I have a part two coming on Muckraking Job Security plus I hear heated words were exchanged last week at the Bay St Louis City Council between certain interested citizens in the presence of the Sun Herald reporting duo assigned there to.
Man o man is it raining cats and dawgs but the summertime heat is on down here in Soggy Bottom. All that and more on tap.
Tension is high in the Bay, and unfortunately it affects the family members of those in high places. But, that goes with the territory, and it could have all been avoided if another approach had been taken to solve the current problems. We all make choices. However, it is really undignified for the family members of city officials to exhibit behavior such as this at meetings–it doesn’t create a positive a positive image for them or the city, for sure.
Just this time last year when the financial situation of the city was beginning to become known, the atmosphere of denial prevailed. Now, just under 12 months later, there is no denying, it came right out of the mouth of the attorney from Butler Snow–Lucien Bourgeois to the city council–“you are in a financial crisis.”
Where will they be in another 12 months? Time will tell even if they won’t.
That’s why I stayed home … (crazy lady in the wheelchair) .. the complacency has gone on for so long & just seems to continue. It seems as though everyone is happy as long as Old Town looks pretty & the beachfront is booming, & BSL is being written up as a travel destination. If this is happening then the Mayor must be doing a great job …. DUH! It’s like living in a Zombie movie …
Noticed this morning in the Ms.Press the “Laura C” is being advertised for auction at Competition Marine on June 20,2014. Odd that they would use this newspaper being in another county than the vessel,debt, law firm, ect. “The vessel includes an extensive package of new electronics that are stored in a warehouse” Wonder if the David Harris gang still claim ownership? Did the DMR walk away from a debt owed? Why has this vessel been running silent in the press?
What this DMR topic needs…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep-xgd_eETE
Doug – people were encouraged to keep their mouths shut so as not to interfere with the investigation. I think that is why people have shut up. I think the Sun Herald has shut up because someone there is Billy the Boy Hewes’s BFF. But they are really taking a chance trying to protect him. Have you heard of aid and abet??
It doesn’t appear that the SH will turn Anita Lee loose to get the job done. She is fired up and ready to roll but they won’t let her do the job. I understand that the people in the accounting department at the DMR are out of there now. I hear they are putting secretary types in the accounting positions until they can locate some “good ole boy” types or ones who won’t ask any questions to fill the jobs. And not one person is looking into this? Come on now. The COO that they slid in there is Billy Hewe’s relative. He is a retired general (maybe national guard?) I can not say. But the point is, it is still the same story – friends and relatives so they can CONprofit as before. I, for one, am outraged that Phil Bryant and Stacey Pickering are doing nothing! And Jim Hood either!!!! I hope the people won’t forget this. Every politician that has sit back and watched this show and done nothing – they need to be booted out in the next elections. They need big surprises just like the one in Virginia got!!! Take out the trash!!!
QueenCobra
This may make you feel better about your state government and provide a clue to your issues at hand. 😉
http://fortune.com/2014/06/10/most-corrupt-states-in-america/
The DMR story is the one that should be used to be place on billboards and posters. “Yes we are number one in CORRUPTION again !!!! A special thanks goes out to the MsDMR.MsDEQ,MsMDA,MsAG,MsOof A, Bill Walker, Stacey Pickering ,Jim Hood, Phil Bryant and many more to numerous to name. THANK YOU,THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!”
Yup. So the story goes threats of Obstruction of Justice were passed, including specifically about people in the know speaking with Slabbed. Now all this time later it appears Justice has been Obstructed for certain of those in the privileged class.
Has anyone heard anything about Tina Shumate? Now that her former employees have been lined up against her maybe a plea deal is in the works. It also makes me wonder if the DA didn’t ask the ones who have already pled out to agree to testify against her to keep their mouths shut so a sweet deal can be made for her with no obstructions.
I’ve heard that more firings and forced retirements are coming down the pipeline at DMR after July 1. They are probably waiting until after the new fiscal year begins to maximize state funding received for those positions, so Miller and co. can line their pockets with the excess in the form of raises for the friends and family network. Or maybe they need the extra funding for all the construction going on over there. A wall goes up here, a door moved behind a secretary’s desk over there… Some people really know how to run a regime.
The word regime has become fairly popular to describe the political entitiy in the state of Mississippi. Wikipedia defines the term regime in part as:
While the word regime originates as a synonym for any form of government, modern usage often gives the term a negative connotation, implying an authoritarian government or dictatorship.
This seems to be quite accurate.
Has anyone heard that one of the DMR attorneys, Runnels, is moving to Alaska? I mean, I can understand wanting to get out of the fray, but wow!! What kind of law practice can you have up there?
Eye – some of the people that have been let go/resigned/casualties since the DMR scandal began are below:
Mike Buchan – retired after untimely death of Ms Hill (Walker’s assistant)
Susan Perkins – fired – set up by guess who?
Mr. Larsen – fired – set up by guess who?
Leslie Gollott – resigned
Dorothy Dannel – Human Resources
Tina Shumate – fired
Samantha Hebert – fired
Crystal Morgan -fired on trumped up charges
Russel Ducet – retired due to pressure/trumped up charges
Janet Ducet -retired due to pressure and work related illness – she would not “fix” purchase orders for CONprofits
Joe Zeigler – allowed to retire (Chief of Staff)
Constance Zeigler – (Joe Zeigler’s wife) ($50K for 6 mos.)
