The Jackson City Council met today to discuss a sexual harassment lawsuit that was filed against Mayor Tony Yarber and the city of Jackson. All city council members except Kenneth Stokes attended the meeting. Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Marshand Crisler represented the Yarber administration. Some highlights of the meeting are:
*The administration opened the meeting by telling the council that it had to approve a 4-mill property tax increase or else the city would have to cut $350,000 from the budget. It then told the council that it could cut $300,000 from the fuel budget. However, the administration didn't tell the city council about the need for the tax increase or cuts until after the budget meeting that was held yesterday.
*Ward 2 Councilman Melvin Priester, Jr. opened the lawsuit discussion by asking how the city attorney's office could give it advice when the city attorney had an obvious conflict of interest. He said the city council needed to hire outside counsel to investigate the entire um, affair. Deputy City Attorney James Anderson kept advising the council that he would only discuss such matters in executive session. Those two words became a mantra, yea, even a philosophy, whenever Mr. Anderson spoke. Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon said she had never seen a case rife with so many conflicts of interest.
*"A slap in the face" is how Ward 4 Councilman Dekeither Stamps described the absence of the Mayor and City Attorney Monica Joiner from the meeting. He said he was prepared to wait as long as needed until they appeared. Such action would give him an excuse to keep wearing the same shirt.
*Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote asked if there were other EEOC complaints that were filed against city employees. Mr. Anderson did not answer the question but instead said he would only respond in executive session. Mrs. Simon interrupted Mr. Anderson and expressed her shock "You mean you can't tell us if there are pending complaints?". Mr. Anderson repeatedly said he would only discuss such matters in executive session.
*Mr. Stamps asked if Mr. Crisler and other city employees attended the fund-raisers in Atlanta and New Orleans on the city time and dime. Mr. Crisler refused to answer these questions and Mr. Anderson again invoked the executive session catechism.
*Mr. Priester asked several times why the city council was not notified there were EEOC complaints even though one was filed nearly a year ago. He said they were apparently "compartmentalized" and that there is an active conflict of interest between the city attorney and the city attorney's office. He asked to see all EEOC complaints filed against the city since April 2014. He also said the legal department asked for an extra million dollars in its budget request so it could pay for lawsuits. The city is self-insured.
*The City Council wanted to see the city's written responses to any EEOC complaints and make them public yet Mr. Anderson strongly argued with this idea as he again said they should only be read in executive session. The city council voted to go into executive session. Mrs. Simon voted against doing so.
*The City Council determined there was a conflict of interest for the city attorney. Ms. Joiner agreed to recuse herself from both cases. The City Council will look for an outside legal counsel. The meeting is recessed until Friday at 4:00 PM. The City Council is will prepare a list of attorneys who could represent the city in these matters.
Meanwhile, Mayor Tony Yarber issued the following statement:
37 comments:
Tony. Hey - its me. Can you hear me? Ok. Listen. Its over. You are fucked. Resign and move somewhere else. You are done in Jackson and will go down in history for this. I'm sorry to see it happen. You were supposed to be a role model for young people in your community but you could not keep it in your pants. You have a sickness. Go get some help and get out of the way so people can try to rescue the state capital.
What can the average citizen do at this point? I didn't trust the Mayor before, and I certainly don't trust him now. The Council seems to have trouble holding him accountable, short of an Executive Session.
Does the Council have subpoena power? Can they get a court order that forces the Mayor to appear?
Let's hope they hire a good lawyer.
How do you have a [scheduling] conflict, Tony? How could any other part of your job as mayor be more important than attending a budget meeting at which you intend to raise the taxes on my house by 4 mils. If my calculation is right, 4 mils based on an assessed value of $150k is $600, an amount that represents a 25% increase in my real property taxes.
I consider this to be non-consensual taxation. I would call the DA, but he has troubles of his own.
Wonder who they will hire. Lord Snow to the rescue??? That would at least speed up the process of the city's imminent bankruptcy and state takeover. Maybe then Lord Snow could be appointed by the State to run the city.
The attorney can recommend that they go into executive session but the body does not have to do it. The attorney works for the council - they should insist on him answering their questions in open session -especially such basic questions as to how many EEOC complaints have been filed.
Council should fire city attorney for his refusal to answer their questions while ting to protect crooks within the administration.
Looks like the Pastor Mayor is costing the city additional money due to his lack of poor judgement. It is disappointing to see the Mayor and his executive staff behave this way. The citizens of Jackson were unable to identify people with integrity problems. "Adultery clearly illustrates someone who displays bad judgement and is untrustworthy". BIRDS OF FEATHERS DO FLOCK TOGETHER!!! It's not too late for the Executive staff to jump ship! " Dang, I sure wanted to see those strippers in that body paint. I gotta go now my wife is getting off work."
I'll take 10:1 odds they hire a "friend of the city" for the lawsuit. Probably a close relation to prior Consultants if you will.
Shit sandwich.
James Anderson is likeable enough, but he lacks spinal fortitude. Time to step up, James. Or get out of the way.
Marsha Crisper refuses to answer whether he was on city dime at the fundraiser/stripper event except in executive session? Don't think that holds water - somebody should be filing ethics complaibt, while also checking time and expense sheets.
