After an unsuccessful bid in 2013, Democrat James “Lap” Baker is making another bid this August for Hinds County's District 4 supervisor seat.
After graduating from Picayune High School in 1966, Baker attended Jackson State University between 1966 and 1970. He became the minority intern for the Urban and Regional Planning program at San Jose University. Between 1977 and 1986, he worked as the director of planning and research for the Mississippi Health Systems Agency, until a budget cut led to his dismissal. The day after, October 1, 1986, he started Comprehensive Planning and Consulting. After a Koinonia Coffee House Friday Forum, the Jackson Free Press sat down with Baker to talk about his campaign.
To begin, we've seen you run in past years. Why is your running this year?
Yes I ran one time. I ran in 2013. That was my first time running. I'm not a politician. I'm a doer. I like to implement. I'm a professional planner. I've been in urban and regional planning, going on 43 years now. Got my master's from San Jose University in 1972. First black to receive a master's degree in urban and regional development. I was the first city planner to work for the San Jose city planning department, and also three years as the first black professional city planner to work for Louisville and Jefferson County planning commission from 1974 to 1977.
Are you from Jackson?
I'm from Picayune but I went to Jackson State University. I was 10 yards away from the Gibbs-Green shooting.
When I moved back here, I taught at JSU for 24 years. I'm the one who started the Commemoration. I moved back here in 1977 and in 1979 I started teaching at Jackson State part-time. I taught five different subjects. I taught cultural geography, world, regional geography, urban affairs, physical geography, and housing problems in America.
I love statistics. That's the only way you can factually document things. You have to have the statistics to back up what you say. You can't say, "Well, I think..." No, it is what you have.
Tell me about the health plan.
I also wrote the health plan for the state for ten years when I moved back from 1977 until 1986. I wrote the health plans for the state of Mississippi. It created health system agencies. It was designed based on population. So Mississippi decided to have one. Other states decided to have two or three of them based on their population numbers.
When I mention that Jackson is the medical center of the state, and it is because you have approximately five hospitals in this city, not just in the county. You have the UMMC. It is the only teaching hospital in the state of MS. That makes it the medical center of the state. We worked hand in hand during that particular time with Norman Nelson, who was at that time the executive director of the UMMC.
What other major issues do you see at play in Jackson?
This is why I brought up the statement about the third-grade reading test (at Friday Forum). It's a standardized test that most people haven't seen the questions (for). If you are going to give students a test, let them be tested upon what they're taught every day and every year for the past three to four years. There is some research that says that the way (the country) projects prison beds that are needed in the future, it is by the number of black boys, male, in the third grade.
What do you point to as the major hurdle for black boys in Jackson, Mississippi? I'm saying, I don't care if you are black, white or blue. You need to obey and abide by the law. It goes back to what I was saying about the third grade required reading test. I'm against it. I don't mind people hearing that. I don't believe one student should fail a reading test, but when you pick a test that has questions like this particular test that even some teachers don't understand it. So how the hell would a third grader understand! They should know how to read anyway, you start learning to read in kindergarten.
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