Amid a bribery investigation in Mississippi’s capital city, one that has resulted in indictments of four elected officials, longtime Jackson Councilman Kenneth Stokes is pleading with Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to take a leave of absence from office and consider taking a plea deal after initially pleading not guilty to federal charges.
Work must go on in Jackson even in the throes of the investigation. But the Ward 3 leader said any potential progress is being prohibited by the lingering sludge of corruption dripping from a growing collection of top Jackson politicians.
“The attitude and atmosphere in city hall are not so good. It’s a dark cloud over the city until this gets done,” Stokes said during an appearance on Mary Wieden & You. “But that’s how you remove that cloud – a leave of absence, with pay, and let the chief administrative officer run the city. He’s there to run the city anyways. We need to get the confidence of the people back.”
Jackson’s current chief administrative officer, Louis Wright, Sr., has held the position since 2021. He previously stepped into leadership roles when gaps opened, such as filling in as the interim public works director when then-interim director Robert Lee resigned in April.
Stokes alluded to distrust that has been simmering in the capital city for years, pushing many longtime residents to move to neighboring cities such as Madison, Brandon, and Ridgeland. The investigation will only serve to further fray that reputation, Stokes believes, and could open the gate for the state legislature to intervene because they “can’t trust the mayor.”
Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, and Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks all pleaded not guilty after being officially arraigned earlier this month on varying federal corruption charges. With a bundle of evidence used to bring the charges against the trio, Stokes thinks all three should work out a plea deal – especially Lumumba.
“He knew better. He knows better. He shouldn’t have gone for the okey-doke – that’s what they call it in
Read original article by clicking here.