Profile of Frank Melton on Famous Like Me

Frank Melton, (1950- ) is the current mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, having been inaugurated on July 4, 2005, defeating former mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr.. In his tenure, he has attempted to reform much of the city's infrastructure. Melton strives to tackle crime within the inner city, as Jackson had been named the nation's 10th largest metropolitan area for crime in 2003. These efforts include intrusion of roadblocks and periodical examinations of driver licenses, etc. Melton has also spearheaded numerous campaigns to capture perpetrators within the city, often personally arresting criminals. On July 27, 2005 Melton fired the city's fire chief, and demoted the police spokesman, Lt. Robert Graham, who had retained this occupation for 12 years. Melton has also recently asked that minimum amounts for bonds be raised to $500,000.00. There are those who have denounced Melton's actions as unethical, question his legal authority to commit such acts, or believe that his actions go beyond his powers as mayor. There also others who are pleased to see him take a hands-on approach to addressing the city's problems.

Background/Previous Occupations

Melton is a native of Tyler, Texas, where he maintains a dual residency. His wife, Dr. Ellen Redd Melton, a pediatrician, lives in their home there, and his two biological children live in Texas. (Melton drew fire because he had not moved his homestead exemption from Texas to Mississippi when he ran for mayor). From 1984 to 2002, Melton served as head of WLBT-TV 3, a local channel and NBC affiliate that came under majority-black ownership after a diverse community group fought its racist practices in the 1960s. Melton ran the station for years, but later sold it to a majority-white company. Melton later served as the head of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics for 14 months, as appointed by former Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove in December, 2002, but was fired by Gov. Haley Barbour when he took office in January 2004. Gov. Barbour makes much of the fact now that drug arrests were at recent record low when Melton was in charge of MBN and that drug arrests in Mississippi jumped dramatically in the year after Melton left the position. Melton was has also served in numerous other fields, including serving as the director of the Criminal Justice Task Force, as appointed by Kirk Fordice, former governor of Mississippi; the Mississippi Department of Human Services; and has been appointed by the Texas legislature to Texas Board of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

Social Work

Melton has worked also as a member of the Board of directors for United Way and the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, and works as a voluntary instructor at Jackson State University. Melton has also given numerous speeches in the inner-city high schools, and city universities.Melton serves on the national board of directors for the Broadcast Music Industry (BMI) in New York, where he is Chairman of the BMI Performing Rights Committee, which is responsible for executing the contracts for writers and producers of music. He also serves on the Liberty Broadcasting board of directors; the Wave board of directors, the Community Broadcast Group, and the NBC Affiliates board of directors.

Quotations

"Now the election is over and it is time for our city to move forward together. To do so, we must build a team with the best people that Jackson and the surrounding area have to offer. To be on my team, you must have a passion for your job and serving others. In my administration there will be no politics . . . no race . . . and no negative influences. If this is the sort of environment you would like to work in, I encourage you strongly to apply for a position with the city of Jackson." - Frank Melton

"To our youth ... You want a job, you have one with the city. But we have a rule—we will not pay you a dime until you do something to help someone in your neighborhood. ... To qualify for this program, you must be in school with acceptable behavior, and you must be in church on Sunday. While I must admit that I am crossing the line with this request, I must tell you that I was one of you as a teenager." – Frank Melton, Inaugural Address, July 4, 2005

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