Friday, May 12, 2023

Jackson Has No Traffic Signal Techs

There is a good reason why traffic signal failures proliferate around Jackson: The city has no one to fix them.  Jackson Public Works Director Robert Lee said at a City Council meeting Tuesday the city has no traffic signal technicians.  

The City Council learned of this problem when it addressed three emergency contracts with Lewis Electric for the repair of traffic signals. Mr. Lee said the Council needed to approve the contracts since he had no employees who could repair traffic lights. Mr. Lee said the Council may need to approve more such contracts since "we will be down to zero signal techs after May 19.  One supervisor is out with back surgery but may be back sooner rather than later but we are in a bit of a pickle in signal maintenance right now."  

The newly-frocked Public Works Director said the city has a hard time hiring traffic signal techs due to compensation issues. He recommended going the private contractor route while he works to "rebuild" the traffic signal division from scratch."  

The contracts will cover repairs for traffic signals at Northside Drive and Boling Street ($24,500), Watkins Drive and Valley North Boulevard ($26,475), and Medgar Evers Boulevard and Ridgeway Street ($24,925).  The Council approved the contracts unanimously.   

There is a posting for a signals supervisor on the city website.  The compensation is $18-22 per hour. There were no postings on Indeed.com. 

Start at 1:18:20 in the video posted below. 

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

it's not like anyone stops for them anyway

Anonymous said...

Pitiful

Anonymous said...

Well, the good news is most Jacksonians don't pay any attention to the signals anyway. It is a rogue street system. Go when you want - what signal?

Anonymous said...

My God, the place is just tumbling into its own footprint like a highrise demolition in slow motion.

Anonymous said...

The train wreck of Jackson keeps piling up.
When election time rolls around Jackson will be a wasteland if it not one already.
If Lumbamba gets re-elected than the surrounding cities should just wall Jackson off. Build the wall & have checkpoints at the exists.
I'm serious..

Anonymous said...

See, if we just had some signal techs we wouldn't have doughnut tire marks in the middle of every intersection in Jackson

Anonymous said...

Having traffic signals in an inoperable state is bad form for the Bold New City, and a significant liability concern.

But, why did it take 3 1/2 months from the signing of a declaration of emergency to get the contracts before the council? Someone get Webster's on the phone. We have a new illustration for the definition of dysfunctional.

Hope Robert Lee enjoys his 15 minutes of fame, before Baby Chok shows him the door.

Anonymous said...

I guess responsibility for traffic signals will also be turned over to Ted Henefin who will require Eastover residents to pay for all repairs across the city. Ya know, equity and whatnot.

Anonymous said...

THIS is what the mayor WANTS.
He has gotten rid of water/sewer/public works. . He is allowing the police dept. to just "go away", the traffic engineering is defunct. There is very little left of the departments that DO the work in a viable city.
AND that's how he wants it.

Anonymous said...

Traffic safety is not a focus in Jackson. Only graft.

Jackson - America's anus said...

Just call Socrates Traffic Signal LLC. That way the "big guy" will get his 10%.

On WLBT news on Wednesday a reporter was at an intersection with broken traffic signals but there were portable stop signs. While reporting live a vehicle blew through the stop sign like it wasn't even there.

Jackistan - America's 4th world city.

anonymous said...

How can a City be so poorly run? oh wait.

Save some for the "big guy" said...

Give the czar of all trades Teddy Henefin another $400K. That should fix the signals? Right?

Anonymous said...

This is not new news. WAPT reported on the shortage of workers in 2020.

https://www.wapt.com/article/jackson-leaders-asked-why-so-many-traffic-lights-are-out/30874448

So, in order get the signals repaired, we need the state and federal government’s assistance, right.

Anonymous said...

1019, the news is that Jackson finally, two plus years later, acknowledged that fact.

But after all, two years is timely for any action by Jackson officials.

Anonymous said...

Jackson once had a talented professional Traffic Engineer who helped me immensely with an approval process once, but he was dismissed for his whiteness to make way for a black female political appointee. Magee hired him and gave him better pay, benefits, staff and working conditions in Ridgeland where I think he became a Public Works Director? Good move.

Anonymous said...

Wait until Chok notices the race of Lewis Electric. Socrates, MAC(nevermind he didn't donate to Chock so he got the boot), Richards, etc will all be in the traffic control business soon. Plus they need "IT" money....

Tip O’Neill said...

But they time and money to paint “Jackson Strong” at the intersections in colorful paints, and stop traffic for a period of time. Go Chokwe.

Anonymous said...

Jackson is a hellhole and an embarrassment to the entire state. We arrived at our little summer house in Maine last night. Won't return to Mississippi till next October, and we're investigating the cost to upgrade our summer home to make it a 4-season home. We are not rich and are retired but we figured out a way to spend at least half the year somewhere else. Guess what?! The traffic lights, sewage, water and law enforcement all WORK here, and the roads are not covered in litter. Amazing!

Anonymous said...

What's it pay. I'll do the same amount of work for half the going price.

Anonymous said...

10:16am
Hotel Missippi: Henifin (ChickenFish) has a life sentence here, can check in but never check out? An unseen pot hole plus a dysfunctional traffic light plus the sound of gunfire plus a snout-full of raw sewer stench plus another Lumumba shaming per day could make him see his task as Sisyphus' back-rolling stone.

