Before I post my thoughts about the above subject, I want to say something about what I consider harassment of me by our Circuit Clerk, Sharon Cranberry. AGAIN!
On Tuesday, I was poll watching for a candidate. So that I could take bathroom breaks, walk around a bit, check reading materials from the library, have my husband bring me snacks and lunch, I also had in my possession credentials for my husband, Bob Tuchel. I had shown both my credentials and Bob's to the Poll Manager upon entering the library.
As Bob entered and left the library the Poll workers joked around with him as did I with comments like "bye honey". It was really turning out to be a very pleasant day. And then came the phone call from Sharon.
This is what happened: I had just come back from checking out some reading material from the library. Bob was still sitting at the table and I was discussing with him what to fix for dinner. Mia came in to vote and there was no one in the room except Mia, the Poll Workers and the Tuchels. Bob left and a phone call came to the Poll Manager to tell me that both Bob and I could not be Poll Watching for the same person at the same time.
Stop harassing me Sharon. I'm sorry my husband didn't get up fast enough for you. I am a private citizen doing my best to do my civic duty. You are a government official. I will speak out on your continued harassment of me each and every time.
And now on to the good stuff. Turn out in Tunica County on Tuesday was low. Of those who took the time to vote, 75% of Tunica County voted for Hillary Clinton. Our State does not reflect our wishes.
Therefore, I am suggesting that we take our choice and our voices and join the movement to abolish the Electoral College. This is something I have been talking about since Bush/Gore. With the results on Tuesday, it has now been twice in our recent history that the Electoral College did not match the popular vote.
It is time for every vote to count. Our Country is too big to have the Electoral College. It is my belief in the aftermath of this ugly election that the underlying problem is that not every vote counted.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Saturday, October 8, 2016
The Moral Base of Tunica County, MS
Today is 8 Oct 2016. Republicans, forget about your candidate's tax returns. Your candidate does not have a moral center.
Today, I am reminded of First Lady Michelle Obama's statement: "When they go low, we go high."
On 8 Nov 2016, I will be watching the total votes in Tunica County for both the Democratic and the Republican candidates' for President of the United States of America. Depending on the breakdown, we will see a picture of the morals of this County and our citizen's ability to break with group think and vote for progress.
You had your chance Republicans and you chose poorly. You chose Bush/Cheney. And then you tried out Sarah Palin. You need to work on your Party and find someone with a brain and a moral center. Your current candidate is not it.
Do not criticize Hillary Clinton when your Party has presented our Country with this poor excuse for a human being. By associating with your candidate, you are condoning his beliefs and actions toward women.
I'm enthusiastically voting for Hillary Clinton. She's qualified and fit to lead our Country.
It's time for MS to show ourselves and the Country that we are not the bumbling idiots they think we are.
It's time for MS to turn blue, again.
Today, I am reminded of First Lady Michelle Obama's statement: "When they go low, we go high."
On 8 Nov 2016, I will be watching the total votes in Tunica County for both the Democratic and the Republican candidates' for President of the United States of America. Depending on the breakdown, we will see a picture of the morals of this County and our citizen's ability to break with group think and vote for progress.
You had your chance Republicans and you chose poorly. You chose Bush/Cheney. And then you tried out Sarah Palin. You need to work on your Party and find someone with a brain and a moral center. Your current candidate is not it.
Do not criticize Hillary Clinton when your Party has presented our Country with this poor excuse for a human being. By associating with your candidate, you are condoning his beliefs and actions toward women.
I'm enthusiastically voting for Hillary Clinton. She's qualified and fit to lead our Country.
It's time for MS to show ourselves and the Country that we are not the bumbling idiots they think we are.
It's time for MS to turn blue, again.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Building in the right of way....
It is my understanding that these types of structures need to be 100 feet from the middle of the road. What recourse do the citizens of Tunica County have when other's actions go against our regulations?
Are these structures 100 feet from the middle of the road?
Are these structures 100 feet from the middle of the road?
Monday, August 1, 2016
I am disgusted
Tonight at the Board of Supervisor's Meeting there was quite a discussion about "Agent of Record" for our property and liability Insurance.
As we heard, Gordon Burke has been the agent for the above insurance for many years. I've watched him make his presentations and apparently, he had found the best deals for us because I have not observed another agent coming in and presenting another policy that would be better.
As I understand it, another agent could not bid with a policy that was already in place. The only way this could happen is for our Board of Supervisors to make another agent the "Agent of Record". In this case, this resolution by our Board of Supervisors allowed a brand new insurance agent and the agency he works for to steal Gordon Burke's business.
I confronted Larry Pratt and one of the agency's owners outside of the meeting. I don't know this guy's name but what he said was...,that's how insurance works. Really? My father-,in-law and my husband's uncle were in insurance all of their working lives and this is not how it works.
In insurance as in any business, you earn it. You go out and find a policy that is better than the one we already have or you find a policy that offers something we need but don't have. You work for it. You don't steal it. Shameful.
Somebody please buy this house. I am so tired of living around people who think they are entitled.
As we heard, Gordon Burke has been the agent for the above insurance for many years. I've watched him make his presentations and apparently, he had found the best deals for us because I have not observed another agent coming in and presenting another policy that would be better.
As I understand it, another agent could not bid with a policy that was already in place. The only way this could happen is for our Board of Supervisors to make another agent the "Agent of Record". In this case, this resolution by our Board of Supervisors allowed a brand new insurance agent and the agency he works for to steal Gordon Burke's business.
I confronted Larry Pratt and one of the agency's owners outside of the meeting. I don't know this guy's name but what he said was...,that's how insurance works. Really? My father-,in-law and my husband's uncle were in insurance all of their working lives and this is not how it works.
In insurance as in any business, you earn it. You go out and find a policy that is better than the one we already have or you find a policy that offers something we need but don't have. You work for it. You don't steal it. Shameful.
Somebody please buy this house. I am so tired of living around people who think they are entitled.
1 Aug 2016 Board of Supervisors' Meeting
When I arrived this morning, we were told that only two Supervisors would be present and Phillis Williams would be on the phone.
It was my understanding that there has to be a physical quorum in the room before a meeting could be held. Said another way, the Supervisors may not use a phoned in presence to create a quorum. When Attorney John Perry arrived, I asked the question. Perry checked and found this to be true.
The BOS will meet this afternoon at 4p.
To the BOS, this is what happens when you attempt to change meetings to disenfranchise one of your members. All of you ran with the knowledge that meetings were at 5p on the first Monday, the 15th and the last day of the month. Now you want to meet only on the first and third Mondays and your meetings are too long for the public's comfort. So, I ask you:
Who are you serving? Us or yourselves?
It was my understanding that there has to be a physical quorum in the room before a meeting could be held. Said another way, the Supervisors may not use a phoned in presence to create a quorum. When Attorney John Perry arrived, I asked the question. Perry checked and found this to be true.
The BOS will meet this afternoon at 4p.
To the BOS, this is what happens when you attempt to change meetings to disenfranchise one of your members. All of you ran with the knowledge that meetings were at 5p on the first Monday, the 15th and the last day of the month. Now you want to meet only on the first and third Mondays and your meetings are too long for the public's comfort. So, I ask you:
Who are you serving? Us or yourselves?
Sunday, July 24, 2016
UPDATED: 25 Jul 2016: Truth, Lies and My Opinions
24 Jul 2026:. I watched the Republican Convention...gavel to gavel...on Direct TV Channel 347. It is here that I can watch and listen and make-up my own mind.
Over the next several months, I am going to use this post as a diary of sorts on our way to electing our next President of the United States of America. Full disclosure: I am supporting the Clinton/Kaine ticket.
Until yesterday, I didn't know much about Tim Kaine's voting record. I'm looking forward to learning more.
At first blush, I was disappointed that Bernie Sanders was not tapped for VP. Maybe having Bernie and the first woman on the same ticket is too much at once in 2016. So, I will happily support the Clinton/Kaine ticket.
Now back to the Republican Convention:
On day one the sitting First Lady was plagiarized by the nominee's wife. How sad and what a mess.
And the Convention went down hill from there.
On the second day, the theme was Make America Work Again. Really? The GOP controls both houses of Congress. Put a jobs bill on the President's desk. Your obstruction of this President is hurting our Country and her people.
During the Convention there were more than a few comments made about our President being a Muslim when he says he is a Christian. Those who are making those comments are showing their ignorance and unwillingness to learn.
Here's what I think:. Does anyone believe that Michelle Obama is anything other than a Christian? Now that we have that out of the way, you can Google Muslim interfaith marriage and you will find that there is virtually no accepted interfaith marriage in the Muslim religion. So, can we put this discussion aside and move on to subjects that effect the American people?
Then there was the brouhaha about Ted Cruz not endorsing the Republican nominee. To my way of thinking this is one thing Ted got right. The statement they all signed said they would support the nominee. It did not say endorse the nominee.
And then there was the Trump speech. All I have to say here is: Please God, do not let this man become President of these United States of America.
25 Jul 2016:
Some things I found yesterday....
"I like imaging what certain Trump supporters would say if Hillary Clinton accepted the Dem nomination with her 5 kids by 3 different men.". 23 Jul 2016 John Fugelsang
Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg will speak at the Democratic Convention.
"It is time to lift the federal ban on marijuana". 24 Jul 2016 Bernie Sanders
"None of the speakers at last week's Republican Convention mentioned the party's plans for Social Security. Digging into the GOP platform reveals the reason why - they support cutting and privatizing Social Security. That's incredibly unpopular with voters of ALL parties". 24 Jul 2016 Social Security Works
BT: Social Security is not an "entitlement". We paid for this benefit and we pay for Medicare coverage every month through deducted premiums. Keep your hands off!
BT: The Democratic Rules Committee just voted to reduce the Superdelegate count by two thirds for the future. This is something I wanted to see happen. Actually, I would like to see all Superdelegate gone; all Caucasus changed to primaries and the elimination of the Electorial College. I think that these actions would support one person one vote in this 21st century world.
Send Cory Booker (D-NJ): "America, we will rise.". What an inspiring speech.
First Lady Michelle Obama:. The words of our elected officials matter because our children are listening. "When they go low, we go high."
Send Elizabeth Warren (D-MA): To all of the Republicans in Congress who have obstructed progress...this Nov, America is coming for you! Overturn Citizens United...
Keith Erickson,(D-MN): Paul Ryan will not allow a vote to restore the Voting Rights Act.
Sen Bernie Sanders: (I-VT): Ending the 40 year decline of the Middle Class. Ending income inequality. Thank you to Pres Obama and VP Biden for pulling us out of the Recession. Raise the minimum wage to a living wage. Overturn Citizen United.
Universal healthcare.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Kicked again.....
If the front page article in the 8 Jul 2016 issue of the Tunica Times is correct, our Board of Supervisor's have again made a self-serving and bad decision.
In my previous post I talked about the discovery of an unpaid building permit for Maud Elevator. Oh, the almost $7k fee was paid, after the project was discovered. Wonder how many more fees are owed to Tunica County and what about some late fees for those who didn't pay before starting construction?
So, according to the Tunica Times, Supervisor Billy Pegram is quoted as stating: "We can't afford him" when Supervisor James Dunn asked the Board if they wanted Tunica Architect Bill Wenzel to continue working for us. The Board said no and hired the MEMPHIS company Code Solutions.
Next thing we know, Michael Johnson is going to insist on giving jobs to his political opponents Lynn Henson and Robert Leflore, Jr.
Don't expect any TRANSPARENCY from Code Solutions. If what I'm reading online about this company is correct, Richard Howe is a "Consulting Partner" of Code Solutions...not a principal.
When is Tunica going to stand-up together and demand that everyone play by the same rules?
UPDATE: Since writing this post, I have learned that Supervisor Sonny Nickson voted against terminating Bill Wenzel and against hiring Code Solutions.
It's my understanding that Lynn Henson is being employed by Code Solutions to work in Tunica. This was a complete guess on my part but there it is.
