It appears we have us a white Kenneth I. Stokes. Check out what Northern Highway Commissioner John Caldwell had to say during the Tuesday Board meeting.
Mr. Caldwell and MDOT Executive Director Brad White sparred several times during the meeting. As Magnolia Tribune reported:
The matter began in the August 25 commission meeting, where Northern District Commissioner John Caldwell (R) asked for detailed information on federal grants and where they “will go.” MDOT Executive Director Brad White said he did not have that information in front of him at the time but said he would send it immediately after the meeting concluded. After Caldwell made a comment to the effect that he cannot seem to get answers from MDOT because they do not know the answers when asked, White expressed frustration. “Commissioner, that’s not a fair statement. We have the answers. I just don’t have it in my head,” White said. “I’m happy to provide you with any information you want. But nor is it fair for you to pretend as if you’re just completely in the blind about what we do.” It was pointed out by White that all grants are brought before the commission before moving to the next step, complete with detailed information about the project for which the funds are intended. “For you to insinuate that you don’t know what’s going on is an indictment of yourself, not the staff,” White said. “I can give it to you, I can’t make you read it.” Caldwell then shifted his focus to a situation where a traffic light was requested by elected officials in Horn Lake, a city in DeSoto County where a young girl Caldwell knew died in a traffic accident on Highway 302. He contended that when MDOT did a study, the department indicated that the city would need to provide additional funding to get the light installed. However, to Caldwell, there are many other projects across the state funded at hundreds of millions of dollars. Use of federal funding is restricted to the approved project, White explained, so it cannot be shifted to other projects. (KF: One would expect Mr. Stokes to know that.) This week, the commission held a follow up meeting where White presented the information on the grants and traffic light situation requested by Caldwell during the August 25 meeting. Caldwell joined the commission meeting by phone. In his research through staff conversations and MDOT records, White found that while an initial traffic study deemed installation of the light within the “bubble” of approval, it was given final approval due to Caldwell’s intent to have the light installed. However, follow up studies by MDOT’s chief engineer determined issues with the first traffic study. In spite of those issues, MDOT still committed to installing the light on MDOT’s dime due to Caldwell’s promise. The city wanted more decorative poles, called a “mast arm” system. MDOT indicated to Horn Lake leaders that if the city covered the additional cost above the traditional cable system for a mast arm system, MDOT would still contribute to the project. “So, in keeping with what we’ve done all over the state, we committed that we would move forward in providing all the equipment and all of the other things that we would normally provide in order to install a signal. And they would be permitted, through an agreement, to upgrade the type of poles they would like. And [like] every other municipality or county that’s done so, they would bear the extra cost that would go into that,” White described. After presenting his findings on the matter, which included overviews of discussions with the police chief who indicated other intersections in the area that currently have traffic lights see higher collision numbers than the one in question, and that the Mayor still does not have a final answer from the Board of Aldermen, White concluded his presentation. “But I do feel like it’s important that the city be on board before we move forward with putting something there in the city,” White told the commission. “Now I recognize that this paints a little bit of a different picture than the one Commissioner Caldwell drew at the last commission meeting. But [Southern District] Commissioner [Charles] Busby and [Centra District] Commissioner [Willie] Simmons can be rest assured that what I’m telling you is the truth as far as I can find it within our records and within talking with our capable staff that had this issue resolved.” White then asked for questions from the commission, adding, “The old saying is the truth’s kind of like a lion, you don’t have to defend it, you just turn it out and it’ll defend itself,” White said. Rest of article at the Trib.
Mr. Caldwell didn't take Mr. White's words too kindly and made his feelings immediately known:
Caldwell: Okay, let me let me jump in there. Let me jump in there. And I resent the hell out of that last comment. Like there was no truth in what I said.White: There wasn't. So I resent the hell out of what you said the last meeting.Caldwell: Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. While we are in the middle of discussions, I don't expect to be called a liar. Now, I was about to follow your comments with that was a very accurate and good synopsis of the history of that life. Before you basically accuse me of being a liar and say you gave the truth and I gave something less than the truth.White: Well, they're different stories, Commissioner.
The exchange can be seen below. Start at 40:00.
Kingfish note: John Coldwell Stokes. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
36 comments:
I wonder whose attention Commissioner Caldwell is trying to attract. He's clearly putting on a show for someone.
Or have people just gone crazy in Desoto County?
I once talked to Caldwell on the phone for probably 20 minutes. I was much dumber when the call ended.
To answer your question, yes, they have gone absolutely crazy in Desoto County.
White must feel pretty solid in his support from the other two commissioners to break one off in one commissioner in particular, since he serves at the will and pleasure of the commission.
Why do we have a Commission? Caldwell is the best example of why it should be eliminated.
He should resign in disgrace. I have never seen anything like that in my life.
Desoto County has been off the hook for years!
How else could Horn Lake get everyone else to pay for the fancy poles and other road stuff they want if there weren't lopcal commissioners to mutually backscratch and grease the DOT?
