Month: May 2018

Guest Post | Lana Noonan: Did the Bay St Louis City Council Violate the Mississippi Open Meetings Act?

At the outset, let me say that The Hancock County Alliance for Good Government has no interest in the personalities involved in the Bay St. Louis Historic Preservation Commission.

What we do have an interest in, as per our Mission Statement, is keeping the political process clean, regardless of the individuals involved in the execution of the public’s business.

On the evening of May 8, 2018, at their regular meeting, the Bay St. Louis City Council, after exiting Executive Session, acted on a item of business that was NOT on their advertised Agenda. That item of business was the dismissal of a Commissioner from the Bay St. Louis Historic Preservation Commission.

During the course of the meeting, at the second Public Forum of the evening, Ward II citizen, Teri Velardi, asked Council if they were going to take any kind of action that evening regarding the Historic Preservation Commission. She actually polled the Council one by one. All said “no.”

Council President Gene Hoffman who represents Ward II, said that there could be some issues with the Commission, but not that night. Velardi pressed them with the possibility of an Executive Session on the issue, and all either said they had no issues that night with the Commission or as Ward IV Councilman, Larry Smith said, “he had no opinion at that time on the Commission.”

When Council President Hoffman entertained a motion to consider going into Executive Session, City Attorney, Heather Smith, was the only one to say she had a property purchase and 4 or 5 litigation issues to discuss with Council. The motion by Councilman DeSalvo, and seconded by Councilman Smith passed unanimously to go into closed session. Continue reading “Guest Post | Lana Noonan: Did the Bay St Louis City Council Violate the Mississippi Open Meetings Act?”

Retaliation or Bad Work? Local businessman arrested, charged with False Pretense

Keith Marquar's Mugger via the Sea Coast Echo
Keith Marquar’s Mugger via HCSO and the Sea Coast Echo

Did everyone catch that local businessman Keith Marquar was arrested back on the 24th by the Hancock County Sheriff’s office? When I was told about it I immediately checked the Echo’s website but had no luck because, online at least, the story was buried. Luckily a good Samaritan sent me the link to the most popular story on the Sea Coast Echo’s website and that despite the fact it never appeared on the front page of the website that I could tell.

Even more interesting is the social media chatter locally, with public opinion seemingly split with a healthy percentage of those commenting  thinking the arrest is retaliation against Marquar for filing a 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 lawsuit against the City of Bay St Louis, Mayor Mike Favre and former Councilman Lonnie Falgout. Such is a reasonable conclusion from reading Stacey Cato’s story because about two thirds of it rehashes Marquar’s civil suit against the City, which was filed last month in Federal court. The story also did not name the person who swore the complaint against Marquar, ostensibly because Don Bass of HCSO refused to name the lady, whose name did appear on Facebook.

Let’s imagine for a second that the Echo’s story were limited to Marquar’s arrest and included the name of his alleged victim. Continue reading “Retaliation or Bad Work? Local businessman arrested, charged with False Pretense”

Hancock County’s Newest Red Headed Step Child

Yesterday the Sun Herald asked a very interesting question:

How did the Bay mayor’s son get hired for $115K at Hancock jail? It’s complicated ~ Paul Hampton

Of course when an AG’s opinion is issued and is then rescinded everyone has to get in on the act:

AG’s office rescinds negative opinion, Hancock jail clinic back in business ~ Cassandra Favre

Lost in the story of Hancock County’s newest whipping boy is how the jail went from having its own medical staff to contracting with Health Assurance, LLC under the previous Sups and Sheriff, a company that was involved in passing out bribes in the Chris Epps MDOC scandal to Quality Correction Health Care, Inc. the company that took over for Health Assurance, LLC and now back to its own staff. That story is at least somewhat interesting.

If Casey Favre were unqualified to handle his new job, like former Hancock County Library Executive Director Courtney Thomas, who told some gigantic whoppers in at least one public meeting about her qualifications, I guess we’d be riled up here at Slabbed but since he is a health care professional, it must be his last name alone that has earned him the media’s ire. Worse yet, from a clusterf*ck perspective Favre doesn’t even have the race card to play. That said the Board of Sups could have done a much better job handling this whole deal.

The AG’s opinion at the center of this latest dust up is presented below: Continue reading “Hancock County’s Newest Red Headed Step Child”

Other Voices | Lana Noonan: Bay Waveland Schools Lag in Four Year Graduation Rates

According to the Mississippi Department of Education “Four Year Graduation Rates” determine the high school completion status four years after students enter 9th grade for the first time.

In February of this year (2018) the State released the Four Year Graduation Rates for students who have been tracked since 2013-14 school year and expected to graduate this year (2018).

Here are the rankings of the 12 Coast School Districts from No. 1 to No. 12 achievement status for keeping students in school, and helping them achieve a high school diploma.

FOUR YEAR GRADUATION RATES OF COAST SCHOOL DISTRICTS

NO. 1 OCEAN SPRINGS—90.7%
NO. 2. JACKSON COUNTY–89.1%
NO. 3. GULFPORT——–87.6%
NO. 4. PASCAGOULA——87.3%
NO. 5. LONG BEACH——87.2%
NO. 6. PASS CHRISTIAN- 87.1%
NO. 7 POPLARVILLE—–86.7%
NO. 8 HARRISON COUNTY-85.5%
NO. 9 BILOXI———-83.2%
NO. 10 HANCOCK COUNTY–82.8%
NO. 11 BAY-WAVELAND—-81.6%
NO. 12 MOSS POINT——70.4%

I was concerned enough with the status of our two elementary schools in the Bay-Waveland District with North Bay rated a “C” campus, and Waveland a “D” by the State Department of Education.

