Mayor sues to get name on ballot

The Clarion-Ledger, 3/19/9

A day after his name was ordered stripped from the ballot over a residency issue, Mayor Frank Melton filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Hinds County Circuit Court in an effort to win clearance to run for re-election.

The lawsuit challenges a decision by the Jackson Democratic Municipal Executive Committee that bars Melton from appearing as a candidate in the May Democratic primary.

The committee unanimously agreed Tuesday that Melton did not meet the city’s residency requirements because he files for homestead exemption in Texas, not Jackson.

“It’s the saddest thing I’ve ever seen, and it’s so unfair,” Melton said.

“I am a resident of Jackson and that is by choice.”