mindset and we recognized the importance of getting it done and we did just that. Mississippi can do that.”
DuPree on education
According to Dupree for Governor website, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2000, he received his Master of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Mississippi and in 2006, he earned his Doctoral Degree in Urban Higher Education from Jackson State University.
“Everybody wants a good education for (his or her) children, Dupree said. “They often determine where they live based upon the kind of education that’s available for their child/children.”
DuPree expressed that the state must do better with fully funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP). “As governor, I will see to it that it (MAEP) gets steady funding,” he said. “We must not only invest our dollars into the educational system, but we must reform our schools and restructure our school system. The data suggests that this must be done.”
Dupree said something is wrong when you have a football team with a better ratio of coach to player, which is usually at a one-to-ten, and in the classroom, there is a 30-to-one ratio. “It says we value X’s and O’s more than ABCs,” he said. “We must change this mindset and it can be done and shall be done when I’m elected governor.”
DuPree on race
Based on quick research, in 2009 the state of Mississippi had a 38 percent black population rate. In 2010, that percentage is estimated to be between 40 and 42 percent. Mississippi currently has only one U.S. Representative that is black and he is Bennie Thompson whose district, at last glance, was more than 65 percent black. Currently, no blacks hold a statewide office and Mississippi has had only two black U.S. Senators during the reconstruction era of the 1870s.
“I’m not naïve enough to sit here and think that for some people race doesn’t matter, because it does,” DuPree said. “But I also believe that when people look at my record, my heart, my experience, my knowledge then they will make the right decision.” DuPree was elected mayor of Hattiesburg first in 2001 when the voting percentage for white people was 57 percent. “They said I couldn’t do it then. They said white people would not vote for me, and we overcame that challenge,” he said. “I think we can and will do it again.”
DuPree is canvassing state to introduce himself to its citizens. “If I didn’t think that the people in Mississippi were ready to vote for the right person and will do so without giving in to race, then I wouldn’t be doing this,” DuPree said. “I have faith in Mississippians that they will recognize the journey that I’ve been on since I was eight years old and now that I’m 57. My record is solid.”
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