Jackson voters will return to the polls April 22. Here’s what they said.

KOREYAN BLACK, 20, WARD 5, STUDENT

I wasn’t that surprised because apparently there’s always a runoff here. I mean, I was a little surprised that people voted for Lumumba. Surprised isn’t even the word. I was disappointed, not necessarily surprised. I was like “Dang, you think you want better, but OK.”

AL BROWN, 69, WARD 3, RETIRED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

I was disappointed for a couple of reasons. The first reason was that the individual that I voted for was not the successful winner. And the second thing that I was disappointed due to the fact that Lumumba was able to make it into the runoff.

GEORGIA COHRAN, 73, WARD 5, ACTRESS AND NONPROFIT FOUNDER

 I was rather disappointed. I didn’t know that many Jacksonians, Black Jacksonians lived in the area, voted. There was a lot of people voting. Looks like someone may have crossed over so John could look good, and I love John, always have. His kindness, and his support of the community, like his father. John, I love John, but I don’t think those were Black votes, nor Democratic votes.

LUCIE COOPER, 24, WARD 7, ARTIST

I guess I was a little disappointed but not disheartened. The numbers seemed a little low considering the amount of voters who live in Jackson. I thought it was a little strange that Asbhy Foote, who’s the only Republican, switched to being an independent. It was very obvious to me that Republicans in north Jackson who were voting that way were choosing a Democratic ballot and voting for Horhn. So I was a little sad, but glad that there’s a runoff.

WALKER LAKE, 20, WARD 1, CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENT

I was very satisfied, John Horhn leading the pack in the mayor’s race. I’ve read up a bit more about him and he’s spent a lot of time serving in the state Legislature and secured a lot of money that’s been invested into the city. And so I’m really happy to see that he’s doing well. And he also submitted his campaign finance report on time, which I’m very happy to see.

CHERI MARSHALL, 57, WARD 6, RETIRED

 I was quite shocked that Lumumba was in the running. The candidate I supported came in third, but I was very shocked that more people voted for Lumumba than I thought. I knew no one that was outwardly supporting him.

SHIRLEY MILLER, 67, WARD 3, RETIRED MENTAL HEALTH DIRECTOR

 I was really hoping we wouldn’t have to go into a runoff. Of course my candidate came out first. And I was a little surprised that the mayor was surprised that he came in so far behind Senator Horhn. He was surprised. He thought that the Republicans voted, and they may have, I don’t know, to push Horhn and get him out. But I know there were people who specifically went there not to vote for him (Lumumba). I talked to somebody in my church the other Sunday, and his person didn’t win. He is not in the runoff. And he said, “But I know who I’m voting for this time, and they won’t be the incumbent.” People may have voted for other people, but they weren’t voting for him.

SHAMEKA REED, 44, WARD 1, NONPROFIT DIRECTOR

It was somewhat surprising. I definitely thought senator Horhn was going to do very well in the primaries, but I didn’t expect him to do as well as he did. I did expect the incumbent mayor to do a lot better in the primary, so it was a little surprising at those numbers that there was almost no need for a run-off.

PORTIA SCOTT, 26, WARD 4, DEPOSIT PROCESSING ASSISTANT

Not really surprised, but it was eye-opening to see what the rest of the residents thought.

LESLYN SMITH, 23, WARD 2, GRADUATE STUDENT

I wasn’t surprised at all honestly. I knew it was going to be between our current mayor and John Horhn. I know that they are the ones that are the most, I’m not going to say campaigned the most, but I guess I would say most known. I figured it would be between the two of them so I’m not surprised at all.

JOHN SPANN, 34, WARD 3, NONPROFIT PROGRAM DIRECTOR

 I figured that that would happen because of the popularity of both candidates. I was surprised John Horhn got that much support, not in a negative way, but it was like, “Wow, okay.” But yeah, I kind of figured it would be a runoff between those two.

