Lumberton Informer

Eight days from now, we will head to the polls to cast our votes. A lot of focus has been placed on the Presidential Election but there's some state and local elections that are just as important. Noticeably, the local media has failed to focus on the fact that several area candidates have refused to debate or address the general public about their platforms. Although the candidates for District 106 are running as Independents, at least three candidates: Greg Holcomb, John Corely and Larry Davis, are focused on addressing citizens at Republican sponsored events. It's interesting that they attended the Republican event at Jack's Fish House but used every excuse in the book to avoid the debate on the campus of PRCC. It's clear they're interested in representing one demographic and that's probably why they're not interested in speaking to "other" voters because once they let their klan of supporters know they're really rank ...

No that is not Danny Davis, the Lumberton Public Works Director, it's the Republican nominee for President. I'm still waiting to meet with the board regarding the letter of complaint submitted against Danny Davis and I haven't went to city hall to press charges on the Public Works employee that threatened me but I will go as soon as they get a grip on that disgusting, toxic element that's lurking around city hall, making everyone sick. No I'm not referencing Merlene Wall, I'm speaking of the mold; although I can see how you would make that correlation. I'm going to put the complaint on the back burner because there's plenty of time to deal with the local elected officials because their term ends June of 2017. At this moment, I need to focus on the Presidential and state elections. In two weeks, we will head to the polls to elect the next President of the United States. In case you haven't noticed, there's a trend among Republican candidates t...

If some changes are not made soon….the City of Lumberton will be headed to bankruptcy court because of years of mis-management. Since 2014, the City of Lumberton has been spiraling out of control with no fiduciary responsibility because there’s an inept city clerk in charge of the finances. It’s sad to think that Merlene Wall will become a certified city clerk in June but she cannot prepare a budget, she cannot tell you what’s in the accounts…hell…she don’t know the name of all the accounts because some essential accounts were closed because she wasn’t capable of keeping them separated. I know you have heard of the talented athlete that was promoted year after year, despite their inability to read/write or function off the field. Well, that’s what’s happening here in Lumberton but we don’t have a talented athlete leading us to victory. Instead we have an incompetent, paper-trail creating, mis-interpertator of ordinances, violator of Open Meeting Laws, corruptor of elections, f...

Here we go again. I was hoping against hope that the special election to fill the seat vacated by David Kent Crider would be free of any corruption but it seems that’s not going to be the case. I guess when the Geritol Gang got away with stealing a mayoral election, they loved the taste of blood. Just moments ago, I was informed that people were congratulating Johnnie Buckley on becoming the new alderman of Ward 1and there were saying he was getting sworn in on Monday, February 1, 2016. I was like, hold the presses, there were others that submitted paperwork to run for that position. So, how in the corrupt government of Lumberton is he getting sworn in without an election? Well, I’m glad you asked that question. It seems that the Lumberton Election Commissioner, Linda Martin, has decided that the other candidate didn’t get enough signatures from Ward 1 residents to qualify to run for the position. Keep in mind, that Martin didn’t contact the other candidate until today, from the t...

Today there were news cars all over Lumberton. Later, I saw where WDAM posted a story about an alleged shooting in the parking lot of the Shell Station that occurred in December. It seems that the police are now looking for help from the citizens. Now, I know I think differently from others but generally, evidence is gathered right after the event in order to be more credible. It’s a month later and the citizens of Lumberton are just hearing about this incident but keeping people from hanging out in a vacant parking lot is more substantive to certain Lumberton Police officers than an actual shooting and impersonation of an officer. Who knows? If the group that used to hang out at the Shell station were permitted to hang out, they probably would have had more details that could have led to a possible arrest of “Officer Bad-a**.” A few weeks ago, someone in boxed me about the December incident but I was preparing for an election challenge and didn’t want to deal with the managemen...

There’s news about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Is Lumberton next? People have wondered how could something like this happened in the United States of America. When there’s no interest in election and the people getting elected think global warming and protecting the water supply are not essential, de-regulation becomes the next step. The people of Flint, Michigan were not involved in their government, didn’t hold their elected officials accountable and voter turn-out was very low. Sounds familiar? As a result, those in charge gambled with the health of the residents and now they have no access to safe drinking water. I found the page of a blogger in Michigan and he was giving details of what was going on and the possibility of this happening but because the things he said were not popular, many made claims that he was a pot-stirrer, angry and crying wolf. Again, sounds familiar? When you elect people that are not accountable and don’t have your best inter...

Move to Lumberton…lie on your job application and during the interview…get one of the top jobs in Lumberton…hire your friend…lie constantly…blame the software and training…tell more lies…play the victim…become a master of mass distractions…tell more lies…block access to public records...recommend your friend for termination because she caught an alderman stealing….tell more lies…play the victim again…have friend apologize to the thief…use fried to testify in your frivolous court case…realize you have home grown idiots in your corner…breathe a sigh of relief…pray the citizens don’t catch on…continue lying. That’s basically how to get away with incompetence in Lumberton. Now, I wouldn’t advise you trying that anywhere else or in places that actually want to grow but when you have a group of people that are vested in themselves and not their city; it definitely works. There was a special call meeting last night and I opted to stay home. At this junctur...

