Frank Melton
Frank Melton, (1950- ) is current mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, having been inaugurated on July 4, 2005, defeating the city's first black mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr.. His stated goals are to reform much of the city's infrastructure. Melton strives to tackle crime within the inner city, and is willing to go to extreme lengths to show that he is dedicated to that goal. These efforts include intrusion of roadblocks and periodical examinations of driver licenses, etc. Melton has also spearheaded numerous campaigns to capture perpetrators within the city, wearing a badge he received in a previous county position and often personally arresting suspects, although he holds no official jurisdiction to make arrests. On July 27, 2005 Melton fired the city's long-time fire chief, and demoted the police spokesman, Lt. Robert Graham, who had retained this occupation for 12 years. Melton has also recently asked that minimum amounts for bonds be raised to $500,000.00. He sent out a press statement requesting that all members of city boards resign, although he did not have the authority to fire them. He is also involved in a lawsuit where he is being sued by former employees of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics because, while director in 2003, he leaked a memo harmful to their careers that was later ruled mostly false by the state auditor's office. In a sworn written statement, he first denied leaking the memo; then days after taking office as mayor, admitted leaking it. There are those who have denounced Melton's actions as unethical, question his legal authority to commit such acts, or believe that his actions go beyond his powers as mayor. Many criticize him for being a "sound-bite mayor." Then there are many who are pleased to see him take a hands-on and vocal approach to addressing the city's problems.
Background/Previous Occupations
Melton is a native of Tyler, Texas, where he maintains a dual residency. His wife, Dr. Ellen Redd Melton, a pediatrician, lives in their home there, and his two biological children live in Texas. (Melton drew fire because he had not moved his homestead exemption from Texas to Mississippi when he ran for mayor). From 1984 to 2002, Melton served as head of WLBT-TV 3, a local channel and NBC affiliate that came under majority-black ownership after a diverse community group fought its racist practices in the 1960s. Melton ran the station for years, but later sold it to a majority-white company. Melton later served as the head of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics for 14 months, as appointed by former Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove in December, 2002, but was fired by Gov. Haley Barbour when he took office in January 2004. Gov. Barbour makes much of the fact now that drug arrests were at recent record low when Melton was in charge of MBN and that drug arrests in Mississippi jumped dramatically in the year after Melton left the position. Melton was has also served in numerous other fields, including serving as the director of the Criminal Justice Task Force, as appointed by Kirk Fordice, former governor of Mississippi; the Mississippi Department of Human Services; and has been appointed by the Texas legislature to Texas Board of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.
Social work
Melton has worked also as a member of the Board of directors for United Way and the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, and works as a voluntary instructor at Jackson State University. Melton has also given numerous speeches in the inner-city high schools, and city universities. Melton serves on the national board of directors for the Broadcast Music Industry (BMI) in New York, where he is Chairman of the BMI Performing Rights Committee, which is responsible for executing the contracts for writers and producers of music. He also serves on the Liberty Broadcasting board of directors; the Wave board of directors, the Community Broadcast Group, and the NBC Affiliates board of directors.
Quotations
"Now the election is over and it is time for our city to move forward together. To do so, we must build a team with the best people that Jackson and the surrounding area have to offer. To be on my team, you must have a passion for your job and serving others. In my administration there will be no politics . . . no race . . . and no negative influences. If this is the sort of environment you would like to work in, I encourage you strongly to apply for a position with the city of Jackson." - Frank Melton
"To our youth ... You want a job, you have one with the city. But we have a rule—we will not pay you a dime until you do something to help someone in your neighborhood. ... To qualify for this program, you must be in school with acceptable behavior, and you must be in church on Sunday. While I must admit that I am crossing the line with this request, I must tell you that I was one of you as a teenager." – Frank Melton, Inaugural Address, July 4, 2005
"(The media) come and ask me questions, then they run out and ask the public what they think, like I give a sh*t what they say. You come and set me up and then ask people what do you think. If I cared what they think, I’d ask them before I answered your stupid question." - Frank Melton, post-City Council Meeting comment with camera running, February 28, 2006
"I will cream you personally." - Frank Melton, post-news conference statement to reporter, March 10, 2006
"Before you go up in there and f*ck him, make sure he gets a job." - Frank Melton, comment to young women after an 11:55 p.m. search of a private home resulting in no arrests, April 2, 2006.
"I am the ultimate authority." - Frank Melton, in response to allegations of abuse of power, May 1, 2006
"It's been such a stressful two weeks. I wanted to shake their hands. I wanted to touch them. That's all it was." - Frank Melton, explaining why he had police pull over four school buses on their way home on an interstate on a Friday afternoon, May 3, 2006
"I want to publicly apologize about my language. When you're being backed up against the wall, there is so much a man can take. I am going to spend the next 30 days working on my language." – Frank Melton, one day after a "rambling, obscenity-laced and somewhat incoherent" live telephone interview on WMPR-90.1 FM, May 4, 2006