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Tune in to The Extra Mile presented by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Co-hosts Paul Katool and Will Craft take listeners inside the world of transportation infrastructure in Mississippi.
The Extra Mile Podcast
Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs, Jr.
(Paul) Welcome into another edition of the Extra Mile podcast presented by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. I'm MDOT, deputy director of Public Affairs Paul Katool. And as always, I'm joined by my co-host, Will Craft. He is the director of public affairs at MDOT. And we have a repeat guest today. We are back in the key city, in the city of Vicksburg to speak with Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs. The last time we visited with him was in November of 2021, right here in this office. The mayor is in his third term now, and he previously represented his legislative district in Mississippi, in the Mississippi House of Representatives, from 1988 until 2013. And we are so happy to be here. Thank you so much for hosting us once again.
(Mayor Flaggs) Well, I'm honored that you're here and I’m excited. Vicksburg is growing. It's a great city and I love this city. And I decided to retire from the legislature and come back home and be a part of the progress of the city.
(Paul) Love it.
(Will) Glutton for punishment. So, you retired from one job, but definitely no taking a break or rest afterwards, huh?
(Mayor Flaggs) Oh, I guess when you are ambitious, I guess when you want something bad enough time doesn’t matter, you just change hands and do what you have to do.
(Will) Right.
(Mayor Flaggs) I'm enjoying it. I was asked a few minutes ago. What? What is it that I don't like to do? And that is to be repeatedly telling people what to do. They already know what they ought to be doing. So other than that, it's a great city. I look forward to coming here every morning. And most people tell you that if you don't like your job, you won’t enjoy going to it.
(Will) That's right.
(Paul) That is very, very true. So, we're having a summer travel theme on the podcast, of course, here in Vicksburg. So, tell us about what happened in the city of Vicksburg for the fourth.
(Mayor Flaggs) We had a great fireworks show the whole weekend of the 4th of July celebration was great. Of course, you got to know the history of Vicksburg. You know, long been on you acts. Vicksburg did not celebrate the Fourth for 75 years and to be mayor of this city, to be a part of a celebration of the 4th of July of the birth of our nation is phenomenal. The rain stopped the band from playing. But let me just tell you something, people kept coming and our garages were full of people. I estimate about 5000. We could have had about 10 or 15.
(Will) Wow.
(Mayor Flaggs) Heading out, right?
(Paul) Wow. That's awesome!
(Will) I believe it. And it's always been well attended over here since you guys started back up doing the July 4th celebration.
(Mayor Flaggs) Right.
(Will) Definitely one of the premier ones. We're gonna get down here for a July 4th episode at some point.
(Paul) No doubt. No doubt.
(Will) Well, as you mentioned, the city just continues to grow under your leadership, and everything is going well. Rocking and rolling. Sure, you guys have your issues like everybody else, but lots of good things to talk about. Kind of continuing what Paul mentioned about summer travel. So, you guys host all kinds of big events, not the least of which is Miss Mississippi. Is that right?
(Mayor Flaggs) Oh, absolutely. The best Mississippi pageant is one of our biggest economic boom that we could have or impact we can have. The hotels are full, the restaurants are full of people from all around. Last. This last one was the great one. I went every day. In fact, I have gone to every pageant set for one day. I miss one day about four or five years ago. I enjoy it. And the people come here enjoy it because it is a safe city and it's a city where you can come and relax and enjoy yourself day or night. The streets of downtown are full of traffic, and I just love to see the baby strollers and the moms and the pop and walking together and those that call us off and love holding hands.
(Will) That's right. We're trying as one with two under two. Yeah, we're trying to keep it together. That's all we're doing.
(Mayor Flaggs) Right. Right.
(Paul) Shout out to Will. Shout out to dad over there. I appreciate that.
(Will) Two other really fun things I saw going on Facebook post and let me it hit them individually so as not to minimize. Pickleball first.
(Mayor Flaggs) Oh, pickleball is a phenomenal sport. And in fact, I had no idea that pickleball was moving as fast across the country as it is now. And we were able to renovate a baseball field and convert it into a pickleball court. We had a young man to come here that played pickleball on every pickleball course in the United States and he was traveling. It’s doing great and in fact, not represented but some want to say that they want to be able to beat the heat and come in about 5:00 in the morning to play pickleball. I said, let's do that. And they say how you do it? I say what you do is let somebody come in at five and let them in and let them play. This this city is wide open for recreation opportunity. And, you know, we've got our sport for this park. And everybody I talked to say is phenomenal. But pickleball is taking off. And I didn't know that you, there's an app. You go to the app, show you the nearest pickleball courts.
