On Wednesday, Rep. Chad McMahan (R, Guntown) offered an amendment to a bill that would move the state capital from Jackson to Tupelo, which is a few miles south of Guntown.
He had intended the amendment to be a joke. Instead, other House members blew up like puffer fish, offended by McMahan’s attempt at humor. The amendment was quickly defeated, and the serious business of destroying the city of Jackson resumed.
But I kind of like the idea of moving the capital.
I think moving the capital to Columbus would be a great idea for many reasons.
First, it would spare the Golden Triangle’s eight state legislators the inconvenience of having to drive all the way to Jackson.
Second, it would be a big boost for the local economy, especially hotels and restaurants that would cater to the 174 members of the legislature and scores of others who do business at the Capitol. It would create lots of new jobs and boost the real estate market here.
Third, moving the capital to the Golden Triangle would end the legislature’s current efforts to establish apartheid rule in the white part of Jackson. House Bill 1020 passed in the House by a 76-38 margin Wednesday. If the Senate passes the bill, White Jackson, LLC, will have its own unelected court system at the bargain taxpayer price of $16 million annually. Local legislators Andy Boyd (R, Columbus), Dana McLean (R, Columbus) and Rob Roberson (R, Starkville) all thought this was a swell idea and voted for the bill.
Of course, a lot would have to happen to make Columbus the capital city, not the least of them being that, according to the state constitution, voters would have to amend the constitution. That’s a problem since the legislature hasn’t bothered to restore that right to voters after a Supreme Court ruling invalidated the initiative process. The legislature promised (wink, wink) to restore that right almost two years ago.
But assuming the legislature eventually keeps that promise, there is a path to bring the capital to the Golden Triangle. It would mean convincing voters all over the state to agree to this. Maybe Nancy Carpenter could put together some nice gift bags.
Another benefit of moving the capital to Columbus would be at last finding a useful purpose for Leigh Mall. The state could buy the mall back from the Hull Group, which has spent much of the last couple of years staring blankly at the site and wondering what the hell they’re going to do with it.
Relocating the Capitol building would be no small feat. I’ve seen the building. It looks pretty heavy. Even so, Columbus Marble could probably do it. They have experience in moving heavy things from one place to another.
Of course, there would have to be some concessions made if we are to get the capital. We would have to give the state control over our water system, which the Mississippi Senate approved doing in Jackson with the passage of Senate Bill 2889 on Tuesday. This was a surprise move, since the legislature had never wanted any part of dealing with Jackson’s water crisis. That changed in December, when the federal government provided $600 million to fix Jackson’s water system. Suddenly, the legislature was intensely interested in Jackson’s money, uh, I mean water system.
It’s well-known by the legislature that people of Jackson cannot be trusted with large sums of money, so state take-over of those funds is simply the Christian thing to do. There is, by the way, no information on how much of that $600 million Brett Favre will get his hands on.
Our own small-government senators – Bart Williams (R, Starkville) and Chuck Younger (R, Columbus) – voted for the state take-over.
So, if the capital moves to Columbus, there’s a precedent for us having to hand over our water system to the state, provided there’s money in it, of course.
We might have to hand over Golden Triangle Regional Airport, too, if history is any indicator. The legislature has been trying to get its hands on Jackson’s airport for the past seven years. That effort is still being litigated.
There is a lot to consider, certainly, but when you weigh all the pros and cons, I believe Columbus has earned the right to be abused and slandered by the legislature just as much as Jackson.
It’s our turn!
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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