John Horhn finally became mayor of Jackson Tuesday, after his fourth run for the office, more than $300,000 in campaign donations and too many church visits to count.
Horhn is the 54th mayor of Jackson. His inauguration marks a shift in leadership from a young progressive visionary to a seasoned moderate who promises to restore basic services, tackle blight and bring back economic development.
Horhn, 70, took the oath of office at 11 a.m. at the downtown Jackson Convention Complex following a prayer service led by eight religious leaders of different denominations. Council members, including the newly elected Kevin Parkinson of Ward 7 and Lashia Brown-Thomas of Ward 6, were also sworn into office.
The day concludes with an evening gala featuring performances from blues musicians Willie Clayton and Bobby Rush.
A longtime state senator representing parts of northwest Jackson and southern Madison County, Horhn has pledged to reorganize a dysfunctional City Hall, create a comprehensive plan, and work with developers to bring more business to Jackson.
The challenges are great: Jackson is the fastest shrinking capital city in the country, and many residents have lost faith in the city’s leadership to respond when they call with problems, much less fix systemic issues such as blight, economic divestment or Jackson’s relationship to the state government.
But Horhn will have the support of a coalition of city leaders representing real estate, restaurants, unions, city contractors and nonprofits. With their backing, Horhn rode to election, winning 3 to 1 in the Democratic primary runoff over outgoing Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and facing no serious opposition in the general election.
Check back for updates to this developing story.
12:34 PM
‘We understand that no one in their right mind would want to take this job’
“But because of our combined love for Jackson,” Mayor John Horhn said in his inaugural address, referencing his wife, Lydia Gail Horhn. “We decided that we’re gonna do this.”
Horhn said he’s putting together a team he’s asking to do three things:
- Move: “And by that I mean, let’s get some things done. Let’s not push paper on one side of the desk to the other.”
- Think: “That we approach solving problems in our city in a logical and well-reasoned fashion. Thinking through problems is what we need more of, as opposed to passing the buck. And we have kicked the can down the road long enough.”
- Pray: “If we don’t believe in something that is a higher power than ourselves, then we are in trouble.”
12:15 PM
‘This speech won’t be long, because my iPad just died’
In his inaugural address, Jackson’s new mayor John Horhn spoke directly to the state’s top leaders.
“You gentlemen lead the state,” Horhn said to Gov. Tate Reeves and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. “And you’re doing everything you can, I believe, to lead it to greatness. And we in the city of Jackson, the capital city, look forward to working with both of you gentlemen.”
He said that he’s met with leaders in Washington, who told him, “We want to help Jackson, just tell us what you need.”
12:02 PM
After Horhn, Jacksonians take their own oath
After John Horhn took the oath of office, becoming Jackson’s 54th mayor, Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Crystal Wise Martin asked inauguration attendees to emulate the Mississippi Mass Choir – which minutes earlier delivered a powerful rendition of “We Praise You” – while taking the people’s oath of support for the mayor and city council.
“I want you to give a resounding ‘We will,’ just like you were listening to the Mississippi Mass Choir,” Martin said.
“Together, we will shape a Jackson that reflects the strength of pride and the promise of its people,” she said, followed by a pledge of service to Horhn and council members; the crowd returned.
After, the Mississippi Mass Choir sang “The Promise,” with the repeating refrain, “I’m ready.”
11:35 AM
Lumumba returning to law, office empty
As Jacksonians filed into the downtown convention center Tuesday morning to watch Mayor John Horhn take the oath of office, a notable face was missing from the crowd.
Former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said at a press conference Monday that he would not be able to attend the inauguration because he had to go to work. Before becoming mayor in 2017, Lumumba led a local law firm, Lumumba and Associates.
A visit to the address listed for the firm at 440 N. Mill Street Tuesday morning showed a building that appears to have been deserted for some time. A large crack in the front door’s glass was covered with poster board and a pot of fake purple flowers.
There were no cars in the parking lot. Multiple calls to Lumumba and a number listed on a piece of paper taped to the inside of the front door were not returned. A call to the number for the law office on Google yielded a busy signal.
11:18 AM
Former Jackson Mayor Kane Ditto recognizes longest serving council member
“I’d like to take just a moment of personal privilege here to acknowledge my good friend Kenny Stokes. And the reason I’m doing this to him is because he was on the city council when I was mayor,” said former Jackson mayor Kane Ditto, garnering a laugh from the audience.
Councilman Kenny Stokes is the longest serving member of the current Jackson City Council. He and Ditto both took office in 1989, and Ditto served until 1997.
11:25 AM
Gov. Reeves: “The state stands ready to work with Mayor Horhn”
Gov. Tate Reeves, the Republican governor of Mississippi who served as a foil to Jackson’s Democratic leadership in recent years, pledged a “renewed commitment” to progress in the capital city, calling it vital to the future of the state in a speech during Mayor John Horhn’s inauguration Tuesday.
