Jackson Jambalaya

Seriously? This man is a joke.

A sports team downtown would solve this problem. Bring back the Bandits!

More time! Now, why is that not a surprise.

Ready! Fire! Aim!

What's time to a hog?

You've got to be F'ing kidding me.

What a JOKE

I would tell him to go cry to Derrick Johnson. Maybe they can hold a meeting and spread false into for cover

The COJ approved contract last week with a staffing firm for 4 Operators - The cost is $40,000 per week. This is for 4 people-thus $10,000 per week per person- Come on Asbey...that ain't $40 per hour as conveyed to you in the meeting and you acknowledged!!!
At this rate, the grifters will make a helluva lot more than they ever thought about with Richards..Wake up Asbey and the rest of the board!!
$10,000 per week per person- Hmmmm..

Contractors and many city workers do not trust this punk of a mayor. His agenda is to implement Marxism in Jackson, not to provide responsible management of infrastructure to enable dependable city services that buttress business, traditional families, 1st class education and effective crime control.

5th world despot, clown show.

Anyone still supporting that idiot is also part of the circus of incompetents and grifters.

Mayor is spelled M-A-Y-O-R. I suggest using that spelling if you want a comment that was otherwise pretty good to be approved.

I think it is turrible that Tater won't do Da M-A-Y-O-R's job for him. Shame!

When is a federal takeover not a federal takeover? This is merely a plan to entrap the State - cooked up by a friendly EPA. If the Gov. agrees he'll catch hell from the voters and if he refuses the DOJ will start digging into all the grant money sent to MS. Throw in an end-of-the-year supplemental appropriation for disaster relief and it's a two-fer win for Biden: save an impoverished democratic southern city and rub the republican state leadership's nose in it.

The governor’s response should be: bugger off, punk

Gotta admit, him humbling himself and asking for help after declaring that he absolutely did not need it might be the only mildly impressive thing Choke has done in office, ever.

How humiliating.

And he just had to accept his abject failure and beg for assistance.

Would not be impressive for anyone else, but the bar for this guy is so low...this is actually impressive for the MAYOR.

So now Chowke is playing kiss-kiss, until he doesn't. While he is hugging the governor with his right hand, he is pick-pocketing him with his left hand.

I guess Sista Rukia and "doctor" Safiya weren't available to make things happen in time.

The city of Jackson is not capable of running a water/sewer system. Lumumba isn't capable, Yarber wasn't capable, the people they hired aren't capable. They just can't do it. They don't focus on the task, they don't have the work ethic, they don't understand business management. They can't do it.

Water/sewer is a business that takes work, management, and attention. They can't provide any of that. These people are legit clowns.

Apparently Socrates won't be available until later in the month. It takes time to print up those certified operator certificates.

It starts with an M.

It ends with an R.

And it's one word.

Some of you people need to get your thinking straight.

Put the screws to 'em Tate. Call his bluff.

Let it fail for real this time please.

I enjoyed working remotely from Madison while the state buildings didn’t have water. Saved some gas money and wear and tear on my vehicle’s suspension. Not to mention not a having to worry about catching an errant bullet on the interstate.

Let it fail, move all the state buildings to Madison/Rankin. Let Jackson then become Chokee’s vision of the radical city without water and order.

9:39 many professionals make that in a day. I ain’t mad at the contractors! Contract nurses make that in a week also, Drs, lawyers, Trump, Joe Biden, Brett, Nancy, why hate!!

I can go on and on! Spread that money around.

Merry Christmas

Didn't the mayor recently also ask Biden to extend the health emergency?

I just love it when a Marxist mayor grovels to a republican governor. WIN!

This is what it looks like when you have someone who wants all the power, but none of the responsibility.

November 17 is the date Chokeme said the City of Jackson would have everything in place and ready to take over the operation of its water plants. Tater graciously extended the State’s control a few extra days, until November 22. So, I am not surprised that Hizzonor can’t hold up his part of his own plan.

