Jackson Jambalaya

Mayor Yarber, it is the city's job to finance and fix the infrastructure. Stop paying "consultants" and start fixing things.

At the very moment that estimates were lowered for state revenues, causing cutbacks at state departments, the Legislature was ensuring that the Mississippi economy would continue to go into the ditch by passing, and Feel signing, a bill (HB1523) to vent all their religious prejudices and bigotry.

Rep. J. Andrew Gipson of the Jones Walker law firm, thank you for enshrining your bigotry, prejudice and raw hatred into law where it will do the state of Mississippi the greatest economic harm, and right when the State can afford it the least. Then you got Phillip Gunn and Feel to go along with you. A$$. You are costing all of us money and jobs.

12:32 recognizes "raw hatred" when he/she/it sees it.

I propose that the City of Jackson start charging $25.00/day for parking meters around the Capital and Woolfolk and MDOT buildings and Sillers and Supreme Court. Also, First Baptist could help by charging for their parking lot per day and donating the money to the City for infrastructure.

@12:08 PM Do you think large non-profits and state and federal building should pay anything for fire protection? Should they contribute at all for services they enjoy? It would help out a whole bunch if they just contributed what tax paying commercial establishments pay for the same protection.

As disappointed as I am with Yarber's incompetence to pave the crumbling streets, I'm with him on this one. The original bill recognized what so many state's have recognized as an unfair burden on a capital city. This legislature had such potential, but degenerated in to one mean-spirited power play after another, and actually hurt the state in several ways. As Will Rogers said, "Hide the women and children - the legislature is in session!"

attn 12:41 Look up the definition of infrastructure. It is a big word, so write it down, don't try to remember it.

Malachi Financial could probably fund all the work on their consultant fees for 2015 alone...

Hey dummies.

Republicans think all government workers are Democrats.

What better way to kill the democrat party then by gutting its revenue stream. Public teachers? Unions and black ladies. Down the drain. If they can kill the government sector...fine with them. They could not give a rats ass about regulations that actually work (food safety) or even teaching children.

These folks are on a mission to rid the earth of all things government.

Wake up people.

Right @1:30 PM and Democrats have done a stellar job bringing Jackson back from the brink.

12:41 - might come as a shock to you, but the state 'rents' those parking spaces around the capitol on a monthly basis when legislature is in session. And for a hell of a price. I think First Baptist rents those parking spaces to individuals on a monthly basis as well. At least the did a few years ago, and I know of no reason why they would have stopped. Got any other ideas?

Do you think those 'large non-profits and state/federal' entities don't contribute to the economy of Jackson? Do you think that none of those employees spend any money during the hours they spend in the City? What about all those visitors to the hospital- do they go out and buy lunch, or dinner? Or often spend the night?

While you want them to pay, are you including First Baptist, First Pres, etc in those that ought to "contribute" for all the services that they enjoy? How much would you suggest is appropriate for First Baptist - who, by the way, made the City responsible for maintaining ALL of State Street (from the city limits in South Jackson to County Line) when they built their crosswalk across it. A crosswalk that, as often as not, is not being used by their members. When I am driving down that street, I am constantly stopped by folks crossing the street at street level underneath the crosswalk. They don't even bother to walk a half block down to the corner where there is a light - making the traffic have to stop for them, and then often again, at the light.

First Pres, on the other hand, stops the driving public while their members cross the street, but they at least put a cop out there on Sunday mornings to help them. Somehow, their members have priority on getting to their church than the folks driving to theirs; even though there is a traffic light there that they could use to cross when the light is red. Don't know if the city or the county or the church is paying the cop and the accompanying vehicle. But at least they didn't build a crosswalk costing the city the maintaining of the street.

Just bitching. But since you want all the 'large non-profits' I don't want anyone reading on here to come up with what these churches should be kicking in along with the state.

Hate to disappoint all the haters here, but the Republican leadership was for this bill. Was hard to justify the new money while cutting all the other agencies. Problem was, the Dems killed it because they didn't like some of the details that were in it. They wanted the money, but didn't like the fact that they didn't control it. They didn't like the police protection that was added to it.

