Jackson Jambalaya

Really!

You were in over your head. Literally. And you were the highest paid city employee in the state? What a joke.
Mayor will to promote from within. No one in their right mind will take a 1 year job as Yarber is a less than one termer only. Might as well make Socs Interim. Got nothing to lose and he's running the department anyway.

#DavidWillis4PWDirector!!!

I bet captain smith wished he could have just resigned his position after the titanic hit the iceberg.

its a shame she was allowed to last this long...Capital I,incompetent.But hey, her bosses didn't know she was incompetent because they are..it doesn't get any simpler than fixing potholes!!

One member of the city council runs the public works department? Gonna need to explain that, 8:03.

LOLOLOL, and right after the JFP interview practically beatifying her.

8:03, perhaps she understood more than you do.

After an less than scathing, fluff interview with the Jackson Free Press, Powell throws in the towel. DonnerKay for Mayor. Winning.

Bye Felicia....uggghhhh...,I mean Keisha!

I think 8:03 was referring to Socrates Garrett. But why? We know he has not power, he's just a poor struggling minority contractor who can't catch a break in this rigged system. /sarcasm

Amazing someone that paid can't find a decent hairdresser. Or maybe she could find the time

They'll line up for the opportunity to have this job for a year or year and a half. Nice salary boost. Almost zero expectations. Nobody knows which way the ship is supposed to sail anyway. PERS escalates. And after the next election, they can always go to Canton or Bolton and run for mayor.

I bet she's taking that detail with her where ever she goes. I don't blame her. He's fine.com

Wait a minute! By resigning on a furlough day, didn't she violate some kind of non-work clause??? I think she needs to re-submit it Tuesday when Gus and Marshand are back in the office again.

So she took a 3 month paid leave of absence, then returned and fired the whistleblower, and now she resigns? Why did she wait so long. Rehire the whistleblower and cut the back pay exposure.

Apparently all the local news outlets were on furlough also, because they haven't said a thing yet.

Any rumors about why Colendula Green was relieved of her duties as spokesman for the police dept?

Willie Bell! Willie Bell! Willie Bell! Might as well go ahead give him a head start since Junior is going to be next mayor and he can really change the morale with his singing voice. Lol.

ALL this means is that the mayor will replace her with an equally incompetent African American. I will bet my life savings on it. If the mayor would appoint anyone other than an AA (which he won't), he would be classified as a sell-out. Rather than appointing the most qualified candidate, he will appoint an AA-regardless of his/her qualifications. Please understand I'm not saying all AAs would not be qualified. I'm only saying that he limits his pool of qualified candidates based on the race requirement. I will say the exact same thing about the police spokesperson (if it's true that she's leaving). You would think the City of Jackson leadership would learn-Hire THE most qualified person to do the job and the get the hell out of the way & let them succeed. Instead, let's just keep making the same mistakes over and over and over. That way, we will go no where and continue having the same crap we have. Mayor & police chief----we're watching. Please do the right thing!

Dear Kishia, may all your water be leaded and the future path of your life be littered with potholes that ravage and ultimately consume your incompetent soul. Can I get an Amen?

9:24, in a perfect world you are absolutely right. But the most qualified would never even apply for the job. Too many things against them: short time frame for job as 13 months till a new mayor, a council that doesn't trust current mayor, wrong skin color, incompetitant minority hiring system, massive infrastructure problems with little money…just to name a few.
Any qualified applicant other than AA should have their head examined.

After all the mess she has created, she then resigns?? She has had a hand in many people losing their jobs who were only trying to do the right thing. I hope she reaps what she sows along with the crooked Mayor, Jason, Marshand and Gus. The Council wouldn't allow them to steal the City's money by approving those ridiculous contractors for lucrative projects so she she's out. Let's see what unqualified crook is appointed next. This is by far the WORST administration Jackson has ever seen. Can't fill potholes but they can try to fill their pockets. Next Yarber, the rest of the crew and his women need to go next. The City is tired and we deserve better!

Fawned over Wright and fawned over Powell but nothing out of Donner's weekly events bulletin about revelations involving either party last week.

Departure.of.Jackson's.DPW.Female.Head.Honcho.and.infrastructure.master.planner.would.otherwise.be.major.breaking.news. No?

Why is this not being reported anywhere else?

9:24, 9:30, 10:42, 11:17- AMEN to each of you. Right on point! I wish the Mayor and his team COULD read, and then I wish they WOULD read these posts.

I would suggest bringing in federal oversight and start searching as to where the money is being spent. But, that would be racist.

Journalists need rumors to be substantiated. Yesterday looks like Yarber was in San Francisco stumping for Hils. Lots of city employees were on furlough yesterday due to the city's budget situation. So give ethical journalism a chance.

