Jackson Jambalaya

Update: The census numbers given out at the February 22 meeting were wrong as they were based on the report used for the 2001 redistricting. Here are the numbers for each district:

District 1: 48853
District 2: 44684
District 3: 48823
District 4: 53396
District 5: 49915

The ideal population size for each district is still 49,057. In other words, the numbers given out the other night (and were included in the post about the meeeting) were bogus as they were the 1992 numbers. Nice job, Mr. Johnson. Here is additional census data by precinct posted on the Hinds County website today. The last three pages are the ones to read. Link to census data by precinct.

Original post:

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors will hold a meeting tomorrow night at 6:00 PM in council chambers on redistricting. The notice says the Board will discuss "adoption of the redistricting plan". A plan no member of the public has seen.

The Clarion-Ledger attempted to cover this story and provided some interesting quotes:

"Public input is welcome, and proposed maps will be available for viewing at 9 a.m. at the Board of Supervisors office and the circuit clerk's office, both in Jackson, and at the Raymond courthouse." Article

How about posting them on the website since most people can't come to the courthouse to view them during the business day? They were not posted at the courthouse as of 4:45 PM Friday. Then there is this story in the newspaper about Mr. Derrick Johnson's contract:

"Hinds County's hiring of the state NAACP president as its redistricting expert, paying him twice that of its previous consultant, has come under fire...

District 4 Supervisor Phil Fisher does not question Johnson's credentials but opposed the board's payment of his $40,000 fee.

That vote "is typical of the board's complete disregard for logic and economic sense when spending your money," he said in an e-mail. "Paying twice as much as other counties ($40,000 versus $20,000 in Rankin and Madison), then lamenting that 'we could have negotiated for a better price, but didn't' is a telling statement for the complete negligence of your elected officials."

Johnson's company "pretty much guarantees us that we will only have to conduct one election," Calhoun said. "That would save the county hundreds of thousands of dollars."....

Said Graham: "The only thing I have to say is that I feel very comfortable in Mr. Johnson's ability to get things done, and to get it done through the Justice Department...."

One can easily imagine that was indeed all Mr. Graham had to say as he is the one who moved the Board hire Mr. Johnson at the December 20, 2010 BOS meeting even though the matter was not placed on the agenda. The fact is the Board hired Mr. Johnson with NO notice to the public at a price double of what CMPDD would charge the county. In addition to his $40,000 fee, Mr. Johnson is also authorized in the contract to charge the county $150 per hour to redraw lines for Constables, Justice Court Judges, and County Court Judges if necessary.

The Board did not post any notice for the only public hearing for redistricting in the courthouse. The county posted the notice on the website a few hours prior to the start of the meeting only after this correspondent personally visited county offices and questioned why it was not posted on the website. The notice was only posted twice in the Jackson Advocate, a weekly newspaper with a circulation of only a few thousand people primarily in the black community. Several municipal officials in Hinds County informed this correspondent they were unaware of the meeting until after it took place.

Earlier posts on subject:
Clarion-Ledger drops the ball again
WLBT Editorial
Hearing set for Monday night
Redistricting fireworks at Hinds BOS last night. Video of entire meeting.
WLBT coverage of redistricting meeting
Hinds redistricting meeting tonight
More redistricting follies by Hinds Supes?
Northside Sun covers hiring of Derrick Johnson
Hinds Supes sneak paying President of Mississippi NAACP into meeting