Two court filings could signal defense strategies for Nancy New, John Davis in welfare fraud case
Since she was arrested over a year ago for allegedly stealing millions of federal welfare dollars, Nancy New says she’s been anxiously waiting to tell her side of the story.
Now, the educator-turned-businesswoman is offering her version of events through a lawsuit she and her son filed against the firm that conducted her nonprofit’s annual audits. They blame the accountant for not accurately assessing her organization’s financial picture.
Authorities have accused New, founder of the New Summit private schools and nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Center, and her son Zach New of embezzling $4 million in welfare money and, in a separate federal case, defrauding the state education department out of $2 million.
Authorities also charged the former director of Mississippi Department of Human Services John Davis, who administered the funds for the federal government, alleging he conspired with the News.
To help in Davis’ defense against embezzlement charges, his attorney subpoenaed a series of financial documents and audits from the state agency. But most of what he asked for doesn’t exist or isn’t in the agency’s possession, according to a records officer.
The embezzlement cases center on the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant, which states have broad authority to spend to accomplish one of four vague anti-poverty objectives. The investigation originated at the State Auditor’s Office.
The more nonsensical payments — such as $1.1 million to Brett Favre to supposedly market the state’s social services — have dominated headlines.
But if recent court filings are any indication, arguments in the ongoing criminal cases could fixate on accounting technicalities and lack of record keeping.
“Errors are different from fraud,” said Billy Morehead, an accounting professor at Mississippi College and chair of the Mississippi Public Procurement Review Board. “Fraud is an intentional misuse of funds. An error is a mistake. So if they can document that the funds were used appropriately, but they mistakenly recorded them or made errors in how they kept the financials, then obviously that lessens the focus of this as fraud or embezzlement. It’s just shoddy bookkeeping.”
Last year, Mississippi Department of Human Services hired a firm for $2 million to conduct a full forensic audit, which Nancy New said she expects to significantly contradict the state single audit released last May.
“The forensic audit is going to prove a lot,” Nancy New told reporters in November. “This has become a numbers case.”
“There’s so many things that we did that we probably didn’t write down,” she added. “I don’t write down when I hand somebody (welfare clients) $50.”
Meanwhile, the nonprofit’s former staff accountant Anne McGrew tried to plead guilty for her role in the scheme, but a judge rejected the plea deal she reached with the state earlier this year.
Auditor Shad White previously said that the nonprofit’s own accounting was unreliable. The state had expected the forensic audit to be completed by the end of May, but a spokesperson for the state agency said New’s nonprofit has repeatedly denied the accounting firm the records it needs, delaying the audit. The agency now hopes to receive the report by July 1.
Five defendants in the alleged scheme, including McGrew, are still awaiting trial.
The Department of Human Services has since changed its internal policy to ensure they award these grants competitively and require more reporting from subgrantees.
Mississippi’s welfare program has consistently served fewer and fewer families since Congress replaced the former entitlement cash benefit program with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, during welfare reform in the 1990s.
Over 30,000 families received cash assistance in 1998 compared to less than 3,000 in 2020, though Mississippi’s poverty rate remains one of the highest in the nation at nearly 20%.
In accordance with local politicians’ philosophy about how to address poverty, Mississippi’s welfare agency has moved away from offering direct assistance in favor of ancillary services like parenting classes and motivational speaking, according to state reporting.
Under Davis, who envisioned a different, privately-operated approach to delivering social services, Mississippi Department of Human Services began transferring large chunks of its federal welfare grant to Nancy New’s organization and another nonprofit called Family Resource Center of Northeast Mississippi.
After showering the two nonprofits with tens of millions of federal grant funds, Davis required almost no real accounting of how they spent the money. In the case of most of the spending authorities have now questioned, Mississippi Community Education Center and Family Resource Center of Northeast Mississippi — not the state agency — wrote and signed the checks.
While they were supposed to be funding dozens of “Families First” resource centers across the state, a state audit published last May alleged they were actually paying for lobbyists, luxury vehicles, religious concerts, expensive getaways, publicity events with famous athletes and even a speeding ticket.
The News’ latest complaint at least partially blames the potential misspending on the third-party accountant’s alleged incompetence, but it also goes much further.
