Friday, January 22, 2016

Setback for Lord Snow at the River of Pearl

The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors decided that Butler Snow had lived pretty well at the county trough and terminated a $450,000 "consulting" contract at its regular board meeting this week.  The Picayune Item reported yesterday:


Wednesday, the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors decided not to renew a contract with Butler Snow after hearing concerns from citizens about its failure to bring economic development to the county.

Pearl River County resident Tavish Kelly represented a group of concerned citizens expressing concern over the proposed contract renewal with VisionFirst Advisors, an economic development firm of Butler Snow.

The board entered into a contract with the law firm in 2012 to manage the county’s economic development efforts to attract businesses and boost employment, which Kelly said is a waste of the county’s time. “One of our concerns is the idea of hiring an outside firm and charging them with economic development to begin with,” Kelly said.

The previous contract required the county to pay the firm $450,000 within a three-year period to assist with economic development, according to previous Item coverage.

“The expectation was that Butler Snow would deliver new business to the county in order for our citizens to prosper and earn more money and for the general value of this community to increase. And that did not manifest,” Kelly said. “We want to see our county richer, wealthier and better employed. We need to keep our tax dollars within the county.”

He recommended the board make the contract public and hold a hearing to get public feedback, however, the board immediately agreed that it was time to cut ties with the contract in order to move the county forward. Rest of article
The contract is not a public record? Oh really. 

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

One does not simply "terminate" a contract with Lord Snow.

Anonymous said...

Wow, talk about a thief in the night.....Geez, come on people, DO FOR YOURSELVES!!!! HMMMM, let's see, I want to boost economic development,****LIGHT BULBBBBB**** let's go hire a law firm for that and pay them a huge fee.....Genius idea right there!!!......and shame on Butler Snow for being such whores!!!

Anonymous said...

good luck getting state money to pave the roads...

Very Very Important Interns said...

Don't think Boss Hogg Barbour will be very happy about this turn of events.

Proper Grooming said...

As an USM economic development graduate student intern, she works out of the Trent Lott National Center for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship on the Hattiesburg campus. The Center allows Glover access to multiple data resources and experienced economic development professionals overseeing the work on behalf of VisionFirst Advisors.

I believe that. I really, really believe that. "Access" is extremely important. "Access" to "professionals" and "data resources" even more so.

Anonymous said...

Pay these grifters, or else no one will keep buying Mercedes' and eating out at nice restaurants and other such suburban horrors. Mississippi economic development....

Anonymous said...

fyi ya'lls' hero haley barbour is the partner from butler snow that is a a partner in vision first. i bet phil's old (young) economic advisor hairston is involved as well. pay better attention and you'll notice that a great many of your problems come from those you worship.

Anonymous said...

Butler Snow bilking a governmental entity????? SHOCKING

Oh wait...

Killed Contract To Keep It Secret said...

District III Supervisor Hudson Holliday said the county should work with Butler Snow to a certain degree.

There is a place for Butler Snow, but when you start dealing with Washington that kind of stuff worries me. I want our own folks working here,” Holliday said. “We may hire Butler Snow at some point in time as a consultant. But economic development needs to be paid for by the county, the city of Picayune and Poplarville, we need to all be in the game.”

Secretary to EcoDevo Guru said...

When you've got what it takes you ascend the ladder very rapidly.

Anonymous said...

The circle become more curious:

Shelby Glover is the first intern for VisionFirst. She is a graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), anticipating earning a Master’s of Science in Economic Development in August 2016. Glover currently supports the work in Pearl River County, MS and other clients.

Anonymous said...

The taxpayers should demand an accounting from Butler Snow - this is criminal - and its criminally stupid to hire them in the first place. They had an INTERN doing this? Clearly in MS it is who you know. Kingfish, can you request records that show what Butler Snow did to fulfill the contract? I'm kind of sick of watching this crap.

Anonymous said...


Who wants to bet that there are Haley deals like the one in Pearl River County scattered all over Mississippi? Any takers?

The grand total sum of all the Haley Barbour boondoggles burning through taxpayer dollars in Mississippi has to be pushing $150 million dollars at this point.

Anonymous said...

“With its decision to locate production facilities in Mississippi, KiOR is providing high-quality job opportunities for workers in rural areas of the state while, at the same time, benefitting the Mississippi forestry industry and farmers through its commitment to using feedstock from renewable resources grown in the state”.

Gray Swoope
-- Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority
-- August 26, 2010

Anonymous said...

Simple, Pearl River County was purchasing influence.

Anonymous said...

One does not have to go to PR County to see how BS screws local governments.

Anonymous said...

No doubt about it Kingfish, they killed the contract renewal to avoid disclosure.

Picayune Item, May 1, 2015
Is the county getting their worth from Butler Snow?

Because of this possibility, it’s especially important that the total cost and expenses of the contract, including the cost of hiring an interim and long-term executive director, the costs associated with long-term financing of the new county wide economic development association and the total expense associated with the site readiness property must be made public before any renewal action is taken.
.....
Voters should oppose renewing the Butler Snow contract, the creation of an appointed county economic development authority that is unaccountable to the voters and a refusal to publish expenditures. We need less Butler Snow intrusion into county affairs, not more.

