Latest / Between the Headlines: Columbus / Ward 5 Candidates on Safety and Civic Engagement

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Ward 5 Candidates on Safety and Civic Engagement · Between the Headlines: Columbus

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: From the opinion page of the Commercial Dispatch.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: This is Between the Headlines.
• 0:13
  Speaker 3: This is Peter Imes, publisher of the Dispatch.
• 0:16
  Speaker 3: One of our hosts of Between the Headlines is the managing editor of our newsroom.
• 0:21
  Speaker 3: Typically, we try to keep news and opinions separate, but reporters have a unique insight into the workings of local government and their analysis can be helpful for readers and listeners.
• 0:33
  Speaker 3: The Dispatch remains committed to journalistic integrity and our reporting will always reflect that.
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: And now Between the Headlines.
• 0:43
  Speaker 4: This week, on Between the Headlines, the Columbus Municipal Panties are once again in a wad, this time over the naming procedure of the forthcoming fossil park.
• 0:54
  Speaker 4: Also in the studio today we have Ms Mary Beth Jeter and Mr Gary Jefferson.
• 0:59
  Speaker 4: But first, retirement looks different for everyone, so your plan should be built around you.
• 1:06
  Speaker 4: For over 40 years, financial Concepts has helped people create retirement strategies that fit their lives.
• 1:12
  Speaker 4: Our team in Columbus takes the time to understand your goals and build a plan that works for you.
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: Wherever you are in your journey, we're ready to help.
• 1:21
  Speaker 4: We plan retirement.
• 1:22
  Speaker 4: Financial Concepts is a registered investment advisor.
• 1:26
  Speaker 4: And now a message from political candidate Bill Strauss.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: This is Bill Strauss, your 2025 candidate for mayor of Columbus.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: As election time draws near, ask yourself are you satisfied with our city leadership?
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: What has been done to eliminate our flooding issues?
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: What has been done to eliminate our housing blight?
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: Are our streets safe?
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: Why have we not kept up with West Point, starkville and Tupelo?
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: We must have new leadership Out with the old and in with the new.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Elect Bill Strauss, your new mayor, paid for by campaign to elect Bill Strauss mayor 2025.
• 2:01
  Speaker 4: And now a message from political candidate Jason Spears.
• 2:25
  Speaker 5: Hello, I am Jason Spears.
• 2:25
  Speaker 5: Economic growth and optimism back to our city.
• 2:26
  Speaker 5: I, like you, believe we can get back on track and know that as a community, we're going to make it happen.
• 2:29
  Speaker 5: I approve this message and, on June 3rd, vote Jason Spears for Ward 6.
• 2:32
  Speaker 5: Paid for by the campaign to elect Jason Spears, Ward 6.
• 2:36
  Speaker 4: You are listening to Between the Headlines with the man with the healthiest prostate in the Golden Triangle and managing editor of the, the also a fan of HIPAA, obviously Mr Zach Pleer, and my name is David Chisholm.
• 2:52
  Speaker 4: We have in the studio today Mr Gary Jefferson.
• 2:56
  Speaker 4: Welcome to you, sir and Miss Barry Beth Jeter.
• 2:59
  Speaker 4: How are you Jeff?
• 3:01
  Speaker 4: Wait, I got that mixed up a few times because I've seen the signs I'm like wait, is his name Gary or is his name Jeff?
• 3:09
  Speaker 4: You go by Gary, right?
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: No, Gregory.
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: Gregory.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: Good grief.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: Do we just need to start everything over?
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: I have no idea.
• 3:18
  Speaker 4: I am Gary.
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: Okay, all right, welcome sir.
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: How are you today?
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: I'm fine.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: How are you, Ms Jeter?
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: You doing all right.
• 3:27
  Speaker 7: I'm good, I'm doing great.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: Well, thanks for joining us today and I want to jump right in, ms Jeter.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: I've heard you both speak on the campaign trail a handful of times.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: I've heard you, ms Jeter, a few more times than Mr Jefferson.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: When you've spoken on the campaign trail, including at a forum with my colleague not too long ago.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: You have spoken very starkly about safety issues in the town, safety issues in your neighborhood.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: The last time when you spoke to David here at the forum, you talked about being afraid to walk to the Y and the homelessness problem and people yelling and cussing at you when you're going to the Y.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: During those conversations I haven't heard you speak as much about solutions that you see if you were a councilwoman.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: So let's just start there.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: How bad is it in your eyes and what do you intend to do about it if you're elected?
• 4:27
  Speaker 7: Well, the first thing that I would like to investigate, or maybe discuss, I guess, with the police department, is our curfew.
• 4:34
  Speaker 7: We do have a curfew in Lowndes County and my question to them would be why aren't you enforcing it?
• 4:43
  Speaker 7: And let's see if we can get together and do something about that, get it enforced or get something into play where these people that are walking around late at night, why can't we find out why they're out and why they're walking around our neighborhoods Because cars are getting broken into?
• 5:01
  Speaker 7: I even had a lady down behind a potential constituent if I'm elected.
• 5:07
  Speaker 7: She lives down behind the hardware store, military hardware.
• 5:11
  Speaker 7: Her house has been broken into on two different occasions and she was expressing that to me a few weeks ago when I talked to her and she said you know, she's kind of afraid to stay by herself anymore.
• 5:22
  Speaker 7: She's an older lady like me, and so I think that we need to get a relationship with our police, with the city council, and let's get together with a plan, let's devise something where we can get these young people off the street.
