After writing about Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones, his challenger Marshand Crisler was quick to call me up and ask for equal time.
I have to be careful writing about political candidates. It’s free advertising and before you know it, every candidate in town will be wanting to take me to lunch for a freebie.
I’ve never been one to endorse candidates as a matter of course. It’s bad politics, pardon the pun. You make one faction happy and anger all the others. I prefer to accurately report the news and let the voters make their own decision.
I made an exception with Tyree Jones because a friend of mine really wanted me to meet him. As the sheriff of a county in which I publish a general interest newspaper, it was good that we should meet. I was very impressed with Sheriff Jones.
Another reason to make an exception is there are only two candidates running for Hinds County sheriff this time around compared to over a dozen in 2021 when a special election was held after Sheriff Lee Vance succumbed to covid.
In that election, Crisler came in first in the primary but then lost to Jones in the runoff.
It wasn’t the first time Crisler has lost a runoff. He placed second in the 2009 Democratic primary for Jackson mayor and first for state senator in 2013, only to lose both times in the Democratic primary runoff.
Crisler believes his chances are much better this time around because there are only two candidates in the primary. There will be no runoff.
The problem with winning the primary is that your supporters think you’ve got the election in the bag and they don’t turn out for the runoff. Meanwhile, the second place finisher can galvanize his supporters to turn out in the runoff, having been beaten in the primary. This should be a very competitive race.
I’ve known Crisler for 30 years and worked with him on the Metropolitan Crime Commission in the 1990s when the crack epidemic caused a surge in violence similar to what is occurring now in Jackson.
Crisler takes issue with Jones’ claim that Jones has more experience. In fact, Crisler is several years his senior and has a ton of law enforcement experience, including experience as a jail administrator, which is really the primary role of the Hinds County Sheriff. Crisler has been director of the Hinds County juvenile detention center for the last year until he resigned this February to run for sheriff.
In fact, when Lee Vance died, Crisler was unanimously appointed interim sheriff by the Hinds County Board of Supervisors. Crisler claims both Lee Vance and former Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin as his mentors. Over the span of 18 years, he served as a Hinds County deputy sheriff, chief of the Utica Police Department and two terms as a Jackson City Council member.
Crisler earned an associate in applied science degree from Hinds Community College, a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Policy & Administration degree from Jackson State University. He is currently in the dissertation phase to complete a Ph.D. in Urban & Regional Planning at Jackson State University. He serves as a deacon at New Jerusalem Church. Crisler is married to the former Eva M. Howard with whom he raised three adult children.
Crisler had a distinguished and honorable career of 21 years in the United States Armed Services as a marine, soldier and airman. He is a decorated war veteran who served his country in two combat tours in Iraq, the Persian Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Remember the battle for Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004? It was some of the toughest door-to-door fighting of that era. Crisler led a force of over a 100 men in the heart of the street fighting. Wow!
Kudos to Hinds County voters for selecting the two most qualified candidates in 2021 and now get a second chance to pick one of two in 2023. Both Tyree Jones and Marshand Crisler are experienced and competent. May the best man win.
I said goodbye to a good friend this week, Joe Martin, a member of my church and my Sunday school class. What a great Christian! Joe served as a missionary in the heart of Brazil for 25 years and then taught the Bible at Belhaven for 27 years.
Joe and his wonderful wife Helen have been great Christian models for me. I once told Helen, “Helen, I know we’re all sinners but I am having a real hard time imagining you as a depraved sinner.” Her response, “Oh but I am.”
Joe knew the Bible inside and out. And he walked the walk. Along with the leader of our Covenant Presbyterian Sunday school class, Mike Wallace, I have learned so much about the Bible and Christian theology. What a blessing! Words cannot describe the depth of my gratitude.
Like anything else in life, it takes time, effort, commitment and grace to gain understanding of the Bible. But once you do, it changes your life.
It breaks my heart to see so many people with so little understanding of the Bible and Christianity. Far too few people go to church and Sunday school or read the Bible regularly, Even if you read the Bible, it takes knowledgeable experts to explain how it all works together. It takes prayer to open your eyes and ears.
To be sure, I have so much yet to learn. But because of people like Joe Martin I know enough to value my faith and understanding above everything else I possess. What good does it do a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?
When doubters and non-believers point out inconsistencies and contradictions in the Bible, I have to just shake my head in sadness at their ignorance. It’s not God’s words that are inconsistent or contradictory, it’s their lack of study and understanding. I know. I’ve been through that journey from one end to the other.
In my youth, I was an expert at pointing out the historical limitations and internal contradictions of Christianity. But over time, I realized it wasn’t that God was wrong. It was me who was wrong. Imagine that! What a surprise!
I asked Joe once why a merciful God ordered the destruction of the Amorites. He immediately flipped to Genesis 13:16 “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
Joe said, “They worshiped idols and committed the worst possible human sins, including ritualistic child sacrifice. God gave them centuries to change, but they refused.”