When I read this report on the State Department website, it was heart sinking.

Our new Superintendent has her work cut out for her. We have spent a lot of tax payer dollars on brick, mortar, sod, bleachers, scoreboards, and asphalt, legal fees, and high end administrative salaries in the last four years–in the millions. Continue reading “Other Voices | Lana Noonan: Bay Waveland Schools Lag in Four Year Graduation Rates”

Other Voices | Tom Callaghan: Adelson and Murdoch

Posted on May 21, 2018

If it was a boxing match, they’d stop it. Two Jewish octogenarians, Sheldon Adelson and Rupert Murdoch, are beating the jack crap out of decades of American policy and tradition that has had the US pursuing peace as a first option, keeping commitments, and supporting those that have supported us.

In its place, Adelson and Murdoch are substituting an Israel-centric screw our-real allies, no peace with any mideast country without Israel’s permission “policy” that makes the US position in the world a shadow of what presidents of both parties have created and maintained since World War ll.

But Adelson and Murdoch are not President you say. Trump is. True, but without Adelson and Murdoch, Trump cannot survive. Tump knows it and Adelson and Murdoch know it. They are in the catbird seat. They’ve turned Trump into their useful idiot.

First, lets be clear on who is an ally and who isn’t. Scripture tells us, “no greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for his friends.” If Scripture is not your cup of tea, try common sense. Those who will fight and die for you are your allies those who won’t aren’t. The proposition speaks for itself.

When we were hit on 9/11 our allies joined us as we pursued the perpetrators in Afghanistan. Twenty nine countries put troops on the ground and suffered fatalities helping us. Major contributions were made by the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, New Zealand, and Australia. Even little Belgium had troops on the ground and lost a soldier. Jordan, an Arab country, lost two. Unknown to most, even Iran helped us right after 9/11 laying the foundation for our installing Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan president.

As usual, Israel was of no help. Since the country’s formation in 1948, Israel has received more money from the US than any other country and has never put a soldier at risk with us. Israel’s excuse for non-participation is that the Arabs would be upset if the Jewish state were to join in battle with or against them. Continue Reading…….

Cancer in the Locker Room Part Two: Ellis Anderson out at Bay Historical Preservation….

Ms. Anderson broke the news she was discharged yesterday morning via Facebook:

It was getting on to 11pm when the council came out of an executive session. No video was running and only myself and three other people were present when they reconvened. They approved the minutes and then Larry Smith said he wanted to make a motion.

I’m paraphrasing, but it was something to the effect of “I make a motion that we discharge Ellis Anderson from the Historic Preservation Commission.” There was no discussion or reason given. I wasn’t asked to speak.

Gary Knoblock was out of the room, but Smith, Gene Hoffman, Buddy Zimmerman and Josh Desalvo voted yes. Doug Seal and Jeff Reed voted no.

After the meeting adjourned, I asked for some explanation. The mayor and Josh DeSalvo mentioned a possible lawsuit brought on by something I’d done on behalf of HPC. I pointed out that I’d only been carrying out an action discussed and voted on unanimously by the HPC at our last meeting. I wasn’t even chairing that meeting. I’d heard no complaints, nor had anyone contacted me to let me know there was an issue.

Sources in Bay City Government not authorized to speak with the media indicated to Slabbed weeks ago that Ms. Anderson became time limited after Mississippi Archives and History issued the stop work order on the P. J. Coffee Shop, which Slabbed covered back in March. The issue boiled down as follows: Continue reading “Cancer in the Locker Room Part Two: Ellis Anderson out at Bay Historical Preservation….”

The Crickets are Chirping, An Open Letter to Phil Bryant

May 8, 2018

Mrs. Lana Noonan
Waveland, Mississippi 39576

Governor Phil Bryant
P. O. Box 139
Jackson, Mississippi 39205

Dear Governor Bryant:

I reviewed the Opportunity Zone Map for Hancock County, which was released to the press on April 23, and as a citizen of Waveland, was very surprised to see my city’s struggling downtown business district “carved” out of the zone eligible for the Federal tax abatements to attract investors to our area.

My first reaction was, “who could do this to us?!” It was a surprising and disappointing revelation to learn through the U. S. Department of the Treasury representative, Jeff Merkowitz, that it was, in fact, our own Governor who selected and nominated the eligible census tracts within our state for designation as Qualified Opportunity Zones.

The purpose of my letter is to ask you, as the person who made this decision, what criteria you used to determine that our entire neighboring city of Bay St. Louis, including their already thriving downtown area, and highway corridor, was entitled to be an Opportunity Zone, and downtown Waveland was not.

Considering the requirement of 20% of citizens living at poverty level, and no one making over 80% of the median income, this conclusion of yours is an enigma to me and many others. Continue reading “The Crickets are Chirping, An Open Letter to Phil Bryant”