• 5:39
  Speaker 7: I'm assuming they're young people.
• 5:40
  Speaker 7: I've seen them on cameras.
• 5:42
  Speaker 7: They walk a lot faster and seem a lot more limber than I am for sure, I'm not trying to call anybody out by any means, but they look like they're probably young folks walking around late at night.
• 5:55
  Speaker 7: And you know, we were all young at one time we liked to stay out late at night, but it's not very safe.
• 6:02
  Speaker 7: And today, in the environment we have today, when you're going up to someone's under their carport which I've seen on the cameras on Facebook, people put it on there where the kids look like they're coming up under the, they are coming up under their carports you know it's not safe for them either.
• 6:20
  Speaker 7: You know, I'm really afraid somebody's going to get shot by a homeowner at some point if this isn't taken care of.
• 6:27
  Speaker 7: So I think probably enforcing our curfew first and just being boots on the street at late at night, you know, I think that would help.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: Well, Mr Jefferson and I know that you've talked about crime on the campaign trail too, and different ways of enforcing it when you hear Ms Jeter talk about the fear factor and the rampant crime, is that what you're seeing?
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: What's your impression of generally crime in the city and crime in your ward and what needs to be done about it?
• 7:02
  Speaker 6: Well, I actually was at the city council meeting so I know that they got a credation saying that crime is actually down.
• 7:10
  Speaker 6: I just think one crime is one too many, but I also think that the outlook that we put on it, it's a lot of negativity that we put on crime.
• 7:24
  Speaker 6: I mean, like I said, one crime is one too many, but crime has been going down.
• 7:29
  Speaker 6: Nobody want their house to be broken into, their cars to be broken into.
• 7:33
  Speaker 6: Of course my car have been broken into.
• 7:36
  Speaker 6: Of course my house have been broken into.
• 7:39
  Speaker 6: But I think that community policing if we get enough polices to actually start walking the beat, walking with our chief, I mean talking with him, seeing what we actually need.
• 7:56
  Speaker 6: I know Mary Beth said they look young and they could be.
• 8:00
  Speaker 6: They could be people of age walking, regardless whoever they are.
• 8:06
  Speaker 6: The curfew is a good thing to look at, but I don't see a whole lot of curfew people walking, younger people there's more.
• 8:18
  Speaker 4: Right, because it's a juvenile curfew, yeah that's a juvenile curfew Do you think the violent crimes that do occur?
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: Do you think they are largely domestic in nature?
• 8:25
  Speaker 4: Do you think that some of it's actually organized?
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: I mean, just in your purview of everything.
• 8:31
  Speaker 6: I don't think it organized.
• 8:32
  Speaker 6: I know we deal with some gangs but I don't think it organized.
• 8:40
  Speaker 6: I just think a lot of time some of the shooting be retaliated or something that happened for the most part on the shooting and we know that it actually has been down of late in my area.
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: Do you think that many of those retaliations are drug transactions gone, bad things of that sort, or do you think it's like ex-boyfriend type situations?
• 9:06
  Speaker 4: I mean, I don't have the answer.
• 9:08
  Speaker 4: I'm genuinely curious.
• 9:09
  Speaker 6: Well, I couldn't tell you exactly what caused it.
• 9:13
  Speaker 6: You know we just had to get out there and work the community and see what's going on.
• 9:19
  Speaker 6: I know I'm able to talk to some people and you know it can be a mixture.
• 9:26
  Speaker 4: What about technology?
• 9:27
  Speaker 4: Is that the solution?
• 9:27
  Speaker 4: More cameras, more money, more, more people?
• 9:30
  Speaker 4: I mean, you mentioned, like a I'm kind of hearing from you a neighborhood watch kind of situation and I think that's helpful and it's certainly cheaper than hiring more officers.
• 9:42
  Speaker 4: Um, is it both and Well both?
• 9:52
  Speaker 6: Technology as many polices, as I know that the chief said that hopefully by the end of the year or somewhere, that we might actually be full of staff, I think.
• 10:01
  Speaker 6: So we're up to 50, I think, or heading to 50 in the meeting Tuesday night.
• 10:07
  Speaker 6: So that's a good thing.
• 10:08
  Speaker 6: So I think that we're heading in the right direction.
• 10:12
  Speaker 6: But the negative that we put on the city of Columbus, I think we as individuals, community leaders, community leaders is going to have to put a more positive spotlight on.
• 10:29
  Speaker 6: I see in Starville they have just as many crimes as Columbus.
• 10:34
  Speaker 6: I'm looking, I'm reading, but they don't get the negative publicity.
• 10:38
  Speaker 6: So why?
• 10:39
  Speaker 6: I don't know the answer, but my input is to be a positive light for the city of Columbus.
• 10:44
  Speaker 6: I don't know the answer, but my input is to be a positive light for the city of Colombo.
• 10:49
  Speaker 6: There's a lot of good in Colombo's and there are some bad, but I'm looking at the positive side of Columbus.
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: Well, and that's where I want to jump in with you, Ms Jeter.
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: You have talked a lot about the bad.
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: I have what's good in Columbus and specifically in your ward.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: What do you see as the positive things going on in your ward?
• 11:12
  Speaker 7: Well, I'm seeing, you know, part of our ward is in the downtown area and I am seeing a lot of businesses coming in the coffee shop over, going toward East Columbus and some other clothing stores and stuff.
• 11:25
  Speaker 7: I'm seeing that I'm seeing our downtown area seems to be looking really good.
