Correction on earlier post posted below.
Smith-Wills Stadium is quite the cash cow for Tim Bennett. The baseball enthusiast operates Churchill's Smoke Shoppe at the stadium. However, the cigar bar is not his only cash cow. Mr. Bennett leases the parking lot to the Veterans Administration for $370,000 per year.
The contract with the VA is on the agency's website. The contract states the VA is leasing the parking lot at Smith-Wills from Kusche Sports Group, LLC. The company is in Pearl and owned by Tim Bennett.
The contract term is $5.5 million for 15 years.
The picture posted below was shot yesterday.
Mr. Bennett leases the stadium from the city of Jackson which in tern leases the property from the state. However, the state's agreement says the property will revert to the state if the land is not used for park purposes. The legislature passed a bill recently that allows the state to terminate the lease for failure to adhere to the "park purposes" clause.
Mr. Bennett said he will close Churchill's Smoke Shoppe at the end of June.
Kingfish correction: JJ reported earlier this week that the ABC issued a citation to Churchill's in April for selling alcohol without a license and that the cigar bar had no state-issued licenses. Such is apparently not the case. JJ filed a public records request with DOR asking for copies of all permits only to be told there were no permits. However, Churchill's sent this website a copy of a state-issued beer and light-wine license. It is posted below. The state also issued a sales tax license and tobacco permit.
Churchill's said it has been a BYOB establishment for its ten years in operation. It claims it received the citation for "a couple of bottles of Moscato" that were said to be over the limit.
53 comments:
Why does the VA need land next to Smith-Wills stadium?
I'm confused, the VA is 1.5 mile away from the stadium and this guy is getting paid $370,000 a year by the federal government to park cars on city leased land? Why would anyone park there for the VA?
How much is he paying the city?
Somebody, or hopefully multiple somebodies, is getting fired or going to jail or both.
You certainly don’t think there are kick backs involved, do you?
Wtf? I don’t get it. Why does VA need parking spaces? Am I looking at government waste at its finest? Shouldn’t the VA be spending our money to help veterans? What is smoke paying for its lease? This needs more attention.
I don't think parking lot is the kind of park contemplated by the original lease.
This explains why Lumumba is fighting so hard to keep the property from reverting back to the state. It's all about the government contracts, as usual.
Well done, KF.
@1:058 and for over $30k per month? That is CRAZY. No one parks there.....
That's a pretty sweet deal right there. How many spots are exactly being leased? If I recall, the parking lot is divided up between the MS Sports Museum and other businesses around there. So, VA would have a pretty small area for that price.
Your tax dollars at work-
Sounds like he encountered the state government being to governy.
That Moscato is really bad stuff. I am sure the gangs in Jackson are fighting over it.
I was thinking the same thing.
Excellent work, Kingfish.
Welcome to VA math !!
I had to take a leak a few weeks back during a the work week about 1 in the afternoon and didn't want to pull into a convivence store for fear of being shot or my truck stolen so I pulled into Smith- Wills because it was completely deserted. No cars in parking lot and took a piss. So why is the VA renting this and if they are, shouldn't there be a shuttle? This is so funny. No wonder why smoke shoppe boy so quick to shut down. He didn't want to draw attention to this crooked scheme.
What is Chowke's cut? This may be why he is trying to hang onto the property. Right?
The swamp is starting to drain..
Attn 2:36 PM. They are not draining the swamp. Get out while you can.
Mr Bennett seems to be just the kind of person the mayor likes to do business with.
Anybody seen the Jackson mayor or any city council peps? Seems they went out of town on Thursday🙈🙈🙈
So under whose authority is Kusche Sports Group allowed to "rent" parking spaces to any entity?
Who in Jackson government set up Kusche as the "owner" of this space so he was legally able to rent it?
The property was conveyed to the City of Jackson.
During the Mayors press conference, he stated, "Many of these businesses that are alleged to be in violation are state sanctioned businesses, meaning the state gave licensing to them in one capacity or another." (https://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2024/05/lyin-lumumba-smith-wills-edition.html)
So who gave Kusche the authorization to lease parking spaces?
It always has to be KF to break stories. Why can't the City Council uncover something like this for once?
Not sure if they are playing dumb or just plain dumb.
"At this point, we have reports of multiple leases and/or sub-leases associated with the subject property that reveals that the property has been a money-making venture for the City of Jackson and its contractors instead of a public park as contemplated in the original deed restrictions governing the conveyance of the property from the State to the City of Jackson in 1944. The property belongs to the taxpayers of the state of Mississippi, and we intend for it to be returned to them for their benefit.”
Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Author of HB 1983
Not to nitpick, but the City isn't leasing the property from the State, the State deeded the property to the City but reserved a reversionary interest that required the property to be used for purposes of a public park. So the State isn't trying to terminate a lease, but rather assert the position that the property has reverted to the State under the original deed because of the non-compliance with the "public park" condition.
The VAMC leases the property for employee parking in the event there are no available parking spaces for employees to park at Smith-Wills and be shuttled over to the medical center. Employees are only allowed to park in certain areas and veteran parking is the priority in the front and the side of facility near Methodist Rehab/UMMC. If employees park in veteran designated parking or an unauthorized area, citations are issued up to $100.