It expounds on Nancy New’s backstory, her vision for assisting needy families and how the promise of a statewide anti-poverty initiative devolved into Nancy working 14-hour days trying to meet Davis’ “special project” demands.
“This overload created shortfalls and made accounting for these programs, the funds associated with them, and the ways in which those funds could be spent, increasingly complex,” the lawsuit reads.
Nancy New expressed concerns over Davis’ fast and loose methods of granting welfare money, the lawsuit asserts, but her nonprofit complied with the agency’s instruction to lump all of its grant money together, confusing the accounting.
The complaint, filed May 3, says the third-party accounting firm Williams, Weiss, Hester & Co. should have noted the large increase in federal grants, ensuring they used the funds properly — and alleges they didn’t. The nonprofit is also listed as a plaintiff on the suit.
But Morehead said it is not an independent auditor’s responsibility to tell organizations how to spend their money; in fact, that could compromise their independence and ability to conduct the audit.
“It’s not the auditor’s place to say what monies should be spent on which programs,” Morehead said. “The auditor would have responsibility if they discovered monies spent inappropriately to do additional testing, but the organization is the one who should be the one preparing the financial statements we see here.”
Though Mississippi Community Education Center’s cash balance was made up almost entirely of welfare funds, coinciding with the expansion of its partnership with the Department of Human Services, the News alleged that the third-party accountant “failed to disclose the restrictive nature of the reported cash.”
Williams, Weiss, Hester & Co. said in its 2018 audit that the nonprofit complied with requirements related to its federal grants. The lawsuit alleges the firm did not possess the specialty needed to perform the kind of federal single audit the nonprofit required — a deficiency the firm was cited as having in a 2017 peer review.
The 19-page complaint also claims that the welfare agency “and other public officials” assigned New’s nonprofit to fund multiple special projects, including Prevacus, the biomedical startup company that was developing a cure for concussions.
Several Mississippians had been involved in discussions about luring Prevacus into the state, including Favre and former Gov. Phil Bryant. Indictments against the News allege they used welfare money to make personal investments in Prevacus.
New’s lawsuit says officials also directed the nonprofit to pay for projects with Ted DiBiase Sr. and Jr.’s companies, the foundation of a virtual reality technology company called Lobaki, Paul Lacoste’s boot camp, the ministry of Christian musical artist Jason Crabb and Rise Malibu, the drug rehab facility where Brett DiBiase received treatment for four months.
Nancy New told reporters in November that her attorney Cynthia Speetjens had instructed her not to speak publicly about what happened. Shortly after that, a judge issued a gag order on all parties to the case.
“I wanna scream it to the rooftops,” New said when approached by reporters at her north Jackson home — property federal authorities would later allege was purchased with public special education dollars. “There’s a lot more information to come and we’re just waiting our turn.”
Mark Carroll, the attorney representing the nonprofit and the News in this complaint, is not the same attorney representing either of the News in their criminal cases.
The records Davis’ attorney Merrida Coxwell received through his subpoena, which are now considered discovery in Davis’ trial, do not contain any immediately revelatory information. In fact, they are mostly documents that the media have already obtained and published.
What the records do show — and what could be a clue about Davis’ possible defense — is the number of state agency officials who signed off on the nonprofit’s sharp spending increase that investigators have now questioned. They also show how severely the agency lacked a paper trail of grantees and what they accomplished.
The New nonprofit submitted to the welfare agency periodic “closeout” documents, which are supposed to contain the financial and performance information the agency needs to ensure the nonprofit complied with grant requirements and spent the funds properly. The reports outlined grants as large as $18 million in one year and contained vague spending details, such as $1.2 million on salaries, $82,000 on travel and $15.7 million on “subsidies, loans & grants.”
The News’ lawsuit explained that Davis’ agency instructed the nonprofit to divide its annual budget into those broad categories.
A total of 14 different agency employees signed off on these reports from 2017 to early 2020 before the February arrests.
Mississippi Department of Human Services Communication Director Danny Blanton said that the vague nature of the reports meant that those employees, some of whom are still with the agency, would not have been able to tell that the nonprofit was allegedly misspending the money. “The closeouts were conducted properly,” Blanton said. “They weren’t doing anything wrong by signing off on it.”
