Jackson Jambalaya

The Senate recommitted the "Supertalk" bill to committee last week. Such a move kills the bill. The bill would have stopped state agencies from spending money on radio and tv advertising. The legislation exempted colleges and universities, federally-funded programs, and free public service announcements from the ban. Earlier post It caused no small amount of anguish over at Supertalk (WFMN, 97.3 FM) as Paul Gallo took to the airwaves Thursday gnashing his teeth over the bill for a half hour. Well, Mr. Gallo can rest easier now as he is free to practice is free-market conservatism on one hand while getting no-bid advertising contracts with the other. However, what went unnoticed in all the debate was the second part of the bill:

"(3) The Personal Service Contract Review Board shall have the following powers and responsibilities:

(a) Promulgate rules and regulations governing the solicitation and selection of contractual services personnel including personal and professional services contracts for any form of consulting, policy analysis, public relations, marketing, public affairs, legislative advocacy services or any other contract that the board deems appropriate for oversight, with the exception of any personal service contracts entered into for computer or information technology-related services governed by the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, * * * and any contract for attorney, accountant, auditor, physician, dentist, architect, engineer, veterinarian and utility rate expert services. Any such rules and regulations shall provide for maintaining continuous internal audit covering the activities of such agency affecting its revenue and expenditures as required under Section 7-7-3(6)(d), Mississippi Code of 1972;

(b) Approve all personal and professional services contracts involving the expenditures of funds in excess of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00);

(c) Develop standards with respect to contractual services personnel which require invitations for public bid, requests for proposals..."

The dirty little secret of state government is the money made off of consulting contracts and in this case it is so-called marketing or advertising contracts. The agency hires a consulting or marketing firm, which then has someone else produce the advertising and places it on the station. Such firms would include Bryant cronies Josh Gregory and Quinten Dickerson, the owners of Frontier Strategies.

They came in with Haley and immediately got to work using Frontier to land millions of dollars in state advertising contracts. Frontier obtained over $14 million in state advertising business since 2004 according to the Seethespending.org website. However, you might make money for Haley but you will never be off the leash with Haley soooo.... when Mr. Byrant became Lieutenant Governor, these two barnacles jumped off the Barbour ship and became the Bryant consiglieri. The Bryant campaign paid Frontier $747,119 last year during the campaign. The Bryant campaign also paid Alpha Golf Aviation $41,235 for use of its airplane. Josh Gregory is co-owner of the company and flew the Governor around during the campaign.

So was the bill an arrow aimed at Supertalk and the Bryant team or a true conservative effort to clean up the budget and save money?