I went to City Hall in Jackson and watched the City Council in action. There was nothing to remind one of the days of Stokes and Louis Armstrong. Stamps, Priester, Foote, and Hendrix were present. However, what I saw made me wonder if the city council is actually capable of governing Jackson. Look at this picture:
That is JPD Chief Lee Vance. He sat on those steps during most of the meeting as he waited to be called before the city council. What is the problem?
The meeting started at 6:00 PM. Did the city council jump right into business? Nope. The council instead spent nearly an hour and a half listening to public comments. Everyone who thought they might have a beef or wanted to speak truth to power got up there and did so. Here we are at 7:30 PM and the city council finally moves on to handling city business. The meeting finally ended a few minutes after 10:00 PM. The Chief and other department heads sat around for most of the evening as the city council likes to have them at their beck and call when they are in session.
However, it gets better. Chief Vance and his fellow cabinet ministers had to sit around for two hours during the Monday work session. Get this straight: The city council requires the Chief of Police and other department heads to spend nearly over half of a work day waiting to serve the city council. Crime is a problem, roads are crumbling, and Jackson issued boil water notices on a daily basis yet the city council would rather have the people who are actually running the city come act as servants in waiting at their marathon meetings.
I will repeat what I just wrote: The police chief, the fire chief, and the other department heads- the people who actually run the city- are forced to sit around at city council meetings for at least half a work day while they wait to be called before the city council, even if they are not posted on the agenda.
The Mayor should tell the council that he will make his department heads available to them if they specifically place them on the agenda but the days of their sitting around as servants in waiting is over. Over, over, over. It is time for this foolishness to stop and allow those who actually run the city to do their jobs but then, REMF's rarely understand that concept, do they?
The city council also needs to show some leadership and start handling the city's business. Most of the city council wants to play leader without actually leading and that my friends, is the bottom line.
16 comments:
REMF'S ?
The Priesters, father and son, are arrogant and careless. Tony Yarber would make a decent high school student body president. Ashby Foote has pea-sized cojones. Stamps and Stokes are empty suits. Margaret Barrett-Simon should step down gracefully.
I would like to see Lee Vance as Mayor, but the Priesters are already freezing him out. For all his shortcomings, Mayor Yarber certainly did one thing right when he appointed Chief Vance, but how long before Chief Vance says to hell with it?
I'm gratified that JJ is on the case, but shame on the rest of the media for letting you hang out there on your own. We've got a cast of naked emperors, and only you will say so with a clear voice.
Junior high school students would agree that a call on a cell phone when you are needed would save a lot of wasted time sitting around.
Chief Vance looks like he really appreciates the way the council is treating him. What a mess.
The term "REMF" was often used by those who were out there "in the bush" in referring to those who remained in rearward positions in places of relative safety. It was not a term of respect or endearment. To put it bluntly, it was verbal shorthand for "rear echelon mutha f_ _ _ers."
This reminds me of a recent post by KF featuring a clip from Kim Wade's show in which he calls out the Real Problem In Jackson (my words, not Mr. Wade's).
I'm curious as to what pressing issues were brought to the Council's attention for one and a half hour.
I have seen that happen in Madison County. May be different now.
I'll bet it's happening all over the world.
asking the voter what they want to be given for their future votes is not governing the city.
This is the same way vBell John Crosby and Tim Elvis Johnson treated Madison County voters for several years. And you see where their asses are now. The remaining board members in that county, who survived the recent blitzkrieg had oughta, maybe, perhaps, prolly pay heed and stop doing the same.
I have no objections to citizens being able to address the council, but it's hardly a problem to make a request and be given a time limit to speak. The citizen should make known the topic they wish to raise. The citizen can also then present any additional factual information in writing to support their remarks.
With an actual time schedule, other city officials would know when to be available. And, with subjects on the agenda, some notion of whether or not they would be needed.
I thought this was the reason government bodies have agendas they follow. Citizens remarks would fall under " new business".
Surely, there is also a clerk for the council who is supposed to help them manage the meeting and stay on schedule!
On a given issue, the Council should limit the number of speakers. Also, the Council should limit the public comments to persons with specific business before the City which would mean that the Enoch show is not there to waste time.
The problem is you got people like Stokes and his ilk who view the public comments as camera ops, uttering the same whiny ass woe-is-us drivel every meeting, made worse when certain regulars are allowed to speak beyond the time limits. Too bad the chief can't just watch the show on tv and wait until that part is over to show up.
The "Citizens Speak" segment is not always a waste of time, especially when "The Cat In The Hat" Sanders gets his turn to ramble about da peeples.
Most of the above comments, well intended as they may be, are based on the false assumption that these people give a whit about what the public thinks or has to say. They don't.
Many of us had the common sense to see what was developing in Jackson, many years ago, and were able to escape the fiasco before the final gasp for breath. It hasn't come yet, but I see it getting nearer. The city infrastructure is crumbling, the city streets are no better than third world countries, the city leaders compete with each other to see who can take the most and not get caught. Question is...who is trying to "catch" them....it seems there is no-one. The residents don't care about "Jackson" any more and it is obvious by the condition of the city. When will the destruction stop...who knows? It appears that it not stop, until it reaches a point of no return.
Reason 3,019 why I will not move back to Jackson.
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