There it sits on the corner of High and Jefferson streets, a garish display of what is considered to be good taste in Simpson County, a monument to Ag Commish Andy Gipson's victory against the city of Jackson today.
The Mississippi Supreme Court unanimously ruled today that Jackson can not stop the Department of Agriculture and Commerce from operating a large electronic sign on the state fairgrounds.
Busby Outdoor, LLC and MDAC entered into a licensing agreement on May 20, 2021 allowing Busby to donate a $462,000 digital LED outdoor sign to MDAC. MDAC in turn allowed Busby to operate and market the sign under MDAC supervisions. The contract has a 20 year term. However, the City of Jackson took strong exception to the deal.Jackson requires those erecting such signs on High Street to get permits and city approval. Jackson sued MDAC and Busby in Hinds County Chancery Court. The city asked the Chancellor to rule the sign was subject to the city's sign and zoning ordinances, declare the sign a public nuisance, and permanently prohibit the defendants from operating the sign.
The Sign projects “over 240 square feet of illuminated advertisements, twenty-four (24) hours a day” at a busy intersection in continuous violation of the City’s Sign Ordinance, Second Am. Compl. 2, which was enacted to protect public safety, see Sign Ordinance § 102-27(3). Therefore, this Court finds that the Sign constitutes a public nuisance.
The defendants appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court. The Court ruled the state is not subject to the city's sign and zoning ordinances:
These statutes are both silent on whether a municipality can enforce zoning ordinances against the state on state property; thus, under the rule that general statutes do not restrict the state, the statutes empowering municipalities to enact and enforce zoning laws are inapplicable to the state itself on its own property.... Code Ann. § 69-5-3(3) (Supp. 2024). Pursuant to its charge over the State Fairgrounds, MDAC “may allow a commercial . . . entity to use, publish and advertise such entity’s name in connection with any of the buildings, improvements, grounds or objects located on the State Fairgrounds . . . in return for a monetary consideration paid to the [D]epartment.” Miss. Code Ann. § 69-5-3(6)...
It is a safe bet the Commissioner will probably turn the sign back on tomorrow if he has not done so already.
33 comments:
Hey Kingfish, will you send public records requests for the legal bills so we know how much taxpayer $ was wasted on both sides on this nonsense? Lot of high-dollar lawyers on that front page.
Glad the Supreme Court ruled on this. Dear city of Jackson---get your shit cleaned up, organized, and handle the 1000s of problems you have instead of playing a pissing contest over a sign.
He's running for Governor. How much time will his country mug be shown on that thing?
KF, don’t lump Simpson County in the same pile as The Hat. Just because Hat likes it does not mean most Simpson countians do.
Ill take bets on if Hat will carry Simpson County in the governor’s race.
the sign is just in really bad taste......there is just no long term vision for the fairground and the sign serves no purpose
Other than State employees and worshippers attending First Baptist Church on Sunday nobody goes downtown anymore. So “The Hat” using the sign as a way to promote himself will have far fewer eyes passing by than in the past.
The Supremes were 'right again' in this ruling on the law - and why the City of Jackson with its denzions of attorneys felt they should fight this appeal is ridiculous (except, of course, it was pursued by the former administration of the "Honorable" Lumumba who thought of himself as an intelligent barrister and I'm sure he was the one that directed the filing of an appeal.)
Why the state, through the Hat, thought that the installation of a billboard on this site of this nature was a good thing is alson unknown, and those - including the Fish - who think it is garish and unsightly are also just as clueless. There are at least three more billboards on the street between this brick monument and the interstate - and they have not been questioned. Just because the Hat thought he should follow Mayor Mary's theory and make it 'look nice' by using a brick foundaiton doesn't change the fact that it is a billboard, just like the others.
I’m just glad to find out that Jackson has taken care of all of its major problems and can now concentrate on such minor issues as this.
Just today I blocked his personal Facebook page and another one that incessantly posts daily ads either for his candidacy or just routine crap about his family along with multiple photos.
