It’s time to put your promises to work

By Julie Finley (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Campaign promises and platforms become daily to-do-lists Tuesday.

Mayors Jake Middleton and Glen McGlothin will be sworn in in Natchez and Ferriday, respectively, alongside a slate of new aldermen and a Vidalia police chief.

The election period in the Miss-Lou officially comes to close and the city, county, parish and towns have new leaders who will be in place for the next three to four years.

Adams County officials started their new terms in January. Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell was sworn in this month. And the police jurors are in their first year of a new term.

This time period is truly one for a fresh start all across the Miss-Lou.

But its now up to our leaders to make “fresh” a good thing. The men and women were elected because of what they said they’d do. But will they do it?

Here are a few high points from the campaign season that leaders would be smart to act on quickly:

Jake Middleton

“These additional monies (from visitors and casinos) will allow us to give raises to our employees and also allow us to set up street programs and develop a recreational complex,” Middleton said during his campaign.

With or without the casino money, Middleton and the board of aldermen have to find a way to actively recruit and retain quality police officers and firemen. We have good men and women on the force now who deserve more money, and we’ve lost some who could have made a difference in town.

The promise of casinos has been great for campaigns. But Middleton needs to begin planning now to fund key raises, not when the first casino tax dollars roll in.

Glen McGlothin

“People are going to get tickets, but I think you have to temper the way you do the tickets with the severity of the crime,” McGlothin said. “You don’t have to give somebody with a seat belt violation the third degree. People are going around Ferriday, and the busiest roads in Ferriday are the bypasses.”

Petty tickets aside, McGlothin’s first order of business is to restore trust in the Ferriday Police Department.

Whether the troubled stemmed from within the department or the mayor’s office, FPD has been a great topic for negative comments during the last four years.

Since the chief walked out on the job a few weeks ago, McGlothin has lost any level of continuity. He has his hands full here, and fixing the police department must be the top priority.

Ronnie “Tapper” Hendricks

“I know there is an uptown and downtown problem with the youth, and we need a program for kids to educate them about drugs and violence issues,” Hendricks said. “As a citizen myself, my concerns are there because I have three children.”

Vidalia doesn’t often make crime headlines like its neighbors to the east and west can. It’s a smaller town. But that doesn’t mean Hendricks’ job as police chief will be easy.

He’s right about focusing on prevention early. A partnership with the sheriff’s office and the existing D.A.R.E. program is a place to start. Hendricks won’t educated children overnight, but he should spend his first few days in office making a plan to start a successful program.

All newly elected leaders need to remember what they promised and stay true to their word. Everything may not be possible, we realize that. But we — the voters — want to see that you’ve tried.

Julie Finley is the managing editor of The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or julie.finley@natchezdemocrat.com.