By Tuesday evening, the room where Jackson Mayor John Horhn took the oath of office between gospel performances by the Mississippi Mass Choir earlier in the day had transformed into a glittery gala, replete with a red carpet, lit candles and a classically raunchy gig by blues musician Bobby Rush.
It was a spectacular party that helped generate half a million dollars in sponsorships for Tuesday’s inauguration festivities. More than 140 sponsors across Jackson made monetary and in-kind donations to celebrate Horhn, a longtime state senator from northwest Jackson, finally attaining the office he’d sought for 16 years.
“What better way to kick off and put the cap on such a monumental day, a momentous day, than to come out to the Jackson Convention Center and throw a party,” Horhn said after he took the stage.
All told, Horhn’s inauguration committee raised more than $485,000 in cash sponsorships and $150,000 in write-off donations to organize yesterday’s events, including the bash that was free and open to the public and featured food from more than 20 local businesses and a pricey cash bar.
While the final tally of what was spent yesterday or how many people attended isn’t complete, Jeff Good, a local restaurateur who oversaw the committee’s finances, said he had budgeted about $320,000 for the day and estimated 2,500 attendees. Horhn will be able to use any leftover funds to put on future events.
Each sponsor had a different motivation for donating, Good said. Some were local companies who have sought city contracts, while other Jacksonians made financial contributions simply because they are fans of Horhn.
“There’s so many things that John has done,” Good said at the gala. “Everybody loves John.”
While past mayors have thrown similar balls upon their inauguration, Horhn’s party was especially well-attended and inclusive, multiple attendees said.
In the weeks leading up to the gala, the inauguration committee circulated a digital chart inviting people to sponsor the event at different levels from the lowest tier, called “spark” at a minimum of $500, all the way up to the “drum major” at $15,000 or more.
Sponsors were to make the checks out to a 501(c)4 set up by the inauguration committee, Good said, and send them to a P.O. Box managed by Willie Bozeman, Horhn’s chief of staff and interim campaign manager.
What did the sponsors get in exchange for their contribution? Good pointed at gigantic screens on either side of the gala’s main stage that listed the sponsor’s names.
“We read their names on the podium,” he said. “They get the notoriety that they supported the mayor. It’s no different than if you’re doing a charity ball.”
Sponsors also got dedicated tables, an invitation to a VIP reception, a swag bag and acknowledgement in the event program — a list that reads like a who’s who of Jackson and included developers like the Mattiace Company and Gabriel Prado, prominent law firms such as Butler Snow, nonprofits, lobbyists, engineering firms and well-known city construction contractors.
“When you read the sponsorship list in our program, it is Jackson businesses, Jackson families, Jackson couples,” Good said.
Cynics might say these donations will be used to get the mayor’s ear down the road.
“Some folks are doing it to reap the benefits of contracts,” said David Archie, a former Hinds County commissioner recently hired by former Mayor Chokwe Lumumba after running for mayor himself, as he was looking for a table to sit at. “Some folks are doing it to be on the staff or to have family members on the staff.”
But many others felt their sponsorship was more akin to a “thank you.” Carla Kirkland, the chief executive officer of an education consulting company that works with Jackson Public Schools, said she didn’t need to donate to get Horhn’s attention — she’s known him since he was a senator.
Instead, Kirkland said she donated $15,000 to show Horhn that she has his back, much more than she’s given past mayoral administrations.
“I think it shows the support that we are showing for the new administration and just letting them know that we are behind you,” she said. “We will put our money behind you, and we will put our name behind you.”
Kirkland went even further, helping to fundraise for the gala, which she said was easy to do. Through her group chat network, she said she sold over 100 “spark” sponsorships.
“I am in a GroupMe with the AKAs, with the Jack and Jills … with Women for Progress,” she said. “So I just pulled together my network.”
The gala also proved to be a good networking opportunity: While talking to a reporter, Kirkland spotted Errick Greene, the Jackson Public Schools superintendent. He took a picture with Kirkland and her team.
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