(Will) Oh, I didn't know that either. There you go, information for the cast out there listening. Yeah, I had no idea but noticing you guys. Facebook post and visit Vicksburg had some stuff out there, so we might have to get in a game or two this afternoon. The other one that I would definitely have to mention. Goat yoga.
(Mayor Flaggs) Oh yeah, they’re doing really good. And it's one of our programs that we've been implemented at our YMCA and is growing and growing and growing. And we are glad that we could have the yoga and allow the people to have that type of outing. Vicksburg probably get outreach for just about every sport that you can name.
(Will) Seems like it. Yeah. The list just keeps going, as we say. And you know, the goat yoga thing though pickleball was definitely new to me. I did not know anything about it, but I have seen the yoga, you know, especially that kind of niche type of those classes, other places. But right here in Vicksburg and come right around the corner.
(Mayor Flaggs) Right.
(Will) Just But I love it.
(Paul) That's amazing. Amazing goat yoga. Never, never thought we'd talk about goat yoga on the podcast, Will.
(Will) Time and a place for everything.
(Peul) But here we are. Here we are. So, we really appreciate the legislature for all that they do. And one of the cool things they did this year was allow for the Dick Hall welcome center out There are I-20 be starting up. Can you kind of talk about that project what that means to honor a great man like former Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall?
(Mayor Flaggs) Well, let me just say this because Dick was a friend of mine and he is from Vicksburg. That's the reason why we decided to name that welcome center after him. His family been phenomenal in this city. I was there when they unveiled the renders of the new Dick Hall Welcome Center and is amazing how big is going to be and how great is going to look, especially on the river view where the whole roof view will be glass. I think it's a great opportunity and what a great man to honor. He served and in fact, the longest serving transportation commission. And he served I don't know how many years in the legislature, because when I when I got the was in the Senate, but he had been in the House, I served with him on an appropriation. He was a great mentor and leader. He's a very approachable guy and he had a lot of humor.
(Will) Yeah, yeah.
(Paul) There's no doubt about that. So, speaking of things the legislature did, so $450 million for shovel ready capacity projects. And one of those just happened in this area, improvements to the flowers interchange on I-20. So, what is that going to mean for Vicksburg residents, for people kind of traveling in the area?
(Mayor Flaggs) Well, first, let me get the governor, Louisiana governor and Senator Briggs Hartson and the Transportation Commission and the executive director of transportation, a credit for being able to move that up and fund it. In a way they fund it. I think it's going to be great for the love and for the flowers and more importantly, it's going to be a more safety feature than anything. But it doesn't allow us to access this city from here to Jackson, from Jackson to here better and get off the road in a safer way. Not only that, they gave us $10 million for the Fisher Ferry Road and Bridge. It's the only bridge on that road and it's about 11 miles if that bridge is out. So the legislature gave us four million and the transportation Department is going to give us six and we are already in the design phase of that bridge. Plus the other thing that they gave us downtown area, you know, they have already given us $3.5 million to improve the road front development. And there I'm excited and I'm elated that I know legislators and I know the leaders of this state in a way that we have a relationship. And I applaud all of it.
(Paul) That’s amazing.
(Will) Great.
(Paul) Like we've been saying, orange cones all around the state and look out for it.
(Mayor Flaggs) Absolutely.
(Will) No doubt. Just a good opportunity, I feel like talk about that flowers interchange now if I'm not mistaken. So ya'll have kind of the industrial complex over there as well.
(Mayor Flaggs) Absolutely. The county has what you call the serious plantation, which is an industrial complex. And the love-
(Will) That's right.
(Mayor Flaggs) -station is just a part of that. It is growing, is my understanding. Somebody has already purchased the other part of the put another type of transportation or a parking facility out there because I was in DC about a month or two ago and, and let me tell you something, parking is a problem for 18 wheelers all across this country.
(Will) Yeah.
(Mayor Flaggs) And if you hadn’t noticed, you can't find a ramp. Well 18 wheelers not power in night or sometimes on a day because you know you cannot drive an 18 wheeler for more than 11 hours. And I'm telling you that if they catch you out there, they’ll throw the book at you.
(Will) Yeah, I have heard that, too.
(Mayor Flaggs) Right.
(Will) And not to minimize that at all, but you know that this, I feel like it paints a really good picture for the hand-in-hand partnership of economic development and an efficient transportation network. Getting that flowers interchange done will really allow and bolster getting stuff in and out of there.
(Mayor Flaggs) Well, you can have a successful economic development without having the opportunity to enhance the area in which you are trying to grow. And I think the state understands that as certainly the Commission of transportation, all of them understands that's important. When I was in the legislature, I used to be on transportation and any growth in development. If you think growth and development is not can to economic development, and then you go to South Haven and see all that, you go back down on the coast and see how the interchange and how they've done some things. This state is moving when it comes to infrastructure and particularly helping with the bridge and the side of the bridge area.
