The capital city of Mississippi was left without running water for a few days in the past.
The Republican blamed the water crisis on mismanagement at the city level. The city's water troubles are not the result of a single water treatment plant, they are the result of decaying infrastructure. Over the last two years, the EPA has issued 300 boil-water notices.
He cited his opposition to financially helping the capital as proof of his fiscal conservatism as he climbed Mississippi's political ladder. One example of Jackson's status as a punching bag for Republican officials is the water system.
John Horhn is a Democrat from Jackson. The golden rule is that whoever has the gold makes the rules.
75% of Jackson's residents are black and 25% are poor. It was unsafe for people to drink from their tap, brush their teeth, and wash their dishes after a breakdown. Water service was restored to most of the city after the state stepped in, according to a September news conference. He didn't think the Legislature would need to approve more debt for the water system.
There is brown water flowing from the faucet.
A former supervisor shares his experience at the town hall.
Some Jackson residents are worried about another weather-caused water shortage. Brooke Floyd is an activist. He said it was fixed. It isn't fixed.
Parts of the city were without water due to a winter storm. He was running for lieutenant governor in the Republican primary. His opponent lambasted him for signing off on bond debt increases as the tea party movement brought government spending to the forefront of political debate.
With election day just weeks away, Reeves appeared on a conservative talk radio show to push his track record as a tight-fisted "watchdog" over state legislators eager to borrow The host wanted to know why he had voted to approve most bond projects. The whole story was not told by his voting record. The city asked for millions of dollars in bonds to fix its crumbling water and sewer infrastructure.
I've never voted against that because it never got to the Bond Commission. The city of Jackson is being talked to. We don't bring it up for a vote if we're not comfortable.
The Bond Commission decided not to issue bonds for Jackson water projects that had been approved by the Legislature.
Gallo said there is an economic development in a town that doesn't have much political power. Isn't that the same thing as a negative vote?
A negative vote is the same as a positive vote.
Legislators use the term "the big bond bill" when referring to the Legislature's authorization of projects in one large measure. The governor, attorney general and state treasurer are members of the Bond Commission.
Most bonds are voted on by the commission. During his two terms as state treasurer, Reeves was accused of approving too much debt. Bond proposals for Jackson water and sewer improvements are not brought to a vote.
The city never prepared the necessary paperwork to receive water bonds authorized by the Legislature, according to the city's chief financial officer. A document obtained by The Associated Press shows city leaders prepared a proposal in 2010 to the state for $13.5 million in bonds for water system improvements. The dwarfed bond proposal was approved by the legislature.
The city's water project was not included in the state bonds that would be issued in the fall of 2010.
The Jackson Free Press reported that the application requirement for the bond was exclusive to Jackson. The city would have to answer a number of questions in order for the application to be approved.
The bond was approved after city officials made commitments that included funding projects through low-interest loans instead of the interest-free loans outlined in the legislation.
According to the governor's office, the state treasurer voted to approve the bonds. He told Gallo that the Bond Commission wouldn't put Jackson water bonds on its agenda.
The decision is made before there is a vote on the agenda.
The mayor of Jackson welcomed state assistance during the water crisis.
The gallery is about the environmental impact of the water crisis.
Bond bills proposed by Jackson-area lawmakers fail to make it out of the Legislature.
A bill to authorize $4 million in bonds for Jackson water and sewer improvements died in committee. Jackson State University had to bring in temporary restrooms and portable showers in August as discolored water flowed through dorm faucets, and another would have appropriated funds to build a separate water system.
The state has given Jackson $200 million over the last several years to address its water problems. The revenue generated from measures like a 1% sales tax is included in the numbers given to Jackson television stationWLBT-TV.
Money from the state of Mississippi is not what it is. Money comes from the citizens of Jackson and people who do business in Jackson.
Voters in Jackson overwhelmingly approved a 1% local sales tax for infrastructure repairs in order to keep Jackson's tax base intact. Legislative approval is needed for another election to double the local tax to 2 cents. There was a bill to increase the sales tax.
Jackson needed to fix its billing system before it asked for more money.
Efforts to keep taxes low have been central to the economic thinking of the man.
The government doesn't create jobs, it simply encourages the private sector to invest capital, according to an interview with Gallo. The infrastructure around that is part of the government.
Government can play a part in building infrastructure. The economic principles have not been applied to Jackson.
Horhn said that they could bury their heads in the sand and say that Jackson's problem is not their problem. You strike Mississippi from the list when you hear there is no water.
Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the AP. A program called Report for America places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. He can be followed on the social media site at www.mikergoldberg.com.
The article was originally published in Mississippi.
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