As the scandal at DMR spreads across South Mississippi’s largely Republican political elites with the latest revelations of potential criminal misconduct by DMR Executive Director Bill Walker by the Sun Herald one naturally wonders why Governor Phil Bryant has chosen to sit on his hands leaving Walker in office.
If this had been a school secretary embezzling a few thousand dollars from the Student Activity Fund or a secretary at (insert name of state agency) doing same that person would be, at the minimum put on a leave of absence while the investigation sorted all the dirty deeds out. If you are a political appointee of Bryant on the other hand you get to keep your job and search for a graceful exit.
The latest revelation that Congressman Steven Palazzo’s father was involved in one of the OIG properties illustrate the breadth of the unfolding scandal, which literally stretches from coastal Mississippi straight to the Capitol City. If there is an honest GOP politician in Jackson the unwashed masses have yet to hear from ’em.
Let me just say that something is rotten when you’re getting up and going to work everyday for free. Once your would be pension check exceeds your actual paycheck, something’s fishy (pun intended).
Well, it appears word is spreading.Ms.Business Journal and Yall Politics both have articles about the problems at DMR.I do believe changes in management are on the way.People from state line to state line should be outraged about what is going on with taxpayers money.Heads must roll and this gang must be held accountable.Cedar Point was the one they got away with.This one is going to be a lot harder to avoid prosecution for what has gone on.
You have a link to the Ms Business Journal story?
It defies the imagination this was even a question.
And why, pray tell, did they get away with the Cedar Point project? All one has to do is go view Cedar Point and investigate where that money has gone. Unnecessary things are being purchased in the name of “the hatchery” there. If an unbiased group of people will go back over the Cedar Point proceedings, they will find all they need to prosecute, and then some. Walker’s girlfriend over there is on the DMR payroll too….has been for years….listed as being paid for “research”. He has retired her now, but you can find her on the past records listed as Sue Barnes. And while your at it, check out all of the contracts he paid out to and what they were for….why would he be contracting anyone in Jackson, MS? Unless maybe they were “working” (wink, wink)? Why is Mr. Perret and his wife on the contract payroll, and have been for several years?? What about Paul Byrd, Collin Byrd, Dennyer and daughter, David Harris, David Rose’s son (who works for him)???? nepatism at its best! Why are the gates at Lyman Fish Hatchery always locked? Walker took it from the Dept. of Wildlife to raise saltwater fish…15 miles from saltwater???? Where is the used saltwater going? Into the Little Biloxi River???? Why is the DMR paying another fish hatchery that is located northwest of the Lyman Fish Hatchery money to raise Cobia (that are being hatched at Cedar Point, and trucked by a private hatchery truck to this mystery hatchery and kept for a month and then released? The Taxpayers are paying for this farce!!!! And the money, I am sure, is going in someone’s pocket.
So, you see, the auditors haven’t even began to learn it all…..yet….wait until all the employees at the DMR can start talking….they can tell you some tales!
The Mississippi Business Journal’s website is msbusiness.com. The article is “Report shows conflict of interest at DMR”
Yallpolitics ran another post.
http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/33851/
Frank Corder and Alan Lange have stood up for what is right. It would be nice if some of the established media outlets joined us. Their silence is as noticeable as Phil Bryant’s absence.
Well Hallelujah brother!!! Alan Lange once asked me to stop posting on that site because I shared the truth about Billy Hewes and his brother-in-law, Joe Zeigler (of the DMR cronies). I thought he was in permanent denial!!!! What has opened his eyes????
Well this is certainly uplifting!!! Maybe they will begin to police their own like they should have been doing all along!!!!
The longer I do this the more I respect what Lange has done. We’ve had our tussels in the past but I think he is honest and has good intentions. Pascagoula City Councilman Frank Corder strikes me as a straight shooter and an incredibly bright guy as well.