(Paul) We talk about that economic growth and development in transportation all the time, you know, in public affairs at MDOT. So don't just take it from us, take it from the mayor.
(Will) That’s right.
(Paul) Another project going on, I-20 frontage road extension and bridge repairs in Vicksburg. Tell us about that project.
(Mayor Flaggs) Well, you know, we are celebrating in commemorated the lady that Margaret Gibson there was known for keeping Dick Hall and other commissioners focus on there but that interchange that frontage road bridge has been a tremendous help to us and not only for safety, the but for economic reasons too, because we believe that that outlet mall is going to grow and we'll be able to put some franchises out there because of that. But, you know, success comes slow. You have it like golf. You had to tee it up. But all of that is going good. I cannot be any happier then I am the way the Transportation Commission treat us in Vicksburg. And when I say us, I mean the whole community and the county.
(Paul) that’s awesome.
(Will) Glad to hear that. Yeah, you know, got lots of stuff going on, as you just talked about. Mentioned. How about the port? Things going well with the port.
(Mayor Flaggs) The port is going great. Only way known now is to permit from the Corps of Engineers. And I think it may be just around the corner, but that is going to be probably the biggest game change that this city's ever had.
(Will) Oh, wow.
(Mayor Flaggs) The fact it’s going to create so many jobs and is going to allow the opportunity for so many rebirth or birth of economic opportunity to offer because it starts with about 500 jobs and I'm told that is at least three or four industrial interests all over there's about 1900 acres of land. I don't know the detail of everything, but once we get a permit, we can start immediately on the preparing of the levee. And once we get that, I think it's going to be the biggest port on the Mississippi River from Memphis to New Orleans.
(Will) We'll have to come get some live shots, some live footage.
(Mayor Flaggs) Let's do it.
(Paul) There you go. We're hitting all the talking points today. You know, we're not just highways and roads and bridges.
(Will) That’s right.
(Paul) Transportation network means ports, rails, everything like that. So good stuff.
(Will) Yeah, well, one thing you mentioned, it's definitely something that we have this conversation often. The things you have to tell people over and over that, you know, they already know trash and litter, how you guys kind of dealt with those issues that it's just that everywhere. But, you know, it looked very clean. Everything was clean and spotless coming up in here. I mean, how do you guys deal with it?
(Mayor Flaggs) You had to mention it, huh? Well, we're in the middle of a transition when it comes to trash and trash deliver. We signed a contract with Waste Management, and because their contract increased in the cause of deliver those services, we trying to get some push back, but we made some decisions. And the two minute was where we made it, and that is that we discontinued having more than two residential trash cans. We narrowed it down to one per household and they pick up twice a week. And then we have a bulk collection of trash and we're doing that. Besides that, I think the last two or three days been kind of, but I think we only had about two or three calls today. They’ve been tearing me up on Facebook. It only bothers my mother and she's dead.
(Will) I'm going have to use that. Oh, you know mayor to be honest with you, I really wasn't even meaning as far as the actual service provided by you guys, the city of picking up, I just mean the city looks generally clean all these events you guys have.
(Mayor Flaggs) Well you know, we also have what you call the community service, which is a program that we started costs about $245,000, but is a program that is very helpful. It coincides with our city court service. And when you can't work off a fine, I mean, you can work off of fine there. And if you can't afford to pay, you'll find your restitution. You can go and work it out by getting paid a minim wage per hour and doing that. And it works well.
(Will) Okay.
(Mayor Flaggs) And we try to get around the whole city and try to clean it up on a daily basis. But the tragedy of all of this is that even though economic I mean, you know, in an avenue on some of the street, the quicker you clean them up, there go some fast-food wrappers or some somewhere. But we do a pretty good job, especially around Miss Mississippi.
(Will) You got to.
(Paul) There you go. It's hard to get everybody on the same page about things these days. But I feel like we should all agree, you know, trash litter, no good. So, everybody out there, take care of it.
(Mayor Flaggs) Absolutely. And it's important. I've traveled in the middle of, let me tell you, I've traveled this country and I've been to many places and some places where you see trash have overwhelmed those places, it is hard to leave. You’re going to have any type of economic growth in those areas. And that's one reason why we take liter on making it a priority and making sure that five days a week, we at least pick up on at least one or two streets in our Vicksburg here.
(Paul) It's good stuff.
(Will) Well, y’all are doing a great job. I just want to make sure we commend that effort because it does look great.
(Paul) No doubt, no doubt.
(Will) And Paul, get into the phone questions now.