• 11:30
  Speaker 7: As far as the beautification, you know, I know that Ms Piccolo does a good job with that and I appreciate her with all of her input.
• 11:39
  Speaker 7: And I do see a lot of beautification coming in and you know our soccer fields and we certainly that's bringing in a lot of, that's bringing in a lot of people to Columbus with the soccer tournaments and everything.
• 11:59
  Speaker 7: So that's something that's very positive.
• 12:01
  Speaker 7: And of course, our other facility in West Lounds which is, you know, bringing in a lot as well.
• 12:08
  Speaker 7: So I see our industry out near the airport area, you know, and that's a good thing so we hopefully can create more jobs for people in Columbus.
• 12:19
  Speaker 7: So I do see a lot of positive going on in Columbus.
• 12:22
  Speaker 7: But my concern is, you know, let's clean up the city and let's make it a better place to live so people will come.
• 12:30
  Speaker 7: You know I'm in the real estate business.
• 12:32
  Speaker 7: I work for a real estate attorney so I do all the title work.
• 12:35
  Speaker 7: So I see who's buying homes here, as opposed to who's buying, or how many people are buying, in West Point and Starkville.
• 12:42
  Speaker 7: So we need to get our city under control so people will come into this area.
• 12:49
  Speaker 7: And we do have a lot of positive here.
• 12:52
  Speaker 7: We have a lot to offer people, so let's get it going.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: Have you been down to see the hunt renovation?
• 13:02
  Speaker 7: I have not.
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: Okay, pretty nice renovation.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: Have you been down to see it?
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: No, I haven't.
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: The swamp is still behind it.
• 13:10
  Speaker 4: I talk about that every episode.
• 13:12
  Speaker 4: It's a problem.
• 13:14
  Speaker 4: I look forward to seeing that myself actually.
• 13:17
  Speaker 4: Now let me ask you about the you talked about the looks of things.
• 13:20
  Speaker 4: Is the negativity that kind of has a black cloud over our town seemingly?
• 13:26
  Speaker 4: Is that branding?
• 13:28
  Speaker 4: Is that the talking heads on social media?
• 13:31
  Speaker 4: Miss Mary Beth, where do you think that comes from and, as an elected official, how do you think you might be able to quell that?
• 13:39
  Speaker 7: Yeah, I think a lot of social media.
• 13:41
  Speaker 7: We do see, you know, a lot of things going on unfortunately on social media.
• 13:46
  Speaker 7: That's not very positive for our town.
• 13:48
  Speaker 4: Well, people say things on there just to be a squeaky wheel and to get attention and I think a lot of that's unfortunate.
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: I do too, get attention.
• 13:55
  Speaker 4: And I think a lot of that's unfortunate, but, like you know, when Leroy Brooks was running for mayor, he was talking about he's going to be the smile of the city and he's going to just rebrand.
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: Well, it's kind of hard to do here because you know who are we?
• 14:07
  Speaker 4: Who are we as a town?
• 14:09
  Speaker 4: Are we, are we the W?
• 14:10
  Speaker 4: Are we the owls?
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: Are we the Air Force people?
• 14:17
  Speaker 7: I mean, how do you define Colombians?
• 14:18
  Speaker 7: Well, I think we're kind of all mixed in, because we do have the W, we do have the Air Force Base, we have our different industries here, you know, and a lot to offer, but we need to work together.
• 14:33
  Speaker 7: I think we've become divided in Columbus as well, and I saw that.
• 14:39
  Speaker 7: I think I told you all how I moved out of the area and then came back into the area and it seemed like there was a lot of divide, and I think that we really just need to reunite in our little town and just come together to make it a better place to live.
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: Mr Jefferson, I want to double back on asking you a question.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: I asked Ms Jeter a while ago about what's positive in your ward specifically, and Ms Jeter mentioned specifically that downtown was part of the ward and she talked about what was positive there.
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: What is positive in your ward that's not in downtown?
• 15:17
  Speaker 6: Well, we've got a lot of little small business in our ward and I mean we got a clothing store, we got venue, we got a military hardware store, we got the school that come at Hickstor's school, the Franklin small barbecue places.
• 15:39
  Speaker 6: So I mean she got the uptown it's.
• 15:42
  Speaker 4: Helen's Kitchen in your ward.
• 15:43
  Speaker 6: Helen's Kitchen.
• 15:44
  Speaker 6: Man, that's good.
• 15:46
  Speaker 6: So we got a lot of positive in business that not just pops up but actually been in business for a pretty long time.
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: So that's you know but actually been in business for a pretty long time.
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: So that's you know.
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: How would you define the character?
• 16:05
  Speaker 6: of your ward in whole.
• 16:05
  Speaker 6: Well, from campaigning you know they are we.
• 16:09
  Speaker 6: It's a.
• 16:11
  Speaker 6: I guess we can't come together.
• 16:28
  Speaker 6: We actually got right now I'm talking she said yeah, but I said when I am elected that I actually got people that's willing to be block captains.
• 16:31
  Speaker 6: I don't have a lot of them, but I got a few people that have already committed to helping me be successful in the war, to helping me be successful in the ward, for not just cleaning but to anything going like the Neighborhood Watch.
• 16:41
  Speaker 6: They ain't saying they're going to be the Neighborhood Watch program, but they will let know when things look unfamiliar.
• 16:50
  Speaker 6: Actually, when I was coming up here, a lady called me and telling me that somebody and I'm like, hey, we're a little premature.
