Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued the following statement.
“The Mayor’s Office is indeed disappointed in the latest action by City Council members to take the unusual and costly measure of hiring their own attorney, purportedly for a conflict that no councilmember can specifically identify, and for removing the item that would approve a garbage collection contract for the City.
A conflict with our current City Attorney, Torri Martin has been suggested by some council members, but pinning down exactly what that conflict is has been elusive. We stand by Attorney Martin. She knows the ins and outs of procurement law and has extensive experience in procurement from her tenure in the MS Attorney General’s office and working with the Public Procurement Review Board.
Attorney Martin has from the onset of issuing the Request for Proposals exhaustively explained the details of the evaluation process to the council, and she has done her best to answer questions that in some cases have had nothing to do with the contract.
Today’s action (or rather inaction) is simply another attempt by the Council to kick the can down the road to prevent the highest rated vendor, Richard’s Disposal, from being awarded a contract that they won fair and square, in accordance with the law, and one that would save the city approximately $1.2 million dollars a year.
Richard’s Disposal received the highest overall marks in the selection process for the twice-a-week with a cart option, and the Council should have approved the company just as it routinely does with other contracts. And yet a majority of the council has decided – without offering any compelling reason – to take the highly unusual step of voting against the top ranked contract not once, but twice. Even after the Council requested additional terms be renegotiated and those terms were added to the contract, the Council still voted no. The Council’s repeated vote against the vendor raises its own questions.
Why would the Council vote against a contract that would save the cash-strapped City millions of dollars?
Richard’s Disposal would establish an operations center here in Jackson and provide good-paying jobs and benefits to Jackson residents. The company would be in line with the City’s efforts to employ a qualified and successful minority contractor. They would continue twice a week pickup and offer a cart – like many other cities – to eliminate the eyesore and unsanitary nature of open garbage bags across Jackson. And most importantly, the City would save approximately $7.3 million over the course of the initial 6 years.
But rather than vote for a legally procured contract, the Council has decided to hire its own attorney, and just like our current emergency garbage contract, this action will cost the City additional and unnecessary taxpayer money.
Our ultimate goal has always been to do what is best for the residents of this City. Rest assured that we will do what is necessary for the City to have an affordable contract in place for garbage collection on April 1, 2022.”
47 comments:
Maybe the Mayor doesn't understand that just because he claims certain things as fact -- right? -- doesn't make the fact. Right?
Actually, Richards Disposal was the lowest ranked vendor on all parts of the evaluation except for the cost. And, the one part that the Mayor chooses to rest his laurels on -- right? -- is the option for twice weekly with a cart. Right?
But, what if the council wanted to choose an option without these 96 gallon carts? Right? Then, the cost evaluations that make Richards the cheapest is no longer valid. Right?
And, just because you change one line in the contract that you presented first, that lost bigtime, right?, that doesn't mean that this second lost was on a new proposal. Maybe that's what they want to get another attorney involved on, the efforts to circumvent the rules that say twice gone; gone for good. Your attempt at slight of hand to get your favored son in place using this public utility service as a jobs program should fail.
Actually, the one that is "RIGHT" in this effort are the council members that are refusing to follow your Candyland Trail to the ultimate end of the one thing that is actually working in the City of Soul.
Right!
Sounds like someone is going to J-A-I-L or P-R-I-S-O-N. This contract doesn't pass the smell test. Why break the only thing that's not BROKEN.
“The Mayor’s Office is indeed disappointed in the latest action by City Council members to take the unusual and costly measure of hiring their own attorney, purportedly for a conflict that no councilmember can specifically identify, and for removing the item that would approve a garbage collection contract for the City.
How about how much those of us who actually pay taxes while being passengers on this sinking ship
are disappointed with the alleged "mayor", to the point of nausea? That buffoon is about as worthwhile as biden.
He may have issued that statement, but those aren't his words. He isn't that articulate, and it is missing "right," right?
The mayor fighting this hard only means one thing.... someone's inline for a huge kickback
Zzzzz.
Is the Mayor really saying that Richard's Disposal will do a better job than Waste Management? The New Orleans residents hate the garbage "service" provided by Richard's Disposal.
Looks like the Germans are definitely involved.
Thank God the council is finally standing up to the corrupt mayor.
We will eventually find out why he is so inexplicably desperate to ram this contract through. I hope he faces criminal charges when the rest of the story finally comes out.