(Paul) I'm going to let you have your question, though. You got to hit that food question.
(Will) All right. Well, we'll make this easy for you. Maybe we won’t ask you about a place right here. You got, you know, the stake involved. This is a lot. So, I know you traveled a lot and you say just traveled the country, traveled the state all the time. Get out and see some places, some holes in the wall, maybe. Where's your favorite place? Maybe that is a hole in the wall. I'll stop in that. You got to go get a bite to eat there. If you're ever get the opportunity.
(Mayor Flaggs) Well, it's my favorite place to serve food, you just say a cigar.
(Will) Okay, well where’s that at?
(Paul) Okay.
(Mayor Flaggs) That's the River City Cigar. Well, most folks think that's my second office, but it's not, my second office is my cell phone, because this is a smart phone. But besides that, let me just say I got two or three places that I love to go, and that's wanted here. That's Market Place. And there's Rusty's and there's a corner restaurant in the back. So, I go to and I won't get in trouble. Namely smoke.
(Will) That's right. Sure.
(Mayor Flaggs) I did not commercialize them.
(Will) That's right.
(Mayor Flaggs) Anyway, but my, my hangout is where I get my relaxation and that is the cigar shop where I go in and smoke me one of them big cigars and go home and prepare for the next day.
(Will) Yep.
(Paul) Love that.
(Mayor Flaggs) Well, I might as well admit it because they already blaming me.
(Will) That’s like transparency right here.
(Mayor Flaggs) Oh yeah, absolutely.
(Will) What about maybe outside of Vicksburg? If you ever catch yourself outside where you got to go?
(Mayor Flaggs) Well, I like Baton Rouge. I need to keep it simple. I like the coast and then going down to Biloxi all the time. And believe it or not, I like Neshoba County.
(Will) Oh, yeah.
(Mayor Flaggs) Neshoba County is a great place to go. Tupelo is nice and for historic reason, I like Oxford. Oxford has a lot of historic monuments and different things up there. So, I travel the state, but at the same time I try to get outside and then that's D.C., which is-
(Will) Oh, yeah.
(Mayor Flaggs) -it's just bigger than you want it to be. I like to be in Atlanta and Houston some places, so. Oh, I don't travel as much as my son, but I do travel.
(Will) What about a favorite kind of summer event somewhere? You got something that annual trip that you take every year that you look forward to.
(Mayor Flaggs) Oh, San Destin. Without a doubt and I go once a year. Florida, you can't beat water. I'm a Pisces I love to put my feet in the waters of the coast of Florida. So from Orange Beach to San Destin and we get along real good.
(Will) I'll be down there. And not too, not too many weeks from now myself. Man oh, yeah. There you go.
(Mayor Flaggs) And it’s an easy drive.
(Will) That’s right.
(Mayor Flaggs) Going 49 and going to 78 and going into San Destin and all of that. It's a great ride. Now I can remember where, you know, it wasn’t so smooth and now going down through there is more you get there before you know it. I think it's less than a 6-hour drive.
(Will) I think that's right, about five and a half. Yeah.
(Paul) Love it. Love it. So yeah, get like the mayor, get out there on the interstates, highways and explore the state and elsewhere. I’ve got one more fun question for you that we recently added. Mississippi is synonymous with great music. So, can you tell us about maybe your favorite musician or band that you have?
(Mayor Flaggs) Willie Dixon, he’s from Vicksburg, he’s from my church. That’s easy.
(Will) Wow, okay. That is pretty good.
(Mayor Flaggs) And we got a monument. We got a marker named after him. But beyond that, I can remember the last time that I saw Tina Turner. So, I think we have to call some type of homeless because of the fact that the last time I saw was the last time she was in the United States. I saw her in Miami. And she was a great person. I think we give her tribute now. And of course, you got to always remember Elvis Presley and all other guys that have come. But you know, Vicksburg, well Mississippi, has a great list of artists that are real good and famous in terms of they just will have to provide that music entertainment for us.
(Will) It's absolutely right.
(Paul) We agree with you. Well, Mayor, thank you so much for having us today. You know, you've been on the show. You've been on the show before, so maybe we'll come back and visit you again someday.
(Mayor Flaggs) Well, great, make me look good.
(Paul) Yes, sir. Absolutely.
(Will) You know we will, man. Yeah, man.
(Paul) All right, there you go. We'll just go ahead and wrap things up there. Thank you for all our listeners, our viewers, for tuning in to the Extra Mile Podcast. You can visit or you can listen and watch episodes by visiting GoMDOT.com/TheExtraMile. Follow us on social media @MississippiDOT is the handle we want to thank our editor Drew Hall, who does all the things behind the scenes for us. And remember to drive smart out there on Mississippi highways.