Sippi Lovin'

Hattiesburg's mayoral elections are set for tomorrow Tuesday, June 7th. Incumbent, Johnny Dupree, a Democrat, is expected to face stiff competition from Shawn O'Hara, an Independent, and Betsy Rowell, a Republican. (Mrs. Rowell is expected to make an especially hard push for the office.) There is much signage to be had in town and debates have been featured throughout the week in place of prime time programing on NBC's local affiliate, WDAM. I was surprised to discover that Johnny Dupree is both a Democrat and African-American. I would hesitate to label this the norm for in-state appointments and offices, but I've noticed that Hattiesburg isn't alone in their political attitudes. I find it odd that Mississippi, a state with ideals so conservative they're actually flamingly conservative, allows Democrats to ever set foot in office.

Sure, Mississippian Democrats probably fit the Clinton/Gore mold more snuggly than the Howard Deanian mold, but there is a singular defining characteristic a Democrat ANYWHERE must meet: he/she must be pro-choice. Quite honestly, I worry that this remains the only clear distiction between major parties today and fear this is especially true in Mississippi.

Shawn O'Hare and Betsy Rowell, however, are caucasian and in addition to their race, hold political ideologies that more closely resemble what I had expected from my southernly government officials when I first arrived...that is, aside from Betsy being a woman and all. It's hard to be a part of the good ol' boys club if you ain't a boy. Which leads me to wonder if race really matters as much down here as I/we (northerners) thought it did. The ethnic makeup of Hattiesburg is split almost exactly down the center and everyone appears to coexist just fine.

Forrest and Lamar counties, where Hattiesburg is situated, have more white than black citizens, but again, I hear nothing about racial tensions. As an added bonus, I thought the median household incomes and home values from this survey were also noteworthy.