Additionally...there is more...isn't there always more in Tunica? We are going to be paying Code Solutions $10k per month so I'm not sure what Billy Pegram was talking about when he said we couldn't afford Bill Wenzel. And since when do we not have to bid a contract for $120,000?
In my previous post I talked about the discovery of an unpaid building permit for Maud Elevator. Oh, the almost $7k fee was paid, after the project was discovered. Wonder how many more fees are owed to Tunica County and what about some late fees for those who didn't pay before starting construction?
So, according to the Tunica Times, Supervisor Billy Pegram is quoted as stating: "We can't afford him" when Supervisor James Dunn asked the Board if they wanted Tunica Architect Bill Wenzel to continue working for us. The Board said no and hired the MEMPHIS company Code Solutions.
Next thing we know, Michael Johnson is going to insist on giving jobs to his political opponents Lynn Henson and Robert Leflore, Jr.
Don't expect any TRANSPARENCY from Code Solutions. If what I'm reading online about this company is correct, Richard Howe is a "Consulting Partner" of Code Solutions...not a principal.
When is Tunica going to stand-up together and demand that everyone play by the same rules?
UPDATE: Since writing this post, I have learned that Supervisor Sonny Nickson voted against terminating Bill Wenzel and against hiring Code Solutions.
It's my understanding that Lynn Henson is being employed by Code Solutions to work in Tunica. This was a complete guess on my part but there it is.
Additionally...there is more...isn't there always more in Tunica? We are going to be paying Code Solutions $10k per month so I'm not sure what Billy Pegram was talking about when he said we couldn't afford Bill Wenzel. And since when do we not have to bid a contract for $120,000?
Thursday, June 23, 2016
UPDATED: What the heck???!!!
I'm still not comfortable with this Code Solutions deal. I don't understand what we need them for and besides, wasn't it Michael Johnson who said he wanted to bid everything out when we were talking about our health insurance?
Well, guess what I'm looking at? I'm looking at the building permit for Maud Elevator.
UPDATE:. It is my understanding that more than a few residents of Beat 5 have had their power turned off this past week while the above mentioned elevators or silos were brought online. Hello...it's over 90 degrees outside. Again, what the heck?!!!
Well, guess what I'm looking at? I'm looking at the building permit for Maud Elevator.
And here's a picture of Maud Elevator. See how bright and shiny and new? Let me see...want to make sure I get this right. The Building Permit is dated 6/13/16. Today is 6/23/16. Do you mean to tell me these silos or whatever you call them were put up in 10 days? I don't think so either.
It seems to me there should be some kind of penalty for starting construction before obtaining a Building Permit. What I'm looking at shows a fee of $6,994.00. I think if a company and/or the company owners are so dishonest as to try to get out of paying what is owed to Tunica County, there ought to be a penalty for not doing what is right.
Also, on this Building Permit there is a notation next to Maud Elevator. The notation says: Michael Johnson, et al. Then there is a notation next to the contractor's name that indicates that he is unlicensed. Geez, don't contractors in our County have to have a license? The contractor's name looks like: James Castle II with an address of 3746 Hwy 1 South, Greenville, MS 38701.
The Applicant's Signature is so poorly written that I can't tell what it says or who signed the application.
Oh, but wait...there's more.
I have a copy of another building permit in the name of Jack Wilkes to renovate some apartments. The Permit is dated 6/17/16 and today is still 6/23/16. Whew...things get done fast in Tunica County. There must be a construction fairy up in here. Did you know that the Tunica County Construction Fairy can renovate 6 apartments in 6 days. Oops, I see another penalty.
Oh, and there is an unlicensed Dennis Percival noted. Wonder what that is all about.
Now I'm wondering if we need to look at all of the building permits over the last few years and see if we can make some money on those issued after the beginning of construction. Do you all remember when the Transparency Committee found that the remodeling being done at 1370 Beatline Road had been underway for 4 months without a building permit? And that was in 2011.
Again, it seems to me that penalties need to be levied on those who don't follow the rules. Until all of this is straight and the public has been made aware of every project that had a late Building Permit, we don't need Code Solutions.
UPDATE:. It is my understanding that more than a few residents of Beat 5 have had their power turned off this past week while the above mentioned elevators or silos were brought online. Hello...it's over 90 degrees outside. Again, what the heck?!!!
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
6 Jun 2016 BOS Meeting
Last week, I didn't see anything in the newspaper about this meeting. Maybe they're waiting for this week?
The meeting on 6 Jun 2016, Went on for over three hours. Perhaps the Board needs to reconsider their decision about two meetings per month at 9a.
My biggest take-away was the presentation from Code Solutions. In a nutshell, their presentation suggested that we replace Pepper Bradford with a contract for $10,000 plus per month. That's over $120,000 per year!
When did we ever pay Pepper this kind of money? It seemed to me that Michael Johnson wanted approve this company right on the spot. By now, Johnson should know that a contract for this much money would have to be bid.
Additionally, who are these people? I'm not absolutely sure but I believe the man doing the speaking was a political supporter of Johnson out at the Cut-Off.
Watch out for this one folks.
The meeting on 6 Jun 2016, Went on for over three hours. Perhaps the Board needs to reconsider their decision about two meetings per month at 9a.
My biggest take-away was the presentation from Code Solutions. In a nutshell, their presentation suggested that we replace Pepper Bradford with a contract for $10,000 plus per month. That's over $120,000 per year!
When did we ever pay Pepper this kind of money? It seemed to me that Michael Johnson wanted approve this company right on the spot. By now, Johnson should know that a contract for this much money would have to be bid.
Additionally, who are these people? I'm not absolutely sure but I believe the man doing the speaking was a political supporter of Johnson out at the Cut-Off.
Watch out for this one folks.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Outrageous!!!
Last night some media sources called the Democratic Primary for Sec Clinton.
These Superdelegates have got to go. Whatever happened to one person, one vote? Yes, Sec Clinton is up by about 3 million votes but our largest state has yet to cast their ballots.
By some of the media calling this election, they may have influenced the turnout tomorrow. What if Clinton supporters stay home because their candidate has it in the bag? What if Sanders supporters give up and stay home?
Isn't this like the same thing that happened in the Beat 5 race on 2 Nov 2015? Judge Lackey's order calling for a Special Election was released to the public one day before the election on 3 Nov 2015.
How many people stayed home because they believed there would be another election?
These Superdelegates have got to go. Whatever happened to one person, one vote? Yes, Sec Clinton is up by about 3 million votes but our largest state has yet to cast their ballots.
By some of the media calling this election, they may have influenced the turnout tomorrow. What if Clinton supporters stay home because their candidate has it in the bag? What if Sanders supporters give up and stay home?
Isn't this like the same thing that happened in the Beat 5 race on 2 Nov 2015? Judge Lackey's order calling for a Special Election was released to the public one day before the election on 3 Nov 2015.
How many people stayed home because they believed there would be another election?
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
UPDATED 26 May 2016: New Information about TCUD
So, last week Bob and I met with Matt Young from TCUD to get
a better understanding of this organization.
Before I get started on what we learned: The Fri, 20 May
2016, issue of the Tunica Times stated: “TCUD employees work directly for
Tunica County for the first time in the utility’s history, making them eligible
to participate in state
retirement.” This is not correct. TCUD employees are separate from the County
and are employed by TCUD.
On to what we learned:
TCUD was created through Local and Private Legislation. If you would like to look this up, you would
be looking for House Bill #1758 during the 1996 Regular Session of our State
Legislature. TCUD is an entity unto
itself.
In the late 1990’s, the sewer and water for the Casinos was
handled by Riverbend of Mississippi, Inc., a private engineering firm that was under contract to run the Utility District. The Casinos requested that the Public Service Commission regulate
Robinsonville Commerce Utilities.
It was during this time period that the Board of
Supervisors, (Dunn, Henderson, Battle, Jr., Tucker and Pegram) asked TCUD to
take in and upgrade water and sewer in White Oak, Dundee, Hollywood, Robinsonville,
etc.
There was a $6,200,000* bond that was issued in 2004 to pay for the Tunica Cutoff system upgrades and other system upgrades in Robinsonville. There was also a $2,391,339 loan authorized through Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) yto pay for the system upgrades in the Dundee and Hollywood areas. These upgrades were requested by the Board of
Supervisors therefore, this bond and this loan are the obligations of the County
government. Each year, the County pays
debt service on the bond of around $500k.
*The records for this bond are in the Chancery Clerk’s office. There you will find that the Board of Supervisors agreed to pay this bond. Those of us who were not privy to this information, me included, did not understand why our County was paying the debt service for TCUD. Now we know. The above named Supervisors obligated us to this debt.
*The records for this bond are in the Chancery Clerk’s office. There you will find that the Board of Supervisors agreed to pay this bond. Those of us who were not privy to this information, me included, did not understand why our County was paying the debt service for TCUD. Now we know. The above named Supervisors obligated us to this debt.
Riverbend of Mississippi, Inc., the management company which was owned by John Almond
and Mike Young, was contracted to manage TCUD.
This contract ran out 31 Dec 2015 and was not renewed. Up until this time, TCUD was paying $10k per
month to the Riverbend of Mississippi.
At the last Board of Supervisors’ Meeting, the County
Administrator, led the public to believe that TCUD was behind on their payments
with MDEQ. This is not true. This note was and is the responsibility of
the County because the Board of Supervisors requested that TCUD upgrade
services in Dundee and Hollywood. The
Board requested it. The County owes it.
The County also requested sewers at the Cut-Off to the tune
of about $4 million. We pay for this
too.
It can be said that the County had money….lots and lots of
money…when these projects were requested.
However, in my opinion, these former Boards of Supervisors obligated the
citizens of Tunica County without their knowledge. And, while they were obligating us to pay for these upgrades,
they built the airport, the museum, River Park, the golf course, and the arena without
one feasibility study. They just built and built and built. They didn't even wait to see if just one of these projects would be profitable before they were on to the next. Ugh!!!
Here’s an analogy that might make this more clear: Say, I asked Bob to purchase a new car for me
and I tell him that I will make the payments.
Then I go and spend my money on
yarn and fabric. Hmmm, no money for the
car payments. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
Additionally, the County’s gaming revenue started decreasing
in 2007 and the people we elected didn’t make the proper adjustments. That is, reign in expenses and increase
taxes.
I’m wondering to what else our elected officials have
obligated us?
Two Supervisors’ Meetings ago, there was a discussion about
the $700k Daniel Farm’s note at First Security.
This is for water and sewer for this subdivision. USDA has approved the contract with TCUD in which $703,000 is in the form of a loan, which the County has agreed to maintain, and $537,000 is in the form of a grant. These two amounts
total $1,240,000. There is a Resolution
by the County to repay $703,000 of this cost.
Heads up on this one: I don’t think there is a guarantee of construction
of a subdivision after the sewer and
water installation is completed.
There has been too much confusion about reimbursement monies
from FEMA following the 2011 flood.
There was a FEMA $300k disaster reimbursement that was due
to the Road Department. We already know that we will not be
getting reimbursed for this expense because the former Road Manager did not follow
FEMA requirements.
Then there is an additional amount of $289k, also a FEMA disaster
reimbursement, that is due to TCUD. This
amount represents flood related work at Goldstrike, Harrah's and the
Cutoff. The only way TCUD would have
been eligible for this reimbursement was for the request to be co-signed by the
County. The County agreed to co-sign. The $289k was received and was deposited in
the County’s General Fund. From my understanding, the County
Administrator kept the reimbursement and is using this money to offset funds
that have been advanced to TCUD to help with their past due bills. I think this action is wrong and doesn’t
leave a clear paper trail for money from the Federal Government.
Additionally, “after the flood of 2011 many of the streets
in Nelwin needed repair. TCUD, having
just installed the sewer lines in the road, took the responsibility of paving
the roads to repair them to the condition prior to the flood. TCUD elected to use the Road Department to
perform this work since they have a contract price with various paving
contractors in the mid south.” TCUD knew
that the County had received the FEMA and therefore, did not reimburse the Road
Department for the cost of this repair ($85k).