@11:26
I go to Michigan for 7 days 2 times a year for surgery cases
They pay me 15k a week. Your totally wrong about travel nurses
You think they make 10k a week. That’s hilarious and I pay my nurses 22 an hour at our clinic in Jackson located near RHC

10;05 am, KF, maybe when he starts to act like a MAYOR people will call him a MAYOR. He hasn't acted like a MAYOR yet.

State, please help!!

We don't want the State's help!!

To the national news media - the State won't help!!

The State comes in and restores the water treatment facility to operable condition.

We don't want the State's input - we want to hire the operator.

Please help us State!! We are too incompetent to handle this on our own (even though we blame you for our failed water system).

Jackson would be in better shape if they elected Mayor McCheese, Grimace, and the Fry-guys!

Governor Reeves is good at saying "no."

Say it again, Gov.

If a Mayor or any business leader sends an email and not request a face to face or conference call to FULLY discuss needs, time frame, number of needed employees, etc. he is either a coward or dumb as a post. If I was Governor I would insist on a face to face sit down with Mayor ( not his sister or another subordinate) before any response.

Bet those guys from Detroit are getting tired of all the false starts. Those pipes get heavy after awhile.

All of these elected officials need to stop grandstanding and playing politics! They call their press conferences criticizing each other and then have to eat their words. Chock has had to come back to Tate for help and Tate has had to call Biden for help. GROW UP. Be responsible LEADERS for ALL of your constituents!

Any day is a good day when you're not in Jackson Mississippi

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Choke-a-lot!!

@1:59 PM To have a sit-down the guv would have to fly to Miami or Atlanta.

2:43 as soon as Jackson residents become responsible enough to pay a fee for water...the utility can become self sustaining, right?
Surely your mayor is competent enough to know that a service must collect payment to remain functional, right?
Because it would silly to expect the state (all of us that DO pay for our water) to bail the Jackson idiots out of this continual mess without a sustainability plan in place.

That 2:43, would be irresponsible.

Chuck begging for money while grandstanding is not the picture of a leader that you desperately want it to be. No matter how much you shine the turd.

Wow, what a change in demeanor for Baby Chok! His constituents don't typically go for showing weakness, but he sure showed some in that email. To BE the man, you got to BEAT the man....and BC didn't beat ANYONE in that email......

2:43 - just when did Tate have to ask Biden for help? He did request a national declaration which would allow him to activate the National Guard and have the feds pay for the 11 million bottles of water that he distributed. (prior to Tate stepping in, Hizzonner in complying with the EPA requirement that was issued following the February 2021 f**kup to have a contract in place and a process to distribute water - was distributing 1,500 bottles a day for the 150,000 residents; due to his failure to make arrangements for a source of bottled water. But who's counting now?)

Tate had the state in a position to continue helping under the emergency declaration in place with MEMA issuing a RFP to hire a management company to run the treatment plants for a year.

BUT LUMUMBA balked. He refused to allow such, stating that the City was prepared to operate the facilities as of November 17th. That being the case, there was no longer an emergency and the authority for the state to continue expired. Tate then, following the law, ended the emergency based on Lumumba's claim that they were capable of handling it.

Now, Lumumba makes this weak attept at acknowledging what everybody knew at the time - the city was not in a position to do what the city's Mayor claimed.

Its time for the state to take over the entire water/sewer system - remove it from the city's hands. It would be the best blessing the city could get if Lumumba's ego would get out of the way. It would get the biggest headache off his hands; it would be a positive impact to the city's budget - today the city has to subsidize the system's budget through the general fund, the internet tax dollars, the ARPA dollars and the sales tax dollars. Giving the system to a regional organization would be a positive boom for the city.

But - Lumumba can't acknowledge that he can't do the job that every other Mayor in the state does accomplish, running a business operation.

