Jackson Jambalaya

Where is the state auditor on this? Or perhaps the FBI? He should step down at once. If not, this ain't gonna be good for his re-election campaign. Yet another reason to move out of Hinds County.

Thank you Kingfish for your research and diligence in pursuing these crooks. This word needs to get out to EVERYONE... The attorney general should take immediate action against these criminals... ALL of them..!!!

Jim Hood won't do anything. Porter Bingham is too busy getting on his "reception committee".

Talk about an open ended contract. Read section 4.6 !!!

The "rest" of this story is:

WHAT IS THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MONIES PAID TO THE CONTRACTOR IN EXCESS OF THE CONTRACT AMOUNTS? THAT'S WHERE THE REAL STEALING WILL SHOW UP.

Dividing the spoils...remember the school trailer contract after Katrina to a company formed by a Congressman's wife?

Remember Magnolia Venture and then there was the beef plant and now we have the plans for the mega building and a Senator's elderly mother's job.

Prosecution or none depends on how cleverly it's done. This time a little laziness in getting to the Secretary of State's office in a timely fashion.

Smart crooks vs dumb crooks...still crooks to me.

AND it is amazing when reading HindsCo Sup meeting minutes over the years since Graham joined the Board that Hargrove is in the minutes interchangeably representing Browns, Airwave, and Northstar. Furthermore Hargrove, who is not under contract, is frequently included in Exec Sessions (meaning non-Public) to discuss the litigation against Motorola.

To any Motorola attorneys reading this. GET OFF YOUR ASSES.

Kingfish and WLBT are the only truly investigative journalists left in this town.

I know this is OT KF but any updates from Pete Perry regarding the illegally let contract to Derrick Johnson?

I think the auditor's office will only go in when there is a complaint made. But you don't have to have any kind of standing to make a complaint.

http://www.osa.state.ms.us/complaint.asp

Great piece. I especially enjoyed the editorial comment. Overall your diligence has paid off. I too hope, for the sake of all Jackson residents the State Auditor shows up!

By law Hinds county is audited by the State Auditor and these kinds of red flags should lead to a full scale investigation. There should not be a complaint needed.I would not think that Stacy would not be in bed with this bunch, so just do your job

It is readily apparent that the citizens need to band together and form a group who reviews all contracts which are submitted to the BOS or the City Council.

Either that or move to a different third world country.

Un-F*cking believable ! Talk about waste, fraud and abuse. Talk about incompetency...

Hell if these people can do it plus the Fraziers and get away with it, why can't i?

The good thing about contracting with non-existent companies is it cuts down on the paperwork. Unfortunately, the prison you go to isn't non-existent nor is your new roommate, Puff Daddy, who can bench press a Clydesdale.

The Fraziers are not going to prison, Kingfish or Wade please clear this up. And more than likely the DA will do nothing about this either.

I iz pretend kompany. Can I haz $4M kontrac plz?

I have to agree, this is getting to the point where it's easier to get ahead via graft and corruption than hard work.

I mean, who is going to prosecute these people? No one. Who's going to throw out the Hinds BOS? No One.

there is only one way to vote these people out of office and that is with your feet while you walk to another place to live

All these supervisors are doing is giving this guy a license to steal. Don't count on Stacey Pickering to do anything for any county. Basically if the county supervisors vote on it and there is a contract (even if they don't oversee the contract or it has open terms or it has ended) they can bill the county and the liability falls back on the Supes in your county. Who ever in their right mind would pay for maintenance up front anyway? I would like to see what he had to do in just one years time. They are probably too stupid to even be getting kickbacks on this. KINGFISH FOR SUPERVISOR!

§ 79-4-2.04. Liability of preincorporation transactions

All persons purporting to act as or on behalf of a corporation, knowing there was no incorporation under Sections 79-4-1.01 et seq., are jointly and severally liable for all liabilities created while so acting.

I don't think there's a similar provision in the LLC act but, hey, fraud pierces all veils....

Uhh, excuse me . . ., but is the issue here the dotting of an "i" and crossing of a "t" in contract formation, or is breach of contract at issue here? Did Airwave perform under the contract (and I don't know if it did or didn't) so that Hinds Co. could receive the benefit of its bargain? If so, then it's much ado about nothing because preincorporation contracting is not uncommon. Besides, the contract states that Airwave only accepts the contract as of the date of Airwave's first performance under the contract. That would be the "acceptance" side of the offer-acceptance needed to form a contract, and by that date Airwave was probably properly formed. There may be a reason to have the contract/performance investigated, but the preincorporation aspect is just a red herring.

