Jackson Jambalaya

Where is Kenny?

Doesn't the City of Jackson have their own in-house counsel? Are they not qualified to comment on the garbage contract or, in my naivety, is this SOP for contracts between the City and contractors?

The cash-strapped City wants to hire one of the area's most expensive law firms to advise the Board on its rights against its own Mayor? Hopeless.

Just print some more money, Feds do that.

That’s a smack down.

City votes to hire a bham firm to work with trash company?

Yikes.

WM thru their lawyer said they will keep picking up trash for much cheaper than other proposed contracts.

Does anyone know why The mayor is so hot and heavy to use FCC Texas group? Don’t just say “money” ….say how much money and who is paying money to whom. If you don’t know that’s cool….I don’t either.

Who knows how the Graft works specifically ??

The distinguished mayor has clearly made some promises that he may not be able to keep now. He has tried desperately to make those promises and is squirming now that he may have to face the consequences. Wonder who he had gotten in bed with?

That firm has a downtown Jackson office by the way.

the mayor starts his comment by saying he passed the bar the first time, and completed law school in 3 years......what a child. Please resign.

September 22, 2021 at 2:03 PM
It appears to me the city council is backing Lumumba and the Council is not happy with that.

So let me see if I have this right. The mayor an city council have to hire an expensive law firm to advise them how to vote.

The mayor never acknowledges he illegally tried to change the terms of the RFP during negotiations with Waste Management. The so-called emergency was his own making. And Angelique Lee must be the biggest airhead ever elected anywhere.

This is who Lumumba wants to give emergency garbage contract to. Quoted as saying the only reason Yarber won mayoral election because his involvement. This dude knows nothing about garbage contracts, only minority bidding. What a joke this city is...🤔

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/politicalledger/2017/01/27/socrates-last-day-sludge-hauler/97137062/

How humiliating this must be for Chokwe. He took FCC's kickbacks and can't even deliver the goods. Only small-timers find themselves in this situation.

@ 3:06

Right? Can you imagine if all he had to do in order to hook his buddies up was to refuse to take action on something, call it an emergency for no action happening, then become the sole discretionary person in the procurement process? What a mad house.

He also said in the video that the laws says you present an emergency at the next regularly schedule council meeting. But then he says he couldn't do that because all of the meetings are special session due to coronavirus. Convenient. I'm sure the law also has some things to say about that.

Lol, it was his in house lawyers that wrote the illegal and badly worded vaccine order. I have no more words.

Completed law school in three year? That’s great, as it’s a three year degree!

What a clown.

Does anyone know why the contract with WM is being terminated? Did they not want to continue work in Jackson?

The council says that they have not had time to review the current contract, but the mayor says that the contract is already on flle with the clerk...

The mayor says that the council called a meeting for yesterday to vote on a contact to vote a contract that has. not yet been created...

Who is telling the truth? Why is being dishonest... ?

This conflict is difficult to understand because both sides are working against each other...

Lets ask M-bAR WHAT THEY THINK.

Socrates Garrett being involved with the Emergency Contract Company should scare you if you know who he is.

Here's what I don't understand - why would the mayor foist a hastily assembled, unamed garbage collection contractor on the city after losing twice to get his preferred firm - FCC - hired for the job? He didn't have the votes on the City Council to get anything he wanted after the Council twice shot down his choice. He did the worst possible job communicating his reasons for switching contractors, & now wants to blame the City Council for his failings. He may have been the smartest guy in the room in high school, but he needs to grow up.

"Does anyone know why the contract with WM is being terminated? Did they not want to continue work in Jackson?"

I honestly hope that is a legit question.
If so, here's the whole thing in a few simple sentences:

The contract is not being terminated. It's about to expire.
(Contracts do not last forever).

So, the City says to everyone, we are creating a new contract with these rules. If you can meet our rules, you might can get our new contract.

WM agrees, but Antar then changes the rules.
Ya can't change the rules under State Law.
(Yes ... outside of Jackson, laws still exist).

This makes it appear that Antar may want the new contract to go to his friends.

WM and most of the City Council understand the simple State law and say HELL NO.

Antar is shocked that the Council stood up to him and he has since thrown many tantrums.

Thus we have the current garbage situation within the
"City of/with Soul".

That concludes my explanation to any third grade class.

Desperate people do desperate things - & the Boy Mayor appears completely desperate. We can only wonder why.

4:18 I agree...but don't discount his tactic.

The majority of his uneducated voters will have zero interest in this situation.

They will also blame the governor if/when this shake Socrates nightmare results in heaps of garbage on the streets.

He is faultless and infallible with his people.

I had to make a trip to Jackson today. I was at a business on Terry road south of I20. I am more amazed every time I see what has happened to a wonderful old town. It's so bad you have to ask yourself, how in the world it could happen. But it did.

No wonder Socrates was so pissed on the local news

@4:57pm... Nice summary...Thank you for that.

It would appear that FCC gave a big "advance" to the boy mayor and now he can't produce. Maybe he should double up on his taxpayer provided bodyguards.

I saw him in Sally Beauty Supply in Madison five days ago. Swear!

How about that $750,000 mobilization fee?

Shouldn’t a company that’s fulfilling an emergency situation already be mobilized? Sounds like throned to lease or buy the essential equipment. Socrates employs 55 people in Jackson. Wouldn’t this contract require well more than 55 people.
Managing a start up in a new industry sector ain’t easy.

Looks to me like a fine time to lean on State resources and have insurance commish Cheney and agricultural top hat Gipson provide continuing education seminars at the upcoming state fair on how to properly and responsibly burn your trash in a FREE 55 gallon drum? Those that pass the course get an extra stamp on their Covid card?