WARREN TATUM JR., 25, WARD 2, RURAL CARRIER

Slight disappointment but I’m not surprised because I support Chokwe. Of course, seeing that he wasn’t the favorite or leading candidate was definitely something that was a little disappointing but not surprising because I pay attention to the people and what’s been said throughout different communities. People have grown restless with the current state of the city, which I do understand, and they would like see some leadership they believe that would bring about necessary change that we all want to see.

DARIUS WILLIAMS, 34, WARD 1, IT ANALYST

It was expected. I was not shocked or surprised by the results.

KOREYAN BLACK, 20, WARD 5, STUDENT

I’m going to go back to see all who are running for the runoff and then I’m going to research their campaign and their policies and see who most aligns with me, and I’ll vote for them.

AL BROWN, 69, WARD 3, RETIRED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

I’m going to vote for Horhn.  I’m not voting for Lumumba. Since the election and since it’s gotten into a runoff, you know, everybody’s drawing up their lines of demarcation and their lines in the sand. But one of the things that I keep coming back to is over the course of his tenure, I can’t determine, or I don’t know, or I just missed it, I just don’t know what he’s done for Jackson. I try to think of things that you could attribute to his leadership, and by that I mean Lumumba, and I can’t come up with anything. Not anything credible or anything concrete or anything that’s real. Crime has not improved. The infrastructure has not improved. Growth in Jackson has not improved. Bringing in new businesses has not gotten any better. I know Amazon just came here recently, but they came replacing infinity or Comcast cable. That’s not growth. I don’t even know if that’s an even swap, but I know it’s not growth. I don’t think another four years of Lumumba is going to be good for Jackson nor is going to provide anything that has not been provided. It’s gonna be more of the same.

WALKER LAKE, 20, WARD 1, CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENT

I think ultimately it comes down to the next round of campaign finance reports. If John Horhn and (Ward 1 council candidate) Jasmine Barnes both get them in on time, then there’s very little doubt in my mind that I plan to support them. Other than that, I really don’t see anything else changing significantly between now and the General. I think that’s the biggest thing I’m looking for, because there isn’t a lot of information really out there about all the history of some of these candidates, especially for alderman, so the best thing I can do is see how these candidates run their campaigns, and if they run them as they’re supposed to, then that shows me that they can at least do that. They can probably take care of business once they make the office.

CHERI MARSHALL, 57, WARD 6, RETIRED

It’s a hard decision. I am concerned because I don’t know what all the variables are behind John Horhn’s running. John is not clear. The older he gets, he’s hard to listen to. He’s always saying “we”, never “I”, always saying “we”. I’ve been listening to 90.1, and listeners calling in. We’re concerned about that “we” thing. Who are “we”? And I don’t know where John Horhn stands on the zoo, Smith Wills, or our airport because he won’t debate Lumumba. I guess Lumumba is a better speaker, but John Horhn, if you’re gonna be our mayor, you need to be able to speak and articulate. So with that being said, I’m torn. I do know a nonvote is a vote for whoever I don’t want. So I am going to the polls, and right now I’m leaning more towards going back for Lumumba.

LESLYN SMITH, 23, WARD 2, GRADUATE STUDENT

Honestly, even up to the last minute that I went in, I was still second guessing and just wondering if I was going to make the right choice. And when I went in and got the ballot, I just went where I felt led to. It was a very hard decision, because even going into it, I was still uncertain on who I was going to vote for. Now that I know the two options that I have, I think I’m going to go for our current mayor. I just think that would be a better option.

KOREYAN BLACK, 20, WARD 5, STUDENT

What all are your plans? Do you have anything that’s going to tackle the issues that you see in Jackson step by step by step, and how do you plan to make them effective for the people who live here?