• 16:57
  Speaker 6: But she lady called me and telling me that somebody and I'm like a little premature, but she's calling me and telling me she got concern on her road about somebody bringing a basket and dropping off stuff.
• 17:06
  Speaker 6: So I do think that we can, our character can be together if we get a positive light on war at the fire we get a positive light on Ward 5.
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: Okay, and either one of you guys win, y'all will be new to the council.
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: Y'all will be representing a ward that has had the same representative for nine years, who could possibly also be still in city office, just in a different capacity.
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: I guess what is y'all's vision for sort of transitioning the constituency of the ward to coming to you guys?
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: What kind of you going to them?
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: What kind of leadership do you intend to provide on that front?
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: And we'll start with you, ms Jeter.
• 17:57
  Speaker 7: Well, I work very well with other people to try and get the jobs done.
• 18:03
  Speaker 7: I was in the oil and gas business for several years and when they gave us a map and told us to go get the job done, we have to drill this well in three months, and there's a lot involved in drilling an oil and gas well and we would sometimes only have five people to work with, you know so.
• 18:19
  Speaker 7: So we had to get it done and get it done quickly, and there was a lot of high pressure and I always worked well with all of my you know co-workers and and we would just get the job done and we would just focus on what had to be done.
• 18:32
  Speaker 7: And I think that's what I can bring to the table.
• 18:35
  Speaker 7: Whatever comes our way with the city, I'll just focus on trying to get it done and working with others, you know, to get that job done for the city.
• 18:47
  Speaker 7: I don't have I'm not in this for me at all.
• 18:51
  Speaker 7: As a matter of fact, I'm a little bit like our former president.
• 18:57
  Speaker 7: I don't really need all of this, but I want it Don't need the job.
• 19:01
  Speaker 7: But I want it.
• 19:01
  Speaker 7: I really think I can make a difference and I want to do what's best for our city.
• 19:07
  Speaker 7: And I have children that are going to.
• 19:09
  Speaker 7: They already live here, they're going to live here, they're probably never going to move out, they have jobs here.
• 19:14
  Speaker 7: And then I have four grandchildren that will grow up here and I want our city to be the best place that it can be for my family and their future, as well as everybody in Ward 5 and the other wards, because when one ward is stronger, every ward will get stronger.
• 19:30
  Speaker 7: So that's what we need to try and do.
• 19:34
  Speaker 7: We need some better leadership, in my opinion, and just people that will work together to get the job do, and just.
• 19:38
  Speaker 7: We need some better leadership, in my opinion, and just people that will work together to get the job done, and that's what I intend to do.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: Okay, I want to give Mr Jefferson an opportunity to answer that same question.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: I mean stepping in a ward where you've had the same councilman for nine years.
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: If you're elected, you would be new to the council and stepping into that role.
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: So you know what's your vision for how that's going to look as far as how you are engaging the constituency.
• 20:03
  Speaker 6: Well, they are telling me they want unity, they want common sense solution.
• 20:09
  Speaker 6: And so what?
• 20:11
  Speaker 6: That is just common sense.
• 20:12
  Speaker 6: If it don't seem to be right, they tell them we want you to represent us with a person that we can be proud of.
• 20:27
  Speaker 6: They say they don't want me acting stupid.
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: They say they want me to be Well where, I guess for both of you guys.
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: Where have the problems been in the last four years on the council and the administration that you've said?
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: Oh, if I was on there I wouldn't have done that.
• 20:52
  Speaker 6: Well, my thing is, I'm always.
• 20:53
  Speaker 4: I don't like what they call a Monday morning quarterback.
• 20:54
  Speaker 4: That's all we do on this program.
• 20:57
  Speaker 6: I mean that's what it's about.
• 21:01
  Speaker 6: No, I might see it in a different light than someone else.
• 21:04
  Speaker 6: So I really I try not to question.
• 21:08
  Speaker 6: Now it's easy for me to say I wouldn't do that, I wouldn't do that, I wouldn't do that.
• 21:12
  Speaker 6: But I don't think that it's feasible for me to just always say that whatever, because some decisions are very hard, some are tricky, some is that you have to maneuver stuff and my ability is what can I do to better Columbus and work together?
• 21:34
  Speaker 6: So that means that sometimes they say you have to make unpopular decision for what you think is right.
• 21:47
  Speaker 6: At home I done had to make a decision that wasn't popular.
• 21:54
  Speaker 6: My wife and kid would say we don't agree with you.
• 21:57
  Speaker 6: But then Guess what.
• 22:00
  Speaker 6: But I have to make those tough decisions, so I don't.
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: I know where you are on that?
• 22:06
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I don't want you to second guess me.
• 22:08
  Speaker 6: I want you to see the outcome of what I'm doing.
• 22:12
  Speaker 4: Well, whichever one of y'all happen to get in there I hope that you'll, and this is just David Chisholm speaking but just let some decisions be made based on data, Because right now, I don't see a whole heck of a lot.
• 22:27
  Speaker 4: Just being honest, I don't see a heck of a lot of decisions being made based on data made based on data.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: So do you, ms Jeter?
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: The question of you talked about the foolishness.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: You talked about some things that have not gone well with the council.
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: What do you see over the last four years where you're like that needed to be done differently?
• 22:49
  Speaker 7: Well, giving themselves a raise for one thing, I think I was opposed to that, I just didn't agree with that.
