JACKSON, MISS.—Delta native and military veteran Tim Henderson is seeking to become the next mayor of Mississippi’s capital city after launching his campaign during a speech at the Jackson Medical Mall on May 30.
The Democratic candidate, who is challenging incumbent Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba in the party’s primaries, promised to prioritize public safety and economic development, to invest in Jackson’s young people and to maintain a clean city.
“My vision for this city is a safe, clean, vibrant city where all Jacksonians are partakers in a new economy,” Henderson said during the speech on Thursday, May 30. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in South Jackson, north, east, west or downtown. All Jacksonians are going to be included.”
The candidate, who is from Cleveland, Miss., said he would “restore integrity, standards and principle to the office of the mayor.”
“I will restore people’s trust in leadership,” he said. Though he did not name the current mayor specifically, Henderson said he wants to establish a good relationship with Ted Henifin, the interim third-party manager who has been in charge of Jackson’s water system since the 2022 water crisis. Lumumba has recently been critical of JXN Water, the organization Henifin leads, arguing for more community engagement.
Henderson, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Jackson State University in Public Policy and Administration and the CEO of Henderson Strategic, LLC, which provides subject matter expertise in space and military operations to the United States Space Force.
A Tim Henderson campaign sign adorns the stage during his campaign launch for the 2025 mayoral election at the Jackson Medical Mall in Jackson, Miss., on May 30, 2024. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad
About two dozen onlookers gathered to hear the speech, often cheering as he spoke.
“We deserve to be proud of where we live, work and play,” Henderson said.
He said he intends to work collaboratively with local, state and federal entities to “garner the resources that we need to move this city forward.”
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