Jackson Jambalaya

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors fired Emergency Operations Center Director Jimmie Lewis today in a move not on the agenda, and surprised all spectators present today. The Board offered the position to former Deputy Director Ricky Moore.



Supervisor Robert Graham brought up the issue of Mr. Lewis' job performance even though it was not on the agenda. He said there were millions of dollar in "grants we are not getting" and "the department is not progressing the way Hinds County is concerned." He said, "As Board President I'd like to exercise my prerogative to ask for the immediate termination of a Hinds County employee for failing to do their job." Mr. Graham called it a matter of "public safety" and moved to immediately fire the EOC Director and hire someone "today". Supervisor Phil Fisher seconded the motion.

Supervisors Graham, Anderson, and Fisher voted to fire Mr. Lewis. Peggy Hobson-Calhoun was absent. Mr. Graham then moved to hire Mr. Moore to as the new director. Deputy Director Joey Perkins will serve as interim Director.

Ironically, it was Mr. Graham who brought Mr. Lewis on board four years ago when long-time director Larry Fisher retired. Mr. Lewis was the head of the department of permits and zoning. He possessed a Masters in Physical Education. Mr. Moore, who is white, sued the county after he was passed over for the position in favor of Mr. Lewis and alleged racial discrimination. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in December 2011. The relationship between Mr. Lewis and the Board President has been a stormy one, as Charles Graham, the brother of Robert Graham, joined the EOC as Deputy Director when Mr. Lewis assumed the leadership of the EOC. Mr. Lewis fired Charles Graham a year later. Mr. Lewis and Robert Graham have skirmished at several board meetings.

Editorial note: I'm not too surprised by this move when I think about it. Mr. Lewis should not have been hired in the first place, as he was not qualified for the job. Two incidents last year come to mind regarding his job performance. The first was when tornadoes passed through southern Hinds County and Mr. Lewis was AWOL and refused to give any explanations as to where he was when he should have been at his post- the Emergency Operations Center.

The second was the purchase of EF Johnson radios for $113,000 for the Byram police department. Any such purchase over $100,000 MUST be approved by the Mississippi Wireless Communications Commission. Mr. Lewis did not inform the board of this requirement nor did he seek permission from the MWCC before the county issued a purchase order for the radios. This website broke the story reporting no such permission was obtained. However, Mr. Lewis' dereliction of duty did not end with his failure to advise the board of the basic rules for such a purchase. Mr. Lewis also didn't bother to show up at the Wireless Commission when Hinds sought to obtain a retroactive approval for the purchase. The board members were kept waiting while employees tried to find someone from Hinds County to attend the meeting. Mr. Lewis never appeared at the meeting.

It should be noted that for the last year, Mr. Lewis has suffered from prostate cancer and the corresponding treatments. However, Mr. Lewis' illness was not mentioned today, nor did Mr. Lewis appear to defend himself before the board, although he was present earlier at the meeting. One can only hope Mr. Moore or someone with a similar background will take over the Emergency Operations Center.