. . . "the false smile, the rubbed hands of hypocrisy, the fawning, greased, obsequious leer."
Minister of the Interior. Kubrick, Stanley. A Clockwork Orange. Warner Bros., 1971.

Notice how his honor becomes all sweetness and light when he wants something.

Perhaps the Governor should extract an apology for all the false accusations of racism.

Face to face meeting with staff in place to assist Governor with recording meeting to perhaps be played on National News; after first requiring Chokwe to write & call EVERY News outlet he appeared on & retract his comment about State not assisting. The media FIRST must Report the Truth to the Nation, Right! That would be the correct thing to do prayerfully. Right? Then set up meeting through Governors Media spokesperson . The Mayor was Adamant about having Everything in Order by 11/17/22 and did not want or need state help for the COJ. Right?

Ps Have Reagan of EPA co-sign all letters to the Media retracting Every Racist remark that was made to insult All MS taxpayers who pay Their fair share!

Dadgummit, first the price of bacon got beyond my reach, now crow will be in short supply.

A wise man (or woman) learns from his mistakes, and modifies the previous problematic behavior going forth. Apparently, Mayor Lumumba has learned nothing to help him successfully negotiate the troubled ongoing water crisis. He went on the offense nationally, painting Gov. Reeves and the state as racist and the cause of Jackson's water crisis. The media generally (local and national) gave him a pass, ignoring his administration's mismanagement and lack of transparency regarding the situation. He misspoke (lied) on many occasions. He advocated/demanded the city's right to manage the water situation. He garnered the support of Bennie Thompson, NAACP Derrick Johnson, EPA director Regan, and the Black faith community, all of whom on some level had to recognize that the Mayor's responsibly and role in the crisis was not negligible. Yet, they agreed (as is often the case politically) not to throw him under the bus. And in spite of the support from them, and the support and assistance from the state,the mayor continued to make unwise decisions and untrue statements. He wrote to the President asking for his direct intervention, when he has/is providing federal assistance through appropriate federal agencies. He stated the governor had refused to extend the emergency declaration, when he (the mayor) gave a November 17 date for city takeover. The governor provided an additional 5 day extension to allow for an effective transition. Mayor, please learn!

Our mayor is a total moron with no clue that those with leadership skills just laugh at him. He hangs with Derrick from NAACP that fraudulent stooge and they think people respect them.
Hell they couldn’t make a pay roll if they had
Too

If I was Tate, I would need the mayor to call an official press conference and make the request. He spent a lot of time in front of the media talking bad about Tate and the state. It seems like he needs to spend a little time walking that back.

The tone of his email sure seems different than his previous statements. Hmmm.

Two words reply- "Uh, no!

What is weatherization of OBC ?
Do you think Chocalot knows what this means?

I'm glad Tate called Lumbaby's first bluff.

Now, is Tate strong enough to call Lumbaby's bluff part 2?

Tate, take Lumbaby at his word that he didn't need State help after Nov. 17. You were gracious to give him 5 extra days.

Jackson resident here. Please Tate tell him NO!!! Stop being weak

If agreed by Tate, please request they do at press conference so the record can be set straight in front of media. During said conference, can we do at water billing office and discuss that issue once and for all?

I would like to be free. Currently I am a slave to Jackson, MS. I pay enormous taxes. My house was in the county when it was built. That was before Jackson annexed "tax" property it couldn't support. How about we "undo" the annexations and I dig my own well. Some young, intelligent entrepreneur will figure out more money can be made picking up garbage than working an office job. Chuckey will still have the old "Chimneyville" to call his kingdom. Those that want him can have him. He can claim his tax revenue from all the property citizens have had to abandon due to the outrageous taxes. The politicians stealing the dollars can fight it out amongst themselves. Maybe that will keep them busy enough to leave the rest of us alone.

Tate, tell him to pound sand. My dog and I don't drink Jackson water and I put bleach in the filthy bath water. It is taking all my assets to survive here, so if necessary, I'll collect water in a rain barrel and put bleach in that. We're already close to being a third world country here. A little more effort to survive probably won't be much of an imposition.