In my opinion, this creates another paper trail problem. The County needs to give TCUD their $289k and
TCUD needs to write a check for $85k to the Road Department. Then decisions can be made on their own merit
as it relates to helping TCUD with their past due bills.
And now we get down to the $87k TCUD is requesting to fund
employees’ 401k accounts at Hancock Bank.
In 2012, the TCUD Board decided to stop matching the 401k employee
contributions to their 401k retirement in an effort to save money. I think this is so wrong. Before the County pays this money, I believe
TCUD should attempt to collect this money from TCUD Board Member’s bonds.
Folks, we are never going to get out of this hole that our
elected officials have put us in if every time we turn around we find that we
have been obligated to more expense without our knowledge. And now, the Tunica County Board of
Supervisors voted to meet at 9a on the first and third Mondays each month. I don’t know about you but I think we need
more transparency not less.
Hello Supervisors: You serve at the pleasure of the people; not the other way around.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Looking for a Great Deal
Friday Early Bird: 5/20/2016 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Saturday: 5/21/2016 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Canal Park Houses
3rd Annual
Multi-Family Garage and Yard Sale
Shop for Household and Lawn Items
Follow the posted signs
"See You There"
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Starting 1 Dec 2016....
If you are a salaried employee making less than $47,476.00 per year, you will be entitled to overtime pay or compensatory time off. Thank you President Obama.
Monday, May 16, 2016
You should have been there...
Ugh!!! TCUD again. What a mess.
Matt Young, the head of TCUD, addressed the Supervisors and asked for $87,000 to fund the employees' 401K accounts. There was quite a discussion but no one...that's right no one asked why the former management company didn't fund these accounts in the first place. Geez...
Somebody has got to get control of TCUD before anymore money is given to them. TCUD is behind on their bills and the County is constantly having to send more money their way. Tonight the Board approved $36,000 to bring a $100,000 loan current. And get this, during the discussion of the $87,000 mentioned above, the County Administrator suggested that TCUD deposit into the County's General Fund what is surplus each month. What???? There is no surplus. What was stated in the report was that expenses for Apr 2016 were $60,000 less than what was received. That is a month to month on paper only. And you all wonder why I am so upset that Adrian McKay is our County Administrator? He wasn't even a good Comptroller.
Before this Board votes on 6 Jun 2016 to give TCUD $87,000, you need to make sure this money is not really owed by the former management company.
Now, let's talk about the $300,000 Tunica County was supposed to receive from FEMA after the 2011 flood. Last week, I was talking with a TCUD Board Member and was told that this money had been received and had been given to the Road Dept. This is not true. I have talked with several people and these are the facts: The former Road Manager did not fully comply with FEMA regulations pertaining to the 2011 Flood. Therefore, we lost out on this reimbursement and this money was not received by Tunica County nor was it received by the Road Dept. If someone else can show me otherwise, sing out.
Now, in my discussions with "several people", I did learn that TCUD owes the Road Dept. $85,000 for work they performed on TCUD's behalf. Add that to your stack of bills TCUD.
And one more thing, whoever is spreading the story about Michael Thompson having "messed up this County" is spreading lies. This County's financial problems stem from decisions made by anyone who served on the Tunica County Board of Supervisors before 31 Dec 2011. That's right, your friends, your neighbors, your relatives and your fellow farmers. You elected them and you are responsible for your vote.
Matt Young, the head of TCUD, addressed the Supervisors and asked for $87,000 to fund the employees' 401K accounts. There was quite a discussion but no one...that's right no one asked why the former management company didn't fund these accounts in the first place. Geez...
Somebody has got to get control of TCUD before anymore money is given to them. TCUD is behind on their bills and the County is constantly having to send more money their way. Tonight the Board approved $36,000 to bring a $100,000 loan current. And get this, during the discussion of the $87,000 mentioned above, the County Administrator suggested that TCUD deposit into the County's General Fund what is surplus each month. What???? There is no surplus. What was stated in the report was that expenses for Apr 2016 were $60,000 less than what was received. That is a month to month on paper only. And you all wonder why I am so upset that Adrian McKay is our County Administrator? He wasn't even a good Comptroller.
Before this Board votes on 6 Jun 2016 to give TCUD $87,000, you need to make sure this money is not really owed by the former management company.
Now, let's talk about the $300,000 Tunica County was supposed to receive from FEMA after the 2011 flood. Last week, I was talking with a TCUD Board Member and was told that this money had been received and had been given to the Road Dept. This is not true. I have talked with several people and these are the facts: The former Road Manager did not fully comply with FEMA regulations pertaining to the 2011 Flood. Therefore, we lost out on this reimbursement and this money was not received by Tunica County nor was it received by the Road Dept. If someone else can show me otherwise, sing out.
Now, in my discussions with "several people", I did learn that TCUD owes the Road Dept. $85,000 for work they performed on TCUD's behalf. Add that to your stack of bills TCUD.
And one more thing, whoever is spreading the story about Michael Thompson having "messed up this County" is spreading lies. This County's financial problems stem from decisions made by anyone who served on the Tunica County Board of Supervisors before 31 Dec 2011. That's right, your friends, your neighbors, your relatives and your fellow farmers. You elected them and you are responsible for your vote.
Same old stuff, expecting different results
There is a Board of Supervisors' Meeting tonight at 5p. Not many Tunicans showed up at the last meeting. The audience seems to be getting smaller and smaller. What happened to all of those candidates for Beat 2? Still not showing up.
There was an appointment with former head of the Clinics, Dr. Gene Osborn. It seems that there was a meeting held with Osborn, someone from Methodist and James Dunn. It also seemed that none of the other Supervisors were informed or invited to the meeting. So, why didn't the other four Supervisors call him on it? Guess Dunn thinks he is the County Administrator.
So...Osborn's presentation was to get approval to be paid to run a survey about medical and health needs for our County. Maybe we need this survey and maybe we don't. What bothers me about this deal is not necessarily the survey but the person the Board keeps hiring to help fix our financial dilemma with our clinics. Osborn is the same person who ran our clinics and couldn't make them profitable. He's the same person who was called back to train the two present managers. So, why do we have to keep turning to this person for help? My take is that this is just another way for Osborn to earn money from Tunica County. I sure hope that this survey will yield some actionable information and that the Supervisors will act accordingly. I'm not holding my breath.
During the above presentation and discussion, both Supervisors Nickson and Williams asked questions and then voted against hiring Osborn to conduct this survey. Dunn asked Nickson if he had a better idea. I have an idea. Has anyone run the numbers to find out what monies could be saved by closing one of the clinics? How about trying to sell them?
Here's another question I have: Methodist is required under their Certificate of Need to provide some resources to Tunica County. Will this survey satisfy their certificate of need requirement? Hmm, now let me think: Survey or Service for the people to Tunica County? I pick services the people could use. Dunn, Johnson and Pegram picked Survey. That dear friends is your vote at work.
Oh, and your County Administrator has yet to comply with the Freedom of Information letters from January. Dunn said it was the policy of the Board of Supervisors to comply. I'm not going to go away and you should know this by now.
There was an appointment with former head of the Clinics, Dr. Gene Osborn. It seems that there was a meeting held with Osborn, someone from Methodist and James Dunn. It also seemed that none of the other Supervisors were informed or invited to the meeting. So, why didn't the other four Supervisors call him on it? Guess Dunn thinks he is the County Administrator.
So...Osborn's presentation was to get approval to be paid to run a survey about medical and health needs for our County. Maybe we need this survey and maybe we don't. What bothers me about this deal is not necessarily the survey but the person the Board keeps hiring to help fix our financial dilemma with our clinics. Osborn is the same person who ran our clinics and couldn't make them profitable. He's the same person who was called back to train the two present managers. So, why do we have to keep turning to this person for help? My take is that this is just another way for Osborn to earn money from Tunica County. I sure hope that this survey will yield some actionable information and that the Supervisors will act accordingly. I'm not holding my breath.
During the above presentation and discussion, both Supervisors Nickson and Williams asked questions and then voted against hiring Osborn to conduct this survey. Dunn asked Nickson if he had a better idea. I have an idea. Has anyone run the numbers to find out what monies could be saved by closing one of the clinics? How about trying to sell them?
Here's another question I have: Methodist is required under their Certificate of Need to provide some resources to Tunica County. Will this survey satisfy their certificate of need requirement? Hmm, now let me think: Survey or Service for the people to Tunica County? I pick services the people could use. Dunn, Johnson and Pegram picked Survey. That dear friends is your vote at work.
Oh, and your County Administrator has yet to comply with the Freedom of Information letters from January. Dunn said it was the policy of the Board of Supervisors to comply. I'm not going to go away and you should know this by now.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Community Event Thu, 12 May 2016
Why cook when you can bring home fish from the
Tunica Lions Club Fish Fry
Thursday, 12 May 2016
5:00 PM 'til 7:00 PM
Eat In or Carry Out
at the Lions/ VFW Building on Hospital Street
$10.00 a plate in advance
$12.00 at the door
To get your ticket call: Jimmy Boyd: 357-8472
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Water needed for Flint, Michigan
Tunica 10 Point Coalition is collecting donations of bottled water to be sent to Flint, Michigan.
This is their announcement:
Dear Potential Donor:
The Tunica 10 Point Coalition, Inc. in conjunction with local organizations are sponsoring a "Water for Flint" drive through May 5, 2016.
The Flint Michigan families are suffering from lead poisoning in their water and are in desperate need of bottled water for life sustainability. In an effort to aid the need of the people in Flint, we are asking the Tunica County local government, businesses, churches and individuals to donate bottled water to this cause.
Cases of bottled water can be delivered to each of the four (4) Recreation Centers at any time. Monetary donations are accepted and can be delivered to any Tunica 10 Point Coalition affiliate. We ask that any monetary donations be in the form of a check made payable to Tunica 10 Point Coalition, Inc.
We hope that Tunica County citizens can unify to help the people of Flint, Michigan in their time of need.
If any additional information is needed, please call:
Evelyn Hubbard: 901-569-8240
Billy Willis: 662-357-8513
Thank you in advance for your donations and act of kindness and generosity.
This is their announcement:
Dear Potential Donor:
The Tunica 10 Point Coalition, Inc. in conjunction with local organizations are sponsoring a "Water for Flint" drive through May 5, 2016.
The Flint Michigan families are suffering from lead poisoning in their water and are in desperate need of bottled water for life sustainability. In an effort to aid the need of the people in Flint, we are asking the Tunica County local government, businesses, churches and individuals to donate bottled water to this cause.
Cases of bottled water can be delivered to each of the four (4) Recreation Centers at any time. Monetary donations are accepted and can be delivered to any Tunica 10 Point Coalition affiliate. We ask that any monetary donations be in the form of a check made payable to Tunica 10 Point Coalition, Inc.
We hope that Tunica County citizens can unify to help the people of Flint, Michigan in their time of need.
If any additional information is needed, please call:
Evelyn Hubbard: 901-569-8240
Billy Willis: 662-357-8513
Thank you in advance for your donations and act of kindness and generosity.
Monday, May 2, 2016
18 Apr Board of Supervisors' Meeting
This is the report the Transparency Committee filed with the Board of Supervisors on the above date. There is more to be said. So, look at the notes below. There is a BOSs' Meeting tonight at 5p.
18 Apr 2016 Board of
Supervisors’ Meeting @ 5p
Thank you for the appointment
this evening.
Since the last Board meeting
I have asked 3 of the Supervisors to take another look at the hiring of Tim
Hale. It has been brought to my
attention that Hale does not have the 20 years experience that you and the
public were told he had. If you remember
correctly, it was this experience that you believed warranted the $47K salary
rather than the $43K salary. I hope that
you all have asked the appropriate questions and gotten your answers. As a woman, I object to a man being paid more
for the same job that a woman is doing for less money. If you have found that Hale does not have the
20 years experience that was reported to you and the public, I am asking that
you reduce his salary to what we paid Deliah when she worked in this capacity.
