Jackson Jambalaya

Is this the same David Watkins who loves to bill the city for wiring? If so, no wonder he can't publicly be involved with Lee.

Same Watkins who has a $10 million loan app before the city for Farish Street. They didn't mention that in the story at the JFP. Another reason you will see him commenting over there and never show up here.

This is the same chamber of commerce. It is housed and staffed with the same people. Greater Jackson just reformed and gave a committee to the Jackson area, but it all tied together.

They are scared Lee will be Mayor and money won't be so easy to come by

Wasn't Lee chairman of the chamber?

I'm having a problem here finding the problem. Really. Mr. Lee is a member of the board (see the letterhead). He's past president of the Jackson Chamber. The letter from Watkins seems to be pretty self explanatory. Question still not answered: did Harvey Johnson or his political operatives initiate this? If so, it will backfire.

It doesn't really matter, moving the deck chairs kind a thing! Belhaven, Fondren, and downtown will hobble along and see some creative development. Everything else will need to completely bottom out before a phoenix can rise.

Lee is the candidate of the WPS. He won't win. Next will come the rigged Chism polls coming out showing a virtual unknown at the top. Then Lee will start sending mailers to NEJax households stoking crime fear. The WPS never learns.

I am a loyal weekly member of the Friday Koinonia Coffee Club group. I rarely miss each week. You all need some background.

The Coffee Club at Koinonia started over 5 years ago. Dr. Bill Cooley, for almost 3 years, was the underwriter, and Jonathan Lee the moderator ($200 to 300 per week). About 2 years ago, the Jackson Chamber, the "toothless, step child of the Greater Chamber", approached the GJCP, requesting that the JCC underwrite this function. The GJCP agreed.

All was well until Nina Holbrook, with the "80 Coalition" (or whatever it is called), was the program a few weeks ago, and blamed Harvey Johnson for the collapse of the area, and the loss of Puckett Machinery to Rankin County.

It appeared that the city anticipated this, and loaded the room with "newbies" (I come weekly and this was the first and only time many had come), and led by the insane Sam Begley, roasted Ms. Holbrook pretty good.

Than a few weeks later Dr. Chris Brown from ASU said bluntly that the reason the Cap. City Classic was moved from Jackson was due the the HJ administration and lack of cooperation financially and administrativly.

THAT WAS IT. HJ then preassued the JCC to withdraw financial support from the weekly organization Lee co-founded, thinking that if Lee didn't step down, the event would cease.

He and Cooley said HELL NO, Lee will not step down as this was and is NOT a COJ or JCC event, that, like everything else HJ does, must be spoon fed and totally controlled by HJ.

Come next week. You will enjoy it.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH is a pretty cool idea.

Yeah...I can't see the problem either.

It does provide another opportunity others to review all the things they don't like about Watkins...but keeping this group out of the city race for mayor is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Dumb question. Why does it need an underwriter? Can't the people that attend afford the two or three bucks for the coffee? Never been although I might take you up on your suggestion for next week.

Maybe those buffoons on the hinds county board of supervisors should take lessons from this and apply the same "logic" to the incestuous nepotism that permeates their ranks...

The matter is pretty basic: because Mr. Lee is an announced candidate for Mayor he needed to step down as moderator, as well as the guy who picks and chooses the weekly speakers, or the Chamber, a 501(c)(4) corporation, needed to pull the monetary plug lest it be viewed as fueling his candidacy.Right now,there are six announced candidates for Mayor and the last thing the Chamber needs is to be accused of picking a favorite. Why couldn't Mr. Lee accede to this simple request from the Chamber to step aside and let someone else fill in? I believe it is because this weekly "forum" is part and parcel of Mr. Lee's campaign for mayor. Notably the weekly funding from the Chamber, to the tune of $250 a week for free coffee and breakfast cake for about 25 people, came about when Lee was Chairman of the Chamber in 2010.Notably, Lee's speaker selection during the weeks leading up to his announcement has been markedly tilted to folks who have more than a simple beef with City Hall.Notably, the owner of the coffee shop has recently filed papers setting up a PAC. More to follow on the PAC thing. And get off Watkins' ass -he was merely the messenger for the organization.
http://www.sos.ms.gov/CampaignFinanceWebScans/Jackson%202020%20(statement%20of%20organization)%20Feb%2028%202012.pdf

10:04 if this was Harvey Johnson's first attempt at "divide and conquer", I may agree with you.

He is a control FREAK. He inherited a whirlwind of economic activity, and has not done shit with it.

When this is pointed out or discussed, he kills any messenger.

Every city and county in the metro area has a CoC. Does Jackson have one or is it controlled by the "Greater Jackson group"? Do the local business leaders in Ridgeland, Brandon, Madison,Rankin co, ect mainly support the local Coc or the " Greater Jackson"?