During the Davis administration, the agency did have monitoring and program integrity divisions, whose function was to ensure subgrantees followed contract guidelines. But Blanton told Mississippi Today that any time a compliance officer started to ask questions about certain nonprofit spending, “Davis would pull them back.”
Just as Davis was taking over in 2016, the agency requested a bill to separate child protection services from the Mississippi Department of Human Services. More quietly, the legislation also exempted all Human Services employees from protections under the state personnel board, meaning Davis could more easily fire employees at his will. Blanton described a culture of intimidation at the agency under Davis. “He would terminate someone on a whim,” Blanton said.
The subpoena itself, and the items that couldn’t be produced, provides some insight into the mindset of the defense.
Coxwell asked for nine items:
- Mississippi Community Education Centers annual final fiscal reports from 2017 to 2020
- Any response Mississippi Department of Human Services made back to MCEC in response to those fiscal reports
- Reports, summaries or notes created during yearly telephone reviews or in-person visits from the regional TANF office to MDHS from 2017 to 2020
- Reports, summaries or notes created during yearly telephone reviews or in-person visits from the regional TANF office to New’s nonprofit from 2017 to 2020
- Reports, summaries or notes created during Regional TANF Program Manager LaMonica Shelton’s 2018 visit to New’s nonprofit
- The bank name and account number where MDHS deposited funds to the nonprofit.
- Single audits for years 2017-2020 produced by New’s nonprofit
- Supplemental audit or review of the nonprofit’s use of money for drug and alcohol treatment for Brett DiBiase
- The nonprofit’s monthly outcomes reports from December 2018 to July 2019 required by their MDHS contract
In return, he received the closeout documents, just one 2017 audit, and “outcome reports” that were supposed to explain how many people they served but instead, Mississippi Today previously reported, contained nonsensical figures.
The agency said it did not possess any agency response to the nonprofit’s fiscal reports, any notes or summaries of any annual meetings with federal authorities, any audit or reviews of the nonprofit’s payments to DiBiase’s drug treatment. Shelton did not return emails to Mississippi Today.
Blanton confirmed that the agency never received annual audits from New’s nonprofit after 2017, as is typically required. Agency officials had sent letters to the nonprofit asking for the missing reports, Blanton said, but were ignored. MCEC did file a 2018 audit with the Mississippi Secretary of State, but did not file an audit for 2019, when most of the alleged embezzlement occurred.
Trials in Hinds County are set to begin no earlier than Sept. 9 for Davis and Oct. 4 for Nancy and Zach New.
McGrew, the nonprofit’s former accountant, could stand trial Aug. 2 if she doesn’t reach a plea deal with the state as she initially attempted. Former Mississippi Department of Human Services procurement officer Latimer Smith may go to trial Sept. 27.
Attorneys could request additional continuances or reach plea deals before then. Former professional wrestler Brett DiBiase, who was accused of receiving $48,000 from the welfare agency for work he did not complete, is the only defendant to plead guilty so far. He faces a maximum prison sentence of five years, but he won’t be sentenced until he’s finished cooperating with the state prosecution against the other defendants.
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Mississippi is testing the fewest residents per capita for COVID-19
For better or for worse, all COVID-related numbers in Mississippi are falling: infections, hospitalizations, deaths, vaccinations and tests.
As with its vaccination rate, Mississippi is lagging behind in COVID testing. Testing rates have plummeted nationally, but no other state is testing fewer residents per capita, and most are leagues ahead. This is a problem in a state where so many residents are declining to get vaccinated, even as health experts insist that wide-scale testing can help facilitate a return to normalcy that guards against large virus outbreaks in the absence of herd immunity protections.
One reason for the severe decline in testing is it being an at-will affair. Most people avoid getting tested unless they know for a fact they’ve come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19,
John Davies, a 42-year-old truck driver from Grenada, told Mississippi Today he had to get tested for COVID-19 six different times in the past year. Each time he did so begrudgingly, and only because he was told he had to by his employer.
“I hated sticking that damn Q-tip up my nose. It was way more invasive and annoying than getting the vaccine,” Davies said.
