When the Jackson City Council voted 5-3 in favor of a Public Private Partnership to build a new Madison Academic High School on the campus of the University of Memphis Lambuth, Ross Priddy was one of three members of the council to vote against the proposal.
That may have come as a surprise to some, considering the school will be constructed in District 5, the district Priddy represents – but he was using caution when he cast his ballot.
Priddy – a mortgage loan office at Leaders Credit Union – said he is “for the schools (Madison, Jackson Central-Merry, Pope Elementary) being built, but I also have a duty to make responsible decisions when it comes to the use of tax payer money.”
He said the majority of his constituents he heard from asked him to vote in favor of the Public Private Partnership.
“But I also had constituents telling me they wanted the school to be built, but had concerns about the process and understood why I voted against it,” Priddy said, “Leading up to the vote, I went back and forth many times as I contemplated how I would vote.
“I realized that my district, my neighborhood, and even my own children could potentially benefit, but at the time of the vote I could not consciously vote for it with the information I had at the time.”
Continuing, Priddy said “the PPP has proven to be a moving target with changes, updates, and restructuring multiple times in the last few months.
“Due to the comptroller’s ongoing investigation, a failure to get a recommendation from the budget committee, and no existing plan to address the city’s current financial situation, I believe we should have paused and considered other options.
“My no vote was not a vote against the schools. It was a vote against the PPP as currently presented being the best or only option forward.”
(PHOTO: Ross Priddy – courtesy Adelsberger Marketing)
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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