Drainage issues, potholes, an increase in crime and better communication and cooperation between local and state government are issues that concern Jackson City Council member Ashby Foote.
Foote represents Ward 1, which includes Northeast Jackson neighborhoods such as the Country Club of Jackson, Rollinwood, Heathenwood and Northpointe.
Many of the city’s problems stem from aging infrastructure and deferred maintenance, he said. All of the problems will not be resolved quickly but often require the city to work with state and federal agencies and neighboring cities.
Jackson was established on the banks of the Pearl River and creeks including Purple Creek, Eubanks Creek, White Oak Creek and Hanging Moss Creek wind their way through the city from throughout Madison County, he said. Areas where there used to be meadows in Madison County that would hold water during heavy rains have been built up and paved so that water in various creeks flows more quickly to Jackson on its way to empty in the Pearl, he said.
”You end up with urban flooding,” Foote said, which can show itself in streets that overflow during heavy rains, backyards along creeks that have serious erosion problems and a sewerage system in places overwhelmed with rain water.
Additional retention ponds and other solutions that would hold rain during heavy down pours would be helpful, he said. Some solutions require work with agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and neighboring cities, he said.
About a month ago, the City Council approved work along White Oak Creek in three places, where riprap will be added and other measures taken to combat erosion, he said.
Like drainage issues, potholes will be an ongoing issue, Foote said. “You need to replace the surface of a road every 10 years and that’s a real commitment,” he said.
Ward 1 doesn’t have the severity of crime that other wards face but crime is bad for business in the city, Foote said.
Foote has reached out to ask U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr to authorize additional federal law enforcement to help get crime under control in Jackson.
Additional law enforcement officers are needed, Foote said, to work with the Jackson Police Department to take offenders off the streets and make citizens feel safer. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has threatened the economy and produced anxiety for many people, has exacerbated the problem, he said.
Foote said he would include with his letter to Barr copies of two resolutions the council passed on Oct. 13 that pertain to escalating crime. Foote wrote one of the resolutions and council member Kenneth Stokes of Ward 3 the other.
Foote’s resolution calls for “unprecedent action to be taken to address the violence by exhausting all available resources from willing local, state, and federal authorities.”
Foote’s resolution notes as of Sept. 27 car jackings have risen by 217 percent, aggravated assaults by 57 percent, homicides by 44 percent, rape/sexual assaults by 41 percent and armed robberies by 15 percent.
The Jackson Police Department is understaffed by 100 sworn officers and has only 21 of the 50 detectives that are budgeted for, according to Foote’s resolution.
Foote said one of his biggest disappointments since taking office at the end of 2014 has been the poor level of communication between city and state government.
“It’s discouraging,” he said. “We talk at each other rather than to each other.”
Neighborhood associations in Ward 1 play a critical role in communicating with residents and bringing issues to the council, he said.
Foote, who plans to seek re-election, said serving as a council member has been a fascinating experience.
“Politics at the local level is meaningful to people,” he said. “Good quality water, trash pickup, drainage, public safety and pothole repairs are all things at the local level that make a difference to people.”
Foote said he plans to seek another term in office because he wants to help resolve issues and make Jackson a better place to live.
“You feel like you’re doing something where you can help your fellow man and make a difference,” he said.
Foote said he’s proud to represent Ward 1, which has some of the state’s most prominent restaurants, numerous churches, the only location of Whole Foods Market in the state and the location of a PGA tour tournament (the Country Club of Jackson).
He’s also proud of the JROTC program that is available at all seven high schools and one middle school in the Jackson Public Schools.
“I hadn’t seen it up close until I came on the City Council,” he said. “It has exceptional successes.”