The force is strong with you Stanley. Watch your back because people are already looking for Mona. Keep the information coming. 🙂
No one should be afraid to tell the truth Doug. If you are big enough to do the crime, then you should be big enough to pay the time. They all thought they were invisible and “God-like”. Well, I’m afraid that God didn’t take a likin’ to that. I believe he will reveal all and everything will come to light! Appreciate your good work!
Walker, louder than a 5lb bull croaker, stated he used the two boats to go deep into federal waters some 100-150 miles out.
With gas and marine diesel at $3.50/gal can you tell me Mr. Bull Croaker how many commercial/ recreational/fishers motor to these rigs with medium sized fishing boats averaging .25 – .5 mile/gallon ? And are their patrons put in suspended animation/ time warp for the 6-8 hour trip each way so as to allow time for fishing.?
Come to think of it, he does kinda look like a croaker….and he drinks like a fish….so, if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck….He must be a croaker!!!! Ha….
Whatever happens, save those trailers for the cookouts. The best seafood in Jackson is when Bill Walker and the DMR roll into town. I don’t suspect any significant reform is pending those DMR cookers were used for all the right political fundraisers.
I’ll remind the readers, especially those who haven’t caught a bull croaker, that not only are they voracious bottom feeders but are also cannibalistic ( if you cut one up you can use their own meat to catch more croakers).
Love the parity!!!! It is so fitting!
There is still more to come. There may be a third boat that was missed by the SH because it is in a shipyard. The investigation should look at the “link” between DMR and Mobey at IMMS through Sharon Walker. And there is a tangled web between DMR and Omega Protein in Jackson County
I believe you are right Coast Watcher. What I don’t understand is why our Governor has not done something about this already. Doesn’t he know it makes him look like he is part of this? And Stacey Pickering too??? I certainly expected a better response than this. I just hope that the punnishment for these people will be swift and fitting to the crime and not just a slap on the hand. This is corporate welfare at its best!
I have heard rumblings that this is going back to our past Governor!?? “Oh the tangled web we weave, when we first choose to deceive!”
I agree with SHTTT. They will name a building after Walker, put Tina Shumate in her planned office in the Charnley-Norwood house (designed by Louis Sullivan & Frank Lloyd Wright, really more important architecturally than Gehry’s Ohr Museum and something I have to agree should have been funded with grants). But it would be nice to have a little oversight at the DMR when the BP $ starts rolling in, otherwise it will go to all these “charities” they have set up. If they skip DMR altogether, then the $ will go directly to light up the whorehouses in Memphis.
Coast Watcher, thank you. Omega’s pogey boats were out there when everyone else was forbidden because of the oil spill. They are making life hard and harder for all the higher fish, since menhaden are the base of the food chain. Soon there will be no fish, and nobody will be able to get their little yellow blood pressure pills at Sam’s either. Why not use invasive trash fish for the pills? And you are 100% right about Sharon Walker & Moby. I heard 19 mil. for a dolphin prison, not for a scientific endeavor.
P.S. Someone needs to give credit to Stan Tiner. This is real journalism, not seen in MS since Hodding Carter.
What did Stan Tiner do?I have not read anything with his name on it pertaining to DMR..I think our questions and requests for help need to be directed to the DMR Board of Commisioners. The have the authority to fire Walker and not the Governor.And what about all of the bogus land deals?What do the know about them?And boat leases,most of the Board members are boaters in a big way,surely they knew this was not needed except for the income stream that went toYADA and others. Come on guys be honest with the public if that is possible.
Sorry, I was just commenting on what I believe to be higher quality than usual reporting in the Sun-Herald; Tiner is the editor. Dunno much about boats so that’s all in your ball park.
What happened to the link to the Sun Herald article? The article appears to have been removed? What is going on over there?!
The Sun Herald 404s their stories after 30 days. I think it is misguided but McClatchy dictates this from on high.
I just checked their latest story on the boat leasing and now I see. Very, very interesting.
Are they scared of the Walkers? Or being threatened? Same thing has happened to the links when stories have come out about various crazy Scott Walker scandals. Why isn’t MS Press reporting? I am actually surprised the Clarion Ledger hasn’t either. I think it is about time that at least the Governor take action or make a statement. Don’t you?