Email, what a joke.

From JJ 2 weeks ago.... Can't wait to see this spin from Chok

"Jackson’s mayor has announced that the city will have a private operator in place by November 17, stating, “we anticipate having a contract in place by November 17th.” Recognizing this, I have decided to end the emergency on November 22, to allow for a five-day transition period between the state’s management team and the chosen private operator.

At that point, the State of Emergency must, by statute, end as the water system can be managed solely by local control, as has been insisted upon by the City of Jackson. The State of Emergency must only exist when a situation is beyond local control and the City of Jackson has demanded local control."

"Specifically, we have a continued need for assistance from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to contract for additional water plant operators and maintenance personnel. We have not yet negotiated a permanent operations and maintenance agreement and do not believe a final contract will be negotiated by November 22, 2022."

Wait, what ? When the State sought a RFP to contract with additional operators and maintenance personnel, the Mayor stepped in and said No, we will do that ourselves and it's only the City's decision, not the State's. But now he wants the State's help in contracting with more operators and providers ? Which is it Mayor ? Make up your mind.

And, Mayor, you so confidently said that the City WOULD have a contract in place by November 17th, but now you don't or can't ? Again, make up your mind.

"And, Mayor, you so confidently said that the City WOULD have a contract in place by November 17th, but now you don't or can't ? Again, make up your mind."

They don't call him Lyin Lumumba without any reason.

I wonder how long the city will get to maintain control over the RFP process for permanent operators, while MEMA pays for temporary contractors.

Raise your hands if you gave Antar even a .0001% chance of having anything lined up by November 20. I’ll wait.

@10:08 weatherization is the red herring Lumumba used for months leading up to the collapse. He claimed that a protective structure was being erected over the membrane to mitigate the fallout from another weather event like the 2 week ice storm and record low temps of February 2021. He swore up and down the project would be COMPLETED in October (2022). I say red herring because it was his response to the growing outcry of the 3 back-to-back boil water notices this summer, and srsly, what does a structure have to do with (a) a bad batch of chemicals, (b) staffing problems, (c) a “thin bench” from which to recruit new hires in the Jackson area, (d)-(z) blah blah blah. Imagine my surprise when I saw Antar beg President Biden for $$ so OB Curtis could be
weatherized in a November 2022 letter.

Truth be told, I flew into a total rage. OH NO YOU DON’T, you sorry POS excuse for a mayor. How nobody calls him out on his perverse deception just gets all over me.

Something about emailing the governor with an “official request” of THIS magnitude, under THESE circumstances, at THIS time, screams cowardice. I can almost see Antar in a panic, cowered in a dark little office corner, thinking if he sends a quick email maybe nobody will notice.

And that’s on top of it being inappropriate, disrespectful, and unprofessional. What could possibly be Antar’s excuse? Surely not instant transmission. In 15 minutes, it could’ve been typed up on proper office of the mayor stationery and simply walked the 2 blocks to Tater’s office. Hand-delivery of a properly-executed official request would’ve at least been less unseemly.

How nobody calls him out on his perverse deception just gets all over me.

Local media = progressive sycophants

When I saw the RFQ, I knew the timeframe was WAY too tight. Any time you have a complex situation like this and have a quick turnaround, you are just asking for the quotes to be higher and it also usually results in change orders to cover things that were not flushed out by having a longer period to put together a proposal. Also, don't think the people that whatever company is providing are making big bucks. The rates you will see in a contract like this are going to be AT LEAST 230% of what the employee is actually making. But this also makes it to the company's advantage to offer higher salaries than the typical market rate. And sometimes you have layers of contractors, each marking things up.

FYI - I worked for a company that did projects like this for a municipality so I have over 20 years experience and know this scenario all too well. Municipalities would be far better off hiring well-qualified people, paying them good salaries, and investing in them with good benefits and investing in their training/continuing education.