Lumberton Informer

I received a packet from Judge Deborah Gambrell, and she wants the citizens of Lumberton to know that in this election, we've got to vote like we've never voted before. On November 2, 2010 there will be a "write-in" judicial election. Qualified candidates for Chancery Court Judge, District 10, Place 1 will not be listed on the ballot. Voters must select "Write-In", then type in the candidate's name, then select "Record Write-In." This is an important office for Forrest, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River and Perry Counties. Many of the decisions made here can be very personal and sensitive involving land, divorce, child custody, visitation and adoptions. Through her many roles, Deborah Gambrell has demonstrated the temperament and understanding to fulfill the responsibilities of this office. On Tuesday, November 2nd . . write in your vote for Deborah "Deb" Gambrell. The "Write" Judge.

Today, for the first time, I visited 26 Hattie Winston Road and I must say it was not what I expected. According to the information that was published in the Hattiesburg American, I was expecting to see a modern day war zone. They reported that the building was literally falling down, there were wires hanging out of the walls, etc. The headlines from last Saturday's edition of the Hattiesburg American read "Party's Over: Building Condemned." The first lines of that article stated the following: "A stream of complaints from neighbors and law enforcement led to the board's unanimous decision to lock down the building at 26 Hattie Winston Road." For those of you not familiar with the area, the building located at 26 Hattie Winston Road is also known as "The Hut." Did you know that the 911 log of calls are public record? So I wanted to know how many calls did it take to be considered a stream of complaints. According to the information I received t...

The black man suffering at the hands of whites, the white woman sexually threatened by the black man. Both images have long been burned into the American conscience through popular entertainment, and today they exert a powerful and disturbing influence on Americans' understanding of race. After the post about "What The Hale is Really Going On?" I was surprised to find that many of the readers of this blog felt that it was no big deal that the husband of an alderman was arrested for the manufacturing of a controlled substance, but the same one that condoned this behavior made some disturbing assumptions about individuals that drive "fancy cars with rims." According to one reader, I shouldn't focus on the activities of an elected officials' husband, but I should blog about individuals that drive fancy cars with rims; a group of individuals that, to my knowledge, are not related to any elected official and a group of individuals that, to my knowledge, have ...

Halloween is right around the corner, and the City of Lumberton would like to remind citizens to stay safe this holiday. The City of Lumberton will be observing Halloween on Saturday, October 30, 2010. Trick-or-treating hours will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and pedestrians and drivers should take extra precautions when driving or walking throughout the city during this time.

The Lamar County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on December 6, 2010 for the new solid waste plan that will is scheduled to be implemented for FY 2011. A copy of the plan is available for viewing at the Lumberton Public Library, 106 West Main Street, Lumberton, MS.

There has been some sort of confusion about the recent posts made to this blog. Apparently, some of my readers don't think I'm digging deep enough. Well, it's time for some of you to get out your shovels and try to break ground on the truth. It has been said time and time again that the things I state on this blog are just my opinions; now it's time for you to show me where I was wrong. This morning, one of my facebook friends made an excellent observation and I told him that I would use some of the things he posted on his wall. In the movie A Few Good Men, Kaffee(Tom Cruise) tells Col Jesseph (Jack Nicholson) "I want the truth!!!" Col Jesseph replies, "You can't handle the truth!!!" Even though this was a fictitious scene, the words ring very true. Most of us cannot handle the truth when it don't line up with what we want to believe. We will manipulate it, distort it and plain rearrange it to fit our purpose. But no matter how its twisted...

We are living in the age of political correctness. This generation has put a spin on sin in an effort to make it look better. We no longer call it having a baby out of wedlock; it's unplanned pregnancy. Fornicators are a thing of the past. Today, it's called pre-marital sex. There are no more homosexuals and lesbians; they are just living an alternative lifestyle. It's no longer called embezellment when money and services are being stolen; it's creative book-keeping. And this is my favorite, the manufacturing of a controlled substance is now referred to as supplemental income. Everyday, I am amazed by the spin that is being put on certain types of behavior. We can continue to skirt the issues that are plaguing this city, but until the citizens of Lumberton come forth and demand accountability, they will continue to go on. This board is not the first board to disregard the input of the citizens; this has been going on since the Cooley adminstration. Greg Coole...

