THE TRUTH ABOUT WHY I WON'T BE DISCUSSING THE HINDS COUNTY D.A. RACE

Clay announced he is sitting out the Hinds County DA race entirely. He said an email asking him to weigh in forced the issue, and after thinking it over he decided he is too conflicted to comment fairly.

His best friend and personal attorney, Sean Yurtkuran, is involved with Gwen’s campaign as an adviser. Clay has also known Gwen’s father, Monty, for more than thirty years; the two families go back to when Clay was a kid eating at Monty’s locations, including the old South Jackson spot near Whitten Junior High. At the same time, Clay remains disappointed in Gwen’s handling of the Anthony Fox case and does not feel he can support her because of it. Out of respect for Sean, he also does not want to attack her.

The result, he said, is that he will neither endorse nor criticize anyone in the race. He acknowledged that some listeners will call it the easy way out, but he would rather be transparent about the relationships and the conflict than pretend they do not exist. He recommended that people do their own research on the candidates’ records and platforms instead of relying on what others tell them.

He also noted that he has become more cautious about jumping into local races in general. Early on he was quicker to pick sides; now he is more aware of how many listeners are personally connected to candidates and how much weight the microphone carries. Because he does not live in Hinds County, he added that he is not sure it is even appropriate for him to take a strong public position on the race. So he is opting out.