Even if getting vaccinated is looked upon more favorably than getting tested, it can’t be by much. COVID-19 vaccinations had fallen for seven straight weeks in Mississippi before seeing a slight uptick last week. That higher number still represents a nearly 71% decrease since the state's February peak.
The issues of vaccine access that existed during the early stages of the vaccine rollout have largely been eliminated over the past few months. The Mississippi Department of Health will now come directly to the homes of people who want to get vaccinated but don’t have reliable transportation. They’re also offering this option to businesses or other local organizations that want to host vaccination drives. People are simply declining to take the shot and that’s keeping the state’s vaccination rate low.
Mississippi continues to rank last in the nation in the share of its population that has been vaccinated. And fewer than 1,000 Mississippians ages 12-15 received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in the week following its approval for that age group.
MSDH reported on Friday that 1,019,460 people in Mississippi — over 33% of the state’s population — have received at least their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. More than 887,000 people have been fully inoculated since the state began distributing vaccines in December.
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Greenville school board again delays action following bus driver strike
Officials in Greenville Public School District again delayed taking any action following a two-day strike by bus drivers last month.
Between 13 to 20 bus drivers for the district skipped work to protest reduced pay and what they said is poor work conditions. Following the strike, which is explicitly illegal in Mississippi, the school board reversed a previous decision to reduce the number of work days for the next school year by five.
However, the board attorney this week advised the board undo that action. The board has not yet followed that advice.
At its meeting Tuesday night, Superintendent Debra Dace presented board members with additional information they had requested about the incident, including a timeline and a list of the bus drivers who participated. The strike law passed in 1985 clearly states that school board members themselves are responsible for reporting the names of those who went on strike to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office. For each day that those names are not reported by the board to the state, the individual board members and school administrators can be fined between $100 and $250.
“At the last meeting, the board requested a timeline and justification of the names (of bus drivers) that were on the list just to ensure that all of those names needed to be on the list and if anybody else’s name needed to be added to the list so we could get further clarification of getting this information in to the state auditor’s office,” said Jan Vaughn, board president.
But the board voted unanimously not to take any further action and did not indicate if or when it would.
Requests for comment from Vaughn and Antoinette Williams, another board member, were not returned Wednesday. The superintendent said she had “no comment at this time.”
READ MORE: Greenville bus strike could transform public education in Mississippi
READ MORE: Here’s why Greenville school bus drivers went on strike
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Mississippi Stories: Susan Cushman
In this edition of Mississippi Stories, Mississippi Today Editor-At-Large Marshall Ramsey sits down with author Susan Cushman to discuss her new novel, John and Mary Margaret, her love of writing and her creative process. Cushman, who was born in Jackson and attended Ole Miss in the 1960s, now lives in Memphis, Tenn.
John and Mary Margaret is an insider’s look into the white-privilege bubble of a young girl growing up in Jackson, and participating in sorority life on the Ole Miss campus in the late 1960s. But it’s also a candid portrayal of a young Black boy from Memphis who follows his dream to study law at the predominately white university. What happens when their shared love for literature blossoms into an ill-fated romance? Set squarely in the center of decades of historical events in Mississippi and Memphis, their story brings those events to life. While a work of fiction, it is based closely on real events.
Cushman is also the author of Friends of the Library, Cherry Bomb and Tangles and Plaques: A Mother and Daughter Face Alzheimer’s and is the editor of Southern Writers on Writing, A Second Blooming: Becoming the Women We Are Meant To Be and The Pulpwood Queens Celebrate 20 Years!
You can find out more about her at www.susancushman.com
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Medical marijuana protesters call on Mississippi politicians to ‘stop the steal’
Carolyn Prisock had a brain tumor removed 15 years ago, and suffers debilitating migraines and side effects from medications — one caused her to temporarily lose her eyesight.
Prisock was hopeful that the medical marijuana program Mississippi voters approved in November would offer her some relief and an alternative to pharmaceuticals she said “are like-taking poison.” But she said the state Supreme Court “pulled the rug out from under our feet.”
Prisock, 56, of rural Louisville was among a little over 200 people who rallied near the Supreme Court building and state Capitol on Tuesday morning. They were protesting the high court’s ruling that struck down the Initiative 65 medical marijuana program voters passed, and that also nullified Mississippi voters’ right to change the state constitution.