Good questions. The media in general is generally tight lipped about such things.
My hunch is this scandal will include a who’s who in the behind the scenes political power structure.
I am concerned that they are killing time to try to buy their way out of this too. Just like in the past. Palazzo is one of their cohorts, and I believe even x-legilator Michael Janus is one of the buddies. They have lured these good old boys in with fishing, expensive food, good booze,and loose women. The wives of these men should be outraged!! At least, their husbands won’t be unfaithful in prison. They will each have a male partner in their cell and the wives won’t have to worry about them being unfaithful with other women. And it appears that these Judges are fed up with this thievery also. Look at what happened to the Ladner clan in Hancock county!!!! I’ll bet this bunch will really get the book thrown at them….and rightly so!
Word is spreading thru the legal and political community that 8 indictments will be forthcoming in January pertaining to the DMR scandal.Wonder who they are? Feel certain on 4 or 5.Who are they?What will the 8 be charged with? Who is at the center of all of this? Walker Sr.? Walker Jr.? Harris? Would like some thoughts on this.
Second time this week I’ve heard indictment rumors.
If there is one thing I’ve learned to a high degree of certainty is that indictment rumors are notoriously unreliable.
The preliminary OIG report is dated September 5th. It is possible the FBI was notified around that time. The land transaction research would take just a bit of time so it is possible something has gone to a federal grand jury.
The process worked fairly quickly in the case of Dick Scruggs. We’ll see about DMR.
Again marine science comes into play here. To successfully catch a bull croaker you allow them to swallow da’ bait,then set the hook and you get them every time.
Once caught, dey be croaking in your ear fo’ mercy but just hook em’ on yo’ stringer and keep fishing fo’ mo’ of their friends. Should have a nice stringer pretty soon to filet and fry up to a golden brown.
Da’ problem is dem’ being bottom feeders dere too many to cause them to become extinct like redfish.
Ain’t it the truth brother!!!!
“Story after story continues to trickle out of the Department of Marine Resources, raising many questions of possible improprieties. State and federal investigators have come to town and the cloud hanging over DMR is growing.
If you
“WASHINGTON — The government on Monday dismissed misdemeanor charges against former Ocean Springs mayoral candidate Scott Walker.
Walker had been charged with simple assault and possession of a prohibited weapon after an April 11 incident here involving Eleanore Kelly, a staffer for Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Tupelo.
“The court dropped the charges because the prosecution’s investigation convinced them the charges were false,” Walker said in a written statement issued after a District of Columbia Superior Court hearing. “The events reported to the authorities never happened.”
Walker, a Republican businessman who fell just 96 votes short of ousting incumbent Democratic Mayor Connie Moran in June 2009, would not answer questions about the matter.
Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, said he could not speak about the case.
“Typically, our office doesn’t discuss factors involved in charging decisions, and so we’re unable to comment about this specific case,” Miller said.
The Mississippi Press was unable to reach Kelly on Monday.
In an affidavit, Kelly alleged that she and Walker got into a fight in a Washington hotel room.
When she attempted to leave the room, Walker threw her on the floor repeatedly and punched her about the body with closed fists, according to her affidavit. Kelly also alleged that he threw a phone and struck her on the left side of the head.
Those allegations resulted in the charge of attempted possession of a prohibited weapon, the weapon being a phone in this case, court documents show.
While there were no witnesses other than Kelly and Walker, officers noted in their report abrasions on Kelly’s face.
In his Monday statement, Walker accused his accuser of a “pattern of deceit.”
“I’m glad to put all of this behind me, but it’s not a time for celebration. I’m truly concerned about the welfare of the accuser,” the statement said. “This ordeal over the past seven months has made me a stronger and, hopefully, wiser person.”
Neither Walker nor his spokesman were able to name other incidents of Kelly acting deceptively.
Ocean Springs police arrested Walker on a driving-under-the-influence charge in April, just days after he received the misdemeanor charges in Washington.