Mr. Bass – DOA -suicide
Bill Walker – fired? or retired? (Illustrious potentate)
Moma Walker – retired from the dolphin prison
Trinity Walker – (Scott Walker’s wife)
Mike Walker – retired (wetlands)
Christine Murrell – retired (technical staff)
Kara Vesa – fired (accounting)
Beth Roberts – resigned (accounting)
Pat Dogdrill – retired (accounting)
Karen Caron – resigned (accounting)
Tamra – fired or allowed to resign? (accounting)
Walter Chatagnier – allowed to retire (enforcement)
Dale Diaz – retired (technical staff)
Irvin Jackson – retired (seafood promotion)
Tom Doster – fired, but allowed to resign (accounting)
Joe Reynolds – retired (attorney)
Kay Rexrode – retired (assistant to enforcement chief)
Evelyn Thompson – resigned (Joe Zeigler secretary)
Several people in the computer department (Technicians)
Several people at the Fish Hatchery (Robert Byrd ($90K) and Son Colin Byrd ($40K)
Danny Guice – Potentate after Bill Walker and before Mr. Miller
Some of the people that left on their own were just tired of putting up with the pressure and stress of the whole situation. Others were part of the problem or told to resign. These are the only ones that I heard about and have added to my running list. Maybe someone that works at the DMR will chime in and fill in the blanks. I know there are others. Also, there used to be a boat that stayed moored in the back bay across from the DMR office. It belonged to someone at the DMR and it looked a lot like the boat they are getting ready to auction off (Laura C). I am wondering if that boat is one and the same as the Laura C since it has disappeared from the back bay a while ago.
When my wife and I travel, we certainly do not brag that we are from Mississippi and only admit to it when asked. When asked about the wonderful seafood, we tell them we do not eat the seafood due to the BP Oil Spill. Therefore, we are not good advertisers of our state. But with us having the dubious honor of being Number 50 in all things bad and now the great honor of leading the Nation by being Number 1 as to the most CORRUPT STATE in the Nation, who needs our advertisement? With Palazzo and Cochran choices for leading our state, we have nothing to brag about.
I think the boat Queen Cobra is referring to belonged to a member of the IT staff. It seems like he was fired for harassing female staff members. Not sure whatever happened to his boat.
That’s a hefty list of staff departures. I heard the future list includes some people who don’t quite mesh with the ideology of the new leadership. A few people missing from the list are as follows:
Mark Boyles (father of Trent Lott aide) worked from his house in Hattiesburg – for Shumate – fired? Asked to quit?
Kerwin Cuevas- fired?
Syneathia Lett – PR – quit
Diane Roth – IT – retired
Kim Denz- IT – quit
This would make an interesting article to hear everyone’s story about his departure from the sinking DMR ship. But I doubt anyone will talk. The arms of the regime are far reaching, and who would print it? Not Sun Herald, that’s for sure.
I am not convinced we are the most corrupt state in the union. My guess would be the District of Columbia where the heaviest concentration of corruption goes on every day, day after day. We are getting some exposure for sure, and that’s a good thing really.
But we have to get off the bottom educationally. After 5 years on the No Child Left Behind program, we actually moved up to 46th in the nation, but our educators fussed about that approach too. Now, they don’t like Common Core. Would one of them come up with something besides letting them do their own thing which kept us on the bottom forever?
The Sun Herald just published an article about how much states spend per pupil. I don’t have to tell you we were not in a good light, but I guarantee you we spend a LOT administratively. Four years ago we had the second highest paid state Superintendent in the nation, and weren’t seeing much results for it.
Our educational leaders lack priorities, and are scared to death of Charter Schools. Hell, the way the law is written if a Charter School is found not meeting standards, they get shut down. Imagine if that applied to our taxpayer supported schools. In other words there is no accountability, just slaps on the wrists, and keep on trucking.
Priorities and Accountability—badly needed here!
Who among us here think Mississippi (or Louisiana for that matter,) can write effective laws concerning the management and operation of charter schools and then properly and consistently enforce the same? If so, then you are ahead of me on this issue; and apparently have more faith both in government and government funded non-profits (and for profits) and charities than I do.
Education is one of the largest pots of money out there, and I am not yet convinced that charter schools are a fix for much other than the charter operator’s empty pockets. How a state which has such apparent obvious difficulty with public corruption of all flavors can move to public-private partnerships in education without increasing the grifting is beyond me.
RFP,
Eye for one do not think its possible for this state to enforce and manage charter schools in an effective way. Of course, I am against charter schools to begin with and beleive they are nothing more than a step towards opening a gateway leading to the true agenda of the dirty south politicians. An agenda to push religion, radical politics and anti abortion ideology back into schools to mold students to their personal beliefs. And of course, don’t forget about the risk of charter schools being filled with students based on social class.
The politicians of his state know they have a problem with education but really don’t want to attack the source to fix it.
Charter school = teach the test
haddanuff, after all, they were ranking states and NOT the center of the most corrupt empire this planet has known in a longtime.