AL BROWN, 69, WARD 3, RETIRED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

 The questions that I would have for the candidates, first, is Jackson going to become better? And by that what I mean is, is Jackson going to grow? Is crime going to go down? Is the infrastructure of Jackson going to be improved? Are the things that are obviously wrong with Jackson, are those things going to get better? And what is it that you’re going to do? I want a mayor that’s going to be offended. And what I mean by offended, I mean he sees the issues, when he sees the problems, when he sees what’s going on, I want him to be offended by that enough to make change. I want a mayor who’s going to be able to communicate and work effectively with surrounding communities. I want a mayor that’s going to be able to work with state government, with Tate Reeves. All those things have to occur for Jackson to become better. And if Lumumba retains the mayorship, I just don’t see that happening because we have adversarial relationships with the surrounding communities and also with state government. And I don’t see how that’s going to improve if he remains in office.

GEORGIA COHRAN, 73, WARD 5, ACTRESS AND NONPROFIT FOUNDER

 My question is, will we be able to continue what has already been put in place, the progress that Mayor Lumumba has already made? If he happens not to, which God forbid, not to be reelected, is there an assurance, and how can there be an assurance, that what he has already worked for can be continued until it’s brought to fruition, which isn’t impossible?

LUCIE COOPER, 24, WARD 7, ARTIST

I mean, is the community truly at the heart of the campaign? I feel like business and private money is really a big part of John Horhn’s campaign and I’m seeing that the community is being centered on Lumumbas’ campaign, so I’m going back and forth between the two. I cannot ignore the long list of positive things that Lumumba has done for the city in his past two terms.

WALKER LAKE, 20, WARD 1, CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENT

 My biggest question for Mayor Lumumba and Mr. Horhn is, how will they address the issues with non-compliance and the material weaknesses found in the previous annual audits of the city’s finances. I think that if the next mayor to lead Jackson can’t figure out the finances for the city, I struggle to believe that he can make the best informed decisions in regards to leading the city forward. You would want everything up to date to make the most informed decisions on everything really.

CHERI MARSHALL, 57, WARD 6, RETIRED

I already know what Lumumba said about the airport, Smith Wills and the zoo, but I need to know where John Horhn stands with that. He was on the stage with 20 other people, but he won’t debate Lumumba. Because, you know, I think he’s just afraid. But my question is, “How fast can we clean up the city?” And so I believe with Lumumba being, not even on the top, being on the lower end, if he does get back in, I hope this will be a lesson to him. I’m willing to give him that second chance. But I just can’t go with John Horhn because I do not think he has the correct agenda for me.

SHIRLEY MILLER, 67, WARD 3, RETIRED MENTAL HEALTH DIRECTOR

One of the questions I have for the candidates is, how are they going to make the city prosperous again? And I mean economic development, cleaning up trash, making sure that people are heard. Sometimes they have public meetings and it’s a good thing to hear from the public, but if nothing comes out of it, what good is it? One of the things I want to know is, are we going to have our water system back? Are we gonna clean up the streets and I mean clean up the streets, and are we going to have roads that you can drive over? I’ve hit so many potholes lately. It is making me angry and I’m trying to watch for them. And at night you can’t tell if there’s nothing up there, and so you get there, and you hit a pothole. I’m just lucky that my tires are still okay.

I want them to really listen to what we want and what we need. And I think people are telling them. But listen to it, and figure out a way, and have people around you who you’re listening to, and those people should be out in the community. The mayor can’t go everywhere. So have some strategic people that can go and talk to the neighbors, talk to any kind of forum. Talk to people at church, not just come and visit us at church right before election. I truly find that offputting because you didn’t see me for four years or eight years. And now you’re here at my church telling me to vote for you, and I don’t even know who you are. So what I want to see is for them to be more involved in the city and actually talking to people and doing things for the constituents of Jackson.

SHAMEKA REED, 44, WARD 1, NONPROFIT DIRECTOR

I guess my question to them would be, in four years, how would Jackson be better than it was before they took office?

PORTIA SCOTT, 26, WARD 4, DEPOSIT PROCESSING ASSISTANT

What set him aside from the other candidate? What are your plans for the youth? What business or opportunities will you bring into the city of Jackson?