This morning, I meet with the election commissioner, two poll workers at the city clerk at Lumberton's City Hall for a recount of the votes cast during the run-off election. I don't know if the matter helped but it's a necessary process in order to seek relief from a circuit court. When they came into the room I had to pinch myself because Merlene was being so polite. I guess she can only show her fangs in front of the board members that support her and the two clerks that accepts her behavior. I hope they didn't think I was going to sit there and go through all those ballots. The ballots I was concerned with were the ones that were not counted. There were several "spoiled" ballots that were not counted; one was questionable while the others were clearly marked "Jonathan F. Griffith" but were discarded because they had other marks on the ballots. There were seven (7) affidavit votes that were never counted because they were told that the people ...

Yesterday, several people contacted me because they felt I was showing my hand and letting the city hall lurkers know what I was doing by posting a copy of the letter I sent to Stacy Pickering, State Auditor. Trust me. I know what I'm doing. One thing I'm certain of and this is this, the last person anyone from city hall will do is voluntarily contact the State Auditor's Office. I know what to post and I know what to leave off the blog. Here's the thing, I don't obsess about those lurking from city hall because they matter not. The reason I posted the letter was to provide other citizens with the address so they can write letters requesting an investigation into the finances of the City of Lumberton. Now, for today's post. I love going through my screenshot file and see the bizarre claims that are constantly made. For those that send me screenshot, please continue to do so because it's so refreshing to use their own words to show you who they are. The fo...

Yesterday, someone suggested that I write the State Auditor's Office and request an investigation into the City of Lumberton. I know I've blogged about it and the blog has reached a lot of people but it's time to take it to the next level. This was one of the ideas I wanted to implement as Mayor but I have no problem writing as a concerned citizen. The content of the letter pictured above is listed below and I hope others will take the time to write a letter too. I don't know if it will help but I plan on writing them at least twice a week about the condition of this city and once I have enough letters stacked without any response, I can then take them to the media and ask why are they ignoring the pleas to investigate Lumberton. January 13, 2016 Stacey Pickering, State Auditor Mississippi Office of the State Auditor Hattiesburg Office P.O. Box 16088 Hattiesburg, MS 39404-0688 Fax: 601-582-4170 Mr. Pickering, For years, the finances of t...

At the first meeting of the year, the board went into executive session to discuss litigation regarding the water department. I thought it was strange that the board was going into executive session to discuss litigation with the city attorney, Lindsey Carter, was not present but this is Lumberton. I was planning on investigating the matter but I shrugged it off. Well, during a brief trip to the Coast, I stumbled across the details of the litigation that was discussed during executive session. It seems the City of Lumberton is trying to say they don’t have ownership of the water line from the main meter to the individual water meters on the property of Pecan Ridge ( aka Turnkey). Now how did that happen? Didn’t MRHA 8 pay for the water meters that were installed on the various properties owned by MRHA 8? Another question, if the City of Lumberton does not own the water line then how are they coming onto the property to shut off water services for individuals that do n...

Pictured above is a screenshot of a post made by the husband of deputy clerk, Melisssa Nightingale. A few people sent me the screenshot and today I decided to address it because I think it’s representative of Kent Crider’s supporters. I don’t monitor Greg’s posts or interact with him on social media because I knew at some point, he was going to show his true colors. Keep in mind that whenever we interacted at city hall it was Mr. Jonathan this and Mr. Jonathan that but people have a tendency to show you who they are via a keyboard. Thankfully, I made a wise decision to limit my interaction. Proverbs 26:4 NKJV offers this advice: “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.” When I first received the screenshot message, I glanced over it and deleted the message. After receiving it from more people, I took the time to read the message. Afterwards, I realized that some of the statements contained in this post were posted anonymously under...

The Election Commission of Lumberton will certify the special election results today and officially declare Kent Crider the winner of an election process that was tainted from day one. Cora Rogers, who played an integral role in this election when she declared that 7 of the 12 affidavit voters did not live in the City of Lumberton, unofficially declared Crider the winner at the board meeting on Tuesday. As she made the announcement, Crider sat next to her with his head bowed and managed to squeak out a correction that he would be sworn in on Friday, January 8, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at city hall. Maybe it was just me but I would think that being elected as the next Mayor of Lumberton would have garnered a more boisterous response. Prior to this election, I was a believer of that every vote counts. Well, those responsible for the integrity of the election process showed me that is not the case. Out of the 1,167 registered voters in Lumberton, 401 voters cast thei...

