Marathon Pundit: Frank Melton, mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, taken away in ambulance 10 minutes after polls close

Well, I've written nasty stuff about Frank Melton, who Reason Magazine dubbed "The Worst Mayor in America." Now I hear Melton was taken away in an ambulance ten minutes after polls closed on the night of Jackson Mississippi's Democratic Primary--and I feel pretty awful.

From the Clarion-Ledger:

Mayor Frank Melton was taken by ambulance from his home to St. Dominic Hospital this evening, Precinct 4 Cmdr. Kenneth Goodrum confirmed.

Melton's attorney John Reeves issued a statement on behalf of the family.

"The family thanks everybody for their prayers and their outpouring of concern and love," he said. "The mayor at this point is sick but is being cared for by very competent health care professionals and we ask for the continued prayers for him. As to any details, I am going to respect the privacy rights of the mayor and his health and also respect the privacy of his wife and family. At this point that’s all I can say."

Reeves said Melton's family was on their way to Jackson.

Melton, 60, was loaded onto a stretcher and placed into an ambulance around 7:10 p.m., minutes after the polls closed at 7 p.m. tonight.

This first term mayor of Mississippi's largest city is running a distant third as of 10:30pm Central in a crowded primary field.

Next week Melton heads to court. He and a co-defendant are accused of violating the civil rights of a Jackson resident whose home was raided by a sledgehammer-wielding mob. The first trial ended after the jury couldn't reach a verdict.

Melton being stricken is eerily reminiscent of the the James Curley-like character Frank Skeffington's tragic election night in the novel The Last Hurrah.

Related posts:

America's worst mayor update: Melton will skip Jackson debates

"Worst Mayor in America" back on Dem Primary ballot

Mistrial declared in trial of "The Worst Mayor in America"

Jury deliberates in trial of "The Worst Mayor in America," Frank Melton

My Mississippi Manifest Destiny: A 41 Post Series

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