Johnnie M. Leashore plans on moving Selma forward. To do that, he needs your vote for the Ward 6 Selma City Council seat.

Leashore, a supervisor with the Dallas County Department of Human Resources, said he chose to run for office after several people asked him to enter the race. &uot;I have the ability and the know-how,&uot; Leashore said. &uot;I prayed about it, and God told me it was a task I needed to do&045;to be a part of running city government. Selma needs to be moved forward, and I can help move it forward.&uot;

Leashore said he would move Selma forward by empowering individuals, families and neighborhoods to help themselves. One method of achieving his goal is by bringing jobs to the area. &uot;I can be an ambassador for the city and encourage people to come here,&uot; Leashore said. &uot;Being an ambassador is shining a light on Selma.&uot;

Partnering with the Selma-Dallas County Centre for Commerce is one avenue Leashore plans on pursuing in order to bring jobs to the area. &uot;We’ve got to be in step with the Centre for Commerce,&uot; Leashore said. &uot;Whether it’s automobiles, NASA, or anything. We’re looking for jobs that pay higher salaries. We’ve got history, Civil War to civil rights. We must expound on that history in a positive way.&uot;

Concerning Selma’s crime level, Leashore said it would take the entire community to curb its spread. &uot;Some things we can have control over – watching after each other, Community Watch programs and reporting crimes to the police,&uot; Leashore said. &uot;Once criminals realize they can’t run rampant, people will take back the streets.&uot;

Selma’s crime task force, a group formed by Mayor James Perkins Jr. in October, was doing a good job solving Selma’s crime problem, Leashore said. &uot;We’ve all got to work together to help reduce crime in the City of Selma,&uot; he added. &uot;If more police officers should be hired, city leaders must find the resources to get them and protect the citizens of Selma.&uot;

Leashore said he firmly believed that the council couldn’t operate the city by meeting twice a month. &uot;The City Council should be receptive to the mayor’s projects whoever that mayor may be,&uot; he said. &uot;You need to be informed. If you don’t like the projects, then bring some projects to the table of your own. These decisions affect all Selmians, not just those in government.&uot;

Speaking on the issue of executive sessions, Leashore said they should only be held to discuss someone’s good name and character. &uot;All other sessions need to be open to the public,&uot; Leashore said. &uot;People need to realize that the city’s business is the people’s business.&uot;

Other parts of Leashore’s campaign include supporting local schools, creating more services for senior citizens and building more recreational facilities and programs for youth. Leashore referred to an ordinance currently being discussed by the council, which would forbid ball playing on city streets. If the council stopped street ball playing, he added, the council must provide an alternative. &uot;The streets are for automobiles, but if we’re going to take them from the streets, let’s find a place for them to go,&uot; Leashore said.

Leashore was born and raised in Selma. He is a graduate of Jackson State University and is involved in several community groups, including the Selmont-Sardis-Minter Community Development Corporation, the Selma-Dallas County Veterans Transitional Home, the J.D. Taylor Scholarship Committee and the Ward Chapel AME Church Youth Boot Camp Ministry. He is also a graduate of Leadership Selma-Dallas County’s eighth class.

Leashore is married to Phillis H. Leashore. They have five adult children.

Leashore will hold his campaign kick-off at Lannie’s Bar-B-Q Spot, 2115 Minter Ave., at 2 p.m. on Saturday.