There was substantial discussion about how much the state affected Jackson's decision making process. Some certainly approached the topic in a way that didn't account for state influence. That said, the cities still are responsible for what they're responsible for. Despite the state influences, cities still have to own up to the policies that aren't working for them.
Clearly, none of these things exist in a vacuum and it takes some objective assessing to determine cause and effect of policies, but when official is making questionable decisions, it's not too hard to say that the state didn't make them do that.