JOHN SPANN, 34, WARD 3, NONPROFIT PROGRAM DIRECTOR

The questions I have are, you know, there’s people who don’t trust John Horhn and they’re worried about the airport. And so as long as he is not trying to do that, I think a lot of people will get his vote. We know that Mayor Lumumba is fighting to keep the airport and trying to keep resources in Jackson because of his track record. But right now, with what has happened with the whole scandal — which, everybody’s innocent until proven guilty — that also is, I know, a contingent point for a lot of people as well. Will he be able to be in office? If he wins and God forbid, he’s convicted, then what happens? Do we have to do this all over again? I don’t know what happened and don’t claim to know what happened. … But it’s that too,  those questions, I think everybody is thinking those things. They may not say it, but that’s what people are thinking.

WARREN TATUM JR., 25, WARD 2, RURAL CARRIER

Questions are still the same. I’m going to always feel the same, stay the same, because just because you campaigned, the work still has to be done once you get into office. Just because we’re in a runoff doesn’t mean the issues have changed, it just narrowed the election down to two candidates instead of so many. So everything is still pretty much the same. How are we going to fix water issues? What are we going to do to bring businesses back into Jackson? What are we going to do to better the economy? Those questions are still the same.

DARIUS WILLIAMS, 34, WARD 1, IT ANALYST

I’ve always felt like this, but honestly, I’ve had all my questions answered. I feel like there is ample information out there, and both candidates are accessible, so I’m satiated.

AL BROWN, 69, WARD 3, RETIRED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

 The thing that I was looking at was Lumumba not being able to make the runoff. To me, I thought that that was critical. When it was determined that he was going to make the runoff because Horhn did not have 51% of the vote, then that put him in a position to retain his mayorship, and I’m nervous about that.

GEORGIA COHRAN, 73, WARD 5, ACTRESS AND NONPROFIT FOUNDER

The most memorable moment? I would say Mayor Lumumba’s speech, his integrity, his bravery, his desire to maintain, in spite of how close the race was. I’m so proud of him, him and his family. It’s commendable. And he still didn’t sling any mud, even after the results were out. We were all surprised at how many people voted for Senator Horhn. Where did they come from?

LUCIE COOPER, 24, WARD 7, ARTIST

I actually went to one of Lumumba’s campaign meetings over the weekend just out of curiosity, and I was actually on the verge of tears the entire time. The sense of community, taking me in as a stranger and being given a plate of home-cooked food and holding hands and praying together, I was really astonished and grateful to be a part of that. I’m surprised at how quickly I was able to become involved in politics in my town. It didn’t take long and I’m surprised. Being heard by the mayor and dignified in what I’m doing, it really goes a long way.

WALKER LAKE, 20, WARD 1, CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENT

 Probably election night, how both Democratic candidates responded to the results of the primary. I was shocked to see that Mayor Lumumba was so surprised at how few people turned out to vote for him in spite of all the really rough things that have occurred during this administration, between the trash issues, the water issues, the state looking into taking over city assets. I mean, there’s just so much stuff that really hasn’t gone right for him, and I don’t think he should be too surprised if the runoff doesn’t go his way either.

SHIRLEY MILLER, 67, WARD 3, RETIRED MENTAL HEALTH DIRECTOR

When the mayor thought that he should have been in the lead in the runoff. I think he was truly surprised that people didn’t vote for him. I think if he took all the other votes from the 20 people that ran and added them up, he still wouldn’t have won. I think that was the most memorable part. And the other memorable part is that I still don’t think our current mayor has a clue of how to do the job even after eight years. I think he comes to the point where he thinks everybody’s behind him and people are behind him, and that’s fine for them, but he hasn’t listened to the people who are not behind him.