The protesters called on Gov. Tate Reeves to call the Mississippi Legislature back to Jackson in special session, and for lawmakers to reinstate the medical marijuana program and voters’ ballot initiative right to take matters in their own hands.
Some legislative leaders have joined this call. Reeves said he’s open to calling a session, but still “a long way” from that decision. He said legislative leaders would have to be on the same page first. So far, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann who oversees the Senate said he’s open to passing a medical marijuana program, but believes fixing the ballot initiative process could wait until next year. House Speaker Philip Gunn wants a special session to deal with the ballot initiative, but said medical marijuana could wait.
“If I want to put something natural in my body instead of all these chemicals, that should be my choice,” Prisock said.
READ MORE: Mississippi Supreme Court overturns medical marijuana Initiative 65
Prisock said, “There is still a backward ideology in Mississippi” and the state not legalizing medical marijuana is one of many issues resulting in Mississippi being one of only three to lose population in recent years.
The rally was hastily organized by “We Are the 74,” a group that in a little over a week has garnered more than 8,500 members on its Facebook site. The 74 refers to the 74% of voters that chose Initiative 65 over an alternative placed on the November ballot by lawmakers — although opponents of the initiative note that a smaller majority voted in favor of medical marijuana overall in the two-question ballot proposal.
The rally included live music — with a band striking up a few old 60’s marijuana standards — and several speakers. It drew a diverse crowd of patients and families, cannabis advocates, entrepreneurs hoping to get into the marijuana business, and voters who feel like they’ve been rooked by the court and politicians.
PODCAST: Breaking down the Supreme Court marijuana initiative decision
Wilson Hunt of Tupelo said the rally was the first he’s attended in his 55 years. He came because, “The will of the people has been thwarted, and this is a state that has been vocal about the will of the people being thwarted on a national level.” Hunt carried a poster that said, “New math. 6>766,000?” Referring to the six high court justices that voter to overturn voters’ initiative. A friend of Hunt’s carried a sign that said, “Stop the Steal.”
Will Reed, also of Tupelo, owns an organic farm and produce company, and received the first license in Mississippi to grow hemp after it was federally legalized. He had hoped to start farming medicinal marijuana, and had made some investment in such an operation before the court ruling put a halt to the program.
Chad King, a Jackson attorney, and partners had already invested in Jackson real estate and were moving to open a cannabis business “and were ready to bring at least 90 jobs to Jackson” when the ruling halted it.
King hopes Tuesday’s rally and the ire of many voters prompts action.
“I hope it encourages the leadership to step up and do something,” King said. “Over and above medical marijuana, the Supreme Court struck down people’s voice. Taking people’s voice away with the right to pass amendments is huge.”
The Supreme Court ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler. She argued the initiative process should be voided because the state constitution requires the signatures to be gathered equally from five congressional districts as they were configured in 1990. But in the early 2000s, the state lost a U.S. House seat because of population loss, rendering it impossible to gather the signatures as mandated in the Constitution.
READ MORE: Mississippi’s medical marijuana mess
Voters bypassed the lawmakers and approved medical marijuana after years of inaction on the issue by the Legislature despite growing grassroots support and other states legalizing it.
Jasmine Cochran, a Picayune native, was teaching school in China when she learned her father had been diagnosed with cancer, and she quickly returned home. She spoke to the crowd in Jackson on Tuesday, and lamented Mississippi being historically and continually the unhealthiest state.
“It’s just numbers until one of those numbers is your dad or your mom or your kid,” Cochran said. “… I see my dad struggling for help every day, and we could give it to him with a plant … You’d be hard pressed to find a more divided state, but we all came together (with Initiative 65) because we felt there was a better, smarter, healthier way than with endless opiates … If there is no special session, then the 74% will get together again when it’s the next time to vote and invite (politicians) to leave.”
Puckett native Austin Calhoun also spoke Tuesday. He has suffered terrible seizures and other issues for years, and his mother, Angie Calhoun was a vocal supporter and organizer of the Initiative 65 movement. Austin had moved out of state so he could be treated with medical marijuana, but was planning to return after initiative 65 passed.
He called for the governor and lawmakers to “do what is right by Mississippians.”
