Secretary of state says mayor and city of Jackson may have broken campaign law
Mayor's election night speech posted on city's Facebook page
Mayor's election night speech posted on city's Facebook page
Mayor's election night speech posted on city's Facebook page
Incumbent Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba could be at the center of another investigation after his primary election night campaign speech was posted on the city of Jackson's official Facebook page.
Lumumba addressed his supporters around 10 p.m. Tuesday after it became clear that the Democratic primary would be headed to a runoff between the mayor and state Sen. John Horhn, who held a commanding lead throughout the night.
That speech found its way onto the city's Facebook page. The post was removed Wednesday, but not before the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office took notice. A spokesperson with the office confirmed it has asked the attorney general to investigate a possible violation of campaign laws.
"Directing, requesting, or permitting an employee to render any aid to a candidate while the employee receives salary or is being paid is a violation of 23-15-871(3)," a spokesperson with the office told 16 WAPT. "Because this video was distributed via the city's official Facebook page, we have sent this to the Attorney General's office as a potential violation."
Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office confirmed it has opened an investigation into the post, but didn't comment any further.
The city's communications director, Melissa Faith Payne, says the post was her fault.
"As the Communications Director, I take full responsibility for the mistake that led to Mayor Lumumba’s speech being streamed live on the City of Jackson’s official Facebook page. This was an unintentional error and I sincerely regret any confusion or concern it may have caused," Faith Payne told 16 WAPT. "This was a mistake — there was no intent to use city resources for campaign purposes. The intent was for a campaign worker to go live from his campaign page, but miscommunication was my fault. I appreciate your understanding and remain committed to upholding the highest standards of communication on behalf of the city."
Voters reacted to the investigation.
"The American way, you're innocent until you're proven guilty. That's all I got to say, if they have enough evidence, they'll do what they need to do, and if not and if not, he will be adjudicated," said Brenda Butler.
"Well, anything like that shouldn't be posted like that. You should keep an open mind about things and not put anything out there that would be a big scandal, because there's already enough of that problem here in the city of Jackson," said Harold Russell.
In the midst of this investigation, Jacksonians also responding to the Tuesday's election results — with the mayoral race going into a runoff between incumbent Lumumba and Senator John Horn.
"Whoever gets the position, please rule by the heart. The way that you want your family to be treated, that's how you should treat the citizens of Jackson," said Mabel Allen.
It's unclear how or if the results of the investigation will impact this upcoming runoff race.