Independent Woman

Ward Schaefer

Peggy Calhoun is the only female supervisor in Hinds County. She is unpredictable, not voting with the same bloc every time.

by Ward Schaefer
November 11, 2009

Peggy Calhoun's office in the Hinds County Circuit Court building has a big window overlooking Pascagoula Street and Jackson's City Hall. It's a privileged perch. Most of her fellow Hinds County supervisors have offices across the street in the County Chancery Court building. That distance is fitting for a woman who prizes her independence.

The only woman on the Board of Supervisors, Calhoun votes less predictably than some of her fellow board members, sometimes siding with Phil Fisher, the board's lone Republican, and other times voting with the frequent three-member bloc of George Smith, Doug Anderson and Robert Graham. Since 1992, Calhoun has represented the county's District 3, which spans much of West Jackson, from Northside Drive down to Siwell Road.

With the economy in the tank, this seems like a difficult time to be an elected official. How does this period compare to fatter times?

This has been one of the most challenging years that I've had in Hinds County government. When you do not have the funds to provide adequate services, yes, it is difficult. You look for leaner ways of operating county government. We have to make those necessary cuts, and it's going to affect some employee, or it's going to affect the way we provide services to our constituents.

District 4 Supervisor Phil Fisher has railed against what he considers this pattern of spending more than the county should. How do you feel about his take?

I think where the board went wrong was in 2007, when we financed a $30 million bond indebtedness that we could not afford to pay back, to construct a garage and penal farm.

So all those bonds have been issued or obligated?

We have to pay back those bonds. We have over $6 million in bond indebtedness.

Did you oppose the garage project back then?

I opposed the project. As a matter of fact, I opposed issuing the indebtedness for $30 million. I think we should have reduced that amount, and that would have given us a cushion to be able to pay back the bond funds.

At the last board meeting, M3A Architects, which designed the garage, also raised the issue of an invoice from July 2009 for work on the regional jail project, which the county has yet to pay. Why is the board taking so long on that?

They're requesting an additional $700,000.

Should they not be paid?

I'm not going to vote to pay for it. The project, which they were rendering drawings for, was incomplete. The board had ordered a cease-and-desist or had ordered the contractors to stop work in reference to the project.

This is after the board heard that the state could no longer provide support for the regional jail?

Yes. When the subject first came up, that firm worked for three weeks knowing that we were going to order a stoppage for all work. We've already paid $400,000 for the work (out of a $1.1 million total contract).

At the last board meeting, why did you suggest the creation of a multiple-entity panel to advise the county on the Henley-Young Youth Detention Center?

We still have problems at the Youth Detention Center. It's due to a lack of communication among the entities that are there—the detention center staff, youth court and the public school system.

Is the panel replacing the proposed memorandum of understanding between the county and the Mississippi Youth Justice Project, which has criticized conditions at the facility?

The panel actually consists of all those individuals that can help us make some major improvements and ensure that we're in compliance. The panel will consist of the Mississippi Monitoring Unit, which is under the Department of Public Safety, the Mississippi Youth Justice Project, members of the Jackson Public Schools system, as well as members of the Youth Court, and including the Board of Supervisors.

Who's representing the Board of Supervisors on that panel?

The president (Supervisor George Smith) and vice president (Robert Graham).

In January, you disagreed with both of them when they voted to revoke Youth Court Judge Bill Skinner's authority over the center. Does it concern you that the two of them will be on the panel, and not somebody representing the other side of that debate?

Certainly with the other two entities making recommendations, those recommendations will be presented back to the full board. So, no, I'll just say no. Because you're going to have those other groups working with Hinds County.

How do you feel about the proposed memorandum of understanding?

I will support it. However, I don't think one is necessary, as long as we're in compliance with correcting the problems.

What is happening in Hinds County that people aren't giving enough attention to?

Hopefully in the future we can come back and boast about our Byram-Clinton-Norrell parkway project. That project won't just be a corridor; it will consist of commercial retail, residential and industrial development.

What's the timeline looking like for that?

We have been told that we can unearth some dirt by December of this year.

Where is the funding coming from?

We have approximately $30 million from the federal government.

Is that a stimulus project?

No, we've had that money; I think it goes all the way back to 1993 or 1992. As a matter of fact, ever since I've been in office there's been some discussion about it but no real activity.

Why was that?

If you allow contractors to keep your project on the back burner, then that's where it will stay. And those contractors will move forward in getting more business from people that require them to work on their projects. Well, Hinds County has just allowed the Byram-Clinton Corridor to remain dormant for years.

posted by Jeff Lucas on 11/16/09 at 12:23 PM