I like how he says “the mayors office” as if there’s a whole group of people. What a clown.
You get the government you deserve.
As I recall, it was Waste Management that initially won the contract “fair and square,” and it was this mayor who unilaterally changed the term from six years to one, after the fact. Now he wants to give his preferred choice a six-year contract.
You suck Chokwe.
What this Mayor doesn't understand, or at least, doesn't want to accept, is that in every city regardless of the form of government, the city council/aldermen/selectmen/whatever, get a voice as well.
There are plenty of fights going on around the state right now where the Mayor is losing votes on 4-2, 5-2, 4-3 votes because in those towns and cities the other side of the table (council, aldermen) get a voice in how things are done.
The difference here is that when the Mayors in those towns lose, they work out a solution with the council; for example, the Mayor brings back a different proposal, maybe the second bidder if the disagreement was over a contract.
Here, our self-effacing Mayor thinks that his and only his opinion matters, and when he loses, he refuses to take a second line approach.
Idiot that he is, it fits. Right?
The mayor doth protest too much, methinks.
If I can recall correctly, I heard the EXACT SAME ARGUMENT ABOUT THE WATER METERS and WATER BILLING SYSTEM. It will save the City a ton of money. B.S. Quit pissing on my head and telling me It's Raining. All of us are not STUPID.
Democrats in action!
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS,WHAT Happened to the 9million dollars that the mayor won over sueing the company that installed those new water meters that did nothing but jack everyones water bill up so high that some won't get it paid off before they die,their bill I'd outrageously ridiculously high,I mean I know of someone whose water bill is so high and there is NO WAY they could've used that much water in 3 lifetimes,and yet are expected to pay it,and even got an adjustment of so called reduced water bill which is still outrageously ridiculously too high. And I thought that when the mayor got that 9 million dollars,that he could've atleast paid everyones water bill,and let everybody start their bill at $0 . I think that it would be the right thing to do for all citizens of Jackson.I mean how does anyone have a water bill that is $60,000.00 or more water bill ,they have no swimming pool,they don't run a carwash,car wash, mean how much water would $60,000.00 pay for? But that's not my question,my question is,again,",WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 90 MILLION DOLLARS,WHERE DID IT GO?WHAT WAS IT SPENT ON OR WHOSE POCKETS DID IT LINE? BECAUSE IT COYLDNT POSSIBLY BEEN PUT TOWARDS JACKSON GET A NEW WATER TREATMENT FACILITY,BECAUSE,THAT MONEY THATS NEEDED IS COMING FROM THE GOVERNMENT ITSELF,RIGHT? I DONT KNOW ,I CANT SPEAK FOR EVERYONE BUT I FOR ONE WANNA KNOW,WHERE DID IT GO? IM CURIOUS,A LIFETIME JACKSON CITIZEN!
@9:26 PM
He can’t hear you.
What is the conflict Ms Martin supposedly has with Richards?
FYI I’ve deal with Ms Martin and personally I wouldn’t let her represent me. She is incompetent.
To the mayor: Keep WM. They do a good job. Just stop.
This guy cry baby lumumba is about as dumb as they come
I mean the fact that he lashes out. Hell it’s not his money it’s the taxpayers AKA NE Jackson Belhaven and Fondren where the producers live then this guy stands up for the takers. Screw him I hate to say it but the whites he hates are his producers for taxes. He’s too stupid to understand that.
How much of an advance did chowke receive from Richard's? Does Richard's employ any "leg breakers?"
WM doesn’t give kickback money. That’s the only reason for this pressure to change.
So Jackson has the highest murder rate in the country - by far - and the mayor only cares about helping M-Bar and giving the trash contract to a company that will enrich M-Bar owner's wife. Unbelievable!
Well said 8:03!!!
@6:35 pm
"Candy land Trail" is a good description for a Candy Man who deceptively drops candy to misguide those whom he has disdain for into a self serving trap.
This is the same Candy Man who walked down a long line of voters at the Old Canton Rd Christ United offering donuts in the last national election. He offered me one with his henchman holding boxes of them. I told him no and please go fix water, sewer, streets and sell off the zoo.
Those who pay their bills to the City don't owe trash cans to slum lords of renters who do not pay their bills. The city can easily write and mail thousands of $50 to $100 tickets to the slum lords for littering, then they will buy trash cans for their properties.
If our Mayor wants to hire a minority owned business in Jackson, wouldn’t that be a business owned by a white person?