Also since the last Board
meeting, I have been told by one Supervisor that the 2014 Audit has been
completed and this work was done by Deliah Vaughn our Comptroller. This is as it should be: the Audit is the
responsibility of the Comptroller. I’m
left to wonder why the 2014 Audit was not done by Adrian McKay when he was the
Comptroller. It seems to me that
everyone was so quick to pin this omission on Michael Thompson when it was
clearly the responsibility of the Comptroller. (See Note 1 below.)
On 14 Jan 2016, we hand
delivered several requests for Public Records to the Board, Rechelle Siggers
and Adrian McKay. We followed-up with
this Board on 28 Jan 2016. I have had
several conversations with your Attorney about the status of these
requests. To make a long story short,
the County Administrator is now demanding that we pay labor and copy charges
for this information including his own resume.
At this point, I need to ask: What are you all hiding from the public? (Note 2 below.)
On one of these requests, a
claim for $376,368 is without documentation and the public has a right to know
what this money covered. This is from the
2009-2010 fiscal year and we have been asking since 2011.
And one last thing: at your
last meeting three of you voted against continuing with the medical insurance
presented to you by Nick Floyd and Associates.
Nick Floyd is our Agent-of-Record.
During his presentation he told you that he had already looked at other
companies and that United Healthcare still offered the best coverage for Tunica
County.
Supervisors Dunn, Johnson and
Pegram had until 5p on 5 Apr 2016 to change your vote. You didn’t and your decision cost us
$149,852. As I understand it, the three
of you have decided to ask for bids for our medical insurance. Unless I missed something, I have not seen
your request for bids advertised in the Tunica Times.(Note 3 below.)
Note 1: I've looked at the 2014 Audit very briefly. I've been looking at these reports over the years and have never seen so many exception before. Except for an entry by Michael Thompson that was entered in the wrong year, the errors are directly attributable to our former Comptroller Adrian McKay. This is scary folks.
Additionally, some of the responses from the auditing firm seem a bit too familiar to me. Perhaps it is time to get another firm to do our audits.
And, the Sheriff and the Circuit Clerk were again written up for the same thing...year after year.
Note 2: After having delivered this report, James Dunn stated that it is Board Policy to comply with all Open Record Requests. Let's see what happens tonight.
Note 3: I found out at the meeting that there was a letter sent by Nick Floyd and Associates giving the BOSs another bit of time to decide on their medical insurance. Ultimately, the insurance from Nick Floyd and Associates was approved with employees paying 5% on their own premium. (Pegram voted no.) I believe I heard Michael Johnson say something about he didn't appreciate Nick making his presentation and then expecting them to decide on the spot. This is a part of the ACA (Obamacare) law. It is my understanding that this was put into the law to prevent insurance companies from increasing premiums when they already have a company's business. That is to say, keep the same costs or look elsewhere and pay for an increase. Michael, I will say here what I have said to your face: Had you been involved with County government and attended meetings in more than a cursory fashion, you would have known this.
Later in the meeting, there was quite a discussion between Dunn and Nickson about the BOSs voting to bid on insurance. Dunn accused Nickson of misleading the public. While it is true that the BOSs did vote to bid insurance, this action was not followed through by advertising for bids as was stated in the report above. It is not enough to vote at the table, you must also follow through. Further, Nick Floyd is our Agent-of-Record and he already told us he had investigated other companies including the beloved Cigna. Why is it that Nick Floyd is being held to a different standard than Gordon Burke. By the way, as the Agent-of-Record, Burke needs to present to Floyd before he presents to the Board. IMHO.
Waiting: I am waiting to hear if Supervisors are going to investigate the Tim Hale situation to find out the truth.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
The clock is ticking
Dunn, Johnson and Pegram: You have until 5p today, 5 Apr, to change your vote and save Tunica County $149,000. Let's see what happens. Are they going to do the right thing for our County and their employees or are they going to continue with whatever game they are playing?
Monday, April 4, 2016
I am so angry
This evening at the Board of Supervisors' Meeting, Nick Floyd and Associates presented the medical insurance for the upcoming year.
For those of you who don't know, Nick himself is Tunica County's agent of record.
Nick Floyd and Associates have done a very good job for Tunica County. They have an office on Hwy 61. They are here to serve Tunica County. Our employees have better coverage for themselves and their families and our County is saving money over our former coverage. And HUGE sums have been returned to our County through our bridge plan. $100,000 HUGE sums.
So, why am I so angry? Because James Dunn, Michael Johnson and Billy Program voted against renewing this plan because they think there might be something else out there that is better.
Really? Nobody bats an eye when Gordon Burke shows up for his annual dog and pony show.
Let's see, how much did your decision cost us tonight? 7%. If you couldn't read it for yourselves from the presentation materials, perhaps you would have listened when Phillis made sure to have this fact reflected in the minutes.
So, what is 7% in real dollars? $149,852.
Our current premiums are $2,140,641 and our new premiums will now be $2,290,493.
I had a "discussion" with Michael Johnson after the meeting to make sure he understood just how angry I was about him not voting to hold our insurance rates. I expect my Supervisor to come to meetings prepared to make decisions that are in the best interest of this County.
From what I saw tonight, it appears Michael Johnson is taking his cues from Billy Pegram. Michael, what you need to understand is that Billy Pegram is one of the guys who got us into this financial mess in the first place.
To drive this point home, here is another little tidbit of information about our former medical insurance. After Sonny and Phillis and Rev were elected and Michael Thompson was hired, it was discovered that that Cigna Insurance was renewed each year without signing a new contract. Billy Pegram was President of the Board of Supervisors. Enough said.
For those of you who don't know, Nick himself is Tunica County's agent of record.
Nick Floyd and Associates have done a very good job for Tunica County. They have an office on Hwy 61. They are here to serve Tunica County. Our employees have better coverage for themselves and their families and our County is saving money over our former coverage. And HUGE sums have been returned to our County through our bridge plan. $100,000 HUGE sums.
So, why am I so angry? Because James Dunn, Michael Johnson and Billy Program voted against renewing this plan because they think there might be something else out there that is better.
Really? Nobody bats an eye when Gordon Burke shows up for his annual dog and pony show.
Let's see, how much did your decision cost us tonight? 7%. If you couldn't read it for yourselves from the presentation materials, perhaps you would have listened when Phillis made sure to have this fact reflected in the minutes.
So, what is 7% in real dollars? $149,852.
Our current premiums are $2,140,641 and our new premiums will now be $2,290,493.
I had a "discussion" with Michael Johnson after the meeting to make sure he understood just how angry I was about him not voting to hold our insurance rates. I expect my Supervisor to come to meetings prepared to make decisions that are in the best interest of this County.
From what I saw tonight, it appears Michael Johnson is taking his cues from Billy Pegram. Michael, what you need to understand is that Billy Pegram is one of the guys who got us into this financial mess in the first place.
To drive this point home, here is another little tidbit of information about our former medical insurance. After Sonny and Phillis and Rev were elected and Michael Thompson was hired, it was discovered that that Cigna Insurance was renewed each year without signing a new contract. Billy Pegram was President of the Board of Supervisors. Enough said.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
About last night...
There was a Board of Supervisors' Meeting last night. All of the Supervisors were in attendance except Michael Johnson, who was on the phone.
Before I go on, let me say this about that: Apparently, it is okay for a Supervisor to attend a meeting via phone if there is a physical quorum. That is, a quorum cannot be created by a member calling in to attend the meeting. I don't like this but there it is. In my opinion, if you can't put your butt in the seat, you are absent.
Oh and one more thing: TCUD Matt Young again did not show to give his report. Folks TCUD is a big problem and the Director can't even be bothered attend a meeting and report so that the public can hear what is going on. Written reports to the BOS does not get it. You people work for us and we want to hear from you.
Okay, so here goes:
Last night, County Administrator, Adrian McKay, proposed the hiring of a Senior Accountant. The person he proposed is Tim Hale who used to be with Williams, Pitts and Beard. McKay stated that Hale had been involved in the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Tunica County Audits. Hmm, I thought there wasn't an audit for 2014 and Michael Thompson was being blamed for this oversight. At least this was the story until last night.
It has long been my contention that the Comptroller leads in our financial audit and until recently, McKay was the Comptroller. His job. His responsibility.
So, McKay wants to hire Hale. McKay interviews Hale. McKay does not allow the current Comptroller, Delilah Vaughn, who will be Hale's supervisor, to interview Hale. McKay does not allow the Human Resources Officer, Hylan Oliver, to even look at the resume so that he can weigh in on the appropriate salary. Then McKay suggests a salary of $47,400 for Hale when Vaughn was paid $43,000 in the same position.
Both Sonny Nickson and Phillis Williams voted against hiring Hale. They lost their bid to Dunn, Johnson and Pegram. Then Nickson suggested a salary of $43K for the position. Again, Nickson and Williams lost their bid to Dunn, Johnson and Pegram.
Wonder where Hale lives? Tunica County? Probably not. So much for hiring people who live in Tunica County. Oh, you only had to live in Tunica County if your name was Michael Thompson. Sorry, I forgot.
Well Phillis, how do you like your choice of County Administrator now?
Then we get to James Dunn's agenda item to move the first BOSs' Meeting to 9a. During the meeting he made some grumblings about moving all of the meetings to 9a. Rev. Fullilove stood up in the audience and said this would not be good for the citizens and Dunn had not bothered to ask the citizens. Of course, Pegram wants to move the meetings to 9a like they used to be. You know, when the Board of Supervisors didn't want the public to know what was going on...when they sold our souls down the river with all of these Component Units and Bonds.
I believe this move by Dunn is to silence Sonny Nickson and give King James, a/k/a James Dunn, the opportunity to pull the wool over our eyes yet again. For those of you who don't know, Sonny Nickson is a teacher and he is in class teaching so our children can learn at 9a in the morning. Moving the meetings to 9a would leave the citizens of Beat 4 without a voice at the table and would disenfranchise your Supervisor.
Also on my mind: About our Health Insurance: yes we have to get bids each year but know this Dunn, Johnson and Pegram: We are going to be watching very carefully how you handle this contract. Nick Floyd and Associates have been good for our County. Through the Bridge Policy they have returned money to our County.
Before I go on, let me say this about that: Apparently, it is okay for a Supervisor to attend a meeting via phone if there is a physical quorum. That is, a quorum cannot be created by a member calling in to attend the meeting. I don't like this but there it is. In my opinion, if you can't put your butt in the seat, you are absent.
Oh and one more thing: TCUD Matt Young again did not show to give his report. Folks TCUD is a big problem and the Director can't even be bothered attend a meeting and report so that the public can hear what is going on. Written reports to the BOS does not get it. You people work for us and we want to hear from you.
Okay, so here goes:
Last night, County Administrator, Adrian McKay, proposed the hiring of a Senior Accountant. The person he proposed is Tim Hale who used to be with Williams, Pitts and Beard. McKay stated that Hale had been involved in the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Tunica County Audits. Hmm, I thought there wasn't an audit for 2014 and Michael Thompson was being blamed for this oversight. At least this was the story until last night.
It has long been my contention that the Comptroller leads in our financial audit and until recently, McKay was the Comptroller. His job. His responsibility.
So, McKay wants to hire Hale. McKay interviews Hale. McKay does not allow the current Comptroller, Delilah Vaughn, who will be Hale's supervisor, to interview Hale. McKay does not allow the Human Resources Officer, Hylan Oliver, to even look at the resume so that he can weigh in on the appropriate salary. Then McKay suggests a salary of $47,400 for Hale when Vaughn was paid $43,000 in the same position.
Both Sonny Nickson and Phillis Williams voted against hiring Hale. They lost their bid to Dunn, Johnson and Pegram. Then Nickson suggested a salary of $43K for the position. Again, Nickson and Williams lost their bid to Dunn, Johnson and Pegram.