If the caucus had continued their support, this bill would be law this July. But they want it their way - evidently their way or no way.

I can't argue with Yarber on this. I'm so disappointed in our state leadership. A league of morons.

How long ago was it that the parking meters were checked by anyone needing extra change. Seems like many criminals had the keys to the meters.
It doesn't matter how much money comes into Jackson or where it comes from. Politicians have first crack at the money, their friends second, and on down the line. Very few $ make it past them. Certainly none of the $ makes it to the upkeep of the city. How many times do people have to see the records on how much Jackson has spent on the streets?

actually only the portion directly under the Baptist overhead cross walk is excluded from Federal Funds as non-conforming.

Will the legislature revise the bill to include competent water meter readings and working meters(without the consultant fees)? That would be a huge start? Wonder how many of Jackson's constituents have a tax free "clergy" designation?

Jackson, running things right so long as you don't ask questions... Detroit V.2.0

1:30 "...rid the earth of all things government."

Nah. Not ALL, but 30 to 50% would be a GREAT start!

2:28 That is true for Jackson, but it is also true for the State of Mississippi and Madison county.

The State DOT once maintained all of State street through out the city of Jackson but Jackson want to own it and keep it maintained. Yes, that was a long time ago so sorry leadership did not happen over night but the last few years it has taken a nose dive. As of today Jackson is the worst run city in the nation and it is broke and no one even knows it.

3:02, the crosswalk section is non-conforming. Therefore, it could no longer qualify as a Highway (used to be Hwy 51) and it remains as a highway once it leaves the Jackson City limits at Ridgeland. Once it was not a highway, MDOT could not spend highway money on it. The non-conforming section deleted it from the state's highway system, and Mayor Dale Danks, in catering to the voting block at FBC accepted this situation and took it over as a city street.

The folks in the legislature, even some of those that live in other areas of the state and have a dislike of Jackson and anything connected, realize that the City under its current (and past) leaders is incapable of properly managing itself.

The Mayor and Council tried to demand that the city's minority business requirements for contracts (35%) be included in the bill. The legislature was interested and to a degree willing to seeing infrastructure taken care of and trying to respond to the city's crying over the past couple of years for a bailout of their problems.

But because the legislature was not willing to put such discriminatory requirements on the spending, realizing that such ridiculous requirements were part of what put Jackson in the mess it is in today.

Too bad that the bill wasn't passed. But glad the legislative leadership didn't give in to the city and the city's legislative members.

Mayor, you and your people just go away , you people are ruining our city and school system. You are are making all black professionals a loughing stock. You my friend are the reason they look down on affirmative action . Just go away fast .

Managing what you have is more important than having more.

When the "home boy" kick backs, bribes and outright theft stop in Jackson, the legislature might take a listen.

It may be popular at the moment to rage against the state legislature, but don't let fads cause us to ignore the roots of the problem. I am a Jackson resident who loves this city, but it is a failed city. We have a city that doesn't charge its customers properly for water, tries to leapfrog off of Flint, MI to get funding, has a legislative delegation so unable to make friends that they lose the airport and the Capitol infrastructure bill (even though the Speaker of the House is from the same county as Jackson's legislators), wants to throw bottles at police from neighboring jurisdictions, listens without comment to racist ideas citizens bring before the City Council, has a terrible public school system, exports crime, and blames the state legislature for its problems. There are good people who work hard for the city, but given the public image that I just outlined and that the city's own government openly and deliberately cultivates, even neighboring counties (and other cities within our own county) have no reason to like us. In that environment, why on earth would legislators from yet more distant areas ever desire to throw state money our way? Mayor Yarber needs to quit explaining away defeats and, at the very least, seek to inspire. So far as I can tell, we have few friends in the state legislature and part of the reason for that is we have done nothing to make friends. The rest of the state is, literally, afraid to even visit our city with its potholes, crime, and general decay. We have got to give people a reason to change their minds.