Every City and county except the city of Jackson has its own separate, sovereign Chamber. The Jackson Chamber is "owned" by the Greater Chamber, who can't take a dump w/o permission from the milktoast GJCP.

Harvey Johnson sits on the board of the Jackson Chamber, and he and his staff have smothered it.

I think Lee and Cooley, as a matter of principle, were not going to let HJ dictate, once again, what would or would not happen in a venue he had NOTHING to do with organizing, and allow HJ to intimidate others into shutting it down.

I am trying to follow 10:39. Are you saying that JACKSON does not have its OWN Chamber, independent of the Greater Jackson Chamber?

This smells like King Harvey at his petty, prideful, thin-skinned worst. Don't bump the chips on his shoulder, for they bruise easily.

The article says the Chamber kicked in a couple hundred bucks a week as its sponsorship. So why not tell the chamber to go ---- itself and get someone, or several someones, to cover the loss?

Hell, since it involves offending King Harvey, I might be a donor if they need it.

C'mon folks. This is just the rough-and-tumble world of politics.

Lee's mistake was not anticipating the conflict his announcement would create. He should have been the one asking the Jackson Chamber to step out until, win or lose, after the election.

I was at the forum this past Friday and I don’t understand what the big deal is. Jonathon Lee told the group exactly what happened. The city tried to put the kibosh on the Forum by applying pressure to the GJCP. The only problem was that the Forum is not a program of the GJCP, they only sponsor it. So in order to appease King Harvey the GJCP ask Jonathon Lee to step aside. He declined. The irony is Lee did not complain or bad mouth the chamber. In fact, on Friday he gave one of the GJCP staff members a plaque. Duane O’Neal was there to snap a picture himself. Furthermore, Bill Cooley announced that some other group was willing to sponsor the Forum for two years or until another Sponsor could be found. The show goes on and the folks that are mad about it are those idiots from the city…

The Jxn Chamber sponsors a coffee club ?

" Notably the weekly funding from the Chamber, to the tune of $250 a week for free coffee and breakfast cake for about 25 people ".

So...$10 dollars per head for some Sam's Club coffee & discounted Kroger manager's special "WE BAKED TOO MUCH" honey buns ?

This inter-city oasis of progressive warm fuzzies is to be congratulated.

They too are making one hell of a capitalistic gain off of their sheep.

$.50 cost, $9.50 profit ?

3:59 this is all tooo funny. Thank you for filling in the blanks.

And no, 11:19 your Capital City does not have its own Chamber of Commerce. Every community around Jackson does, but not Jackson. Jackson's is a tool of the 13 county (or w/e the f it is) "Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership".

435. Do come this Friday. 75 people and great reports from around the city. Get negative out of jealous ignorance. Why won't you attend so you will be informed regarding that of which you bitch.

I've heard that Kenny Stokes may use this West Jackson Coffee House to address his
anti-baggy pants law. I loved his TV comments about the opposition from the ACLU to his ideas.

To paraphrase his response to the ACLU :

" Dat kainst-TI-too-shun don't give me no rite to look at sum-body's azzz ...."

Never thought I would be pulling for Stokes on anything.

Thanks for the invitation 5:44.

I might see ya there. (I may be able to borrow a pair of birkenstocks to fit in with the regulars, but I don't own a Vespa) .

Now, ... get back to work before Todd & Donna realize yet another intern is addicted to Jackson Jambalaya .

Kingfish will you please call Chris Mims about all of this. I would love to get the city's take. Or O'Neill for that matter. I would say King Harvey, but that is too much of a stretch.

The last time I saw O'Neill he was at Jacque Pennay trying on another tan leisure suit. But, grinning big as always. He so wants to fit in at Dale Danks' summer party.

This Duane O'Neill? The pompous ass who gets paid $390,000 annually in piss to lead the dying city of Jacktroit, MS? That Duane O'Neill?

Its about what I expect from Harvey. Truth is, he blew it on Puckett. They pay a quarter million a year in real and personal property taxes. That is not counting the sales taxes. They wanted curb cut-outs. Harvey blew them off so they said see ya.

As for Chris Mims. he will not take my calls. I can't even go by his office. Never met the man. One time I was in City Hall on other business, thought I would stop by and introduce myself while in the building, and the security guard said I could not go by his office. Yup, you have to go through a security guard to see the PR flack. If you wonder why you don't see quotes from city officials in my Jackson stories, well, its because none of them will talk to me unless its at a presser.

Such a kind, generous chap you are, 8:41!

Regardless, considering those who have announced to date Harvey has to be considered the odds-on-favorite to four-peat.

O'Neill is grossly overpaid.