The Jackson City Council consists of seven Councilpersons representing the 7 wards of Jackson. The Mayor of Jackson also has a seat on the City Council but is unable to vote. The current city council members are:
Ward 1 – Ashby Foote
Ward 2 – Melvin Priester, Jr.
Ward 3 – Kenneth I. Stokes
Ward 4 – De’Keither Stamps
Ward 5 – Charles Tillman
Ward 6 – Aaron Banks
Ward 7 – Virgi Lindsey
Jackson has a Mayor-Council form of government, meaning it’s a check and balance type of system. The Mayor has the power to create laws via executive order, has authority over all city departments, and drafts the City Budget. The City Council also has the power to approve or disapprove of the City Budget. It can also create laws, but the mayor has the power to veto those laws if she/he deems that necessary. For example, in 2019 the Office of the Mayor engaged in Participatory Budgeting process fo include residents in setting the priorities for the City budget. The City Council then voted on the budget, with four of the Council people voting to pass the “People’s Budget” and three of the Council people voting against passage.
At a committee meeting Tuesday, 6 of the board’s seven members agreed unanimously to enter into a contract with K. Craft Associates to facilitate a workshop on race, equity, and inclusion as it relates to leadership development for the Jackson workforce leadership academy. The project stands to receive funding from the Aspen institute in a move aimed at substantial job creation in the City.
Mayor Lumumba wasted no time addressing the recent incident which took place on January 1st, 2020 that left many Jacksonions angered and frustrated. A video went viral showing cars seemingly drag racing and performing donuts in a move that shut down RT 55 for nearly an hour.
Restoring the city’s roads, enhancing the transportation system and creating business opportunities in Jackson dominated the conversation during the City Council’s January 5th meeting. On Tuesday, the Mayor and his administration introduced several proposals aimed at revitalizing the city,one of which utilizes city funds to target undeveloped areas of Jackson. Mayor Lumumba introduced an order authorizing an agreement with the company Naviretail LLC to provide recruitment services in the city of Jackson.