1:30 - You're always mouthing off about teachers unions and public employee unions. I'll give you fifty bucks and an expensive box of cigars if you can point to either, anywhere in Mississippi.

7:59 am The image you accurately described is unreasonable and based in racism for the following reasons:

1. Other city and state governments recognized that civil rights was inevitable and so they moved to bring African Americans into government positions so they would be ready to lead and they looked to improve education as well. They sought out future black leaders early. Atlanta set an example and other cities in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and the northeast followed that example. The Deep South dug in as well as South Carolina and the rest of Georgia.

2. If you look for and focus on bad examples you will find them. In other states , you find pride and positive focus instead. They see their state capitol as needing to be the stellar example of what their state can accomplish.

3. Other states build on and publicize their successes and work together for common goals. In Mississippi, we air our dirty laundry with glee.

4. It is typical for capitol cities to have colleges, hospitals, churches, government buildings and non-taxable property. Other states recognize the reality and support their capitol. This is the only state of many in which I have lived where that is NOT the case but rather there is a concerted hostility as evidenced by this legislative failure. I particularly find the idea that " state agency cuts" as a defense of this action is not just ludicrous coming from those characterizing themselves as " smaller government/fiscally minded conservatives" but immoral . I can only hope more state officials in Michigan are criminally charged and then personally sued after conviction!

I look at Mississippi and see what could be. Mississippi is beautiful with more than it's fair share of talented, creative and good people and natural resources that could be tapped. But, the horrible lack of leadership and vision and the hatred born in insecurity from a racist past and present are killing us. Think of what Natchez and Vicksburg could have been and still could be as well as Jackson. The leadership of Jackson is not the enemy. They want to succeed and can. But, attacking them and " yelling " at them and putting them on the defensive rather than offering help is support will not work! In what universe has brow beating gotten positive results?

Yawn. Simple fact is, if you are incapable or unwilling to do your job and provide basic needs to the city that you are in charge of, you lose your job. It's time for the State to do this and stop the spiral.

@8:03 So you want people to treat the city of jackson differently just because they are run by blacks. Many people expect a higher standard than what is coming out of the Jackson city government. So you are saying we should dumb down our standards? Oh I forgot the whites are to blame.

9:04 a.m.--This is 7:59 a.m. Thank you for your reply to my comment, and, since I agree with much of what you said, I want to clarify my initial statement. First, I entirely agree that Jackson has huge potential (as I previously noted, I love this city), and I think the legislature should provide some support for our Capitol-area infrastructure. I also agree that some, at least, of the state's perception of Jackson is unfair. Part of the reason I am upset with the leadership of Jackson is that they deliberately perpetuate that negative image. Why they do, I don't know. Maybe to garner votes from constituents. Maybe due to incompetence. But they do. Part of the reason the rest of the state thinks we throw bottles at the police is because one of our leaders said we should. Part of the reason the rest of the state thinks our water is dangerous is because our own city government said it was, then said it wasn't, then noted it's still dangerous for pregnant women and children. I know from personal experience that businesses and property owners have been scrambling to reassure their customers in the aftermath. Part of the reason the rest of the state thinks we mismanage funds is because we openly do--we can't even mail water bills correctly. That is poor leadership. Jackson is the victim of a lot of unfair prejudice, but it is also the victim of poor decisions from its own leadership. Brow-beating and blame rarely advance causes, but that holds true for Jackson's leadership as well. They can gripe about the legislature and make the legislature less willing to work with them than before, or they can seek to inspire demoralized citizens like me and try to make Jackson into a city more beautiful even than it already is.

Two things.

1. The comment about wanting a 35% minority participation goal was right. That did happen and it ticked off the legislature so some of them said screw helping Jackson.

2. It also didn't help when the Mayor and Stamps said that "Republicans" knew about the test results for levels of lead in Jackson water for over six months and didn't tell the city. The TRUTH is that the state took samples throughout the year but did not test the samples in January per EPA protocols. They notified the city before the end of January. Period.

That crap they said at the press conference was noticed and didn't help because they lied or didn't have their facts straight and they never apologized or corrected their statements.

