Another level

Jet, July 14, 2003

* ANOTHER LEVEL: Mississippi state Sen. Barbara Blackmon, with state Rep. George Flags looking on, announces her candidacy for lieutenant governor during a news conference at the Capitol in Jackson, MS. Blackmon, 48, a lawyer who has been a legislator since 1992, said she's a product of a Mississippi education.

She also said the state needs to do more for small businesses. "If we provided the kinds of resources and programs for those small businesses to expand them, we could really go a long way toward enhancing the quality of life for all of our citizens," she said. Blackmon, former Supreme Court Justice Jim Roberts of Pontotoc and businessman Troy Brown of Greenwood will be on the ballot in the Aug. 5 Democratic primary. A native of Jackson, MS, she is married to Mississippi state Rep. Edward Blackmon, Jr. and has two children; Madison Edward and Bradford Jerome.