Well, well, well. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba did not take too kindly to JJ's post about police spending last week. JJ reported the Lumumba Administration spent 20% less on JPD that was appropriated to the department in the final budget. Hizzoner even went so far as to use the word "disinformation" in describing the post. Heavens to murgatroyd, what a fine example of reductive analysis.
The ruckus began when JJ reported on June 7:
As murders soared to record levels in 2020, the Lumumba administration substantially "under-spent" the police budget. The City Council appropriated $36 million to JPD yet JPD only spent $29 million, a difference of 20%. ...
However, the administration spent far less on police services than the City Council approved in its budget. Undoubtedly troubled by skyrocketing crime, the Council originally approved a budget of $35.8 million, a $3.7 million increase from 2019. The final budget increased slightly to $36.5 million. JPD did not take advantage of the budget increase as it only spent $29 million, $7.4 million less than what was budgeted even as murders rose to a grisly 130 homicides in 2020. The majority of the "under-spending" took place in personnel as JPD spent $6.3 million less than budgeted for personnel services. (p.118)
The "under-spending" can't be blamed on shrinking revenue. Jackson's total revenue was $264 million in 2020 and $242 million in 2019. Even during the covid pandemic, property and sales tax revenue increased by approximately $1 million in 2020. Jackson ended the year in the black... Earlier post & copy of audit.
The Mayor took strong exception to this post at his press conference Monday.
Hizzoner said yours truly engaged in "disinformation". Just to make sure you know what he meant, he made a point to distinguish between "disinformation" and "misinformation."
Well, Mr. Mayor, there is no disinformation at JJ as much as you wish it to be true. Yours truly simply sat down and read the audit, page by page. If you have a problem with the post, take it up with the auditors because JJ merely reported what was in the audit. Indeed, JJ went out of its way to ensure a correct interpretation of the comprehensive annual financial report by reviewing the audits with experts familiar with how such things work. This section of the audit was the basis for the post:
The auditors report the "budgeted amount" for JPS but also report the "actual amount" spent on police services. It is the CAFR that reports Jackson spent a little more than $29 million on JPD, not JJ. If the CAFR reports the Mayor's administration spent more on JPD than was budgeted, there would have been no post. JJ is not going to manufacture such stories as a certain jailbird (and FOC) was so want to do.
The Mayor said a huge portion of the discrepancy took place because a large amount of the budget was transferred to the Planning Department. Well, Mr. Mayor, not so fast, my friend.
The Yarber Administration placed Code Enforcement under JPD. However, The Lumumba Administration moved it back to its previous home shortly after the Mayor assumed office (and by shortly, this post means a few months, not a few years.). Hmm.... what was actually spent on Planning & Development?
2020: $9.8 million
2019: $6.3 million
2018: $8.2 million
2017: $6.3 million
Meanwhile over at JPD:
2020: $29.1 million
2019: $34 million
2018: $36 million
2017: $35 million
Some fluctuations took place in the Planning budget but until 2020, the JPD budget remained stable.
The Mayor also said the alleged shortfall didn't include vehicles and bodycams. Um, there is a line in the audit labeled "Capital Outlays." The audits report JPD spent less than the final budgeted amount by nearly a million dollars from 2018 to 2020.
The Mayor did not cite any numbers as he called the post
"disinformation." He did not show how the audit was wrong. Such vague accusations follow a similar pattern: The EPA got
things wrong, the FAA made some misrepresentations, the City Council is
on the take, etc. It's what he does whenever questioned, right?
Some disinformation is indeed being spread but not by this website.
52 comments:
You are a bitch ass racist pure and simple.
Accounting and numbers are racist.
Ha. He’s such a cry baby!!! He’s soft
6:39 is a perfect example of why Jackson is in the state it is in and will get worse.
6:39. I want to say that to Obamalumba but you said it…thank you
That was funny.
I have no doubt the gas station thugs had a moment of fear
when he started babbling about reductive analysis.
Talk about stepping in your own stuff.. on camera no less...
Thin skinned, defensive, and he doth protest too much, methinks. (With credit to Bill Shakespeare).
6:39 - it’s more like he’s right over the target. Better take cover.
Thin skinned, defensive, and he doth protest too much, methinks.
Seems Jamie boy is the one who is thin skinned and couldn’t handle Mayor Lumumba’s rebuttals and had to run to his little gossip/hate blog to smear the Black Mayor who he despises.
Posted @6:37 & @6:39 was keyboard ready with the racist, cursive laden comment.
I'm sure they read the article before commenting. GTFOH & go sit down!!
People with guns with "limited judgement". "Limited Judgement"?! Where does he come up with this crap? I watched the video once. Then I watched it carefully for a second time. He never once finished a sentence with the word "right". Not once.
6:39 hope you don't pull a muscle toting all that water.
That is not unusual in a police budget. A certain number of positions are budgeted, then some people leave and it takes time to replace them. One could argue to just budget less and anticipate turnover. However, what if turnover is less and you come up short. Better to over budget than under budget. Besides, that helps build up a cushion that otherwise would be spent somewhere else potentially leaving the city broke.
The Mayor should have understood this or asked someone before saying what he did.
JJ was spot on.