Caldwell needs to resign or not run again. He is totally useless and doesn’t represent his constituents well. I’m sure DeSoto county is worse off for having him. That’s the only county he cares about or represents.
DeSoto County has been crazy for a while now.
I wonder how the rest of his constituents feel about his opinion of Highway 15? Desoto isn’t his only county.
Some additional background ( the context was he held up a $100 million in federal funds for the DOT in 2022 in a similar fashion) :
"The Northern District has 33 counties. The other (two) districts have less. We have the most people, the most road miles. We are not getting the most money, though," Caldwell told me in the interview.
He acknowledged that there are some pots of money where the commission has agreed to equally split funds among the three districts — bridge funds, lottery funds and money from the Transportation Alternative Program Fund.
"But even equal splits are not equal," Caldwell argued.
Of course, he does not mention that he was the one who recommended the equal split for the lottery funds. Nor does he mention that the Northern District has gotten more money than the other two districts for two of the last three fiscal years from 2020-2022."
https://www.djournal.com/opinion/columnists/john-caldwell-not-making-friends-as-mdot-commissioner/article_1a5d36f8-51a0-50ca-b66e-2936645f72b9.html
When people say Mississippi needs more tools to get-r-dun they apparently need to remember to count Caldwell!
Brad White is a fine, hard working man. While working with Commissioner Dick Hall & Republican Party; he always put taxpayers & MS first. That was rude of Caldwell to tell him to shut up! I know your mother taught you Better!
Commissioner Caldwell has been mentioned here on a few occasions. Here is a classic. Can anyone guess who one of the want to be double dippers could be?
https://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2022/01/will-leg-approve-double-dip-bill-for.html
"Frank Corder authored this column on Y'all Politics. It is reprinted with the site's permission.
The issue of whether a state elected official should be able to draw on their retirement and receive a state salary as required by law has raised its head once again.
State Senator Michael McClendon (R) has filed SB 2475 which seeks to revise the statute that requires mandatory compensation for Mississippi Transportation Commissioners, making the salary discretionary for each Commissioner.
The bill would amend MS Code Section 65-1-7 by adding the words “be entitled to” within the section. If adopted, the section would read: "
Oh this as well!
"Senator McClendon’s bill is aimed at allowing the Commissioners to elect to take a lower salary so they can continue to concurrently draw PERS benefits.
Senator McClendon told Y’all Politics on Monday that Northern District Transportation Commissioner Caldwell had requested the change.
A similar practice of allowing elected lawmakers to draw incomes from state service and retirement at the same time has been shunned by the Legislature and the IRS in the past"
Check out Representative Jody Steverson's Facebook page to see how the Highway 15 constituents feel.
Caldwell does nothing but cause problems. The other commissioners are sick of it as well as Brad.
Elect clowns to have a circus!
Caldwell is a clown.
Brad has nothing to fear from the northern district commissioner.
Caldwell phoned in his rant? What a clown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w_6rWcdl50
Check out this performance @ the 4:40 mark
I bet this stop light is in his wife’s supervisor district. Can anyone confirm?
Don’t blame him
As White pointed out, many highway funds are controlled by federal grant guidelines.
That's really something. Not in a good way.
Strong HMFIC energy.
What kind of fancy SUVs do they get?
@3:31 "Caldwell phoned in his rant? What a clown."
I'm sure Caldwell was hanging out in his new coffee shop.
https://www.thecolonelscoffee.com
I'm kind of surprised by Brad's arrogance here. He must have pictures of Busby and Simmons that neither would want made public. If he does not, he just gave both those guys serious leverage over him. Get crossways with one, and Caldwell gets rid of him.
Caldwell has finally made it. This comment doesn’t even make sense. Busby and Simmons were clearly on Brad’s team. If you see the other comments, this isn’t the first time Caldwell has acted foolish. Seems like Busby, Simmons, and White are all on the same page the entire meeting.
"I don't know what I don't know" twice in one week.
No surprise that MDOT is acting like MDOT.
The northern district commissioner just wrote the script for why there is absolutely zero need for commissioners who are only interested in protecting their fiefdoms.
"While we are in the middle of discussions, I don't expect to be called a liar."
Well sir, there is a very simple way you can fix that.
John Caldwell is an absolute baffoon. Anyone who has spoken with him can attest. MDOT by all recent accounts appears to be as well run as it has been in decades.
Hello radio dispatch. This is code name Hard hat. Code name Hard Hat, do you read me? Over.
Was that Lard Ass?
Hard Hat, Code name Hard Hat, do you read me? Over.
Hey, got something for you Lard Ass!
Every time a Director and a Commissioner have gotten into fights, ultimately the Commissioner wins. I would say Mr. White needs to be getting his résumé ready.
Everyone needs to watch that video from 40:00 to the end. He got caught in a lie, or at least a purposeful mischaracterization. Everyone pointed it out, and he lost his mind. I won't vote for him. I heard him speak at an event a couple years ago, and there was a bunch of aw-shucks stories but ZERO professionalism and substance. Typical of someone in above his head.
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