I got damned tired of that stuff popping up on my feed and never asked for it, 'liked' it, followed him or friended him.
If he thinks all this constant blasting of his images and his family and his silly comments on row crops and chicken habits is going to put him in The Mansion, he needs to rethink that.
He gets to keep it until the copper is striped out. That if it hasn’t already been ripped !
6:30 is right. I work in Jackson and I drive past that sign maybe twice a year. Few people will ever see it other than state employees and First Baptist Church members.
I like Andy Gipson. There's never been a better ambassador for Mississippi. He's the best Ag commish we've ever had, and he chooses right over expediency every time.
I'm not thrilled about the goofy sign myself.
But it looks better than "pan handlers" in front of St.D.
Can't wait to watch this Repub primary.
Shad, Lynn. Dilburt, a rich tire salseman, and gawd knows who else.
BTW.
How is " the Hat's" album doing on the music charts ?
Ah yes Mr. Gibson: Jackson can't make money on a cell phone tower deal and we aren't going to respect their zoning laws either. Sounds like Gibson hates the blacks.
So there’s a fear visitors to Jackson will be able to overlook the panhandlers, potholes, abandoned buildings, litter, etc. but be left with a bad impression by this sign?
Woop woop cowboy handy can start collecting his cut of ad revenue. Hopefully his cowboy hat fits in that screen. Lord knows don’t stand between that man and the TV camera.
These type signed need a “night mode” where they automatically turn the intensity of the LEDs down to -1 at night. Nothing ruins a driver’s night vision worse than a bright, flashing, LED sign illuminating the night with 1/10 of the intensity of the sun.
His campaign focuses on his business acumen, but he negotiated a four-sided billboard to be erected despite one side being blocked by trees and the another facing a street with minimal traffic.
Methinks his being paid to work as an attorney at Jones Walker while receiving his Ag Commissioner salary is a better reflection of his business acumen.
Andy will be governor. He has the perfect aw shucks appeal but he happens to be one of the smartest (books) guys in government. He has a crazy gene running through his family is his only fault.
Anything that distracts people from looking at the derelict cesspool Jackson is becoming should be welcome.
Replace the sign with a rodeo clown in a barrel handing out pamphlets and collecting dollar bills. Yes Andy can do a shift in the barrel every weekend.
9:57 What are these "Sounds" that you hear?
Yeah, I'll bet the Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau is REALLY upset about this. Just think, having to change their slogan from "The City with Soul" to "Sorry About the Billboard" is gonna require a lot of work and expense. And I'll bet at least none of the conventions not scheduled to take place in Jackson cancel over this horrific blight upon the otherwise-wonderful city.
Oh boo hoo.. the Ag Commish put up an LED sign that will illuminate the shithole that Jackson is.
The city of Jackson sure likes to forget that cities are creations of states
Was it decided based upon which side had the most lawyers?
I hope you guys are joking when you say you think this man will be governor. We would be the absolute laughing stock of the nation with this yokel at the helm.
So does this mean that "Gentleman's" Clubs, Romantic Adventures, Lumbumba for Congress, Cigar Bar, can advertise as well?
The answer to the question is...may I have the envelope, please... The number of days left between tomorrow and the date of the next election, plus forty.
"would be"?
I hope you were joking when you wrote, "I hope you guys are joking when you say you think this man will be governor. We would be the absolute laughing stock of the nation with this yokel at the helm."
"VOTE FOR THE IDIOT YOKEL IN THE NEXT ELECTION!"
"Which one? Which election?"
"Any of them in all of them. I just want to back the winner and it's worked perfectly in the last few cycles..."
10:01 for the win!
people like Andy Gipson arent the problem. it is people like Lumumba, Stokes, and Bennie T that make this state look foolish. They are responsibile for every bad metric in this state. The lousy schools, the rampant crime, the horrific obesity. just look at Bennie T and Kenny Stokes. Big fat nasty dudes. And they sound so ignorant when they speak.
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