10:56 - already be mobilized? Hell, ought to at a minimum be 'already formed'. This favored group of the Mayor didn't form their company until September 20th (two days ago) although the contract that our gumflapper leader said was on file at the Clerk's office was dated September 17th. Amazing little time warp.

Lumumba claims that the FCC contract was the top recommendation of an "INDEPENDENT" review panel, but he fails to note that he was the person that selected who were the members of that panel.

He also fails to note that the WM bid was actually cheaper than the FCC bid - once the entire cost of the work was included. And now, he wants to issue a contract to a brand new group that has not been involved before (but of course is led by Socratees Garrett, who has quite a lot of experience is fleecing the city - remember the $7 million overcharge he was going to walk away with for hauling away the sludge from the sewage treatment plant??) and this new company will be charging more per household (plus the "mobilazation fee") than the WM contract he refuses to deal with.

Neat business if you can get it - make an emergency so that you can bypass all bid and procurement procedures, but hey, at least your friends all come out ok.

Socrates would hire the existing employees.

Cheaper solution: Put dumpsters in strategic places around the city. People take their own garbage to the dumpster and throw it in. Whoever collects those dumpsters comes by once a week and empties them. Home owners won't have to purchase special containers either.

Works well in Yazoo County except when non-garbage stuff is dumped illegally. But sooner or later it gets picked up too.

Since most think Jackson is already a dumpster fire waiting to happen it may work.

Per WLBT:
M-Bar Sports Grill donates over $16k to city of Jackson to increase community safety.
Apparently this donation bought 4 security cameras. Glad M Bar is concerned with public safety…. Kingfish, help us out with this one???? Any story here? Who owns the camera company? Who installs cameras?

Just to be clear:
1. WM has done a good job at a fair price and it’s time to renew their contract for six years.
2. WM will pickup trash twice a week
3. The mayor wants to go with another company who charges twice the rate of WM and picks up only once a week.
4. The mayor’s new company isn’t ready yet so he wants an illegal one year deal with WM so the other company can get prepared.
5. Please explain how paying twice as much for half the service is a good decision

12:57am if you take your 9 and bust a few holes in the bottom of that 55 gallon drum those air holes will help that trash burn a lot faster.

Yeah one of the few things the city still gets right. Waste Management and of course little Chok wants to mess that up. This is the Days of our poor city

The news media or national inquirer. M bar like many other businesses, neighborhoods and churches in Jackson have been ask to contribute to these cameras ( roughly 5-6k apiece). JPD will monitor etc…. Maybe a good thing? The problem I have is that others in the community have “donated” to the purchase of these camera’s. Why is Mbar being elevated to front page status? They are no different than say a neighborhood giving money. I bet there is some entity that has given a lot more than Mbar.

As long as JJ continues to cover the city of Jackson and the Hinds County board meetings I will never lack for entertainment.

6:11 am There are already dumpsters at commercial businesses and places where groups of people gather. They are also at apartment complexes.

Anyone who thinks a neighborhood dumpster is a good idea has lost their minds or never been around one. They are smelly. The noise when dumped is loud enough to wake the dead and every sleeping baby, napping child or worker on late shifts. It will downgrade the value of homes near it.

Sometimes I wonder if many of the commenters have agoraphobia.

Atlanta has had 96 gallon trash cans for over 40 years and the citizens would go ballistic if that were changed.

It is disgraceful that our city council is unaware of WHY these cans are a good idea and cost effective. We pay them to do the work their position requires, not to opine and emote. A drunk with an IQ of 50 can opine and emote.
Like our council, many commenters are "penny rich and pound foolish or if that's hard, you know the cost of everything and value of nothing.

Quite amazing that so many of you do not understand that contracts expire, that requests for proposals ( RFPs) is how you get contractors to compete to give you the best price.

Hope really ought to know that and the difference in bids for the contract as well and what those bidding had to offer.

This Nation is going down the tubes from ill informed, loud knee jerk opinions based on party or race dominating our political dialogue.

Those you elect are SUPPOSED to inform you with factual reasons why they are for or against something. And, you're job is to verify if they have done their work accurately and honestly.

I am NOT voting for my council person again. If he can't do what I " hired" him to do, he's "fired" and I'll give a new person a chance.

" JPD will monitor etc…. Maybe a good thing ".

Dew what ???

Hell, Jackson won't/can't even answer the damn 911 emergency calls from all over the city.

Do you really think they will be watching live camera feed within Belhaven ?

11:22 = nice try at supporting the Mayor's incompetence, but....

Waste Management ALSO submitted a bid for using the 96 gallon cans, with once a week pickup - as required by the RFP developed and published by the Mayor.

Waste Management's response, when the cost of the cans was included, was less than that submitted by FCC, the Mayor's choice.

Yes, the Mayor claims that FCC was 'recommended' by an independent evaluation committee, but he fails to point out who was on that said "independent" committee, or who selected them to be on the committee that made the recommendation. You know, the one your boss, er, ah, 'scuse me - the Mayor - wanted.

The issue is not the 96 gallon cans that caused the council to refuse the offer presented by the Mayor, and the Mayor can submit Waste's proposal, submitted in response to the RFP, that also uses 96 gallon cans.

But thanks for playing; it was fun to try to see you cover for him. I'm sure now you can take another day or to where you can 'work from home' and accomplish all that is expected of you on the city's dime.

6:00 pm

I'm not employed by the mayor.

I'm white and long retired.

But, I do remember quite well the first Waste Management contract. I have all these years dealt with WM every time their collectors refused to collect limbs that met the requirements or threw my garbage carts so that it was damaged.

But, what I really know is how WM won the first contract and who in City Hall had to be visited to have a chance. I know what companies withdrew from competition as a result.

I also know the history of the big waste companies in this country...how they got started.

I'm glad the city hired Bradley. They have no need to play politics.