Anonymous said...

Not only does BS intentionally bilk taxpayers and governments, it uses incompetent young sprats to do the "real work," and that screws everything up for everybody all over again. Prime example: Young incompetent BS attorney failed to follow the clear law in establishing the Lost Rabbit PID, and that mistake which they never owned up to ended up costing REAL people a LOT. I hate that firm.

Anonymous said...

Please tell me no GoZone dollars were used to build the current Butler Snow office. I can't fathom the thought that my taxes went to pay for Haleys plush office that he doesn't even go to.

Anonymous said...

So Haley has corporate America paying him to secure my tax dollars for crony projects and then he had counties paying him bribes to locate these crony projects in their county? He then uses his law firm to do the legal work? Pay your taxes, put a Thad sign in yard every know and then and shut the hell up!!

Anonymous said...

Someone, anyone, please compile a summary of how much milk Butler Snow pulls from the government tit each year. I bet if you add up all of the local governments and state agencies it is in the millions.

It is no coincidence that so many people with ties to government work there:
- Former MDEQ director Trudy Fisher
- Former MDA director Gray Swoope
- Former guvnah Barbour
- Phil's daughter

Trudy Fisher leaving MDEQ to go to Butler Snow, only to be replaced by a Butler Snow lawyer was a particularly obvious farce.

Looks like maybe Ronnie's letter wasn't so crazy after all.

Anonymous said...

Love the Butler Snow haters here. Nothing different - check the history books. Always have one or two law firms that get lots of the business, hire all the 'former' employees, etc. Baker Donaldson has its share today, mostly though on the Insurance side. Others have them from the education industry. BB has theirs as well.

And having low level new entries do lots of the grunt work isn't limited to the BS offices - that happens in all the large firms as well. Moving out of practicing law and getting into the business development and the lobbying operations is doing nothing but expanding the process.

If I am the managing partner of a firm looking to get into these governmental areas, I am recruiting the former agency directors as well. Why the hell wouldn't you - particularly when these folks practiced law at a big firm before they ran the agency?? Someone who has run the DEQ is a prime catch for an environmental division for example. You want to open a business development operation why wouldn't you recruit and try to get someone who has been in that business for decades?

Maybe you haters think that we only ought to have lifetime bureaucrats running government agencies, and they should stay there until they retire. That way no firm would be accused of doing a good job recruiting employees for their firm.

Wonder why it is ok for Ronnie to go to a law firm and spend most of his efforts getting clients to sue the state but you want to hate on BS because Haley went there when he left the mansion. Will you condemn Phil when he goes back to a sheriff's office to take back his arson-deputy badge because that sheriff will get first dibs on the firebugs?

Anonymous said...

Setback? Hell!! A $150k/year contract that required at least a modicum of work isn't a setback for ButlerSnow. Its a change of administration year and folks/firms that have these kind of contracts expect this - partly why they are set to expire during this time period. Losing Pearl River County will be offset by gaining elsewhere - just like Mike Espy losing his gig in Madison will surely be offset shortly. Not a big loss for the kingdom of west ridgeland.

Wonder, though, who everybody here that has such good feelings for ButlerSnow think should pick up this 'plum'. $150,000 a year to run an economic development department for a county isn't really a great deal - figure the costs involved and its really just one employee on staff with expenses.

Anonymous said...

4.02....Digital Strategy Director at Butler Snow??

Anonymous said...

5:19 - Nope. No connection. Don't even particularly care for the firm. But recognize reality, and the political history of law firms in MS over last several decades. Sorry

Anonymous said...

Hater? What an overused trope.

Anonymous said...

do people on here not realize that Haley Barbour has a very limited role at Butler Snow. He spends most of his time in Washington at his firm there not Butler Snow. Same as Trent Lott. Those guys are paid a fee to do a few meetings a year, but to think that they are behind deals like this is pretty funny.

Anonymous said...

"The grand total sum of all the Haley Barbour boondoggles burning through taxpayer dollars in Mississippi has to be pushing $150 million dollars at this Point."

A measly $150 Mil? What about the $6.5 Billion Haley Barbour/Mississippi Power coal gasification plant in Kemper County? Those are the real wasted bucks.

Anonymous said...

Kemper plant is not state dollars. Get over it. Hate HB as much as you want - hate BS. But continuing to say that Kemper was Haley's project - or that it has billions of state money in it is nothing but a lie. And the Bigger Pie folks that want to keep on pushing it should look at where their original money came from. Pot / kettle?

Anonymous said...

For those that don't know, your federal and state dollars, millions of them, leftover from ITD, is now being used to fund the agenda of Bigger Pie Forum.


Recent Comments

Search Jackson Jambalaya

Subscribe to JJ's Youtube channel

Archives

Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


Note: Security provided by INS.

Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

Note: Security provided by INS
.