By Sid Salter
Clarion-Ledger Perspective Editor
 

If we're ever going to remove ourselves from dead last in several national indicators, we have to address teen pregnancies, illiteracy and violence. While government has a role to play in these areas, government can't solve these problems. Churches, parents and extended families, neighborhoods, schools and community leaders, working with governmental officials, must step up and assume an active role in reclaiming neighborhoods, setting boundaries and defining acceptable behavior.

My fondest memories of childhood are primarily in a two-block area in our neighborhood. My friends and I would build playhouses under the trees in our backyards using whatever we could find for household items. Our conversation was dotted with "pretend like" as we played. While today's children would find this extremely boring, I realize that we developed great imaginations and creativity during those play sessions. My grandparents lived just up the street and the neighbors were all like extended family, so I grew up in a very secure and protected environment.

Although this sounds trite, a mayor quickly learns that you can't be all things to all people and that you can't make all the people happy all the time. But I've found that if you take care of the little things, treat people fairly and with respect, and are consistent in applying policies and ordinances, generally residents are accepting.

Clintonians have always had high expectations and have set a pretty high standard for themselves and the community. I think this goes back to the early leadership of Mississippi College and it is still true today. Since coming to Clinton in 1973, I've been constantly amazed at the quality of the people and the untapped potential. There is an abundance of talent and knowledge and community success here because our residents give so freely to the community. But we haven't always shared that with the rest of the world. I don't know if this comes from being a somewhat conservative city or if it's modesty. Again I think the expectations are such, whether it is the public schools, city services or community activities, that success is the norm and nothing less is expected. However we're getting better at telling our story.

Being mayor is the most fascinating and interesting job in the world. No two days are the same. At times the workload is overwhelming and it requires more than eight hours a day. The job is challenging yet rewarding, frustrating yet exciting, complicated yet fun. At 24,000 people, Clinton is large enough to have the challenges of other cities but still small enough that people feel free to drop by my office or stop me in the grocery to discuss their problems and I'm glad they do. Having a good assistant who can answer inquiries and anticipate needs certainly makes the office run more smoothly. I've been fortunate to work with a progressive, professional, dedicated board of aldermen who share my vision for the city.

Several years ago I ran into a friend who is the mayor of another town. When he introduced me to his son he said: "She's lucky. She gets to be the mayor of a good town." Perhaps that's a sad commentary on his part but it's true on mine. I am lucky to live and work in Clinton. The quality people and the sense of community make my job very rewarding.

Most Mississippi municipalities are coping with aging infrastructure, increased regulatory demands and decreasing revenues. Based on the 2000 Census, 51 percent of the state's population resides inside municipal boundaries. Sixty-two percent of the tax paying businesses are located within municipal limits and 77 percent of the state's sales tax collections come from these businesses. However, only 20 percent of all taxes collected, with the exception of ad valorem taxes, remain at the local level. Because of the increased demands placed on cities, studying the tax structure and the funding mechanisms for municipalities is imperative. I also think there is a lack of understanding on the part of the Legislature of how vital cities are to the overall economic well being of Mississippi.

My parents fully understood their role was to be the parents so if the situation demanded, they weren't particularly concerned about damaging our self-esteem or being our best friend. My mother is the original "Steel Magnolia" and continues to be a wonderful role model for our family. She set the standards for the four children and then she supplied the support and encouragement for us to achieve. She taught us that good English and good manners were essential to a well-rounded person.

My role isn't to put out the fire, make arrests or line the baseball fields. My role is to clearly define expectations and then make certain the people who are responsible for carrying out the expectations are well trained, equipped and empowered to perform their responsibilities. I'm big on goal setting.