“Call a special session as soon as possible,” Calhoun said. “… Be the patients’ and voters’ heroes and bring back to Mississippi what was unjustly taken from us. All I want is to be able to return home to this state. Do not give up the fight for democracy to be carried out in Mississippi.”
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We asked readers about the future of Mississippi. Here’s what they said.
In April, we launched the first stage of NextGen Mississippi, our new reporting project focused on young Mississippians. We published a survey asking people of all experiences to tell us about the internal question many Mississippians ask themselves: “Should I stay in Mississippi, or should I leave?” This survey has already garnered more than 600 responses from a wide range of ages, occupations, locations and perspectives.
Scroll to view some select responses, or click a question below to skip ahead.
- Why do you live in Mississippi? If you left, why?
- Briefly tell us what factors you consider most important as you think about staying in Mississippi or leaving Mississippi.
- If you’re here, how often do you think about leaving? If you left, how often do you think about coming back?
- Do you believe the state of Mississippi’s leadership has done enough to attract or retain young people in Mississippi?
- What problems do state of Mississippi leaders need to address for a better future?
Enter your email to stay in the loop on NextGen Mississippi:
Why do you live in Mississippi? If you left, why?
“I grew up and went to school in MS. I am leaving this fall for law school. The law schools here are not the best, and the environment for young professionals is also not the best. The work force here seems unwelcoming to young people who want to do good for MS.”
“I have no reason to leave yet. I love my job and community. My most valued friends and family still live here and I think I really am and can continue to make a name for myself here in Mississippi.”
“I have deep roots in Mississippi and I decided to stay. I get the advantage of being connected to my roots (but it comes at the cost of not living in a cool place like Austin, Nashville, etc.)”
“I’m leaving this summer for better pay and better quality of life.”
“No other feasible option. I will leave at the first opportunity.”
“I left Mississippi for 11 years – right out of college – for more opportunities. I didn’t think I could grow my career here like I wanted. I also wanted to experience living in cities with more diversity in terms of race, religion, and political thought. I recently moved back with my family six months ago to be closer to family, because a job opportunity worked out, and for the lower cost of living.”
Briefly tell us what factors you consider most important as you think about staying in Mississippi or leaving Mississippi.
“We want to stay for our family, we love our jobs, and our closest friends are here. However we ultimately want to leave for a better education for our daughter and more in line with our political and social beliefs.”
“My husband and I are advocates for creating a stronger ms. Mississippi needs brilliant creative people.”
“Job opportunities. Unfortunately, in my profession it is difficult to find work in Mississippi that pays well. The national average is between $80-$100 grand a year. Here I make just over $42 a year.”
“I say again: The diversity and heritage are things to enjoy and grow in, not change to be like every where else. Second I think politically if any state where going to grow and show democrats and republicans getting along and making bipartisan efforts- it’s Mississippi.”
“Wages. The wages are extremely low. So low that the low cost of living still isn’t affordable. I also don’t feel like I have a political voice because of the way our districts are overwhelmingly controlled by one party. The State’s swiftness in cutting public services like the health department and education is alarming. Their unwillingness is participate in Medicaid expansion is also frustrating. It feels like we are decades behind.”
If you’re here, how often do you think about leaving? If you left, how often do you think about coming back?
“Often. My family is based there, but Mississippi makes it hard for my return to be a reality.”
“I entertain the idea of living in a more exciting city, but never seriously consider it.”
“I think about leaving all the time. It’s a beautiful state with amazing people. But there are no opportunities here.”
“I thought about every single day of my life as far back as I can remember. I always felt out of place in Laurel and the entire state.”
“Years ago, I left for more enlightened surroundings, but came back often to visit family.”
“I didn’t seriously consider moving back for the first 10 years I was gone.”
Do you believe the state of Mississippi’s leadership has done enough to attract or retain young people in Mississippi?
“Absolutely not. Why would young people, especially those starting a family, move here, knowing that the state doesn’t prioritize education, lacks good, affordable healthcare for all of its citizens, lacks access to artistic programming and training, has a pathetic track record with civil rights issues, still is littered with Confederate monuments, clings to outdated ideas of the past instead of looking to the future, openly ignores the separation of church and state, has a large percentage of its population who are disenfranchised because of their race, religion, gender, sexuality and economic status, with little opportunity or hope for change. I left at 17 for these reasons nearly 35 years ago and things seem much the same as they were then.”