Also important to note, VAMC is landlocked on all sides by UMMC and VA employees cannot park at UMMC parking garages.
The very name "Kusche" is a clue for the Sherlocks here to unravel. Spelled differently but pronounced the same: a Cannabis Indica Strain, Kush. Coincidentally associated with Lil Choke's New Africa Islamarxist secessionist rebellion.
Thank you for reminding me why I moved north.
Why don’t we just require annual audits by major accounting firms of the state’s and cities’ budgets. The fraud will become very apparent. That’s not to say that major accounting firms don’t ever participate in faud, but it’s a generally accepted and trustworthy practice.
I know my Congressman very well. And he knows me. I have generously contributed to numerous campaigns for him. I am going to ask (?) him to look into this situation.
Thanks< Kingfish, for all u do!!!
2:28 wants to know what is the good mayor’s cut? Somebody may want to check his favorite city hall office hiding place. You would not believe it if I told you because it is so not Lumumba style. Resignation letter draft is probably being critiqued by the city attorney as we speak. Stokes for Mayor???
Thanks for the explanation, 4:15.
Now I don't understand trying to take the property back through legislation. Isn't this a matter for the chancery court?
So the state would presumably be represented by Attorney General Lynn Fitch . . . oh, nevermind. I understand now.
" Lil Choke's New Africa Islamarxist secessionist rebellion."
That is top of the line posting.
At 5:31 PM:
This has Bennie's DNA all over it. Just like his involvement with the Republic of New Afrika(Chokwe's daddy's gang) back in the day in Bolton, MS. Maybe, just maybe, the F'n Bunch of Idiots(FBI) as they are known in law enforcement circles will get off their worthless, back-stabbing asses and actually follow the evidence trail this time and do something about it.....but I won't hold my breath after 25 years of watching/working around them. There is a VERY good article on this blog about them if you wish to learn more. Use the search box.
Cost per actual VA employee vehicle parked per day is astronomical and doesn't include transportation expenses to move employee(s) back and forth. No f'ing way the thou$and plus flowing into Bennett's pocket every single day doesn't put a smile on the face of others.
9:08 you do realize the FBI cannot conduct an investigation until authorized by the DOJ? Even if the FBI makes a case DOJ can “decline prosecution” and the case dies a quiet death. Happened a while back involving a certain Mississippi Congressman who took a bribe form an undercover Agent.
@2:36pm "The swamp is starting to drain." Might be true, but far too late.
“The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury.”
— George Washington
Kingfish,
Can you put out article like channel 12 or channel 3 has on the mayor caught lying about Jxn water not communicating with his office. I bet there is much more to this. Also maybe article on how Lefluer East is paying out of pocket for security at parham bridges and the city even refused to cut down a tree that is laying across the parking lot. The people that live near it are saying we’re the wrong color for the public works dept director and that’s why we as citizens can’t get help from him
@3:10
Chokwe was enjoying lunch at Martins yesterday
Read my site
6:23 - annual audits are required. Jackson just cannot produce a set of books to audit.
And for that matter alone the Mayor and Council should be in jail for lack of oversight on Federal funds to the City.
Keushe? Did they name it that so it wouldn’t look like “Kush”? Isn’t this Tim Bennett somehow involved in some other sorts related messes on the Gulf Coast and elsewhere?
I’m like the others here. Why does someone like this get money for empty parking spaces when Veterans who actually did something for the betterment of society and they are being turned away at the VA or not being treated properly? I didn’t even begin to mention the amount of military service members who would not in any way shape or form walk into a VA because of the amount of distrust they have in the system, who really did need their help.
Meanwhile Reeves,Bryant and Farve continue to run the clock out while we fret about pennies in comparison.
thank you 8:14 am. I had forgotten this: "annual audits are required. Jackson just cannot produce a set of books to audit"
"..the Mayor and Council should be in jail for lack of oversight on Federal funds to the City."
Stupid post of the week.
Rest assured the Mair and Counsul know where every damned dime of federal taxpayer funds winds up.
Maybe if you insert the word 'proper' between 'of' and 'oversight'.
This is so bad on multiple levels. There is no way in hell the VA can justify paying that amount for parking space that far from the facility even if it was needed, which it’s not. Let’s hope the state can regain control of the property and end this scam.
The parking lot rental situation needs an immediate federal investigation. Whoever contracted, on both ends of the contract, needs to be charged with a crime.
No way in hell there is NOT a kickback involved. Possibly two or three kickbacks.
An individual can profit 5.5 million from state property and has the audacity to name the scam Kush. Where is the FBI and the so-called investigative journalists?
Why doesn’t some politician looking to make a name for him, or her self, get on this and make a decent name for themself?
Someone should interview the mayor of Biloxi about Tim Bennett.
Best damn investigative journo in Mississippi runs this joint, right here, Kingfish!
So who is/was in charge of negotiating the contract for the VA?
"Best damn investigative journo in Mississippi runs this joint, right here, Kingfish! "
Agreed. It would be nice for us if he had some competition though......
Kingfish -- I cant see where you give any info on what he has to pay the City for his lease. Wouldnt that be relevant here?
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