• 22:58
  Speaker 7: And some of the things they're doing now the last one, for instance, that you know y'all reported on going on these trips and they're not even going to be city councilmen and women anymore, or potentially, but one of them for sure is not and I don't agree with that.
• 23:17
  Speaker 7: I really don't agree with any of the, the trips or the any of the perks, unless it helps you do your job.
• 23:25
  Speaker 7: If you need some continuing education or you need some classes that will help you do your job, then yes, go and get that uh seminar for a day or but let it be a benefit to the city.
• 23:37
  Speaker 4: Let it be a benefit to the city, definitely.
• 23:39
  Speaker 4: You know they put the water hose on that after this episode.
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: When we talked about it, they were like they shot that down as they needed to.
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: I think they're going to go in the next administration.
• 23:51
  Speaker 7: Well, hopefully that will happen, because that seemed a little selfish to me.
• 23:54
  Speaker 7: Hopefully that will happen, because that seemed a little selfish to me.
• 24:01
  Speaker 7: You know, and and I think maybe that's what we have seen over the last four years Some people that maybe are doing things to benefit themselves rather than their city, and we really need to focus on our city.
• 24:07
  Speaker 7: That's what we're here for.
• 24:08
  Speaker 7: We're we work for someone else as a city council, you don't.
• 24:12
  Speaker 7: You know, it's not something that should benefit you personally.
• 24:16
  Speaker 7: It should benefit the whole city, in my opinion.
• 24:20
  Speaker 4: So do you all want to pick a winner for Tuesday night's debate?
• 24:24
  Speaker 4: I'm about to put a plug in for that.
• 24:26
  Speaker 4: Listen.
• 24:27
  Speaker 4: As of press time, there were 300 tickets sold to that thing, so probably like nearly 350.
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, nearly, oh, that's excellent.
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, also change the venue, as I have that, yes, so we're gonna tell us about that yeah, we're gonna be at the nissan auditorium, at the w now, uh, some complications at lyceum, at lee, forced us to to move it and the uh, the w has graciously agreed to let us do that and everybody, everybody's still in Same time.
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: Same rules, same procedures, just different venue.
• 25:00
  Speaker 4: Tickets to be found at cdispatchcom slash forum.
• 25:03
  Speaker 4: Also speaking of cdispatchcom, we'd like to know what you think of this interview.
• 25:08
  Speaker 4: Shoot us your questions, shoot us your comments.
• 25:11
  Speaker 4: We love to hear that stuff.
• 25:13
  Speaker 4: Tips at cdispatchcom we love to hear that stuff.
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: Tips at cdispatchcom.
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: Mr Jefferson, you've had a lot of involvement with the youth throughout just living in Ward 5.
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: A lot of people talk about youth programs.
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: A lot of people talk about how that's sort of the answer to curbing crime, doing other things positive for the city, moving forward.
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: What does that really look like in practice?
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: As a city councilman, what can you do to enhance youth programs, make things safer?
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: What does that look like to you?
• 25:49
  Speaker 6: Well, the youth program that we have is great.
• 25:51
  Speaker 6: We have the AAU ball, we have the parks, we have a lot offering the youth.
• 25:57
  Speaker 6: But my thing that what I'm looking at is trying to get the youth parents.
• 26:02
  Speaker 6: A lot of the parents is still young themselves and so many of those kids that we're trying to target is being left out, and they're being left out because parents that 28, 29, 30 years old that I'm trying to talk to them to get them more involved in their kids.
• 26:25
  Speaker 6: The programs are there but a lot of kids are getting left out because they don't have rights or you know the parents is busy, you know the parents is busy and so since I've been campaigning, I've been trying to talk to those.
• 26:53
  Speaker 6: You know, most of them single parents that I've been trying to talk to to try to get them more involved in getting churches are helping the kids and most of the kids that get brought to those places is not truly the kids that need to be involved.
• 27:06
  Speaker 6: Most of those, some might be what we call troubled kids, but for the most of them, the ones that are able to come able to play ball stuff like that, they're pretty good, but it's the ones that I'm trying to focus on and look at the parents and say which ones that we are actually missing, to get them involved, or personally trying to get them involved.
• 27:33
  Speaker 4: Let me ask you a deep question on that.
• 27:35
  Speaker 4: Do you think that churches need to step up their game?
• 27:39
  Speaker 4: Do you think they may be a little distracted in their mission in terms of church programs?
• 27:44
  Speaker 4: I know it's a little bit off topic, but I'm genuinely curious about that because before government programs, the church did this kind of stuff and they seemed to have the ability to reach those who were harder to reach.
• 27:59
  Speaker 4: Like you speak.
• 28:00
  Speaker 4: Of what?
• 28:00
  Speaker 6: do you think?
• 28:01
  Speaker 6: Well, one of the things that I see, I see a lot of churches giving money.
• 28:05
  Speaker 6: You've got people that, as we say, sky, that was up there, churches that would donate to those organizations.
• 28:15
  Speaker 6: But the church money is good, but we got to be focused on our kids.
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: You got to get those hands and feet out there, you got to get those.
• 28:26
  Speaker 6: you know my brother says send go and send go means I give you the money to take care, but churches got to be more involved.
• 28:36
  Speaker 6: At our church we try to stay focused on the youth.
• 28:40
  Speaker 6: But it's a challenge the world that we live in now, because a lot of the kids is on games.
• 28:48
  Speaker 6: They not as the ones, like I said, the ones that go out and play baseball, basketball, football in the AAU or the traveling leagues.
