UPDATED 6 Nov 2015: 29 Oct 2015: Board of Supervisors' Meeting: CORRECTED 3 Nov 2015

29 Oct 2015 Board of Supervisors’ Meeting: 5p

Thank you for the appointment this evening.

Over the years, I have written and reported to you about our voter rolls.  We are just a few days away from the General Election.  We still have many problems with our Election Commission’s performance.

Four weeks ago, I received a phone call talking about the training of election workers for 3 Nov.  I thought I would check it out for myself.  Bob and I attended the next meeting.  At that meeting, I learned that our voter rolls have not been purged.  Yes, it is and was too late but it was not too late in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May and Jun of this year.  I just wanted the Election Commission to admit to their potential workers that the voter rolls they would be working with on 3 Nov, had not been purged.

I learned that the previous week there were 19 people in attendance.  At the meeting I attended, there was supposed to be hands on training on the voting machines.  In preparation for this training, 2 machines were set-up and at least 1 of them was not working.  I suggested that enough machines be set-up the following week to allow every person to experience what it takes to set-up and take-down the voting machines. 

I couldn’t attend the next week.  However, at the final training I verified with one person that there were additional machines the previous week.  Another person told me there were 6 machines set-up during the training that I could not attend.

At the final training, I arrived early to make a list of the Poll Workers that have been assigned to the 3 precincts in Beat 2.  I wanted to make sure that the 2 Poll Managers at the Tunica Library during the Primary Election were not going to be working anywhere in Beat 2.  If you will remember, 27 voters were disenfranchised due to Poll Manager errors at the Library on 4 Aug. 

I am including the list of workers in this report:

Precinct 3: Prichard Road:

Manager: Leonard Granberry

Manager: Martini McNeal

Latoya Gibson

Yameka Melvin (had not been asked yet)

Precinct 4: Tunica Library

Manager: Scott Rhines

Manager: Meg Coker
CORRECTION: Sandy Gannoway

Patricia Seggog

Marilyn Seggog

Precinct 5: Mhoon Landing

Manager: Joyce Mitchell

Susie Dorsey

Roshunda Dorsey

Anthony Hudson (had not been asked yet)

Why is this important information?  At the last Primary, we were told that some workers called in the day before the Primary and said they wouldn’t be available the next day.  So, what happened?  What happened was that people who had previously worked our elections were called to fill in.  What I am suggesting is that each of you find out from your Election Commissioner who is going to work the polls in your Beat.  The devil is in the details and this list may be helpful to you after next Tue.

So, what is left?  The voter rolls that are used by the Poll Workers at the Precincts.  What can you, as a Supervisor, do to make sure that the rolls provided by the Circuit Clerk are accurate? 

During the Primary and the run-off, there were problems like unsealed bags from Mhoon Landing, Superintendent’s Office and Tunica Auditorium.  There were problems with people voting who did not live here.  There were problems with voters being listed in the wrong Precinct. There were problems with a lot of stuff.  Why can’t Tunica get this right?  Have we really been doing it wrong so long that some of us think it is right?  At the very least, every legal voter of this County needs to feel sure that our elections are fair and honest.

*This is the end of the Transparency Report.  

What I am reporting next is very important for all of us to understand BEFORE we cast our votes next Tue, 3 Nov 2015.

To request an appointment on the agenda of a Board of Supervisors' Meeting, you must submit your request at least 72 hours prior to the meeting.  The Transparency Committee asked to be put on the agenda for this meeting well before 72 hours prior.  

After presenting our report, James Dunn asked a member of the audience who is also a member of the Healthcare Authority Board (HCAB), if he had requested to be placed on the agenda.  The HCAB member stated he had called the County Administrator's Office but had not received a return phone call.  Dunn then invited the HCAB member to speak.  

The HCAB member then requested that the BOS reconsider hiring "Mr." Gene Osborn. (PLEASE people, it is DOCTOR Osborn not Mister Osborn...use his title...he earned it.)  This is very curious because as I understand it, the Healthcare Authority Board voted against again hiring Dr. Osborn to assist the two HCA managers.  Correction: I have now learned that the HCAB voted for rehiring Dr. Osborn.  One member voted against rehiring Dr. Osborn.  