I was also told that one particular press conference about the airport fight was considered to be pretty inflammatory so some members said screw it.

The people of Jackson worked long and hard to make the city what it is today, a cesspool. Most of the working people moved out of Jackson. Crime became the leading business. Crooked cops and city leaders became the norm. Most business had to move because of the crime and lack of customers. Nothing was spent on city upkeep. What money the city had disappeared to no one knows where.
If the people in Jackson want a change the easy thing is to elect people who will make a change. If the people like the way the city is now just continue along the same path. It is up to you.

So, Kingfish, what your are saying is basically, "The legislators care much more about their petty infighting than they do about the people they represent. That it is much more important to score a point or win against their opponent, to say screw it, than it is to do something positive for the State, City, community and people who live in Mississippi." I can't believe we have 3 more years of this.

It happens more than you think. There was a local/private bill to allow the street-use of golf carts in neighborhoods. It was considered a Madison bill. Mr. Wilson fought hard for the bill. His efforts went for naught because.............. his compadre who is a rookie Representative representing Madison voted against a bunch of local/private bills. The reps have made it clear they are going to kill anything associated with him or his district even when he doesn't push something.

It started out as a way to help the city, and ended up with no money and the establishment of a mini-Vatican within the capital with its own police and judicial system. Not on the same page, or even in the same book.

His efforts went for naught because.............. his compadre who is a rookie Representative representing Madison voted against a bunch of local/private bills.

That's no way to win friends and influence people.

Jatroit - Setting up a Capital District that is separate from the city of Jackson is BRILLIANT. How do you argue with it...DC is a Capital District. Nothing says what the geography has to be. Give Jackson City Government what is left. Maybe (don't hold out much hope) areas such NE Jackson will finally get fed up enough to do what Atlanta suburbs did...secede and incorporate separately.

That should solve a lot of problems and make all sides happy.
The city of Jackson can be governed by the likes as they have been electing. The Capital District can be governed by a group capable of running a city. The Capital District can be rebuilt and let the rest of the city rot. Criminals will be prosecuted in the Capital District and left to run wild in Jackson.
Everyone will be happy.

10:09, discussions about the airport should be inflammatory. If I came to your house and told you how to run it, I'm sure our discussions would get very inflammatory. If the State of Mississippi wants an airport, then it should build its own. I don't see them trying to run the airports on the Coast and Tupelo. The Governor and his cronies are sending this State backwards. We are the butt of jokes all around the country. It's embarrassing; the whole world thinks we are a bunch of trailer-trash rednecks.

So David B (I assume Senator) - because they changed the bill to make the district more palatable to some, you think it should be killed?

You know that the money issue was due to this year's budget issues - could the leadership justify putting new dollars, even at a lowered level, into this entity while cutting agency budgets elsewhere. If the district was formed the money would be forthcoming next year as the budget situation improves.

You cleverly omitted any comment about the City 'leaders' insisting on their minority business requirements being included. Granted, they didn't like the parts you mention, but they also refused to support it without either their control over the spending or the minority requirements.

This was a John Hohrn tactic - proposed the bill with parts that the legislature wouldn't accept (minority rqmts and city approval), watch it fail, and use the Mayor losing the airport and the district in next year's city elections.

Problem is - the city loses. If you didn't support the bill because of the police jurisdiction issue, I hope you lose as well. You legislators have your own security protection at our expense. Why don't we let the state protect all of us in the area - particularly while the legislature is in session and its not safe to have our families on the streets.

Rep. J. Andrew Gipson of the Jones Walker law firm. That's so nice and cozy. This is the same law firm that represents the City, Hinds County and the JRA on their damn sweetheart bond deals. There are other qualified bond law firms, even some qualified minority firms. You don't have to give your business to somebody who is spitting in your face while their cashing your checks. Just because they tell you they're smarter than anybody else, it ain't so. Ask any other law firm in Jackson.

It ought to be pretty damn clear to anybody paying taxes and living in Jackson: either the law firm gets rid of Gipson right now, or we get rid of the law firm.