When I first entered the room, I realized that some of my readers were correct. I guess we’re back to protection mode. For those of you that don’t know, Merlene “The Clerk That Cries Wolf” Wall, claimed that I tried to trip her after the counting of the affidavit ballots. She, along with Cora Rogers, the Alderwoman at Large in a code charter missipality (her words not mine) were trying to force the chief of police to arrest me for “trying to trip Merlene.” I think Cora said she witnessed the event but we’re in the fortress of city hall, the most protected building in Lumberton with security cameras in every room. Why not roll back the tape and show where I “tried to trip” Merlene. By the way, what is the code for charging a person for “trying to trip” another person? I know they looked for hours to find a code to put in the system when they had me arrested for not paying a parking ticket. But keep in mind that this is Merlene, she’s the same liar that fi...

For the people at city hall to have such disdain for me they spend a lot of time on my blog. Apparently, they took my sarcasm in the last post of 2015 to heart and now they’re scrambling to get Crider sworn in before the election is actually certified. Don’t they know that everyone that has a measure of intelligence can see they are working overtime to steal an election. Why are they so hard pressed to keep me out of city hall? Someone stated on the blog that I should be ashamed to show up at city hall after losing the election. Did I lose the election or did I discover the new depths of corruption? With all the errors that was revealed during this special election, I now question the results of all the past elections here in Lumberton. On December 20, 2015, Crider was at Ward’s telling everyone that he was mayor and for an entire week he was making his rounds with the news outlets telling everyone that would listen that according to the attorney general ...

We’re on the cusp of a new year and hopefully 2016 will bring the change others felt that we needed in Lumberton and when I speak of change, I mean a white mayor. There are so many that were saying Lumberton need change but the change they were looking for was not based on actual change but complexion. Lumberton ended with an uncertain election that was tainted by the corrupt city clerk that lies as effortless as she breathes. Voter turnout was low but I thank all those that exercised their right to vote, regardless of who they voted for. Sadly, there’s still a fight for answers. When we went to city hall to get view the opening of the affidavit ballots, the candidates were not allowed in the room. The city clerk, the election commissioner, two poll workers and Cora Rogers went into the executive session room. At the time, I thought they were there to call the circuit clerk’s office to verify if the people that voted via affidavit ballot were registered vo...

Today was the day they counted the affidavit ballots. When I arrived, the wife of the other candidate and Hugh Jay McGraw were in the office with the city clerk. Three women from the election commission came in followed by Cora Rogers. They all went in the back and I was told that I had to wait in the board room while they reviewed the ballots. The others eventually made their way to the board room. There were 12 affidavit ballots and they rejected 7 of those ballots because Cora Rogers, not the circuit clerk in Purvis, MS, allegedly informed the election commission that the people did not live within the city limits of Lumberton. How did Cora become a part of the election commission? Here’s another problem, 6 of the 7 ballots that were rejected are neighbors. So, if their vote did not count then how was I able to qualify to run for Mayor? When I was asking for a copy of the names of rejected affidavit ballots, Merlene Wall, city clerk, was telling me that “I...

In case you didn’t know, today is Election Day in the City of Lumberton. According to Kent Crider and his 6 years of experience, we’re not supposed to have a run-off, but based on the law I presented to the Secretary of State’s office, we’re having a run-off because neither candidate had 50% plus one vote. Since the city clerk was not willing to call a meeting to set a date for the special call election, many voters were not able to vote via absentee ballot but we’re going to Move Forward. The polls are opened from 7 am – 7 pm. Please do not leave the polls without voting. This is a very important election. Today, the citizens of Lumberton will decide if they want this city to Move Forward or if they want to stay chained to the past. A lot of things have been said and done to try and sway this election. I’m thankful that the people of Lumberton are smart enough to see through the smoke screens and make an Informed decision about the direction of this city. If I didn’t get ...

Here we are on the eve of the run-off election and there’s still so many people that are not willing to accept the issues that’s plaguing the City of Lumberton. The picture attached to this post is a clear example of what’s wrong with Lumberton. There are too many self-serving agendas. Over the past 6 years, Kent Crider voted to hire Merlene Wall, cut the police department, get rid of Lumberton’s garbage crew, hire three clerks for one office, cut the hours of the court clerk that collect fines and hire Richard Rose at a meeting that was never recorded in the minutes or posted for public attendance. In the Hattiesburg American , Crider said he was the only candidate experienced with city finances and day-to-day operations but listed above, his experience has not benefited the citizens of Lumberton. Also, the week after the special election, Crider was attempting to claim victory using an opinion while I presented the law that stated a run-off election was required...

Today is Christmas Eve and as we prepare to spend time with our families, I would like to take a break from the debacle of the Special Call Election and wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas! Hopefully you have all your shopping completed and didn’t forget to purchase batteries. After you’ve opened your Christmas gifts, make sure you’re keeping them safe. Do not leave boxes for new electronics or big ticket items by the curb. Break down any boxes you are throwing out, put them in garbage bags and place them inside a trash can. Consider keeping broken down boxes inside until the morning of garbage pick-up (Monday, December 28, 2015). Just a reminder, residents of Lumberton can cast absentee ballots at City Hall on Saturday, December 26, 2015 from 8:00 am until Noon. According to state law, the absentee ballots are supposed to be ready at least 7 days prior to the run-off election. Unfortunately, Crider and Wall were attempting to thwart a run-off election by t...