Wonder where Hale lives? Tunica County? Probably not. So much for hiring people who live in Tunica County. Oh, you only had to live in Tunica County if your name was Michael Thompson. Sorry, I forgot.
Well Phillis, how do you like your choice of County Administrator now?
Then we get to James Dunn's agenda item to move the first BOSs' Meeting to 9a. During the meeting he made some grumblings about moving all of the meetings to 9a. Rev. Fullilove stood up in the audience and said this would not be good for the citizens and Dunn had not bothered to ask the citizens. Of course, Pegram wants to move the meetings to 9a like they used to be. You know, when the Board of Supervisors didn't want the public to know what was going on...when they sold our souls down the river with all of these Component Units and Bonds.
I believe this move by Dunn is to silence Sonny Nickson and give King James, a/k/a James Dunn, the opportunity to pull the wool over our eyes yet again. For those of you who don't know, Sonny Nickson is a teacher and he is in class teaching so our children can learn at 9a in the morning. Moving the meetings to 9a would leave the citizens of Beat 4 without a voice at the table and would disenfranchise your Supervisor.
Also on my mind: About our Health Insurance: yes we have to get bids each year but know this Dunn, Johnson and Pegram: We are going to be watching very carefully how you handle this contract. Nick Floyd and Associates have been good for our County. Through the Bridge Policy they have returned money to our County.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Maybe we should ask Attorney Perry
Before I forget there is a BOSs' meeting tonight, 15 Mar 2016, at 5p.
In last week's Tunica Times there is an opinion piece written by Brooks Taylor. It's on pages 4 and 10 of the 11 Mar 2015 issue.
Within this opinion, Taylor States:
"...the Tunica Museum (is) unique among the amenities and attractions built with gaming revenue. It's staff are not county employees, it is not a county owned facility..."
Really? Then why did the County issue a $3M Bond for the museum? The airport employees are not County employees and except for Jason Lloyd, neither are the employees at the golf course.
Elsewhere in this opinion, Taylor States that the Founders of the Tunica Museum intended that the museum is a gift to the community. What does this mean? A physical gift or an enhancement?
For a very long time folks in Tunica have wondered why these Component Units were set-up as 501c3 facilities. Maybe this is an opportunity to ask Attorney Perry for a definitive answer.
In last week's Tunica Times there is an opinion piece written by Brooks Taylor. It's on pages 4 and 10 of the 11 Mar 2015 issue.
Within this opinion, Taylor States:
"...the Tunica Museum (is) unique among the amenities and attractions built with gaming revenue. It's staff are not county employees, it is not a county owned facility..."
Really? Then why did the County issue a $3M Bond for the museum? The airport employees are not County employees and except for Jason Lloyd, neither are the employees at the golf course.
Elsewhere in this opinion, Taylor States that the Founders of the Tunica Museum intended that the museum is a gift to the community. What does this mean? A physical gift or an enhancement?
For a very long time folks in Tunica have wondered why these Component Units were set-up as 501c3 facilities. Maybe this is an opportunity to ask Attorney Perry for a definitive answer.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
What is wrong with Gov Bryant???
How can Gov Bryant endorse Ted Cruz? Cruz helped to shut down the Federal Government and our Govenor endorses him?
And now...no surprise...MS has been called for The Donald. When are Mississippians going to stand up and make a change?
We need jobs, education and infrastructure. Therefore, we need a Democrat in the White House.
My prayer is that Hillary will draft Bernie as her Vice President and save us from our own madness!!!
Ugh!
And now...no surprise...MS has been called for The Donald. When are Mississippians going to stand up and make a change?
We need jobs, education and infrastructure. Therefore, we need a Democrat in the White House.
My prayer is that Hillary will draft Bernie as her Vice President and save us from our own madness!!!
Ugh!
Monday, March 7, 2016
Thank you Sonny Nickson...
Tonight is another Board of Supervisors' Meeting at 5p. I've been really lax in posting lately. Have been working on a lace project and an original quilt design....and I'm enjoying myself. Sometimes it is a bit tiresome to write on the blog. Oh well...here we go:
At the BOS's meeting on 29 Feb 2016, Beat 4 Supervisor, Sonny Nickson, brought to the public's attention 3 resolutions dated the 28th of Jan 2016. These resolutions had not been acted upon as directed by the Board of Supervisors.
These resolutions were 1.)to post and then advertise for a Public Information Officer, a Front Desk Clerk in Administration; 2.) to hire W. C. Eskridge to replace Jewelie Brown as our Code Enforcer and 3.) to enact an in-house transfer of Vanessa Carter to Accounts Payable.
Apparently, direction was given to not act upon these Board decisions and the implication was that James Dunn had called a halt to these actions. And you all wonder why I refer to him as King James? He signed the resolutions as Board President so what is the problem?
It needs to be understood by all of our Supervisors that once a County Administrator is in place, Supervisors may not interfere with the day to day operation of the County. In fact, the only power a Supervisor has is when he or she is sitting at the Board table.
It seems to me that King James has been around long enough to know better...if in fact this is what happened. Maybe we need to consider term limits for Supervisors in the State of MS.
At the BOS's meeting on 29 Feb 2016, Beat 4 Supervisor, Sonny Nickson, brought to the public's attention 3 resolutions dated the 28th of Jan 2016. These resolutions had not been acted upon as directed by the Board of Supervisors.
These resolutions were 1.)to post and then advertise for a Public Information Officer, a Front Desk Clerk in Administration; 2.) to hire W. C. Eskridge to replace Jewelie Brown as our Code Enforcer and 3.) to enact an in-house transfer of Vanessa Carter to Accounts Payable.
Apparently, direction was given to not act upon these Board decisions and the implication was that James Dunn had called a halt to these actions. And you all wonder why I refer to him as King James? He signed the resolutions as Board President so what is the problem?
It needs to be understood by all of our Supervisors that once a County Administrator is in place, Supervisors may not interfere with the day to day operation of the County. In fact, the only power a Supervisor has is when he or she is sitting at the Board table.
It seems to me that King James has been around long enough to know better...if in fact this is what happened. Maybe we need to consider term limits for Supervisors in the State of MS.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Presidents' Day
On this rainy day in Tunica, Presidents' Day, I've been reflecting on our recent elections and wondering if the Founding Fathers would have approved of what went on in Tunica County this past spring, summer and fall. I think they would have been appalled. I'm appalled and disgusted.
Let's review: As we all know, in the spring, 3 candidates who did not qualify but tried to gain access to our ballot. When they weren't successful, they went to court. Why would they do that and who was behind their actions?
Why were there so many people running? Most had not shown an interest in our government and quite frankly, haven't shown up for a Board of Supervisors' Meeting even until today. Did they really think they were qualified? Did they just want the money? Were they being encouraged by some other person?
I've written extensively about the Boykin candidacy. I'm waiting for Attorney General Jim Hood to do his job.
What I want to focus on tonight is what happened in our Circuit Court on 2 Feb 2016 with Judge Henry Lackey presiding. Please remember I was not in attendance but I have 4 sources who have all told me the same story. Some have asked me why I didn't attend on 2 Feb 2016. The answer: After Judge Lackey's diatribe from the bench on 22 Sep 2016, I have lost all faith in judges in MS. On 2 Feb 2016, I did not want to subject myself to what I consider outrageous behavior from a judge.
Apparently, from what I am being told, Judge Lackey did not behave any better on 2 Feb 2016, than he did on 22 Sep 2016. I think that on 2 Feb as on 22 Sep, Judge Lackey had his mind made up as to how he was going to rule. To the best of my knowledge, I don't think Judge Lackey ever looked at the evidence in the Boykin case. And yet he ruled. This is not what our Country is about but apparently this is how things go in Tunica County, MS.
From what I am being told, when Mildred Conley was on the stand, Judge Lackey stood up and leaned over her. If this is true, this is a form of intimidation.
From what I'm being told, when Mildred Conley asked the Judge if he was Judge Lackey, he said no.
I believe I have now gotten an answer as to why Craig Jones was not placed on the Primary Ballot. That is because his case was in litigation and that decision was not rendered until late Aug. The Primary was on 4 Aug which made it impossible to put Jones on the ballot.
Then comes the 26 Oct 2016, Judge Lackey Court Order invalidating the Primary Election.
This Court Order is File Stamped 2 Nov 2016, which is one day before the General Election.
There is no doubt that the File Stamped date one day before our General Election interrupted the voting in Beat 5. This order said there was going to be a Special Election. Hmmm, and now I am questioning if this Court Order was insurance that Billy Pegram would be the Supervisor from Beat 5.
Because the Governor did not set a date for this Special Election just adds more questions in my mind. Was the Court Order put in place to insure there would be a Special Election if McKinley Daley won and no Special Election if Billy Pegram won?
Isn't it strange that I got 11 votes and Daley lost by 11 votes? Maybe a coincidence; maybe not. This is a strange place when it comes to elections.
There is a final thought to this rambling post. And that is the Democratic Caucus last Saturday. I really expected some of our more vocal citizens to show up at Precinct 4...Tunica Library. It seems to me you want to do a lot of complaining about the DEC but I didn't see one of your big mouths stepping up to volunteer. Some of you have said some nasty things about Members of the DEC. You need to apologize. These people have been through one heck of a mess. Those who are guilty of creating this mess are the 3 candidates who attempted to get on our Ballot when they did not qualify. The DEC membership stood up against their unlawful behavior but you couldn't even volunteer to stand up for what is right.
Therefore: SHUT THE HECK UP.
PS:
1. See "Follow-up to Gov. Bryant Post" 2 Dec 2015.
2. If any of what I have stated is factually wrong, please don't hesitate to speak up.
Let's review: As we all know, in the spring, 3 candidates who did not qualify but tried to gain access to our ballot. When they weren't successful, they went to court. Why would they do that and who was behind their actions?
Why were there so many people running? Most had not shown an interest in our government and quite frankly, haven't shown up for a Board of Supervisors' Meeting even until today. Did they really think they were qualified? Did they just want the money? Were they being encouraged by some other person?
I've written extensively about the Boykin candidacy. I'm waiting for Attorney General Jim Hood to do his job.
What I want to focus on tonight is what happened in our Circuit Court on 2 Feb 2016 with Judge Henry Lackey presiding. Please remember I was not in attendance but I have 4 sources who have all told me the same story. Some have asked me why I didn't attend on 2 Feb 2016. The answer: After Judge Lackey's diatribe from the bench on 22 Sep 2016, I have lost all faith in judges in MS. On 2 Feb 2016, I did not want to subject myself to what I consider outrageous behavior from a judge.
Apparently, from what I am being told, Judge Lackey did not behave any better on 2 Feb 2016, than he did on 22 Sep 2016. I think that on 2 Feb as on 22 Sep, Judge Lackey had his mind made up as to how he was going to rule. To the best of my knowledge, I don't think Judge Lackey ever looked at the evidence in the Boykin case. And yet he ruled. This is not what our Country is about but apparently this is how things go in Tunica County, MS.
From what I am being told, when Mildred Conley was on the stand, Judge Lackey stood up and leaned over her. If this is true, this is a form of intimidation.
From what I'm being told, when Mildred Conley asked the Judge if he was Judge Lackey, he said no.
I believe I have now gotten an answer as to why Craig Jones was not placed on the Primary Ballot. That is because his case was in litigation and that decision was not rendered until late Aug. The Primary was on 4 Aug which made it impossible to put Jones on the ballot.
Then comes the 26 Oct 2016, Judge Lackey Court Order invalidating the Primary Election.
This Court Order is File Stamped 2 Nov 2016, which is one day before the General Election.
There is no doubt that the File Stamped date one day before our General Election interrupted the voting in Beat 5. This order said there was going to be a Special Election. Hmmm, and now I am questioning if this Court Order was insurance that Billy Pegram would be the Supervisor from Beat 5.