ARE THE BLACK LEADERS OF OUR CITY HAPPY NOW? THEY HAVE PUT THE FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN WITH A TAX INCREASE WHICH WILL MOST LIKELY BE SPENT PLAYING CATCH UP WITH THE CITY FINANCES. I SEE LITTLE HOPE FOR US WHITE FOLKS THAT HAVE STUCK IT OUT HOPING THINGS WOULD CHANGE. I AM GOING TO PUT MY HOME ON THE MARKET ASAP AND I'M NOT GOING TO JUST MOVE OUT OF JACKSON---I'M GOING TO MOVE OUT OF THIS DAMN STATE AND I WILL NOT RETURN NOT EVEN TO VISIT. THE GOVERNOR NEEDS TO GET SOME BALLS AND TAKE OVER JACKSON AND GET THE NATIONAL GUARD TO PATROL OUR STREETS---HAS EVERYONE LOST THEIR DAMN MINDS ????????????????
Who, exactly, is Yarber's private legal counsel?
I think his name is Little Elvis.
Don't get excited people. This is a normal situation when a city elects trash to lead it. It will be over soon. Any taxpayer that stays in Jackson deserves to pay for the elected officials lawsuits.
How much do you think the tax rate will need to be raised to pay for the lawsuits, fix the streets, repair the water system? Then you will need to add money for all the consultants and minority businesses.
I don't think Jackson has enough tax paying citizens to get them out of the mess they have gotten themselves in. For those who still pay taxes, get your wallet out. Someone has to save Tony.
if the council has any desire to serve the many, many good citizens of Jackson, they need to start calling for resignations of people immediately. Starting with all mentioned in this article. If the city attorney can not answer a question of the city council in a open forum, then the city council needs to remove him from his position. I would guess it goes w/o saying, all citizens of Jackson that give a rip should be wearing out our respective council persons phone!!
Sad, sad state of affairs. City council has NO authority over staff. In this form of government, they report to the mayor. The city council is barred by statute from meddling with staff.
The problem in Jacktown as any other city like Jacktown is the people who elect these thugs don't pay taxes.
.....or water bills.
"Indeed, now our focus is on crafting a budget and taking the necessary steps to keep Jackson on path to fiscal resiliency."
Surely you are shittin' me and he did NOT say that!
how much would we save towards 'crafting a budget' and heading toward fiscal resilency (Tony's words were "to keep" which is bulls**t, but skipping that for now) if Tony were to step down, eliminate his salary until we have a new election, get rid of his ridiculous 'protection team' of multiple officers, park his car and stop his additions to all the contracts for the 'mentoring programs' (known to the mentorees as the source for spreading the wealth)?
Would be the best thing he could do to get the focus on the problems facing the city, and not having to deal with the fallout from all his screwups (or down, not sure.)
Cornelius Danger
2:38,
Did you say state takeover? Hmmmm, don't worry about that. I will have you taken care of next session.
Think this is a mess,wait till little lumuba is mayor,,,
Remember when Chokwe and Co. were talking about the "Kush Plan" that would have carved Jackson, the Mississippi Delta, and parts of Arkansas into their own separate state?
Is that still on the table? If so, who would we talk to about it?
The Kush plan was never on the table.
Hire your girlfriend, let everybody know you are screwing an employee. Arrange for public bad blood. Admit to the sex and sexual harrassment. Have your employer give her a tax free million bucks or so. Leave office, slide right back in in Atlanta with some big bucks you tricked ol Jackson out of.
Is he Carlos Dangerous?
Everyone grab hold of yourself.
4 mil property tax increase.
Water bills out the roof.
Lubamaba mayor of Jackson.
Jim Hood Governer of Mississippi
Democrats control the Senate.
Hillary Clinton POTUS.
What more could a democrat want.
I'm digging a bomb shelter behind my house & stock up on Ramen Noodles. What are going to do?
Hood won't win.
I just love Ramen noodles.
Keep on digging. China is down there somewhere and you will probably be quite comfortable there.
,,,or not.
Maybe Detroit can send down their crack legal team that was so successful in defending Kwame and turning Detroit into the blazing success it is today!
7:16pm, your plan sounds fine, until you realize you forgot about the impending divorce. Ain't no way Mrs Yarber is gonna swallow all this without taking at least half, if not more.
LITTLE ELVIS? 4:42 PM, are you starting another Tal Braddock thread? That would be great! Tal threads are always winners!
Yarber is the black version of Anthony Weiner.
Oh guys envy cock hounds and see it as fun to talk about "racks" and which women are the sexiest and how they'd like " somma that" until the cockhound gets tangled up in those pants down around their legs!
"Ain't no way Mrs Yarber is gonna swallow all this without taking at least half, if not more."
Half of WHAT, homer?
We are now the Detroit of the south.. All we have to look forward to is a shit load of Syrian Refugees to be
re-settled here to duke it out with our Native Jacksonians...
As far as the roads and crumbling infrastructure of the Bold New City, our best hope is a natural disaster that would bring enough federal dollars to rebuild... We will not be so lucky though...
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