Melton’s unconquerable enemy was human frailty
He relished the complicated life that he led and he took great joy by confounding any and all who tried to understand him. He loved keeping people off balance, wondering what antic he would think of next. He was unpredictable, at times unflappable, but also sensitive about how people would remember him.
The criticism that was often directed at him often hit its target, even though he would play it off as unimportant. Beneath the tough exterior was a man who cared about what people thought. The persona he had created simply could not let that be revealed.
Through the many columns I’ve written about the man excoriating his leadership as mayor, never once did he call to take me to task, even as I wrote on more than a few occasions that he needed to resign. He did call and visit, many times, to set the record straight, to tell me that I didn’t understand the entire situation, to invite me to ride along so that I could see what he was up against.
About a year ago, I took him up on that offer. Our trip through the city’s streets revealed parts of Jackson that the masses seldom see. That part of Jackson was Frank Melton’s pulpit and the place where he felt most comfortable. He hated to sit behind a desk at City Hall. But he loved to catch a kid skipping school or a crack head missing out on opportunities for intervention.
Clarion Ledger
5/7/9
Magnolia Tribune