Because the Governor did not set a date for this Special Election just adds more questions in my mind. Was the Court Order put in place to insure there would be a Special Election if McKinley Daley won and no Special Election if Billy Pegram won?
Isn't it strange that I got 11 votes and Daley lost by 11 votes? Maybe a coincidence; maybe not. This is a strange place when it comes to elections.
There is a final thought to this rambling post. And that is the Democratic Caucus last Saturday. I really expected some of our more vocal citizens to show up at Precinct 4...Tunica Library. It seems to me you want to do a lot of complaining about the DEC but I didn't see one of your big mouths stepping up to volunteer. Some of you have said some nasty things about Members of the DEC. You need to apologize. These people have been through one heck of a mess. Those who are guilty of creating this mess are the 3 candidates who attempted to get on our Ballot when they did not qualify. The DEC membership stood up against their unlawful behavior but you couldn't even volunteer to stand up for what is right.
Therefore: SHUT THE HECK UP.
PS:
1. See "Follow-up to Gov. Bryant Post" 2 Dec 2015.
2. If any of what I have stated is factually wrong, please don't hesitate to speak up.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
UPDATE: 14 FEB 2016: From the Tunica Times
Referring to the article "Circuit judge ends long ordeal over county board seat" reported by Meg Coker; 5 Feb 2016 issue.
Page 8: "...according to Circuit Clerk records, no payments have been made towards the$15,000 in sanctions placed on the DEC in October". (Actually, it was September.)
This is not true. $6,000 was taken from one member's account, monies have been taken from member's paychecks and individual members have taken money to the Circuit Clerk.
Who is responsible for this false statement? The Tunica Times or the Circuit Clerk?
UPDATE: 5 FEB 2016: 8p
I asked for a copy and this is what I received. This letter is from Sharon Granberry Reynolds. It is on her stationary and contains her signature at the bottom.
In case you can't read the picture on whatever devise you are using, this is what the letter says:
"January 22, 2016
Dear Judge Lackey,
I have received information that Mrs. Jacqueline Dishmon-Boykin has been paid in full on the Cause No. 2015-0027. The Democratic Executive Committee is now asking to be released from all garnishments.
Sincerely,
Sharon G. Reynolds"
I have other information but let's just let this sink in awhile.
UPDATE: 11 FEB 2016
Now, let's look at the whole paragraph. I am going to number the sentences for comments.
"Littleton asked if Conley's sanctions would be in addition to the previous sanctions placed on the DEC. (1) Lackey asked if it had been paid. (2) Conley said it had. (3) But according to Circuit Clerk records, no payments have been made towards the $15,000 in sanctions placed on the DEC in October. (4) Lackey said this was another contempt."
1. Since I was not in attendance, I asked 4 individuals who were there if Sharon Reynolds was there. The response was yes. I then asked what did she say when Lackey asked if the sanctions had been paid. Each and every one of the 4 individuals said Reynolds said yes, they have been paid in full.
2. See the above letter to Judge Lackey from Sharon Reynolds.
3. Actually, this was on 22 September 2015. This is a total falsehood by the reporter as the letter states, as Reynolds stated in Court, as Conley said in Court and as I have stated previously on this blog.
4. Did Lackey really say this after Reynolds stated yes they have been paid in full?
I am so tired of spending my time trying to give the readers the truth. I have quilting and knitting and cooking to do. Why are we having to put up with the spreading of these lies? And what is the purpose of not telling the truth?
UPDATE: 14 FEB 2016:
So, this is an email I received from the reporter of the article I am discussing in this post.
Feb 11 at 10:19 PM
Page 8: "...according to Circuit Clerk records, no payments have been made towards the$15,000 in sanctions placed on the DEC in October". (Actually, it was September.)
This is not true. $6,000 was taken from one member's account, monies have been taken from member's paychecks and individual members have taken money to the Circuit Clerk.
Who is responsible for this false statement? The Tunica Times or the Circuit Clerk?
UPDATE: 5 FEB 2016: 8p
I asked for a copy and this is what I received. This letter is from Sharon Granberry Reynolds. It is on her stationary and contains her signature at the bottom.
In case you can't read the picture on whatever devise you are using, this is what the letter says:
"January 22, 2016
Dear Judge Lackey,
I have received information that Mrs. Jacqueline Dishmon-Boykin has been paid in full on the Cause No. 2015-0027. The Democratic Executive Committee is now asking to be released from all garnishments.
Sincerely,
Sharon G. Reynolds"
I have other information but let's just let this sink in awhile.
UPDATE: 11 FEB 2016
Now, let's look at the whole paragraph. I am going to number the sentences for comments.
"Littleton asked if Conley's sanctions would be in addition to the previous sanctions placed on the DEC. (1) Lackey asked if it had been paid. (2) Conley said it had. (3) But according to Circuit Clerk records, no payments have been made towards the $15,000 in sanctions placed on the DEC in October. (4) Lackey said this was another contempt."
1. Since I was not in attendance, I asked 4 individuals who were there if Sharon Reynolds was there. The response was yes. I then asked what did she say when Lackey asked if the sanctions had been paid. Each and every one of the 4 individuals said Reynolds said yes, they have been paid in full.
2. See the above letter to Judge Lackey from Sharon Reynolds.
4. Did Lackey really say this after Reynolds stated yes they have been paid in full?
I am so tired of spending my time trying to give the readers the truth. I have quilting and knitting and cooking to do. Why are we having to put up with the spreading of these lies? And what is the purpose of not telling the truth?
UPDATE: 14 FEB 2016:
So, this is an email I received from the reporter of the article I am discussing in this post.
I've heard that you are inquiring about the information provided in my Feb. 5 article on Judge Lackey's decision. In the future, should you have a question, please ask me directly. I do not read your blog.
These are the judgement rolls in the Tunica County Circuit Clerk's office and these photos were taken on Wednesday, Feb 3.
If the debt has been satisfied, it was not recorded here.
Thanks so much,
Meg Coker
Here is my answer. No, I will not ask you directly. You are a reporter and you need to get your facts straight before going to print. Since you say you don't read this blog, could you tell me who has been copying various posts?
In the future, if you see something on this blog that you would like to comment on, do so and I promise to publish your comment(s) as long as you use your own name and don't us bad language.
Now, along with this email, the reporter included a picture of the Judgement Book page that showed the entry of the Judgement against the DEC for Jacqueline Dishmon-Boykin. The date entered in the Judgement Book is 9 Oct 2015. However, this reporter was in the Courtroom on 22 Sep 2015 when Judge Lackey sanctioned the DEC for not putting Boykin on the ballot. The reporter was sitting in the same row as I was sitting, at the end and next to Mark Hudson. So, she knows that what Judge Lackey stated was not true. She and every last one of us knows that Boykin was on the Primary Ballot of 4 Aug 2015 and she won that election. And yet the sanctions.
Further, it has been reported to me by 4 individuals that this reporter was in the room when Judge Lackey asked if the DEC sanctions had been paid. I am told that the Circuit Clerk responded yes, they have been paid in full.
What good is it to take a picture of the Judgement Book? None. This reporter had already heard the Circuit Clerk's response to the question because she was there. What doesn't she understand about "paid-in-full"? Why did she write the article as she did? Who knows.
These are the judgement rolls in the Tunica County Circuit Clerk's office and these photos were taken on Wednesday, Feb 3.
If the debt has been satisfied, it was not recorded here.
Thanks so much,
Meg Coker
Here is my answer. No, I will not ask you directly. You are a reporter and you need to get your facts straight before going to print. Since you say you don't read this blog, could you tell me who has been copying various posts?
In the future, if you see something on this blog that you would like to comment on, do so and I promise to publish your comment(s) as long as you use your own name and don't us bad language.
Now, along with this email, the reporter included a picture of the Judgement Book page that showed the entry of the Judgement against the DEC for Jacqueline Dishmon-Boykin. The date entered in the Judgement Book is 9 Oct 2015. However, this reporter was in the Courtroom on 22 Sep 2015 when Judge Lackey sanctioned the DEC for not putting Boykin on the ballot. The reporter was sitting in the same row as I was sitting, at the end and next to Mark Hudson. So, she knows that what Judge Lackey stated was not true. She and every last one of us knows that Boykin was on the Primary Ballot of 4 Aug 2015 and she won that election. And yet the sanctions.
Further, it has been reported to me by 4 individuals that this reporter was in the room when Judge Lackey asked if the DEC sanctions had been paid. I am told that the Circuit Clerk responded yes, they have been paid in full.
What good is it to take a picture of the Judgement Book? None. This reporter had already heard the Circuit Clerk's response to the question because she was there. What doesn't she understand about "paid-in-full"? Why did she write the article as she did? Who knows.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
About last night...
At the Board of Supervisors' Meeting last night, the Sheriff's Department was again in attendance with their camera. This time, the camera was trained on the Board. The Officer doing the filming was wearing a shirt that read "INVESTIGATIONS".
Right before the meeting, I spoke with James Dunn about this. Isn't this harassment or at the very least a misappropriation of the public's money?
Right before the meeting, I spoke with James Dunn about this. Isn't this harassment or at the very least a misappropriation of the public's money?
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Been thinking....
One of the things Bernie Sanders has been saying is that change cannot come unless millions and millions of citizens stand up and demand change. Isn't this true in Tunica County also?
Why did we keep Jerry Gentry as our Superintendent of Education year after year? He didn't make our schools excellent.
Why did we elect Steve Chandler? He didn't have the experience. Look what happened to our schools under his leadership. Why wasn't all of Tunica County standing up to make him step down? Why did you leave this job to a small number number of our citizens?
Why did we re-elect Hamp as our Sheriff when there are so many lawsuits against his department. Do you really think he's done an excellent job? Do you think it is okay for Michael Thompson to be entrapped by your Sheriff and treated like a common criminal over a traffic ticket? Or would you only be upset if this happened to you?
Why do we keep electing Sharon Granberry? Wasn't the voter roll disaster in our last primary the last straw for you?
And our Election Commission. Why can't they keep our voter rolls updated and in good condition? Are you going to replace them in our next election?
And why would anyone vote for any Supervisor who was responsible for building all of these facilities that we are struggling to pay for? Our debt service is killing us.
And what about all of these manufacturing plants. How are they contributing to our General Fund?
We did Cedric Burnett get elected to the MS House? Do you believe he lives here? Did you think his voting record and his behavior while sitting at the Board of Supervisors' table served you well?
Do you think replacing Michael Thompson with Adrian McKay was a good move for our County? As we have learned, McKay somehow had the notion he didn't have to take orders from Thompson. Those of you who are complaining about the 2014 audit seem to want to put this blame at the feet of Thompson too. But isn't this the responsibility of Comptroller McKay? And now you think this same former Comptroller needs to hire his own staff? Does he think the Comptroller should takes orders from him?
So Tunica, when are you going to stand-up and demand the changes we need?
Why did we keep Jerry Gentry as our Superintendent of Education year after year? He didn't make our schools excellent.
Why did we elect Steve Chandler? He didn't have the experience. Look what happened to our schools under his leadership. Why wasn't all of Tunica County standing up to make him step down? Why did you leave this job to a small number number of our citizens?
Why did we re-elect Hamp as our Sheriff when there are so many lawsuits against his department. Do you really think he's done an excellent job? Do you think it is okay for Michael Thompson to be entrapped by your Sheriff and treated like a common criminal over a traffic ticket? Or would you only be upset if this happened to you?
Why do we keep electing Sharon Granberry? Wasn't the voter roll disaster in our last primary the last straw for you?
And our Election Commission. Why can't they keep our voter rolls updated and in good condition? Are you going to replace them in our next election?
And why would anyone vote for any Supervisor who was responsible for building all of these facilities that we are struggling to pay for? Our debt service is killing us.
And what about all of these manufacturing plants. How are they contributing to our General Fund?
We did Cedric Burnett get elected to the MS House? Do you believe he lives here? Did you think his voting record and his behavior while sitting at the Board of Supervisors' table served you well?
