About a year after Jackson Mayor John Horhn began declaring that “Jackson is rising,” he unveiled a new catchphrase Tuesday at his State of the City address.

“Comebacks don’t get announced,” he told a jubilant audience at the Jackson Convention Center. “They get built. They get repaired. They get paved. And Jackson is rolling.” 

Horhn, a Democrat who took office July 1, 2025, returned to the catchphrase repeatedly throughout his speech to remind Jacksonians that his administration is following through on at least some of its promises. 

New business permits are being approved faster than before, Horhn said, citing data from the Planning and Development Department. A much-anticipated bid to redevelop the dilapidated Jackson Zoo has been posted. And Thalia Mara Hall was reopened. 

“Broadway is back in Jackson,” Horhn said to whoops and cheers. 

While Jackson still lacks up-to-date annual financial reports, the city made progress by completing its 2023 audit last year, Horhn said. Working with the Jackson City Council, he asserted that his administration erased a $25 million deficit in the city budget – a claim contested by some council members who sat behind Horhn during the speech. 

“You deserve to know where your money goes,” Horhn said. “And anyone thinking about investing in Jackson deserves confidence that our financial house is in order.” 

The development-minded mayor praised the private investment underway in Jackson, shouting out affordable housing developments planned for Robinson Road in west Jackson and Raymond Road in south Jackson, as well as apartment complexes that developer Gabriel Prado is constructing in north Fondren.

Horhn also repeatedly applauded recent steps to nab what many view as Jackson’s economic white whale: a developed riverfront on the flood-controlled banks of the Pearl River. 

Some influential Jacksonians backing these efforts joined the mayor on stage, including Horhn’s key supporters Bishop Ronnie Crudup Sr. of New Horizon Church International, lawyer-developer Robert Graham and local restaurateur Jeff Good.

Horhn depicted Jackson as a place where concrete is pouring into new developments and asphalt is rolling on roads.

In partnership with Hinds County, the mayor said the city is now filling over 100 potholes a day – up from 38 potholes a day during his State of the City address last year.

“This is the biggest year of paving Jackson has seen in 40 years,” he said. 

Horhn added the city will ramp up efforts later this month to resurface some 600 streets and fix drainage problems over the next year. And he promised Jackson would finally smooth bumpy Medgar Evers Boulevard – an estimated $40 million project that began under his predecessor, Chokwe Antar Lumumba. 

Pete Perry, a member of the 1% Sales Tax Commission which pays for infrastructure projects in Jackson, questioned if the city will be able to repave Medgar Evers Boulevard without putting up more local funding. 

“I would be shocked if it gets done,” he said. 

Perry added that 2026 may be a notable year in terms of miles repaved in Jackson, but he added the claim needs context. In previous years, he said the commission spent millions more to completely rebuild roads, such as Riverside Drive in Belhaven, setting the stage for paving projects now happening under Horhn. 

Toward the end of his speech, Horhn remarked that Jackson has more ideas than resources to address its considerable challenges. 

Acknowledging Jackson’s ongoing battle with blight, the mayor said the city has invested $900,000 to demolish or clean up 40 properties. But that is just a tiny fraction of the tens of millions of dollars that city officials say will be needed to clear more than 3,200 blighted properties.

And some challenges will be self-imposed. In the speech, Horhn made new pledges for the city. 

He said his administration would publish quarterly data on permitting timelines, code enforcement and housing investments. And, finally, Horhn committed to redeveloping Farish Street. 

“Yeah, I said that, too,” Horhn said. “We’re gonna get it done this time.”

UPDATE, Oct. 13, 2026: This story has been updated with more details from the mayor’s address.