A bit of background: Previously, the BOS rehired Dr. Osborn for 3 months to train the two managers.  At the end of the three months, the managers were awarded a $20,000 raise each due to their added responsibilities.

During his presentation to the BOS the HCAB member stated the HCA would lose approximately $1M this year.  The impression was that this was unusual.  Thankfully, County Administrator Michael Thompson interrupted the presentation to inform Dunn, the HCBA member and everyone else that the HCA has lost between $800K and $1M since its inception in 2005.  The HCAB member stated the deficit was between $500K and $600K.  Thompson corrected him and the HCAB member finally admitted that Thompson was correct.  Additionally, Thompson stated that the HCA has lost between $800k and $1M per year when Dr. Osborn was in charge so this is no surprise to anyone.

I know this to be true as the Transparency Committee has been looking into the HCA for many years.  We were the folks who brought to the public's attention that we were paying Dr. Gentry $265k per year.  We were the folks who attended and spoke to the BOS at Public Hearings about the HCA  losing about a $1M per year.  

Okay, so that's the background.  Here's the problem.  The HCAB did not vote to rehire Dr. Osborn and yet Dunn and this HCAB member tried to make us think he was speaking about a subject that was approved by the HCAB.  Guys, we are not stupid.  To me this was one member of the HCAB pushing for something that the board of which he is a member had voted against.  Does he think he can step over the HCAB to get what he wants by coming to the BOS?  I think this is inappropriate and very disruptive to the democratic way of doing things.  Does he not respect the other HCAB members?  Thank heaven for Sonny Nickson, who stood up to Dunn and the HCAB member. As corrected above, the HCAB voted to rehire Dr. Osborn with one member voting against the rehiring.  IMHO, why do we keep employing the same people and expecting different results?  Maybe the rehire is on an as-needed basis but just maybe we need to do something different.  The HCAB member who spoke at the BOS's meeting was asked to bring back other options.  

Blogger's note: In my follow-up to this post, I did find out that the rest of the HCAB did not know this member had taken it upon himself to approach the Board.  Therefore, my statement above of "I think this is inappropriate and very disruptive to the democratic way of doing things" still stands.

Additionally, I have now been told by other HCAB members that the two managers asked Michael Thompson to help them balance their books.  He couldn't do this because he was in the middle of the budgeting process.  They then approached Adrian McKay and got the same answer.  So, they hired Williams, Pitts and Beard at $260+ per hour to do the task.  One of the HCAB members I spoke with said they should have called her and she would have balanced their books for free.  And don't anybody get on this blog and attack Thompson or McKay for not being able to help balance the HCA books.  It is not their job and they had other responsibilities. If you decide you are going to comment in the negative anyway, I will delete your post without taking the time to answer.

These upcoming elections are going to have consequences if we waste our vote on the wrong candidate.  We will be getting a stomach full of this inappropriate behavior if  Beat 2 voters fall victim to a candidate who is not involved in our government circumstances as I have been.  I would not have found it difficult at all to say just what I have written here concerning the above Dunn/HCAB member dog and pony show.

I would not be quiet.  First, I would have asked the HCAB member when did he call the County Administrator's Office and then informed him of the 72 hour rule...for his future requests.  Second, I would have asked if the HCAB had approved this member's presentation.  I would have followed up with what the Transparency Committee has reported about the HCA.  I do not think kindly of those who think they can come to the BOS to get what they want over the disapproval of the board on which they serve. without the rest of their Board knowing of their presentation.   

Every person in Tunica County puts his or her pants on the same way.   The public was not fooled.  Let's wait and see what the Tunica Times has to say about this request.  Will they speak accurately or will they slant the story to support big money?

On Tue, 3 Nov

VOTE for Transparency

Elect Barbara R. Tuchel

Supervisor Beat 2