Do you think replacing Michael Thompson with Adrian McKay was a good move for our County? As we have learned, McKay somehow had the notion he didn't have to take orders from Thompson. Those of you who are complaining about the 2014 audit seem to want to put this blame at the feet of Thompson too. But isn't this the responsibility of Comptroller McKay? And now you think this same former Comptroller needs to hire his own staff? Does he think the Comptroller should takes orders from him?
So Tunica, when are you going to stand-up and demand the changes we need?
Saturday, January 30, 2016
To be clear...
It has become necessary to change the settings on this blog due to some people continuing to comment and not identify him/her self. I find this kind of behavior cowardly. I don't mi d negative comments and will respond to anyone's alternate idea(s). I don't even mind the name calling as long as it is directed at me and not others who may be commenting.
So here is the new deal: all comments will now go into a holding file and I will publish or not publish them when I sign-on. Be patient. This ole gal has lots of projects to get done.
So here is the new deal: all comments will now go into a holding file and I will publish or not publish them when I sign-on. Be patient. This ole gal has lots of projects to get done.
Friday, January 29, 2016
28 Jan 2016: Board of Supervisors' Meeting
Let's start with this: The Sheriff didn't show but there were plenty of Officers there. One of them set-up a camera and through-out the meeting the camera remained in the same position...aimed at me. Hamp, I am a Whistleblower and you are harassing me and you are using public money to do it.
Billy Pegram was at the Board table again and kept trying to vote. He was ignored. I am hopeful that the AG's Opinion will show up soon as I believe it will reflect what Attorney Perry has already stated.
And here is our report:
28 Jan 2016 Board of
Supervisors’ Meeting @ 5p
Thank you for the appointment
this evening.
On 14 Jan 2016, we hand
delivered several requests for Public Records to the Board, Rechelle Siggers
and Adrian McKay. Tonight we would like
to follow-up on these requests.
- The first request was to ask that Adrian McKay’s resume be made
public. This request was backed-up
with our reasons for the request and those reasons were posted on our
website.
- The second request was for copies of invoices to support expenses
from the Housing Department account.
We have repeatedly asked for these supporting documents since
2011. Now, it is my understanding
that no supporting documents can be found and that the Housing Authority
in Clarksdale is not cooperating.
The total amount of these claims is: $376,368. This delay and reporting back to the
public is unacceptable and unlawful.
This money belongs to the citizens of Tunica County and if
Clarksdale thinks they have the right to deny this information, we need
you to make them available to the public and to look for another authority
that understands the public’s right to know.
- The third request is also about Housing. On Sep 2014, we asked for the names of
the person(s) or company that sold the new home covered in claim #25579. Additionally, we are asking that in the
future you all consider disclosing the names of the person(s) or company
that is involved in these sales.
Here is the reason: Transparency.
Mr. Dunn is involved in real estate and the building and selling of
homes in Tunica County. We the
public have a right to know who is involved with the housing dollars in
our budget. Mr. Dunn has, for
whatever reason, made an exception in his vote to approve the Housing
claims when you all vote to approve claims. That is his choice and it is his
business. However, we’re asking
that if there is nothing to hide, make the public aware.
- The last item in our report is a suggestion we would like you to consider. We are asking you to consider officially changing the name of the Battle Arena to the Tunica County Arena and Expo. If Paul Battle’s name can be place under this new name, there would be no honor lost. This just makes more sense when trying to market this facility.
About comment #1: McKay told Sonny Nickson there would be no problem with releasing his resume.
A comment about #3. I don't think James Dunn was very happy with this request. Sorry about that James. The public needs to know who is the seller of the homes that are coming through our Housing Dept. Why would you have a problem with that?
Saturday, January 23, 2016
The proof is in the action of the would be candidates....
Why do some people keep saying that Billy Pegram won the Beat 5 Supervisors' election in Nov?
Let's look at the facts:
Rev Daley won the Primary election on 4 Aug 2015.
Judge Lackey vacated the Primary on 26 Oct 2015.
Therefore, there was not a winner of the Primary to move to the General on 3 Nov 2015.
Billy Pegram had qualified as an Independent to run in the General Election.
Are you saying that Billy Pegram won against Rev Daley or are you saying Billy Pegram won because there was not a candidate from the Primary to run in the General.
Here is the answer: By Judge Lackey's order, there was no Primary. Therefore, there was no General for the position of Beat 5 Supervisor.
So, here is another question: How come it is okay to ignore Judge Lackey's order in the Beat 5 Supervisor's election but enforce Judge Lackey's order in the Boykin problem?
And now Craig Jones wants to withdraw? Why is that? Answer the question Craig. Why are you withdrawing now? Because you too think Billy Pegram won the election and now there is no reason to continue pursuit of the Beat 5 Supervisor position? Come on Craig, Tell us why you are withdrawing now.
This is my take: This whole election was a set-up to regain power.
1. Beat 1: This was an honest effort to win an election. No problem.
2. Beat 2: This contest had too many candidates. Secondly, there were too many candidates who were not qualified in the area of knowledge about our County government. Most of the candidates didn't even bother to attend BOS's meetings. The Supervisor we have in Beat 2, won the election but has a long way to go in understanding the ins and outs of operations. I will say however, that the new Supervisor did vote to approve payroll and travel. So, what is the difference between Dec 2015 and Jan 2016? In Dec 2015 Burnett continued to vote against payroll and claims and travel and even approving the previous month's minutes. In Jan 2016, Johnson voted for payroll and travel. In my opinion, Burnett was playing games and it looks like Johnson is at least trying to learn. I do however, still object to all of the white people who turned out to vote for Johnson but continue to not attend BOS's Meetings. Oh and Michael Johnson, I object to you abstaining on the vote to remove Billy Pegram from the BOSs' table. Did you abstain because you didn't understand what the Board's attorney reported or did you abstain because you didn't want to vote against a fellow farmer?
3. Beat 3: I can't remember the lady's name that ran against Phillis Williams. But why? She sure seemed friendly with Clara Burnett and to me, she didn't appear knowledgeable about County government. I still don't think Williams voted in the best interest of the County in replacing Michael Thompson but otherwise Williams has done mostly a good job.
4. Beat 4: Who put Craig Harris up to run against Sonny Nickson. Harris doesn't live here.
5. Beat 5: I don't know why Judge Lackey approved Craig Jones to run in Tunica County. He claims homestead in Desoto County. Why do people think they can live outside of our County and run in our elections? Why was Curley Matthews running?
By the way, I still don't believe Cedric Burnett lives in Tunica County. He has a house here but where does he lay his head at night? Tunica, you keep putting up with this game playing. Why are you doing that?
And what about our current County Administrator trying to vote in our Primary when he lives in Olive Branch, MS? I have presented the evidence to the BOSs and they still voted to make him our County Administrator. Crazy.
It seems to me that most of these people were encourages to run in the Primary and expected to lose in the General to regain old power. I feel sure that is the case in Beat 5. And what about Jacqueline Boykin? Was she expected to beat Wes Ryals or was she a sacrificial lamb to displace Judge Linzy?
And how dare she go after individual citizens for $15,000 when she knows she voted in TN on 14 Nov 2014? Dishonest Jacqueline, dishonest. And why is MBI Captain Peter Clinton no longer employed at MBI? And why hasn't Attorney General Jim Hood acted on the MBI report suggesting Boykin be charged with 2 counts of voter fraud? And why didn't Gov Bryant set a date for a Special Election in Beat 5? As I've stated in a previous post, by not setting a date for a Special Election, Gov Bryant has effectively called the Beat 5 Election. Special Elections have been set before. Why is this any different?
And then there is Circuit Clerk, Sharon Granberry. Why do some folks keep repeating that the messed up voter rolls were the fault of the DEC? They were not. The Election Commission and the Circuit Clerk are responsible for those massive errors. And why didn't Granberry replace the erroneous lists on 4 Aug...just as soon as she discovered they were wrong? And I understand it was Granberry who called Attorney Kim Turner in the Sec of State's office to have me removed from the Library where I was a poll watcher for Marilyn Young. To say I was disrupting the voting process is a lie. That is unless you count knitting and drinking Powerade as disruptive. Oh, and then the Sheriff's dispatch sent the Town of Tunica Police to do what? They didn't find anything amiss. Total harassment. It is really quite laughable what some people will do to show just how powerful they are not.
And now we have the ongoing problem of Billy Pegram sitting at the Board of Supervisors' table and suing Rev Daley and the Board of Supervisors for a place at the table. Billy Pegram: YOU DID NOT WIN THE ELECTION. THERE WAS NO ELECTION.
Let's look at the facts:
Rev Daley won the Primary election on 4 Aug 2015.
Judge Lackey vacated the Primary on 26 Oct 2015.
Therefore, there was not a winner of the Primary to move to the General on 3 Nov 2015.
Billy Pegram had qualified as an Independent to run in the General Election.
Are you saying that Billy Pegram won against Rev Daley or are you saying Billy Pegram won because there was not a candidate from the Primary to run in the General.
Here is the answer: By Judge Lackey's order, there was no Primary. Therefore, there was no General for the position of Beat 5 Supervisor.
So, here is another question: How come it is okay to ignore Judge Lackey's order in the Beat 5 Supervisor's election but enforce Judge Lackey's order in the Boykin problem?
And now Craig Jones wants to withdraw? Why is that? Answer the question Craig. Why are you withdrawing now? Because you too think Billy Pegram won the election and now there is no reason to continue pursuit of the Beat 5 Supervisor position? Come on Craig, Tell us why you are withdrawing now.
This is my take: This whole election was a set-up to regain power.
1. Beat 1: This was an honest effort to win an election. No problem.
2. Beat 2: This contest had too many candidates. Secondly, there were too many candidates who were not qualified in the area of knowledge about our County government. Most of the candidates didn't even bother to attend BOS's meetings. The Supervisor we have in Beat 2, won the election but has a long way to go in understanding the ins and outs of operations. I will say however, that the new Supervisor did vote to approve payroll and travel. So, what is the difference between Dec 2015 and Jan 2016? In Dec 2015 Burnett continued to vote against payroll and claims and travel and even approving the previous month's minutes. In Jan 2016, Johnson voted for payroll and travel. In my opinion, Burnett was playing games and it looks like Johnson is at least trying to learn. I do however, still object to all of the white people who turned out to vote for Johnson but continue to not attend BOS's Meetings. Oh and Michael Johnson, I object to you abstaining on the vote to remove Billy Pegram from the BOSs' table. Did you abstain because you didn't understand what the Board's attorney reported or did you abstain because you didn't want to vote against a fellow farmer?
3. Beat 3: I can't remember the lady's name that ran against Phillis Williams. But why? She sure seemed friendly with Clara Burnett and to me, she didn't appear knowledgeable about County government. I still don't think Williams voted in the best interest of the County in replacing Michael Thompson but otherwise Williams has done mostly a good job.
4. Beat 4: Who put Craig Harris up to run against Sonny Nickson. Harris doesn't live here.
5. Beat 5: I don't know why Judge Lackey approved Craig Jones to run in Tunica County. He claims homestead in Desoto County. Why do people think they can live outside of our County and run in our elections? Why was Curley Matthews running?
By the way, I still don't believe Cedric Burnett lives in Tunica County. He has a house here but where does he lay his head at night? Tunica, you keep putting up with this game playing. Why are you doing that?
And what about our current County Administrator trying to vote in our Primary when he lives in Olive Branch, MS? I have presented the evidence to the BOSs and they still voted to make him our County Administrator. Crazy.
It seems to me that most of these people were encourages to run in the Primary and expected to lose in the General to regain old power. I feel sure that is the case in Beat 5. And what about Jacqueline Boykin? Was she expected to beat Wes Ryals or was she a sacrificial lamb to displace Judge Linzy?
