WAPT 16: Melton Vows To Keep Crime-Reduction Promise If Elected

WAPT 16 reports:

JACKSON, Miss. -- Mayoral candidate Democrat Frank Melton told 16 WAPT News in an exclusive interview last year that he wanted to solve the city's crime problem within 180 days.

Melton began his bid to become Jackson's next mayor on March 16, 2004, during an exclusive interview with 16 WAPT at the Farish Street YMCA.

He said he had a plan to solve the city's crime problem.

"I will ask the city to give 90 to 180 days to solve that problem," Melton said. "We have been talking about the problem for 20 years. Now it is time to do something about it."

Today, Melton said his plan hasn't changed.

"I can just tell you we are going to get the job done," Melton said. "We are going to get it done in short order without excuses or anything like that. We are going to put some very specific things together immediately to deal with that head on. (We'll be) very aggressive, so we can get that behind us, and were going to do that day one."

Full article here.

By: Walker Sampson on Jun 07, 05 | 6:07 pm
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COMMENTS

"We are going to put some very specific things together immediately to deal with that head on."

Specifics! They don't come fast and hard in these parts. But it's the first I've heard of a transition team, and increasing staff for the district attorney.

Posted by: Walker Sampson on Jun 07, 05 | 6:28 pm

I have info from the inside on Melton's transition team, which is already in place, and it will turn some heads, especially the head of it. Also, I would wager that by the end of tonight, one of the candidates will be working for the other. One of our writers was told by one of the candidates last week that the two men have offered each other jobs already. So don't be surprised if that happens very quickly. You'd think they wouldn't announce it so quickly, though, so it doesn't look like it was the plan all along. Some are saying that would mean it was a GOP plan all along to run Melton as a Dem and Whitlow as an under-funded underdog Repub. I don't have evidence of that, although anything is possible, especially in the crazy politics of this state. It's not a stretch, of course, to say that; that doesn't mean it's true, though.

I do wonder how Mr. Melton plans to "solve" crime in 90 to 180 days. How do you solve "domestic violence" with such lightning speed, or the blowback of the drug war? Saying the word "specifics" does not actually translate into specifics, although hearing about the extra staff for the D.A.'s office is interesting. I wonder how that will paid for. I wish the media here would have demanded sample budgets for the candidates to back up their promises. But I know that's a pipe dream in this media market. ;-)

Posted by: ladd on Jun 07, 05 | 6:45 pm