• 28:56
  Speaker 6: Those kids mostly, you know they make it, but it's those ones that we don't see that still hanging out or parents working and they taking care of themselves.
• 29:11
  Speaker 6: Those are the ones that I'm trying to look at and find and warfare.
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: Because you've talked about, ms Jeter, the, you know enforcement with them, getting those kids inside someplace at night.
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: But talking about it, I guess from this context is how do you reach them in a proactive, productive way that isn't just law enforcement or cleaning up the streets?
• 29:40
  Speaker 7: Yeah, and that's a hard thing.
• 29:41
  Speaker 7: I was raised by a single mother and I was a single mother for most of my children's life.
• 29:47
  Speaker 7: Their father died when they were five and eleven and that's very hard and when you're a single mother or a single father, it's hard to come in late at night and you know, and then you have to, or later.
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: It is indeed.
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: You have to get to a ball game.
• 30:03
  Speaker 7: I know that song.
• 30:03
  Speaker 7: It's very hard to do and luckily I did have some help with mine.
• 30:08
  Speaker 7: But some of these younger parents do not, and I don't know exactly how to, because it starts at home.
• 30:15
  Speaker 7: It really does start at home, but when you've got one person trying to do it all, it's very hard.
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: So we do need some programs.
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah, from the city perspective, outside of just enforcement, what can the city do?
• 30:29
  Speaker 7: Yes, we do need to do something more to get them involved and, like Mr Jefferson said, getting them back and forth, because some of the parents are at work during that time.
• 30:38
  Speaker 7: You know, I don't know if we could maybe get a bus, like the community bus, to get them here and there.
• 30:44
  Speaker 7: I mean, I know that would pose some problems as well, but we would probably just need to put our heads together and try and get a solution to that.
• 30:52
  Speaker 7: You know, with these kids, because when they have time on their hands at home and they are either in front of a tablet or maybe they don't have a tablet and they're just, you know, idle time is the devil's workshop.
• 31:06
  Speaker 7: So, you know, they just find themselves getting into trouble more and more whenever they are by themselves.
• 31:12
  Speaker 7: And I realize the parents you know a lot of them don't have any choices and that is a bad situation and it's something that the churches, yes, could step in more.
• 31:34
  Speaker 4: And maybe just our neighbors could step in more.
• 31:36
  Speaker 4: You know and try, and if you see someone struggling like that, try and go and help them out.
• 31:38
  Speaker 4: I hear that calling all pastors.
• 31:39
  Speaker 4: The town needs your help, pastors both behind the pulpit and pastors at heart.
• 31:42
  Speaker 4: So that's a good word you are listening to Between the Headlines with Zach and David.
• 31:46
  Speaker 4: More of the interview in just a moment.
• 31:48
  Speaker 4: But first, do you have knee pain, muscle weakness, swelling or cold feet?
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• 33:01
  Speaker 1: Thank you all so much for joining us today, taking time out of your evening, and good luck to both of you in the campaigns.
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: We'll see how it turns out.
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: We'll be talking to one of you as a council person next term.
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: Quite a bit, I'm sure.
• 33:11
  Speaker 7: Thank you for having us.
• 33:12
  Speaker 4: You'll be there Tuesday night.
• 33:14
  Speaker 7: Yes.
• 33:16
  Speaker 4: Gary.
• 33:16
  Speaker 4: Uh-oh, I put him on the spot.
• 33:18
  Speaker 4: You've got a fishing trip, you've got to work don't you, I'm behind.
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: I'm behind, I'm behind.
• 33:26
  Speaker 4: Aren't we all?
• 33:27
  Speaker 4: Thank you guys for coming in here today.
• 33:29
  Speaker 4: It means a lot.
• 33:30
  Speaker 4: You're welcome, okay.
• 33:31
  Speaker 4: Well, that was not a bad interview in the sense that we had, in my opinion, two very I don't want to say tranquil, but I would say Civil, definitely civil, definitely a contrast from last week.
• 33:46
  Speaker 4: And I think that, just from a professional standpoint, I don't think that either one of those two candidates would be an embarrassment to the city up there on the platform during our meetings.
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: Well, you know, it's clear that both of them care, I think, in different ways.
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: One thing that stuck out to me as a small criticism of Ms Jeter talking about her ward, the positive parts of her ward, she focused entirely on downtown and then she left her ward completely and started talking about Lowndes County and the industrial park at the airport.
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: And I feel like if you're going to represent Ward 5, you need to walk it.
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: If you're going to represent Ward 5, you need to go more places than just, you know, the Main Street, Columbus office or whatever.
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: And I think that it's a similar criticism to the one I've had of Bill Strauss running for mayor.
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: Bill heard it and has done something about it.
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: I'm challenging Ms Jeter to do the same thing.
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: She needs to go somewhere in her ward besides her house in downtown.
• 34:54
  Speaker 4: Well, without overly criticizing Gary, who was sitting across from me here, you also can't just paint things as rose-colored and think that we're going to get— no, I don't think he was.
• 35:05
  Speaker 4: Well, we can't get the community together and just play the banjo and sing kumbaya.
• 35:10
  Speaker 4: There needs to be some strict enforcement of certain things to make people afraid to break the law.
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: Well, unfortunately there's not a lot of that left anywhere.
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: I mean, I can tell you, living over in Starkville, there's not a lot of fear of breaking the law over there either.
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: I think that's more of a sign of the times thing.