“No. The state’s leadership keeps doing things that cause young people to leave and then complains that they left. It is the definition of insanity.”
“Not really. But it’s hard to compete with Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, etc.”
“They haven’t done enough, but I believe they’ve put in effort. The numbers just need to start showing that it’s worth it to stay.”
“No. Mississippi directs its attraction and retention efforts towards young people who are already affluent. Mississippi needs to put forth a greater effort in funding things like infrastructure, education, and healthcare that would benefit everyone.”
“Absolutely not. Mississippi isn’t attractive to young folks from outside of the state because of the lack of infrastructure and the political posturing that feeds into “culture wars”. Young people want jobs, clean water, reliable infrastructure and interesting things to do. They want the ability to send their kids to good public schools in the fun neighborhoods where interesting things are happening, if they choose to have a family.”
What problems do state of Mississippi leaders need to address for a better future?
“Listen to the people. The majority and minority. Everyone has a voice, and oftentimes it seems as though decisions are being made based on assumptions without true understanding. Consult staff members and experts in fields. Be willing to support science and and scientists and listen to them. Put forth legislation and support for legislation on bills that support the people and the planet.”
“Focus on education and infrastructure will retain people. Young folx who are about to have families want the best for their children and that is not provided here”
“Not all of Mississippi is white, wealthy, and conservative. They need to stop with the performative Godliness and pay attention to what people in this state actually NEED. Safe water, reliable roads and bridges, access to health care, and better paying jobs. Oh and FULLY FUNDED PUBLIC EDUCATION.”
“Again, main reason young people leave the state is either better career prospects or not feeling welcome (due to race, religion, etc.). Address those two issues as best as they can.”
“Stop focusing on the older generations and older ideas and give newer generations a voice. We cannot improve if we aren’t even trying. The best thing we can do for this state is improve our education system and funding for schools. A better educated generation is an investment into the future of the entire state.”
The post We asked readers about the future of Mississippi. Here’s what they said. appeared first on Mississippi Today.
We asked readers about the city of Jackson’s role in Mississippi’s future. Here’s what they said.
In April, we launched the first stage of NextGen Mississippi, our new reporting project focused on young Mississippians. We published a survey asking people of all experiences to tell us about the internal question many Mississippians ask themselves: “Should I stay in Mississippi, or should I leave?” This survey has already garnered more than 600 responses from a wide range of ages, occupations, locations and perspectives.
Scroll to view some select responses, or click a question below to skip ahead.
- Do you believe that the city of Jackson must thrive for Mississippi to thrive? Please explain your answer either way.
- How important to you is the city of Jackson’s success?
- What do you desire or need more of in Jackson? In Mississippi?
- Do you believe the city of Jackson’s leadership has done enough to attract or retain young people in Mississippi?
- What problems do city of Jackson leaders need to address for a better future?
Enter your email to stay in the loop on this reporting project:
Do you believe that the city of Jackson must thrive for Mississippi to thrive? Please explain your answer either way.
“Yes. It’s the heart of the state. And it’s doing an awful job of it. Every time I think that Jackson is about to take a step forward, something falls through and it takes three steps backwards. We will never grow if the status quo is acceptable.”
“Yes, but too much of the power center and money in Jackson has shifted to the suburbs (e.g. Cspire in Ridgeland, Trustmark Park/Bass Pro in Pearl) and the downtown area has been neglected (no grocery stores, gas stations, parking). The momentum is pulling away from Jackson too fiercely to see a shift back in my lifetime.”
“Absolutely. If your capital city is a disaster how can you expect other cities in your state to thrive and be successful. You can’t even get your pinnacle city structured and working properly. There is no decent leadership model in the main place for other cities to borrow ideas from.”
“Yes, Jackson is our capital and it’s a representation of our state. It must be successful and have lower crime in order for Mississippi to grow it’s population, keep people here, and progress this state.”
“I don’t think it “must”, but it certainly should. We ought to be proud of Jackson when visiting. We ought to take pride in our capital city. It’s a great place to start this work and would motivate many other communities.”