I’ve written the mayor dozens of letters. Has he ever responded to me? No. And I can say never. I’ve been to meetings, and he’ll say something very flippant. If you ask him a question: “Well, that’s not how it goes.” Instead of actually saying, “What is this person really telling me about what the problem is?” He’s not listening. He thinks we’re just gonna fall in line like they did the first time because of his dad’s name. And then the second time, like I did, I voted for him because he was the best person on the ballot. And I don’t do that anymore. If there’s nobody on the ballot that I want to vote for, I won’t vote, or I’ll write something in. One time I wrote in Jesus Christ as a write-in, because I just feel like, for the people who died for my right to vote, I don’t want them to think that I don’t care.

CHERI MARSHALL, 57, WARD 6, RETIRED

When John Horhn said over at the African American museum that the citizens of Jackson should be happy with the crumbs they receive from the Legislature. That is unforgivable to me. 

SHAMEKA REED, 44, WARD 1, NONPROFIT DIRECTOR

The primary election night, and kind of anticipating those numbers. Seeing what the outcome is going to be, seeing how the citizens are really feeling. I think when people go out to vote, they’re really letting you know how they feel about something. As soon as the polls closed, probably about 7:30pm or so, I started checking online to see what results were coming in. So for me, the most exciting part was Election Night.

LESLYN SMITH, 23, WARD 2, GRADUATE STUDENT

I felt like they had a candidate forum or a debate every day of the week. So it was just interesting, just going to all of them. I tried to go to as many as possible, because I know they asked different things at each different one. It was interesting listening to the candidates, but I can’t just say anything has stood out the most really.

JOHN SPANN, 34, WARD 3, NONPROFIT PROGRAM DIRECTOR

 The most memorable moment for me is when it seemed like David Archie always was coming at John Horhn when he wasn’t in front of John Horhn. But in times where he was in front of John Horhn, he didn’t say the thing that he was saying behind his back or at forums John Horhn wasn’t at. That’s the one thing that I thought was wild.  

This whole thing has been a wild ride, like just to see what, 20 plus people get into the race? Glad we got options, but then that makes it hard. All of these folks have personalities. Some of these folks, they’re running and they don’t need to be running, you know? It brings a comedic relief, for sure.

WARREN TATUM JR., 25, WARD 2, RURAL CARRIER

Probably just being at the Poor People’s Campaign forum and being able to actually hear candidates speak for themselves and get a chance to give the people what they all bring and what they plan to do as mayor.

DARIUS WILLIAMS, 34, WARD 1, IT ANALYST

Tim Henderson’s billboard placement strategically around the Jackson Metro corridor was top notch, I loved it. You couldn’t travel from one part of Jackson to another without seeing his face.

KOREYAN BLACK, 20, WARD 5, STUDENT

People will disappoint you. You’d think they want better for themselves and their children and their community and the people around them, and then you find out that they just don’t. They just don’t care.

AL BROWN, 69, WARD 3, RETIRED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

The voters don’t care. The people who vote don’t care. I went to vote right at 7:30am and I was number seven at my precinct. And that was disheartening, particularly with everything that’s going on in Jackson right now, with everything that’s going on with the government in Jackson right now. It’s a lot of things that need to be fixed and you only get 20% of the turnout, then that’s not a good sign. That’s not a good sign for the people of Jackson.

GEORGIA COHRAN, 73, WARD 5, ACTRESS AND NONPROFIT FOUNDER

That we don’t get it. African Americans just don’t get it. For all of those men to run, you can look at it both ways: Somebody wanted one person, one candidate, over the other. Either, they brought out the red carpet of defeat. They wanted Horhn to win and wanted to discredit Mayor Lumumba, whether they intended to or not. For all of those candidates to run, they split the vote. And who voted for them? If everybody voted, all the Blacks voted for Senator Horhn, then who voted for them? That was a lot of votes that went their way. But still, that’s more people that votes in Jackson. Where did they come from? Someone crossed over.