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: But I think it's very clear Mr Jefferson cares particularly about the youth in the ward.
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: I think he's listening to people and I think that he's wanting to get on the council and be a part of the solution.
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: I think that Ms Jeter does too.
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: I think that they have very different views of what the solution is.
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: Sometimes, if you want to get somewhere, you got to get uncomfortable.
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: Sometimes, if you want to get somewhere, you've got to not be willing just to get the bus but to be willing to drive the bus with the kids in it.
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: I see Mr Jefferson driving the bus with the kids in it to the program.
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: I don't see Miss Jeter doing that, and that's the difference.
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: That would be the difference for me, and I think that the challenge to Miss Jeter is you know, walk the ward, the whole thing, and be the person who'll drive the bus.
• 36:22
  Speaker 4: Interesting take.
• 36:23
  Speaker 4: Also interesting imagery seeing mr gary in a bus with a bunch of kids I bet he's done it.
• 36:29
  Speaker 4: Yeah so uh.
• 36:32
  Speaker 4: The main headline this week that caught our attention in terms of programming was the attempted naming of the fossil park, which has yet to be built.
• 36:43
  Speaker 4: The money has been allocated, or where are we money wise?
• 36:49
  Speaker 4: We're just in a talking phase, right?
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: It's in the idea phase right now and basically what?
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: It's?
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: A $700,000 project.
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: The city's asking the federal government for 500 of that.
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: You know, that may be pie in the sky, it may indeed come, I don't know.
• 37:08
  Speaker 1: I think that they're just casting a wide net.
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: But what?
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: Susan Wilder, the grants administrator, greg Lewis, the parks director, and the whole committee that's sort of helping plan this fossil park.
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: What they're wanting to do is they're wanting to name this fossil park after Dr Jack Coy, obviously a very well-known name locally and in the state in this particular field of study.
• 37:38
  Speaker 4: Also a decorated World War II pilot.
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: Decorated World War II pilot.
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 37:43
  Speaker 4: That's bad to the bone right there.
• 37:44
  Speaker 4: Hey, pun, there you go.
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: All right, I'll try to lay off the dad jokes today.
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, you can tell as many as you want to.
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: I look them up to tell my children and they groan and I enjoy it.
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: Even the one that's graduating high school tomorrow.
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: Congratulations, thank you.
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: They want the name so they can fundraise with it the Columbus Fossil Park when they go to write grants or they go to present for money to try to get this thing funded the Columbus.
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: Fossil Park is a little weak.
• 38:20
  Speaker 3: The Jack Coy Fossil.
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: Park is going to, in their view, make a difference in how much money that they can get.
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: And so, from the standpoint of and I feel like I can say this because a lot of this was said at the meeting from the standpoint of the administration you know, keith and the grants administrator, and and greg lewis in this case, and the and the committee planning it their fundraising is being held up by the lack of a name.
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: They've got branding opportunities.
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: They can print it on shirts.
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: They can, they can start all of that process to try to um, to sell it to people who want to buy into it, and so that's where they're coming from, where the city's coming from, where the council's coming from.
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: On the other end of that is, we don't have a problem with that name or eventually naming it after Dr Coy.
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: What we have a problem with is what do we do next?
• 39:20
  Speaker 1: What do we do?
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: Because we don't have a policy, or we need to update our naming policy, where we don't have every time Dick and Harry coming in here wanting something named after them.
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: We've got to have a policy for how we're going to do this for city facilities, and so that's where the impasse is right now.
• 39:39
  Speaker 4: So this obviously has gotten your goat to some extent, and I'm curious as to why.
• 39:46
  Speaker 1: Well, okay, so I get why the city needs a policy.
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: That's actually a good idea.
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: That should be the council's position on everything, unfortunately, Well hold up.
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: Historically, that has not been the case with the council.
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: They make decisions all the time without a policy, and so this one is more of a slam dunk, and they won't make the decision because now they all of a sudden need a policy.
• 40:10
  Speaker 4: Well, on the next issue do they not need a policy, a policy for themselves?
• 40:14
  Speaker 4: I'm going to say, okay, I'm going to make a rule that David Chisholm can only do this or this or this, but then I look up on the value menu and I break that policy that I had set for myself.
• 40:28
  Speaker 4: Okay, is that not the same thing?
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: here they're making a policy that they themselves can Well, let's get into it, okay.
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: So while they're getting so bent out of shape, of this particular issue I couldn't tell you other than maybe something I'll mention in a minute.
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: But the part to me that is sort of aggravating is they came up with this fossil park idea seven months ago.
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: They presented it for the first time.
• 40:54
  Speaker 4: Now, they didn't come up with this idea.
• 40:55
  Speaker 4: No, not the council I'm talking about they spent a heck of a lot of money for some folks to come up with this idea.
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: Well, Ms Wilder came up with it, mr Lewis came up with it, george Phillips was part of that, rufus, I think, is part of that.
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: Jamie Garrett has said now that she can get this thing together by next Thursday.
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: What's been the holdup for the past seven months?
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: And here's the other thing.
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: Jeff Turnage, the city attorney, and others have mentioned that this policy is going to include.
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: You know the specifics on how to buy naming rights for certain facilities and I agree with that in certain cases.
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: You know fields at Probst Park, the stage at the amphitheater, et cetera.
• 41:36
  Speaker 4: There are certain things that are going to be named after rich folk.
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: Well, right and to my point.
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: But you know, some places have a more obvious.
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: They're more obviously suited for honorary names and that shouldn't be for sale.