And how dare she go after individual citizens for $15,000 when she knows she voted in TN on 14 Nov 2014? Dishonest Jacqueline, dishonest. And why is MBI Captain Peter Clinton no longer employed at MBI? And why hasn't Attorney General Jim Hood acted on the MBI report suggesting Boykin be charged with 2 counts of voter fraud? And why didn't Gov Bryant set a date for a Special Election in Beat 5? As I've stated in a previous post, by not setting a date for a Special Election, Gov Bryant has effectively called the Beat 5 Election. Special Elections have been set before. Why is this any different?
And then there is Circuit Clerk, Sharon Granberry. Why do some folks keep repeating that the messed up voter rolls were the fault of the DEC? They were not. The Election Commission and the Circuit Clerk are responsible for those massive errors. And why didn't Granberry replace the erroneous lists on 4 Aug...just as soon as she discovered they were wrong? And I understand it was Granberry who called Attorney Kim Turner in the Sec of State's office to have me removed from the Library where I was a poll watcher for Marilyn Young. To say I was disrupting the voting process is a lie. That is unless you count knitting and drinking Powerade as disruptive. Oh, and then the Sheriff's dispatch sent the Town of Tunica Police to do what? They didn't find anything amiss. Total harassment. It is really quite laughable what some people will do to show just how powerful they are not.
And now we have the ongoing problem of Billy Pegram sitting at the Board of Supervisors' table and suing Rev Daley and the Board of Supervisors for a place at the table. Billy Pegram: YOU DID NOT WIN THE ELECTION. THERE WAS NO ELECTION.
Thieves....
So, you thieves think you can keep breaking into houses and stealing? Let me tell you something, the Tunica Police Department is tenacious and so are the Tuchels.
My husband works hard for the things that we own. What makes you think you are entitled to other folk's stuff? And on top of that, you crushed my tomato plants. I have been nursing those plants for three months so we could have really good tomatoes in the middle of winter. And just when they are starting to ripen, you break into our home and crush them.
You thieves are despicable. Get a job and buy your own stuff.
And this is what we know so far: Prior to our break-in, the Tunica Police Department caught 2 of the thieves who are committing these burglaries. They were two 15 year old kids with records. And what did the judge do? Released them to their parents. Are you kidding me?
I don't know if these kids are the same people who broke into our home but why would these kids be released rather then sent to jail? At the very least, they needed to be locked up until these break-ins stopped. I'm going to find out the name of the judge who released these juvenile delinquents.
My husband works hard for the things that we own. What makes you think you are entitled to other folk's stuff? And on top of that, you crushed my tomato plants. I have been nursing those plants for three months so we could have really good tomatoes in the middle of winter. And just when they are starting to ripen, you break into our home and crush them.
You thieves are despicable. Get a job and buy your own stuff.
And this is what we know so far: Prior to our break-in, the Tunica Police Department caught 2 of the thieves who are committing these burglaries. They were two 15 year old kids with records. And what did the judge do? Released them to their parents. Are you kidding me?
I don't know if these kids are the same people who broke into our home but why would these kids be released rather then sent to jail? At the very least, they needed to be locked up until these break-ins stopped. I'm going to find out the name of the judge who released these juvenile delinquents.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
14 Jan 2016 Board of Supervisors' Meeting
Tonight's meeting began with Board Attorney John Perry explaining his research surrounding the Beat 5 Supervisor position. Perry has also requested an Attorney General's Opinion on the same.
From what Perry reported, it was clear that Billy Pegram is not the Supervisor for Beat 5. James Dunn asked Pegram to leave the Board table. Pegram responded that he had as much right to sit at the table as he (Dunn) did. The BOS then voted to ask Pegram to remove himself. Dunn then asked the Sheriff to escort Pregram from the table. And guess what Sheriff Hamp did? He refused.
I was sitting next to Dollie Hudson who made a very hushed noise. Sheriff Hamp stood up and pointed at Hudson and asked one of his deputies to escort Hudson from the room. As Hudson was leaving the room Hamp said something about don't say anything else or you will be arrested and taken to jail. Hamp then lectured the audience about being quiet during Board Meetings.
This was all very upsetting. In the past, I have asked and asked the BOS to remove Hamp from their table. Maybe now they will think about doing this. Serve and protect Hamp NOT lecture and threaten.
And about James Dunn. Dunn handled the removal of Hudson with professionalism. He got up from his chair; went into the lobby; brought in Hudson's chair and Hudson. Thank you Mr. Dunn. That is exactly what needed to happen.
From what Perry reported, it was clear that Billy Pegram is not the Supervisor for Beat 5. James Dunn asked Pegram to leave the Board table. Pegram responded that he had as much right to sit at the table as he (Dunn) did. The BOS then voted to ask Pegram to remove himself. Dunn then asked the Sheriff to escort Pregram from the table. And guess what Sheriff Hamp did? He refused.
I was sitting next to Dollie Hudson who made a very hushed noise. Sheriff Hamp stood up and pointed at Hudson and asked one of his deputies to escort Hudson from the room. As Hudson was leaving the room Hamp said something about don't say anything else or you will be arrested and taken to jail. Hamp then lectured the audience about being quiet during Board Meetings.
This was all very upsetting. In the past, I have asked and asked the BOS to remove Hamp from their table. Maybe now they will think about doing this. Serve and protect Hamp NOT lecture and threaten.
And about James Dunn. Dunn handled the removal of Hudson with professionalism. He got up from his chair; went into the lobby; brought in Hudson's chair and Hudson. Thank you Mr. Dunn. That is exactly what needed to happen.
14 Jan 2016 Special Delivery
Tonight I delivered printed information and requests to the Board of Supervisors. The following were given to Chancery Clerk Rechelle Siggers for distribution.
14 Jan 2016: Hand delivered @
5p Board of Supervisors’ Meeting
To: James Dunn
Michael Johnson
Phillis Williams
Sonny Nickson
Rev. McKinley Daley
I am writing to you today to
request that you make available to the public a copy of the resume used in the
hiring of the Tunica County Comptroller, Adrian McKay. McKay is now our County Administrator and it
seems important that the public see for themselves the qualifications he brings
to the job.
This request is being made due
to the history of others who have served as our County Administrators. Here is a brief recount:
1.
At the beginning
of this century, Kenneth Murphree was the Tunica County County
Administrator. Under his leadership,
many facilities were built and bonds issued.
Because of these actions and with the approval of past Boards, Tunica
County now finds itself in a financial crisis.
2.
The next County
Administrator, Clifton Johnson, oversaw the refunding of many of these bonds; a
reduction in our income; a less than favorable employee health plan; the
building of manufacturing plants that do not contribute jobs or taxes to
Tunica’s General Fund. Additionally,
there was not a suggestion of a tax increase until late in 2013 and the
administration under Johnson was not very transparent.
3.
The next County
Administrator, Michael Thompson, came to us with credentials in place that were
easily verified. Under Thompson’s
leadership, it became apparent that our government was not sustainable in its
present form. Thompson was moving us
toward sustainability and yet you chose to replace him.
The public has a right to know
the qualifications of each and every County Administrator. Hence our request.
Following please find a
Freedom of Information letter asking you to provide a copy of the original
resume that was used to hire Adrian Mckay.
Sincerely,
Barbara R. Tuchel
Cc: Rechelle Siggers
Adrian McKay
Robert Tuchel
14 Jan 2015:
Hand delivered at Board of Supervisors’ Meeting @ 5p
To: James Dunn
Michael Johnson
Phillis Williams
Sonny Nickson
Rev. McKinley Daley
Pursuant to
the state open records law, MS Code Sections 25-61-1 to 25-61-17, I write to
request a copy of the resume used in the hiring of Adrian McKay as the Tunica
County Comptroller:
It is provided
by the MS open records law that a response is expect within fourteen (14)
business days (MS Code Section 25-61-5(1)).
If you choose
to deny this request, please provide a written explanation for the denial
including a reference to the specific statutory exemption(s) upon which you
rely.
Please be
advised that I am prepared to pursue whatever legal remedy necessary to obtain
access to the requested records. I
would note that willful violation of the open records law can result in a fine
of up to $100 and all reasonable litigation expenses (MS Code Section
25-61-15).
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Barbara R.
Tuchel
Cc: Rechelle
Siggers
Adrian McKay
Robert
Tuchel
Next:
14
Jan 2016: Hand delivered @5p Board of Supervisors’ Meeting
To: James Dunn
Michael Thompson
Phillis Williams
Sonny Nickson
Rev. McKinley Daley
The
following is a copy of a Freedom of Information letter that was never
answered. After this letter was sent, I
verbally requested the information on more than one occasion.
This
information is being requested because the worksheet for this budgeting period
shows only the $19,500, $13,000 and the $15,800 from May 2010 until the end of
Sep 2010. The $104,711 and $223,357
amounts were found in the listing of claims for Housing. To my recollection the
budget for Housing was reduced to $300,000 for 2009 – 2010.
We
would like to see the supporting documents for each of these claims. Additionally, I have great concern that
information and documents that are sent to the Housing Authority in Clarksdale
are not available to the public.
Here
is the letter:
28
May 2015: Hand delivered at Board of Supervisors’ Meeting @ 5p
Dear
Mr. Thompson:
Pursuant
to the state open records law, MS Code Sections 25-61-1 to 25-61-17, I write to
request copies of the supporting documents for the following claims:
Invoice: 11232009
Invoice Date: 11/23/2009
Post Date: 11/30/2009
Check Date: 12/07/2009
Check Number: 92998
Claim: 1270
Invoice Amount: $19,500.00
Status: P
Invoice: 0126210
Invoice Date: 1/26/2010
Post Date: 1/31/2010
Check Date: 2/1/2010
Check Number: 93516
Claim: 1903
Invoice Amount: $13,000.00
Status: P
Invoice: 03242010
Invoice Date: 3/24/2010
Post Date: 3/31/2010
Check Date: 4/05/2010
Check Number: 94135
Claim: 2522
Invoice Amount: $15,800.00
Status: P
Invoice: 05252010
Invoice Date: 5/25/2010
Post Date: 5/31/2010
Check Date: 6/7/2010
Check Number: 95129
Claim: 3472
Invoice Amount: $104,711.00
Status: P
Invoice: 08212010
Invoice Date: 8/21/2010
Post Date: 8/31/2010
Check Date: 9/7/2010
Check Number: 96478
Claim: 5069
Invoice Amount: $223,357.00
Status: P
It
is provided by the MS open records law that a response is expect within fourteen
(14) business days (MS Code Section 25-61-5(1)).
If
you choose to deny this request, please provide a written explanation for the
denial including a reference to the specific statutory exemption(s) upon which
you rely.
Please
be advised that I am prepared to pursue whatever legal remedy necessary to
obtain access to the requested records.
I would note that willful violation of the open records law can result
in a fine of up to $100 and all reasonable litigation expenses (MS Code Section
25-61-15).
Thank
you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Barbara
R. Tuchel
Cc: Michael
Thompson
Ellis Pittman
Robert Tuch
Next: Handwritten note attached stating this letter was never answered.
DELIVERED
Via Email 8 Sep 2014
Dear
Mr. McKay:
Pursuant
to the state open records law, MS Code Sections 25-61-1 to 25-61-17, I write to
request the name(s) of the company or person(s) who sold the homes covered by
the new homeowner claim #25579. There
were 2 claims for $10,000 each in the Aug 2014 claims. It is my understanding that $12,000 of this
$32,000 claim is the monthly payment by Tunica County
It
is provided by the MS open records law that a response is expect within
fourteen (14) business days (MS Code Section 25-61-5(1)).
If
you choose to deny this request, please provide a written explanation for the
denial including a reference to the specific statutory exemption(s) upon which
you rely.
Please
be advised that I am prepared to pursue whatever legal remedy necessary to
obtain access to the requested records.
I would note that willful violation of the open records law can result
in a fine of up to $100 and all reasonable litigation expenses (MS Code Section
25-61-15).
Thank you for your
assistance.
Sincerely,
Barbara
R. Tuchel
Cc: Michael
Thompson
Ellis Pittman
Robert
Tuchel
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)