But, there is more at play and Madison County residents should remain diligent.
Madison's John Howland has decided not to run for District 2 Supervisor and instead will seek to replace Lisa Clingman-Smith as Alderman at Large in Madison. Howland's decision opens up the possibility of a one-on-one showdown between current District 2 incumbent and Board President Tim Johnson and local businessman Billy Redd. Redd has indicated his intentions to run for the seat for several months. Johnson has sent mixed signals as to his exact intentions. He has said he will not run for re-election, but in recent months has indicated that he would.
During Johnson's tenure as President the Madison Board of Supervisors has seen much controversy. Johnson has dealt with the ire of citizens over millage increases, dealt with accusations of mismanagement over the approval of Engineer Rudy Warnock's subcontracting practices, taken heat for not maintaining a transparent road plan that has led to millions of misspent funds, and forcing votes on spending under new business without allowing for debate amongst other supervisors.
He and Board of Supervisor's Attorney Eric Hamer have also had some side issues over their involvement with FAIM, a bingo operation that was shut down by the Secretary of State's office for misuse of funds.
Adding to the controversy is a recently discussed option, apparently supported by Johnson, that Madison County will appoint a commission to deal with re-districting instead of contracting with the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District (CMPDD). As a member of CMPDD, Madison County has enjoyed the organizations expertise in Economic and Community Development, Loan Programs, Technical and Planning Assistance and Human Resources, as well as redistricting for years. CMPDD has over 100 staffers that assist Madison and other Central Mississippi counties every day on issues ranging from Workforce Coordination and Social Work to GIS and Demographics. They have a direct line of communication with Census officials.
The question raised is why Johnson would want to give the work of 100 experienced staffers to 4 or 5 inexperienced political appointees. The only answer can be gerrymandering. The general consensus among Madison County political watchers is that Johnson is attemtping to gerrymander districts to keep his allies in power. In this scenario, whether he wins or loses his position as District 2 Supervisor, Johnson still retains a position of power by holding sway over gerrymandered districts that helps elect those he wants elected. And, with the Board of Supes responsible for hiring a new County Administrator, Johnson's cabal could grab a foothold in Madison County Government that would take decades to recover from.
It is a good thing for Madison County citizens that Mr. Howland has decided to seek the position of Alderman at Large in the City of Madison. That will allow Mr. Redd a shot at taking out Johnson. But, citizens of Madison County would do well to keep their eyes affixed to what is going on in the meantime.
The discussion of whether to allow redistricting to be kept "in house" will center around two arguments: saving money and doing away with split districts. The latter is something the professionals at CMPDD can do much better than any few political appointees. The former is a smokescreen for the real motive to do away with oppostion on the board and pave the way for complete control of of the power levers in Madison County.
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