“I want everyone to know the state stands ready to work with Mayor Horhn and the city of Jackson,” Reeves said. “We may not always agree on everything, and that’s OK, but what matters most is we keep our eye on the bigger picture.”
Those shared goals include clean water, better schools, safer neighborhoods, good jobs and more opportunity for every Jacksonian, Reeves said, commending Horhn for stepping up to what he called “a big job.”
“Our capital is more than a geographic center,” Reeves said. “It is a cultural hub, an economic driver and a symbol of who we are as a state. For Mississippi to reach our full potential, we need Jackson to succeed.”
From his experience working with Horhn in the Legislature, Reeves, who served as lieutenant governor from 2012 to 2020, said he knows Horhn possesses a deep love for Jackson and a vision for its future.
“He’s been a tireless advocate for the capital city in the state Senate, and I dare say no one can speak more authoritatively on that fact than someone who had to deal with his passion daily for years,” Reeves said, garnering chuckles from the crowd before adding, “someone such as myself.”
When former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba was in office, some politicos in Jackson felt it would be impossible for Reeves, a conservative, to work with a mayor who had pledged to make the city the most radical in the country, an observation that Reeves seemed to reference toward the end of his speech.
“I believe in what’s possible if and when we work together,” he said. “Not as what many politicos and even some of our constituents may see as a mutually beneficial adversary, but as partners.”
But the inability to work together went beyond optics: In 2022, Reeves blamed the water crisis on what he deemed “the “absolute and total incompetence of this mayor and his administration.”
After Reeves spoke, U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson quipped the audience had just heard “all the good stuff” the state’s other leaders said they would do for Jackson. Then he addressed Horhn.
“Mayor, I know at some point you’ll go looking forward to collect,” he said.
11:03 AM
‘This is your city, too,’ Bennie Thompson says
U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson spoke first at the inauguration of Jackson Mayor John Horhn. Thompson endorsed Horhn during the April Democratic primary runoff.
“This is what we do in a democracy,” said Thompson, who chaired the House Select Committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the nation’s Capitol. “We settle our differences at the ballot box. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. But we don’t tear the place up. … I’m pleased that we can stand as a community to commemorate this iconic event and bear witness to another beginning, a newly elected administration, a new vision, a new energy and a renewed commitment to build the city of Jackson.”
10:47 AM
Faith renewed and restored after inaugural prayer service
Jackson clergy said they felt hopeful after the inaugural prayer service held this morning for Mayor John Horhn.
John Allen, associate pastor at Anderson United Methodist Church, said the prayer service reinvigorated the community’s faith in its elected officials.
“This kind of thing brings renewal,” he said. “It helps us to renew our faith, and also when we’re actually praying over the mayor and over the city, it kind of reinvigorates a renewal in our faith and the person that we’ve elected, but also in God in orchestrating all of that.”
Domini Henry, pastor at Central United Methodist Church, said that a leader’s faith in God helps build the community’s trust in them as a leader.
“When we see them exemplifying faith, and when we see them trust Him, then it helps us put our trust in them and that leads to more positive things happening for the city, because the leadership has placed themselves in God’s hands for guidance,” Henry said.
He said that though the prayer service was for one day, clergy should continue to come together and support the mayor in his journey as an elected official.
“This is just a mark of what we ought to continue to do,” Henry said. “This just shouldn’t be a one day thing. We should continue to circle around our mayor as clergy and as leaders to pray and uplift him and the city.”
10:05 AM
City of Jackson’s website sporting new look
Before John Horhn officially took office Tuesday morning, the city of Jackson’s website was already sporting a new look, complete with a new logo, a new slogan and a form inviting users to “follow us for update (sic) now!”
The new home page includes photos of Jackson City Hall and Horhn sitting in front of the building’s historic marker. The website’s former logo, which showed a colorful rendering of the city’s skyline, has been replaced with one inspired by the city’s official flag and a new slogan, “the city with vision and results.”
Under former mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, some Jacksonians expressed frustration with the city’s website, which was migrated to a new platform toward the end of last year. While the website had a host of information – from city council agendas and meeting minutes to a weekly schedule – it was often hard to find through the search function.
As of Tuesday, the city’s homepage is the only part of the website that appears to work. When a user tries to access the council meeting minutes, a message stating “this page either doesn’t exist, or it moved somewhere else” is returned. But Jacksonians can still access those pages via the Internet Archive.
8:21 AM
Local clergy pray over mayor John Horhn
A banquet hall at the Jackson Convention Center in downtown Jackson transformed into a church sanctuary Tuesday morning as local clergy gathered to pray over incoming Mayor John Horhn.
“Prayer is warfare, and we came to do battle,” said Jerry Young, pastor of New Hope Baptist Church. “We came here to fight for the city of Jackson, Mississippi.”
Hundreds packed into the hall for Horhn’s inaugural prayer service. Ten leaders from churches and temples across the city came together to pray for the city of Jackson. They prayed for key issues in Jackson, such as equity and justice, the city council, and for healing.