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: This isn't a city facility but the you know, the Tennessee Williams Home and Welcome Center comes to mind.
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: This fossil park is another obvious.
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: There's one guy that you name this after and you don't.
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: You know, I don't think that they're trying to find a way to charge the family for it, but I don't think you try to monetize the name here other than trying to get grants against it like they're doing.
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: And how people can buy their name onto something.
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: If the council gets too greedy with this or this policy is written in a way that the highest bidder can name any city facility, where does that end?
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: Could we have the Will and Leslie Sorrell Municipal Complex, chuck Yarborough Friendship Cemetery, china Garden presented by J5?
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: Like, where does it stop.
• 42:44
  Speaker 4: It sounds like a festival of bowl games right here.
• 42:45
  Speaker 4: You know, I'm sitting here listening to this and, as you say, certain things lend themselves toward being named after a person of whatever suit or a company I mean companies sponsor ball fields all the time.
• 43:00
  Speaker 4: What comes to mind is dead gum, denali, okay.
• 43:05
  Speaker 4: And William Seward decides hey, I'm going to put together a plan and the United States is going to purchase this, all right.
• 43:13
  Speaker 4: Hey, let's name it after president.
• 43:15
  Speaker 4: Okay, now it's Mount McKinley, all right.
• 43:17
  Speaker 4: And then Obama comes along.
• 43:19
  Speaker 4: No, I don't think that was right.
• 43:21
  Speaker 4: Those people were mistreated.
• 43:23
  Speaker 4: Let's call it Denali.
• 43:25
  Speaker 4: And then along comes.
• 43:27
  Speaker 4: Mr Trump, who doesn't like Mr Obama, and consequently, you know, I just think that certain things should not be named after politicians or people in general.
• 43:41
  Speaker 4: I mean, why can't it be the Columbusumbus fossil park?
• 43:45
  Speaker 4: No, no disrespect to to dr coy.
• 43:47
  Speaker 4: I mean, there's some pretty amazing things I've read about him.
• 43:50
  Speaker 4: But just case in point, what's wrong with the lux of palila fossil park?
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: well, if the coy name helps you get closer to that seven hundred thousand dollar goal, it seems like a slam dunk to do it.
• 44:02
  Speaker 4: Yeah, such as Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field, I suppose.
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: Right or yes, whatever brings in or Duty Noble Field at.
• 44:11
  Speaker 4: Polk DeMint.
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 44:13
  Speaker 4: In fact, I got something in the mail that said, hey, if I'll donate I was an ungodly amount of money They'll name an entry gate at the stadium after me and my family, and I'm like, and I'm like and I'm thinking about this um, there's a lot of folks out there that have things named after them and then, uh, years later they turn out to be perverts or um, bad things happen something you know really terrible, and and then it's like, well, what do we do?
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: do we tear the place?
• 44:42
  Speaker 4: down?
• 44:42
  Speaker 4: Do we get together?
• 44:42
  Speaker 4: Or something really terrible.
• 44:44
  Speaker 4: And then it's like, well, what do we do?
• 44:46
  Speaker 4: Do we tear the place down?
• 44:47
  Speaker 4: Do we get together and vote to take their name off the sign?
• 44:51
  Speaker 4: I mean, there's complications there.
• 44:55
  Speaker 4: I'll tell you something else.
• 44:56
  Speaker 4: Everybody's going to be calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of Mexico for years and years and years, and probably forever.
• 45:01
  Speaker 4: The Gulf of Mexico for years and years and years and probably forever.
• 45:04
  Speaker 4: Right, okay, look at Highway 182, which everybody refers to as 82.
• 45:10
  Speaker 4: Look at Waterworks Road.
• 45:12
  Speaker 4: It doesn't matter which preacher's name gets on the sign down there.
• 45:16
  Speaker 4: Right, it's still.
• 45:17
  Speaker 4: It's always going to be Waterworks Road.
• 45:19
  Speaker 4: So people are a creature of habit, but maybe we just need to wait on folks to die before we name something.
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean Dr Coy passed away in 2012.
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: And I think not only do they probably need to be passed away to get their name on something, a public facility of any kind name on something, a public facility of any kind but they also probably would need to have been deceased for you know a little while 10 years, 15 years, I don't know.
• 45:53
  Speaker 4: Yeah, well, I hear you and, to be honest, when I first read the headline of that particular article I said oh goodness, they're getting ready to name a fossil park after Mr Leroy Brooks because of the age thing and all.
• 46:12
  Speaker 4: Now, hey, you know he would laugh at that joke if he were in here.
• 46:13
  Speaker 4: It's been a good show today.
• 46:15
  Speaker 4: We want to thank our listeners for joining us.
• 46:17
  Speaker 4: Be sure to subscribe, share and rate, and send us your comments.
• 46:21
  Speaker 4: We would love to hear from you Tips at cdispatchcom.
• 46:24
  Speaker 4: You can also follow me on Facebook or X at D Chisholm double zero, Signing off until next week from Catfish Alley Studios in historic downtown Columbus.
• 46:34
  Speaker 4: Your host has been Zach Player and I am David Chisholm.
• 46:37
  Speaker 4: Until next time, y'all keep it friendly.
• 46:52
  Speaker 3: And in this room we will keep it friendly.
• 46:53
  Speaker 3: And in this room we will keep it real.
• 46:54
  Speaker 3: Opinions expressed on this show are those of the speakers and not necessarily those of the commercial dispatch.