Anonymous said...

Unless the Capitol Police Force takes the significant role as proposed, the JPD will quietly stop writing traffic tickets and many other misdemeanors because they won't have the time or the personnel. That won't bother the mayor's radical friends, the NAACP, Southern Poverty, ACLU and all the rest since they won't live in Jackson anyway.

On second thought, they're already doing that.

Anonymous said...

The traffic lights in the reCAPTCHA seem to work ok.

Anonymous said...


“A top priority for the Mayor is improving economic inclusion and supplier diversity. The Director will be expected to support that goal with an inclusive approach to program management and contracting.”


The above statement is from the job description used in the Public Works Director search that is currently ongoing. Maybe Jackson should focus on price, quality, qualifications, ability, work ethic, etc. when choosing employees, suppliers, and contractors. It seems that the "Jackson way" isn't working.

Anonymous said...

Pathetic. Move the Capitol building and State agencies to the suburbs PLEASE

Anonymous said...

Last time I saw someone working on the street signals was 2018 between the governors mansion and the old capitol building.

Anonymous said...

"the city has no traffic signal technicians." Damn if they aren't going to mess around and lose their third world status.

Anonymous said...

I guess just like with the water and sewer, racism is the reason Jackson can't maintain traffic signals in the eyes of liberals. Maybe Jackson should petition for another court appointed third-party manager to take over what's left of its Infrastructure Management division.

Anonymous said...

@10:54 ok, ok we are jealous. stop ranting about your vacation home.

Woodrow Wilson is like Talladega - First thing I do before I stop at a light is look in my rear view mirror to make sure I'm not going to be sent to shadow realm by somebody plowing into me.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Richards Disposal IT contractor can work on the stop lights

Anonymous said...

This is what happens when every city job becomes a patronage job. Seasoned, experienced administrators and technicians are sent packing so the new administration can repay political favors to cronies and hangers-on, with the subsequent loss of institutional knowledge and skillset.

Anonymous said...

“rebuild the traffic signal tech department from scratch”🤣🤣🤣🤣

Anonymous said...

Is Chowke in Europe this week on the taxpayer's dime? Or is it just Miami?

Anonymous said...

Please send someone to Madison(the city) who knows how to calibrate those stop lights.

Anonymous said...

The city has no traffic light technicians. Unfortunately, the city doesn’t have a real mayor either.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn’t trust Robert Lee to lead me out of a burning building, if we were standing at the front door, and the front door was open. Not sure I have faith in him rebuilding a signal tech department from scratch.

Anonymous said...

Jackson also doesn’t have a mayor!

Anonymous said...

@9:43 Robert Lee is a good guy. Jesus himself could not work for the COJ and do a good job considering the "mayor" is doing everything in his power to destroy what was once a good place to live.

Anonymous said...

KF, thanks for shedding some light on this.

Anonymous said...

I wonder did Antar buy his 200k Porche car with non profit money from kickback or from community policing monies. If he's not indicted by Oct 1, that means he's a federal informant.

Anonymous said...

Well we now have the COJ on record admitting they knowingly have inadequate safety devices throughout the city so, God forbid, any accidents with (or without) serious injuries can now be the COJ's fault by knowingly not acting upon replacing these devices.

Here come more law suits.

Anonymous said...

@8:44 I agree that Robert is a good guy. I’m a good guy also, but being a good guy doesn’t make me qualified and competent to quarterback the New Orleans Saints. Robert has no business leading a public works department. He will do the best he can, but he’s just not capable. I like him, but public works director is not the spot for him. Stokes is 100% correct when he says that Robert Lee is unqualified and not competent for that position.

Jackson will NOT find a good public works director for $155,000. It won’t happen. With Jackson’s issues, politics, the requirement to live in the city, etc., nobody that is truly capable will touch it. Remember that the good leaders already have a good job. They aren’t unemployed or working the counter at McDonalds. Nobody is leaving a good job to take the Jackson position. And if they are capable, hard working, etc, they already have a good job.

Anonymous said...

Traffic light synchronization is not a priority in Madison, The City. But if you have an issue with a walking trail or sidewalk or would like one in your neighborhood, city hall is the place to call.

James Krowe said...

I haven't met one Jacksonian who will admit to voting for Prince Chowke. Not one.

Anonymous said...

I’m pretty sure any HS student council in the metro area could do a better job than this administration. They couldn’t do any worse.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, I do think it is time to move the state Capitol and state offices out of Jackson. Every time I think Jackson has hit bottom, it’s like the city (city leadership) says “hold my beer”.

Riddle Me Dis Here said...

Technicians, or Technologists, by definition, require technical knowledge.

Lumumba runs an employment office. Where, in his applicant pool of Project Managers, will he find anybody with technical knowledge?

Anonymous said...

How sad that I have reached a point where saying things like "Well, having traffic lights is pretty low on the list of things Jackson needs to work on" is reasonable.

Its awe inspiring how quickly one or two horrific leaders have ruined that city.

But I guess it's good enough for the folks that live there. I would not even drive through it, personally. But I am glad that many seem to enjoy Chuck's leadership. The criminals seem to be flourishing anyway.



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