JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Jackson city employees will soon be prohibited from having relationships and business dealings with known “dope dealers.”
On Tuesday, the Jackson City Council approved an ordinance that would amend city code to prohibit city officials or employees from knowingly maintaining personal, business, or financial relationships with those engaged in illegal drug activity.
The measure also blocks officials from knowingly conducting city business with those involved in illegal drug activity, and from providing favors, access or information to those individuals.
The measure was approved on a 6-0-1 vote, with Ward Two Councilwoman Tina Clay being the lone abstaining vote.
Ward Three Councilman Kenneth Stokes authored the measure, in part, in response to the city’s bribery scandal.
“You have a former mayor that’s indicted, going to trial. You have a district attorney that’s going to trial. Former members of the Jackson City Council going to trial,” he said. “The federal government is watching Jackson, Mississippi. [We] must send a message we’re not part of illegal activities.”
Last year, former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, and Ward Six Councilman Aaron Banks were all indicted in connection with a scheme to drum up support for bringing a convention center hotel to downtown Jackson.
Lumumba and Banks were said to have taken bribes in exchange for their support. Owens was said to have done the same to set up meetings between FBI agents posing as out-of-state developers and city leaders.
Court records reviewed by 3 On Your Side do not mention drug activity.
[READ: ‘I don’t give a s**t where the money comes from’: Indictment details bribery scheme involving four local leaders]
Stokes also mentioned the recent FBI sting in the Delta, which netted the arrests of some 14 law enforcement officials, including two county sheriffs.
“When it comes to Kenny Stokes, Kenny Stokes is saying no to drugs. We cannot say no to drugs then hold these dope boys’ hands,” he said.
“I’m not trying to stop you from being friends. You can be friends with anybody you want to, but I’m going to say I put something on this agenda to try to make this city safe.”
[READ: 14 current and former officers in Mississippi arrested in ‘drug trafficking takedown’]
Ward Seven Councilman Kevin Parkinson proposed two amendments to the proposal, including one to limit banning dealings only with those involved in illegal drug activity in the last year.
“It’s possible somebody may have engaged in illegal drug activity 20 years. They have served their time. They have been reformed,” he said. “We want to give those people another chance. We don’t want to ban them from an opportunity to do business.”
Stokes seconded the amendment, saying the ordinance was not designed to punish people who have turned their lives around.
“With this amendment, we’ll send a clear message that people can change,” he said.
Parkinson also recommended changing the measure to remove references to federal law, to prevent it from impacting those who use medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana is legal in the state of Mississippi but still prohibited on the federal level.
Both of those amendments were approved. However, another amendment proposed by Clay died for a lack of a second.
Clay wanted to remove the term “dope dealer” from the measure, saying Jackson shouldn’t use slang in city code.
“We shouldn’t use anything slang that’s written for the city,” she said.
City Attorney Drew Martin said Parkinson’s first amendment likely addressed another concern with the proposal, regarding whether employees would be banned from having relationships with family members who are in the illegal drug trade.
“I think the amendment goes back to that issue,” he said. “Clearly, the idea of keeping city officials from knowingly conducting business with drug dealers is a good thought.”
Grizzell urged Stokes to allow the item to be placed in committee for further discussion.
Stokes said he wanted to get the measure on the books and told members it could be ironed out later.
“With everything that’s getting ready to happen in a few weeks, the main conversation you’re going to hear… is the mayor is coming up for trial… What’s going to make it even uglier is some people want to try to lump all councilmen [together],” he said. “We need something on the books now.”
Lumumba, Owens, and Banks are set to go to trial on July 13, 2026.
Two others, former City Councilwoman Angelique Lee and Hinds County businessman Sherik Smith, were also implicated. They both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Sentencing dates for Smith and Lee have not been set.
The ordinance is slated to go into effect in 30 days. Those caught violating the measure could face disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
It’s unclear exactly how the ordinance will be enforced. The includes a provision mandating employees to report prohibited relationships “immediately” to the city attorney. The measure does not include penalties for not reporting those relationships.
Illegal drug activity refers to the distribution, possession, sale, or trafficking of controlled substances in violation of state law.
Relationships refer to any “ongoing personal, financial, or business relationships that could be reasonably perceived as compromising the integrity of a city employee,” the ordinance states.
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