LUCIE COOPER, 24, WARD 7, ARTIST

Oh my gosh, so much. The amount of things this man (Lumumba) has done for the city. I knew about the roads that had been paved, I did not know about the $20 million grant to repave Medgar Evers Blvd. During the campaign meetings, I learned that the Republicans in the state wanted the Waste Management contract, and Lumumba was advocating for Richards, a minority owned small company. He was trying to save Jackson $13 million and he did. I also didn’t know he had secured health insurance for all city workers. He saved JPS from a state takeover. From what I’m seeing going back and forth in these campaigns is that Lumumba is pointing us in the right direction and centering the people’s needs.

WALKER LAKE, 20, WARD 1, CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENT

I’ve learned that Jackson can come together. For several years now, a lot of people have not felt great about the future of Jackson, but with seeing how many people turned out in the primary, in spite of districts being redrawn and it just being a primary, how many candidates have all been involved, that sends a message to me that the people of Jackson are ready to keep on the good fight for a better Jackson, for a better tomorrow.

CHERI MARSHALL, 57, WARD 6, RETIRED

That organization is key. And if we would get together and organize, then we can have better results, results that matter for us. Because there were way too many people running. Somebody should have had the good common sense to say, “Okay, let’s everybody get out, these drop out because you don’t have a chance, and let’s get together, get behind one person.” But that didn’t happen.

SHIRLEY MILLER, 67, WARD 3, RETIRED MENTAL HEALTH DIRECTOR

 I’ve learned that other people were as frustrated as I am, otherwise we wouldn’t have had 20 people running for mayor. And I also learned that people think it’s easy to be in office. They are very flip about some of the things that they want to do. And I was like, “You can’t do that.” You know? But I was pleased to see how many people turned out. I think more people should have turned out. But it wasn’t horrible. It wasn’t whereas people weren’t letting people know what’s going on, that they really do care about their city and they’re willing to vote for the person they think is gonna help. And I was impressed with that. Even though there were 20 people running, at least people got an opportunity to cast that ballot in whatever way, shape, form, or fashion that they saw fit.

SHAMEKA REED, 44, WARD 1, NONPROFIT DIRECTOR

I’m not sure I’ve learned anything more than what I knew already. The citizens of Jackson have, to me, always been in tune with what’s going on in the city.

PORTIA SCOTT, 26, WARD 4, DEPOSIT PROCESSING ASSISTANT

The citizens are looking for a change as a whole.

LESLYN SMITH, 23, WARD 2, GRADUATE STUDENT

I can’t say I’ve really learned anything because I feel like it’s nothing new that politicians lie. I feel like it’s just the same game repeated. I don’t feel like I’ve learned anything really.

JOHN SPANN, 34, WARD 3, NONPROFIT PROGRAM DIRECTOR

 That the mayor’s job is a truly hard job. Things like getting roads paved and bridges serviced and the water situation that we’ve been having under control, the school situation, I’ve learned that Mayor Lumumba is not in an easy position. I’ve learned that the mayor of Jackson position, without the funds needed to the necessary infrastructure work, and the necessary funding towards schools, and things like that, it’s hard to do the job without the money. It’s hard to do the job without resources. And then also I’ve learned during this campaign, there’s been a lot of misinformation out there on both sides. A lot of people are saying one thing, but it’s really another. And some of the truth has came out in these different mayoral forums. So I’m glad that I’ve been a part of them and been an active citizen and trying to make sure that I’m aware.

WARREN TATUM JR., 25, WARD 2, RURAL CARRIER

I have learned basically that just because you’re a Democratic city, you still need a bipartisan relationship between the state and the city in order for things to prosper, and it’s going to be a hard task no matter who sits in that seat, whether it be any candidate, if they’re Democratic versus being a Republican.

DARIUS WILLIAMS, 34, WARD 1, IT ANALYST

That northeast Jacksonians have finally decided to not be resigned in the election process in Jackson. I thought that was pretty interesting. I just found it interesting that this was the election that they recognized that they have collective input.