That was very clever, was very lawyer-like, and very well thought out when you wrote it.

Just one problem. It focused on Airwave, not the county. The Board can still be forced to repay the money spent by it on an illegal or invalid contract. Those laws DO exist for a reason, not that that bothers you.

Kingfish @ 8:32, I hope you don't think there is anything wrong with application of reason and common sense. While I don't condone the way that Jax/Hinds does business, arguing "form over substance" generally doesn't carry the day. If you contract for services to be performed, and the services are actually performed but the manner of contracting wasn't perfect, nobody was harmed if everyone received what was expected out of the contract. For example, if an underage minor signs a lease for an apartment while he is at college, and he pays the lease and stays in the apartment without any problems for his year in college, who got harmed by the imperfect contract? Nobody -- everyone got what they bargained for in the lease contract.

Mr. 8:56 that is total BS and we all know it.This deal stinks to high hell.

10:03, I absolutely agree that the "deal" smells. But regardless of whether the "deal" was a less than arms length transaction, or whether there was "hanky panky" involved in the dealmaking, the "preincorporation" facet of the contracting isn't grounds for all of the hoopla, much less ground for an investigation or lawsuit. The preincorporation allegation is just a red herring -- an angle that allows the populace to vent their frustrations over the continuing downward spiral of Hinds Co. Investigate the real wrongs, but don't waste time, resources, and effort over non-issues. Why doesn't someone look into the alter ego theory of liability for the multiple companies that share the same office, same personnel, same office equipment, etc., with Airwave? Maybe even racketerring. That'll get someone's attention.

Oh really? Contract starts on December 3, 2008. Someone gets hurt on the job or someone is injured by the actions of Stowers or his employees in the scope of employment but before Jan. 28, 2009.

Who does he sue? Does your so-called pre-incorporation doctrine give liability to the LLC for injuries done before it was formed?

Kingfish @11:38, that is not the issue -- nobody got hurt or is looking for someone to sue over a personal injury. So, why speculate and get mad over a "past possibility" that never happened -- stick with "reality". You clamored over the incorporation date of Airwave. But, in "reality" that's a non-issue. Sounds to me like the merits and issues relate more to "waste" of taxpayer funds, lack of oversight of the actions of the Bd. of Sup., and potential fraud. So investigate and get mad over the merits -- the real issues -- not a non-issue like the date of incorporation.

I'm wondering if people haven't been reading the posts on the shenanigans in Madison county and other places on this very blog.
Where is everyone planning to move?

Seems to me that giving out sweetheart contracts where the taxpayers' money is wasted isn't any better just because one crook does all the paperwork and one crook doesn't.

If you are taking taxpayer money at a higher fee than you could get for the WORK privately, you're a crook in my book. Indeed, it's worse when we have no recourse because the laws have been written to allow such shenanigans

If the State Auditor won't blow this thing up, can a taxpayer file suit and go after each of the 5 Supe's Performance Bond to get the money put back into the County bank account? If I lived in Hinds like I used to, I'd try.

I'm actually more interested in HOW the contract was FILED IN COURT a full MONTH BEFORE the contract was signed! Also, it appears that there were NO WITNESSES to EITHER party's signature--they even signed the contract on DIFFERENT DATES! In my state, this would NOT fly...STATE AUDITOR, WHERE ARE YOU??????

ONe thing all of us need to keep in mind when we start charging the powers that be SHOULD BE DOING THIS AND SHOULD BE DOING THAT is that the State Auditor's office has a LIMIT in funds available to investigate as well as the list of cases NEEDING to be opened and followed.

$90,000/ year was the amount I heard. Did the legislature increase that?

KF, you've just got to pull this one over here

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20110503/NEWS/105030338/1001/RSS01

"Hinds ends upkeep contract on sirens"

"Unchanged by Monday's action is a $4 million, six-year deal that calls for the county to pay Airwave $736,918.56 this fiscal year for maintenance of its radio system, Woods said."

""We need someone as needed if something breaks down,"

You need to read this one.

have any units failed to alarm after airwave went to work ? no. so here is another bee in your bonnett is it against the law to fly a flag on american soil once america has defeated you ? so whats with the state flags and what was so wrong with the magnolia? who voted in the stars and bars ? that is the definition of high treason. so ther blog heads