Views from readers: leadership + vaccines + showing respect
Showing leadership
Cities and towns across the country, including the 289 member municipalities of the Mississippi Municipal League, have been calling on Congress to help with aging and crumbling water, sewer, and street infrastructure since 2016.
Mississippi’s cities, towns, and villages are responsible for maintaining over 23,000 miles of streets. With the cost of basic surfacing, milling and repair increasing 128% over the last 20 years, it’s no wonder that the municipalities in our state, 85% of which are under 10,000 in population, have not been able to keep up proper infrastructure maintenance.
On August 10, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes $550 billion in new federal investment in America’s infrastructure.
As president of the Mississippi Municipal League and mayor of Greenville, I commend Senator Roger Wicker for showing true non-partisan leadership when he voted for this bill. He understands that providing safe roads and bridges, clean drinking water and broadband technology to rural states like Mississippi are not partisan issues.
Senator Wicker’s vote on this historic bill will provide $3.3 billion for roads and highways, $225 million for bridge repair, $283 million for water infrastructure and $100 million for airport improvements in our State. Because of Senator Wicker’s leadership, Mississippi will also get a fair shake in a $20 billion competitive grant program that local governments can participate in to receive additional infrastructure funding.
The MML thanks Senator Wicker for his vote, knowing that it was a difficult one for him. The funds coming to our state will allow “generational” investments that current and future Mississippi residents will benefit from and that will help create jobs and economic development opportunities in our state.
Mayor Errick D. Simmons
2021 – 2022 MML President
Keep going
What is the core reason of racial division and hatred?
During childhood, we recognize our parents and acknowledge them as the only people we love. We do not acknowledge people who do not look like our parents. A part of our brain indicates the kind of people we associate with and love.
Through education and interaction with others who don’t look like our parents, another part of our brain allows for the recognition and oneness of others who look different from our group.
We are all strangers until we get to know one another. We are all created from the same dust of the Earth. There is no reason to distrust or hate people who do not look like you. You should interact and get to know them. To solve the issues that confront us will take everyone, no matter our skin color, religious belief or income.
If you’ve started, keep going. If you haven’t, now is the time to begin.
Miguel Nicholson
Gulfport
No deaths
In the entire country, Mississippi’s rate of persons not receiving the Covid vaccine is second only to Alabama.
Today, my doctor told me that the Covid vaccine has not killed a single person.
How many hundreds of thousands of people in this country have been killed by not taking the vaccine?
Charles A. Boggs
Long Beach