Jackson Free Press

Editor's note: In the interest of full disclosure, Jackson Ward 1 city council candidate Amile Wilson formerly wrote a column and has worked as a freelance photographer for the Jackson Free Press. Dorsey Carson, the other Ward 1 candidate who has officially announced, is an attorney for the JFP. Below is the full, verbatim release from Wilson about his candidacy:

Amile Wilson Announces Campaign for City Council

After much prayer and discussion with friends, family and members of the community, I am proud to announce my candidacy for Jackson City Council Ward 1.
Northeast Jackson has a tradition of sending strong leaders downtown: Dent Anglin, Ben Allen, Jeff Weill, and Quentin Whitwell. They have been a voice of reason and responsibility over the years regardless of who was Mayor. I want to continue that tradition and help Jackson forge a new path with Mayor Tony Yarber.
I am a homeowner and want to protect the value of my home just as you do. We need to empower the homeowner associations to use covenants to protect our neighborhoods as our neighboring cities do. We need to set standards for rental housing in Northeast Jackson as too often such housing lowers property values and brings in more crime.
I am a life-long conservative who has worked with leaders of both parties. Republican, Democrat, Conservative, Liberal, it doesn’t matter. The people expect us to fix the problems and get things done. As the owner of two businesses in Jackson, the city’s prosperity impacts my bottom line just as it does yours. I share Mayor Yarber’s vision to bring businesses back to Jackson and stop taxing small business out of existence. We’ve made a good start with the District at Eastover and the expansion at Highland Village. We need to keep the momentum going and grow Northeast Jackson.
Controlling crime is key to protecting Northeast Jackson. Crime forces families to leave and businesses to move. My home has been robbed and burglarized. Instead of moving, I’m staying and fighting back. We can fight crime. I will work with the Mayor to cut more fat out of the budget so we can put more cops on the street and put judges on the bench who don’t treat bail as a free get out of jail card.
I humbly ask you for your support and your vote. I will be honored to represent Ward 1 and continue the tradition set by those who have held that seat. Together, we can build a better Jackson.