Six officers testified in court that Walker could not pass sobriety tests and would not blow into a breath-analyzing device, after they found him asleep inside his Chevy Tahoe. The vehicle had crashed into a mailbox and the engine was left running, according to testimony.
The officers said they thought Walker was too intoxicated to be driving, but the case was thrown out on a technicality. ”
,,,,Still sharing….
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2012/07/scott-walker-comes-to-mississippi-for.html
This link might answer some of the questions why it is taking Jackson so long to address the investigation issue…..notice the list of fundraisers at this gala….recognize any names listed???? Kinda reads like the DMR investigation, huh?
“Workers on Tuesday moved three of 16 Mississippi cottages to Delmas Avenue near the waterfront, marking the start of what the city hopes will grow into a mixed-use development that will help revitalize downtown.
The project, a joint effort of the city of Pascagoula and nonprofit Habitat for Humanity, aims to place qualified residents in the cottages from May 2010 until March 2011, when the plan is to convert them into retail shops.
“Hopefully, within days we’ll be installing the utilities and doing the site work,” said Jaci Turner, city projects manager.
The cottages are being moved from a storage area at the city’s parks and recreation department so they will be ready to be placed on foundations as soon as the utilities are installed, she said.
That will likely happen in late April, said Scott Walker, Habitat spokesman.
Habitat will be looking for people who are still dealing with housing issues after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Walker said. The cottages were donated by the Mississippi Emergency Management agency, and applicants must meet certain requirements to be able to lease one.
“Our usual clients are police officers, firemen, teachers, city employees, Northrop Grumman employees,” he said. “We’ll be going out and soliciting those homeowners.”
Rent rates for the cottages — eight two-bedroom and eight one-bedroom — will be “affordable,” he said.
Despite the relatively short time the cottages will be available for lease, Habitat is confident there will be plenty of demand.
“There’s still a great need in Pascagoula for affordable housing,” Walker said.
Local real estate agents pointed out that affordable means different things to different people.
“If you’re talking to someone who makes minimum wage, that person will have a very different idea of ‘affordable’ than someone who works at Northrop Grumman, for example,” said Lisa Clark Cannon of Coldwell Banker United Realtors’ Pascagoula office.
Part of a $12 million riverfront revitalization project, the cottage village is estimated to cost from $650,000 to $700,000, most of which is being financed by hurricane recovery grant money.
For more information or to apply, call Habitat at 228-314-0011, or visit the Web site.”
Wonder how those MEMA cottages were “donated” to ole Scotty boy??? Some of those might be the “left overs” that were stored at Lyman Fish Hatchery maybe????
Walker fundraiser Specifics…….
Scott Walker and fellow hosts plan a $250 per couple Gulf seafood fundraiser honoring state Treasurer Lynn Fitch. The soiree, described as a “summer signature event,” is planned Thursday evening at 435 East Beach Drive in Ocean Springs.
The invite includes a. biography of Fitch, and attorney the first Republican woman to hold the State Treasurer office. She was sworn in on Jan. 5, 2012.
Before that, she was executive director of the state personnel board, an appointed position.
The Fitch fundraiser host committee consists of: Laura and Greg Cronin; Laurie and Ed Day; Denise and Randy Doyle; Francis and Jackie Grimes; Ann and John Hairston; Talie and Michael Janus; George Malvaney; Jeanne and Alwyn Luckey; Donna and Dane Maxell; Janna and Nicky Maxwell; Jeannie and Pascagoula Mayor Robbie Maxwell; Nancy and Jim McIngvale; Brandon Payne; Virginia and Terry Robinson; Fauzia and Dr. Mobi Solangi; Marcia and Chevas Swetman; Debbie and Todd Trenchard; Courtney and Clay Wagner; Trinity Ryals and Scott Walker; Drs. Sharon and Bill Walker; and Sandra and Roy Williams.
