Horhn ally’s nonprofit to donate up to $100,000 to Jackson for police recruitment and retention
A nonprofit formed by a supporter of Jackson Mayor John Horhn will donate up to $100,000 to the city to help recruit and retain senior police officers, city documents show. The City Council narrowly approved the agreement, which allows the funds to be used for executive recruitment, retention initiatives and “relocation or transition assistance,” according to documents provided to the council and reported by Mississippi Today.
The agreement says Jackson Rising will donate an initial $50,000 and pursue an additional $50,000, and that once the city takes control the money would become public dollars subject to state transparency laws, the documents say. The donor agreement also says the donor “shall have no authority to direct personnel decisions, compensation decisions, promotions, discipline or law-enforcement operations,” and that funds are not earmarked for a specific employee, the documents show.
The donation comes after Mayor John Horhn withdrew a proposed employment contract for Police Chief RaShall Brackney following council concerns. Mississippi Today reported the proposed contract would have included severance if Brackney were fired without cause after her first year, moving expenses up to $15,000 and a 90-day rental stipend. WLBT first reported that some spending areas in the Jackson Rising agreement overlap with benefits in the proposed contract.
Robert Gibbs, an attorney and former Hinds County circuit judge who chaired Horhn’s 2025 transition team, formed Jackson Rising, the documents show. Gibbs did not respond to Mississippi Today’s requests for comment. Nic Lott, the city’s communications director, provided a statement to WLBT saying, “This development arose organically through interactions the Mayor had with supporters and community leaders. Citizens want to know what they can do to help,” the statement said, according to WLBT.
The agreement drew questions from council members about how recipients would be chosen. Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote asked whether the council would be “in the loop.” City Chief Administrative Officer Pieter Teeuwissen said he had spoken with Jackson Rising and the city attorney and initially indicated the nonprofit would identify whom it intended to support; Teeuwissen later told Mississippi Today he misspoke and that “documents speak for themselves.” Ward 2 Councilwoman Tina Clay said she opposed the agreement because it singled out the police department, and Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell also voted no, Mississippi Today reported.
The donor arrangement follows a history of private support for Jackson law enforcement. Doug Boone, president of the Hundred Club of Jackson, told Mississippi Today the nonprofit has provided financial support to officers’ families and helped fund equipment and projects in the past. Boone said his board would have to consider any request to support benefits for a specific department head.
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