If the mayor doesn’t renew Waste Management, I’m headed to Madison. I will not continue to pay $8000 in property taxes for nothing
The Jackson taxpayers...us who pay the bills....don't care if the trash company is owned by blacks, whites or polka dot people. We just want our trash picked up twice a week and no horrible 95-gallon piece of plastic crap on the curb.
Can't the City do anything right?
When the King speaks, you better do as the King says.
We the people just want Waste Management to continue. It is about the only thing in this dump of a city that actually works. Don't screw it up.
This and all of the other crap that is going on makes me so happy that I moved out of the cesspool called Jackson.
This guy is like a spoiled child on Christmas morning that didn’t get everything he asked for so he stomps his feet and throws a temper tantrum. He has no idea what the people think of him. He truly is the emperor with no clothes
25 existing NOLA customers commenting on YELP give Richard's Disposal an average of 1-1/2 stars. Comments sound like Richard's makes 'disposal' of courtesy, dependability and service a starting point in converting customers to victims.
Where is Richards going to haul the garbage? WM owns Little Dixie landfill (maybe the name is why the Mayor wants to change vendors). Guess Canton is where they will haul it. Or they will have to get approval to build a transfer facility to haul it to another Subtitle D landfill. But that is why WM can be the low bidder, as they have the closest landfill. WM definitely has the upper hand. And if the council awards the contract to Richards, WM will win in court. WM is definitely in the driver’s seat on this one. They win either way.
Those who accuse this mayor of taking kickbacks or being motivated by personal monetary gain will never get to the bottom of these conflicts. His vision is much larger, and stranger, than that. Only a very, very, few Jackson residents Black or White share that vision, that's why the council will find it hard to go along. If Jackson had money it would be much worse.
"Jackson will be the most radical city in the country"
To follow up on 10:57: If you want to find out what Lumumba means by "radical," check out the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and the New Afrika Republic. That is legacy of his father, and the vision he is pursuing.
Lumumba II has cycled through city attorney until he found someone who will carry his water, just like he did with police chiefs.
-WM has a landfill
-Richard's has no landfill
-WM has a proven record of reliability and great service in the metro area
-Richard's has a proven record of piss-poor reliability and terrible service (see Yelp)
-WM has at least one local office
-Richard's has no local office
The 96-gallon container thing stinks. There is a hidden agenda there.
10:42 and others wonder where Richards would dispose of the 'trash'. Simple - Chokwe would allow them to dump it in the Pearl where it would readily soak-up/absorb the raw sewage already being dumped there. Once it hits top speed down about Georgetown, it'll be in the Gulf in no time. Win, Win. Can't you people figure anything out?
They would continue twice a week pickup and offer a cart – like many other cities – to eliminate the eyesore and unsanitary nature of open garbage bags across Jackson.
What is insanely hypocritical about this statement is, on too many garbage collection days to count, thrown outside the Emperor's Eastmont gate -- the south side of the gate underneath the crepe myrtle closest to his own house -- is black garbage bags likely full of garbage. Bags that are not placed in a can, or a box or any other sort of protective container. Bags merely strewn outside his gate.
Once again the Emperor commands you to do as he says, not as he and his Eastmont neighbors do.
There is no problem with the current trash pick up with Waste Management! Why is the mayor so adamant on getting a company out of New Orleans? If it's not broke, why fix it? Jackson has more important things to focus on!
The mayor lies about "something" in almost all press conferences he has so why would he be telling the residents of Jackson the truth about this garbage contract? Oh what a tangled web you weave, Mr. Mayor, in the so called "City with Soul".
I live in a small town in south Mississippi. Our rate for 1-3 bags(any size), once weekly pickup is $10. It has to be in a bag, period. ANYTHING in a bag, can be household garbage or leaves and limbs. No body parts please. If you consistently have more bags, you’re billed at higher rates. Service is itemized on your bill with water and sewer. It’s contracted pickup and disposal and it pays its way. Don’t pay your bill? Water meter is turned off and locked. What we have that Jackson doesn’t have is competent town leadership that tries to provide its citizen taxpayers with the services we need in the most economical manner.
Democrats in Action!
How does he, on a mayor's salary, manage to live in a large house on gated property? Must one helluva household money-manager. Reading all the comments about him, one would think he's not that smart.
Isn't it racist to only want to hire a vendor because it is owned by a particular race?
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