Honorary hosts are Susan and Alderman Greg Denyer; Linda and Supervisor John McKay; Jane and Alderman Matt McDonnell; Lauren and Supervisor Troy Ross; Beth and Supervisor Steve Seymour; Heather and Sen. Brice Wiggins; and Rep. Hank Zuber, R-Ocean Springs.
Printed int he Mississippi Press, July 23, 2012. Recognize any of the DMR players????
Wow, who isn’t on that list from Jackson county GOP: Cumbest, Corder, Hammonds, Dailey, Rouse, and Hebert.
Posted in MS Business Journal on August 14, 2011:
“Dr. William Walker, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, will receive a First Place Gulf Guardian Award for 2011 in the Individual category from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Was I ever wrong calling Dr. Walker just a plain 5lb bull croaker and I apologize.
Sounds like he’s mo’ a bureaucratic bull croaker with international migratory habits.
Yup….you got that one right. And maybe, like you said, if he keeps getting squeezed a bit, he might start actin’ like a crawfish and puke up the pearl! Maybe he will start naming names and tell it all brother! Can’t wait to see who he gets to bunk with in prison. Hope he doesn’t get any special treatment. He would look so cute in stripes! Kind of like Nemo!
From the Administrative Handbook of the Ms.Commission on Marine Resources “3.5-Conflict of Interest (1) No public servant shall use his official position to obtain pecuniary benefit for himself other than that compensation provided for by law or to obtain pecuniary benifit for any relative or any business with which he is associated.” I guess Bill Walker missed this page.While the Walkers want to be a political powerhouse, the fundraiser for Lynn Fitch held at Scott’s Million Dollar Mansion paid for in part by being involved in a classic conflict of interest was more of a SLAP DOWN of Connie Moran than anything else. Hard to believe wth all of Lil Walkers baggage he would have the nerve to do this. The list of sponsors are all anti Moran folks who will associate themselves with a known political liability to get at her.Sad,but egg on face is going to be served up soon . I wonder if the same group will be invited to the arraignment to be held soon at the Federal Court House in Gulfport.This fundraiser sponsored by the Justice Department will be to benifit the taxpayer.Please join us for a soon to be announced auction of 435 East Beach Drive,another Taxpayer fundraiser.$250.00 bidders deposit required.
Who is Donald Penny? If you search for Scott Walker on White Pages, he is associated with 435 E Beach Dr. But so is Donald Perry. Check out the public property tax website: http://www.deltacomputersystems.com/cgi-lrm5/LRMCGI02?HTMCNTY=MS30&HTMBASE=C&HTMKEY=MS300061427201200&HTMODB=&HTMPGM=&HTMPFL=&
The home is listed under Donald Penny & Sherri Lynn Penny. Could this be some alias???
Charlene is beginning to remind me of Slabbed lifer Telemachus.
Steve and Beth Seymour at a Fitch fundraiser? I thought sure he is a registered democrat. Alwyn Luckey is a GOP class action trial lawyer (who knew there was such a thing).
There are two avenues of research that must be done. First is sourcing the owners of the OIG property. Step two would be to trace the money straight into the campaign coffers of high ranking Nabobs like Fitch, Phil Bryant etc. I guarantee you site unseen the DMR money train runs one big circular track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otdHbA4GlSI
What’s crazier than this, is that Jim Walker (don’t know if he is kin to Big Walker and Baby Walker or not), who is a PR person at the Department of Wildlife in Jackson, has two boats available at the marina too….”for people who can help” and so that they can “do work”. Now, I wonder if Jimmy Walker (another political parasite of the realm) is tied into any of this?? Why would he need boats (pleasure yachts) to “work” when his Agency only oversees fresh water in this State? Just sayin’ ….this thing may get bigger and bigger yet! And I understand that he is great buddies with Bill Walker and all of the big $$ GOPers. Plus, he will be the first to tell you….he is married to a Miss Georgia Queen. Now how do you like those peaches???? Why would the commisioners of the DWFP allow Jim Walker to have marine boats docked for clients? Would love to know what those employees up there know….maybe the invesetigators need to look into this too…should be right on the train route!