Good luck to Atlanta. Y'all thought hosting those olympics were a disaster. Wonder if Powell will need a bodyguard there?

And by "...make my way home" she means make her to the unemployment office.

PLEASE Tony Yarber-hire a competent person and not more bullshit idiot political favors who have no experience. Go to a real leader in the state and ask them to help you hire a competent person. Also, run them by Stokes and get his opinion. If he hates them, then you're hiring the right person!

You go girl! You GO!

Rumor has it she is in poor mental and physical health exacerbated by the stress of working in Jackson. She had accepted a job heading up the Atlanta water department so I hear. Watch Coca-Cola stocks nosedive.

May 28, 2016 at 12:35 PM:

Journalists need rumors to be substantiated.

It wasn't a rumor.

So give ethical journalism a chance.

Jackson Jambalaya is journalism and is ethical journalism.

So Socs isn't the main man? But yet he's the one quoted all in the CL article? Also, not a very good plug for the job with his negative comments about her future if she stayed here. What a moron. And he has Yarber's ear and wallet. No wonder the bottom is very near.

Tricia,

Anything not independently verified is usually regarded as rumor.

Plus, when Kingfish posted this he didn't cite a source, just stated it as fact. Granted he's hardly ever wrong and incredibly thorough, but even the most seasoned journalist knows you need to attribute your sources.

Anything not sourced to a person or entity is opinion, unless the author witnessed it firsthand. If I saw Kishia Powell hand over the resignation myself, I wouldn't need to attribute that information.

Given a source wasn't mentioned, it's likely most journalists in the metro didn't want to risk going forward with it unless they had independent confirmation, which we got after reaching out (sometimes unsuccessfully) to several council members, Shelia Byrd, and even Powell herself.

Kingfish was confident enough in his sources to know it was true, yet didn't want to risk putting where he got the information either because a) he wanted to own it and didn't want others contacting the source, if named, or b) he couldn't disclose the source because those were the conditions of him being able to receive the information.

Either way, he broke it first. Mad props, as the kids say.

What a waste of time, 10:59.

The more interesting story will be taking a look at her final travel and expense report. Errybody know to pad that one real good like.

The first thought that came to mind was"The rats always leave a sinking ship".

The DPW Director appeared very smart and experienced. She approached all the issues from a technical standpoint. The issue she faced and others will face is that she got damaged by politics. She had to put on her game face and try to make political boneheaded decisions forced on her by The administration look like they were her decisions reach by a fair process. This will affect all future and has impacted all past DPW Directors. Also, not using metro based businesses to provide services has allowed many out of state firms with one room offices to take tax payer dollars out of the local economy. Many local firms who pay plenty of taxes are having to layoff workers and reduce the size of operations because of Tony's quest for spreading the work. This will further damage his tax base as more established Jackson businesses pack up and head for greener pastures. So I think the DPW Director did the smart thing, that is abandoning ship due to have to fight the political mess that exist not to her making. What would you do if you had to take the blame for forced political decisions that people think we're be made by you.

@10:26, you are about 18 months behind the curve. There are more dangerous people than Soc.

She knew she was in over her head. Up until recently very people knew her name and almost nobody had ever seen her on camera or in the paper. So, she didn't 'put on a game face' or feel damaged by politics. She had a small empire and an elaborately furnished office, a municipal vehicle and all the perks that come with a tremendous salary in a corrupt administration.

The way Barrett-Simon-Barrett looked on television this morning, the city was blind-sided and is scared shitless now as to how to proceed. But, they'll cobble together some small group of half-way competent junior staff and try to keep the doors open, a few potholes filled and pipe contracts flying.

8:52 - Enough with the excuses. Bright? She was terribly unimpressive. Remember when she broke down crying and fled her press conference? Was that her game face?

If we change the flag magically the water department will collect all bills, yarber might seem educated and all black on black crime will cease! Perfect harmony. God bless Kenneth

Are we talking about the same person and the same city?
Amazing service, if I remember right more people are stealing water than paying for it.
Hard work and diligence, how hard is setting in the shade or leaning on a shovel watching the water flow down the street?
I think there has been a mistake made. What city and person are we really talking about?

8:52

Is you Kishia's momma?

There's 12:32 again....setting.

11:38, We are discussing a person who beat the tax payers out of a lot of money. We are also talking about a mayor that hid the fact from the taxpayers. You are more interested in an E instead of an I. Sure have your priorities straight don't you.
Do you work for the city?

6:08 - I haven't heard anything about ofc Green being relieved, is this why Tyree Jones has been making a lot of the tv appearances lately?

graham the legend will rehire her when he becomes mayor.