“Not necessarily. Our smalls towns have a ton of unique charm that brings in tourism. But in most states, when the big cities offer opportunities, people will move, and putting down roots will make the smaller communities grow too. It’s a domino effect, and having one nice city benefits the whole state.”
How important to you is the city of Jackson’s success?
“Very. I have found ways to love it and see the endless potential it has, but it is miserable to live in.”
“Less every day.”
“Jackson, as the state capitol, should be successful if Mississippi is to be successful, but the rest of the state shouldn’t have to wait on Jackson to improve before they can improve themselves.”
“Very, I hope to see Jackson become the city I know it can be. It is my hometown and I feel bad for leaving it, but I know the state government will do everything in their power to crush Jackson and I do not want to be apart of that environment.”
“Yes because why would the capital of a city not be the biggest, best with extreme resources entertainment opportunities etc”
“Personally, as former resident of Petal, it’s not the top priority; but as the largest metropolitan center in the state, the state’s Blackest urban area, and a major hub of culture and politics, it’s success is essential for us all moving forward.”
What do you desire or need more of in Jackson? In Mississippi?
“More of an investment in the city proper — not Madison or Rankin — to transform the city into a vibrant, bustling representation of Mississippi’s growth and future.”
“Jackson needs a serious PR campaign, and probably more government funding for social programs, and maybe some tax breaks for REAL small businesses and start-ups.”
“We need to encourage businesses to come in and provide incentives, not reasons for them not with out-dated regulations and new, religiously motivated bans that prevent the state from moving forward.”
“In Jackson, physical infrastructure has to be vastly improved. In Mississippi, I would love to see more rehabilitated downtown areas, in both urban and rural areas. In Jackson, it’s disappointing that Farish Street is so empty. In the rest of Mississippi, it’s disappointing that many historic downtowns in small towns are vacant. I am heartened by the efforts of communities like Water Valley and Laurel.”
“Jackson needs infrastructure improvements and better educational opportunities possibly more than any city in America. The elementary schools are decent, but JPS middle schools are consistently underperforming, which is driving young families out of the city in droves. The roads and water system are a complete joke. Mississippi just needs competent leadership – folks who are more interested in moving the state forward by any means possible rather than thumbing their nose at no-brainer solutions to problems that have existed for a decade or more in order to appease rural voters in DeSoto and Harrison Counties.”
Do you believe the city of Jackson’s leadership has done enough to attract or retain young people in Mississippi?
“No, but they need funding.”
“No. While I acknowledge there are more pressing issues such as water and wastewater infrastructure, I believe city governments can walk and chew gum at the same time. If there’s been a campaign to attract youth since I’ve left, i have not seen it.”
“Jackson is trying, but it can only do as much as the state will support.”
“No. Look at southern cities like Little Rock, Huntsville, Birmingham, Atlanta, Knoxville, Memphis, etc. All are doing tremendously well in proving more jobs opportunities, affordable housing, and access to great amenities in walking distance of neighborhoods like restaurants, entertainment, parks, etc.”
“No, the majority of my friends from college have taken the path I have taken. We tried to work in MS and eventually left for better opportunities.”
“I think they’re trying, I don’t think it’s been enough. I know there are a lot of obstacles I don’t understand. But I want them to do more.”
What problems do city of Jackson leaders need to address for a better future?
“The basic needs of its citizens. Water, roads, culture, progress.”
“Infrastructure—why would businesses invest when they can’t trust their water is drinkable, their customers can easily get to their establishments on decent roads, have safe parking, can trust the JPD, etc.”
“Infrastructure and safety. The implementation of funding and programs for both road projects (to be done right so they don’t have to happen again and again) and police training/restructuring funding/developing community programs to reduce the crime rate are all things that should have started years ago.”
“Everything. Water and roads to start.”
“We have to focus on improving roads and water systems in all neighborhoods and not just the affluent ones. Our Jackson Public School system has got to improve. How can children be expected to learn and thrive if the schools don’t have decent bathrooms or equipped classrooms?”
The post We asked readers about the city of Jackson’s role in Mississippi’s future. Here’s what they said. appeared first on Mississippi Today.