By By Ben Alexander/The Meridian Star
March 3, 2001
For the fifth time, political activist William Hugh Johnson will be running for mayor of Meridian.
He made his announcement Friday afternoon inside City Hall only minutes before the 5 p.m. deadline to qualify expired. He will be running as a Democrat.
Johnson is best known for his interest in local government, attending meetings of the Meridian City Council and Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors and speaking to both about local political issues.
Johnson said Meridian has a plethora of important issues that haven't been given proper attention by incumbent Mayor John Robert Smith or his predecessor, former mayor Jimmy Kemp.
Johnson has been a strong critic of Smith, most recently criticizing the mayor in a city council meeting for making a decision to not press charges against a woman who filed a false rape report.
According to Johnson, city leaders aren't properly funding important departments within the city and are wasteful with the taxpayers' money.
If elected, Johnson said one of his most important goals will be to lower Meridian's bond debt.
Johnson will be unopposed in the Democratic primary in May.
Ben Alexander is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at balexander@themeridianstar.com.