Any responsible, real mayor would have had an indisputable CPA address alleged discrepancies in a somber tone with a table of figures to back it all up. Instead, Jackson's Queen Bitch of Oral Flatulence personally gassed the room.
Damn. He just lies and sells his alternate reality.
Is it just me, or do other people get the feeling they are watching an old Saturday Night Live skit during the mayor's press conference.
Hi Melvin (7:37)
756, yeah, just like the city over budgets for water and sewer maintenance. Or street repair. Or anything else in their budget. Obviously you haven't watched the Jackson City Council meetings in August and September when they are fighting tooth and nail over getting another $15,000 into some area, or $25,000 into another favored project.
They don't intentionally over budget - yes, that might be what a well run city that has surpluses might do, or even should do. But Jackson doesn't have the luxury to budget more than what is the minimum required for any of the services it fails to do. Check out the borrowings that have to be taken just to cover the expenses of the Convention Center when it cannot pay its light bills much less the bond repayments.
Thank you professor Lumumba.
I don’t understand why the Mayor is bent out of shape on the so called misinformation! The voters that voted him in twice don’t care what JJ writes! Mr Mayor you are the black Donald Trump when it come to double talking your constituents! For me I really don’t give a rats ass! Mr Mayor do yo thang, and let JJ do his.
I’m just sitting back commenting on these articles and living the good life out of the City!
“couldn’t handle Mayor Lumumba’s rebuttals”
I think KF did pretty well in his reply.
KF perhaps you need to provide a few additional data points (aka facts) to help the mayor understand.
Lets see the past eight years budgeted and spent for the police.
That's about four years of the old Jackson before the current mayor took over, and about four years of the new and improved Jackson under the current mayor's excellence.
Also I note that in the City's financial disclosures pursuent to their federally regulated borrowings that the City of Jackson has regualarly been required to disclose that they can't get the required reports done and filed on time. As a matter of fact, that's the most recent continuing disclosure filing I saw.
The Mair is a F--ing DUMBASS!!!!
That is some serious Planning and Development!!!
I don’t think this mayor has ever encountered a FACT, at least not one that he doesn’t have some nonsensical bullshit excuse to call fake news. He’s certainly never had a good news FACT. The guy is either ridiculously dumb, which he’d never admit, or he’s willfully and maliciously harming those he is elected to serve, which might mean he does not have the luxury of privilege to shield him.
Lumumba if it weren’t for your last name and you riding your fathers coat tails you would be having to earn a paycheck. As I understand that’s why you desperately need this unwanted gig of mayor. People say your a sponge and a mooch as you walk around char smiling at lunch. Remember when your buddy parked in fire zone at Manship and you and 2 of your posse threw a temper tantrum when manager asked you to move it. Well I would have just called a tow truck and let you see it had been towed. Your all a bunch of babies.
"Is it just me, or do other people get the feeling they are watching an old Saturday Night Live skit during the mayor's press conference."
The Mair is Antar. Not to be confused with Garrett Morris as "The Ant Man".
Y'all too hard on the mayor. Today, anything that doesn't fit the Biden/Obama/Lumumba/Facebook/Google narratives is disinformation and hate speech.
KF your math is dismisinformation...it's a new thing. Get used to it.
6:39 Is that all you have, all the time? You’re gonna need to find a new card to play. The bottom line is that nobody but you, is racist. You’re a failure just like the ill-equipped mayor.
Interesting the the Mayor is speaking to the allocated budget, not the actual amount spent, which is the point JJ was making. They could allocate $100,000,000 and spend $50,000 and the allocation would mean diddly.
The Mayor was rebutting with an apples to tractors comparison.
Merriam Webster | disinformation
Definition of disinformation
:false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth
Everything out of the mayor's mouth is disinformation. He has zero respect for the facts or the voters.
9:41: the previous administration lumped fire and police together under public safety so the spending is not separated.
One would think that at some level both the fire chief and the police chief had a personnel budget and similar for equipment maintenence and replacement, fuel etc. Things one might expect to see in a personnel budget: number of FTEs, overtime budget etc.
If not, then that would be amazing.
So the mayor says info he doesn’t like is “fake.”
The mayor sounds like Donald trump to me.
Does this mean that Prince Chowke reads KF, or does he have one of his lackeys read it and provide a summary?
Straight out of the "Rules for Radicals" playbook.
Numbers are racist.
Am I the only person who thought 6:49 was being sarcastic? I thought his/her/their comment was for kicks and giggles.
Lumumba is a man who talks a lot but says very little.
Chockwe is a RINO and JPS graduate and takes advice from KAREN. Nuff said!!
Can Chowke veto KF's posts?
@11:03
Yes but kingfish is everything as described. Just not just because if this instance.
9:41 AM
When you see references to Melvin or Fat Melvin they're referring to this guy:
https://www.jacksonms.gov/contacts/melvin-c-robinson-iii/
He's always calling KF a racist.
Content Creator, is that something like a fairy tale coordinator?
Kingfish, good job.
Is everything racist now? Like stop signs, math, and questioning or addressing things?
KF received some free advertising in baby Chowke's presser, and some TV viewers who weren't aware of this blog before, do now. Win!
Pretty sure all that hand gesturing was to put the New Deaf Black Leppards into action?
@6:17, yes, if you abide in the new democratic alternative reality. Not so much in the real world.
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