I know some readers saw the title of this post and their hearts leaped with joy, but I'm not throwing in the towel; this post is about Harry Wilkes. Over the weekend, I was told that Harry was informed that he could not receive his sick pay, despite the fact that he is sick. So, I went by his house to see what was going on. Yesterday, I went with him to city hall to see if we could get this matter corrected. He was told that he needed a letter from the doctor. While there, Stephanie told him that all she needed was a note from a doctor saying that he was being treated. She said, "Don't you know Dr. Carla Holder. . if you could get her to write you something on a prescription pad, we can get you your money. . but we need something in writing." We left city hall and went to the medical clinic and got him an appointment that day, and took the letter back to the office. For now, he will receive his sick pay, but now they are telling him that he needs to bring a note...

Last week, I promised a follow-up story about the conversation Rebecca Hale was having with several concerned citizens and the flagrant remarks she made about Deputy Clerk, Betty Speights. In the midst of getting the post together, another interesting detail emerged and I was torn as to weather or not I should include that matter in my post. So, I had a discussion with several of my friends on facebook and the majority of them said that I shouldn't mention what happened. Surprisingly, they were quite compassionate when they spoke of the matter. Some said that she shouldn't be judged for another person's actions, and someone said that we can't help who we love. I thought this was quite ironic. We have people being compassionate towards Rebecca Hale, but just a week ago, Rebecca was not able to show any compassion towards the employees of the City of Lumberton. For instance, she was dead set on voting to terminate Betty Speights and she claimed her reason was because Bett...

The 8th Annual Lumberfest is scheduled to take place in Lumberton, MS on Saturday, October 16th. The event will take place on Main Street and is scheduled from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. Friends of the Lumberton Library will be selling receipe books at this event and other vendors will also be on hand for the festival. There will be professional wrestling. Recording artist Jeffrey "Lucky" Hodnett is scheduled to appear. Lumberton's own, Annabelle Holder is slated to perform, The Carl Lynn Trip (Gospel), Bobby Hathorn Banjo & Guitar player voted Southeastern United States Banjo Champion, Hospel Singer Tori Gay, Country Singer Melissa Jones "Reba, Patsy, Loretta impersonator, "Tribute to Elvis" Greg Burgess, Singer Brother Ray McGee (Gospel), The Tommy Everette & Friends (Gospel), Gerald Burge, Mariah Leblanc (Gospel). There will be a parade to kick off the festival on Friday, October the 15th at 5:30.

October is breast cancer awareness month. I wanted to take a break from Lumberton Politics, and tell you about a woman that I befriened about two years ago. Her name is Ms. Willie Rose. We lived across the street from one another, and we would talk almost every morning. I remember when she told me that she was diagnosed with cancer. I remember it so vividly b/c she received her diagnosis a few weeks after a member of my family was had received the same news. I remember standing at the end of the drive way as she was telling me what the doctors had told her. I thought I was taking the news well, but Ms. Willie Rose stopped in mid-sentence and said to me. "No sir, you can clear them tears out of your eyes and don't give me that sad look because this cancer thang ain't gonna get me." I didn't realize that I was saddened by her news, but she put an end to that real quick and that was one of the things that I love about Ms. Willie Rose; she is going to be straigh...

We must find a solution that will help this city move forward. We have had enough of my way or no way mentality. Stop pushing your personal agendas, and find a way to work together for the City of Lumberton. I had two encouters over the past few days and it has made me question the reason why I blog. I wanted to shine the light of accountability on those serving as our elected officals, but the post seem to take on a life of their own. I just sat at city hall going through the minutes of the City of Lumberton, and it is funny how people forget that we are to support the growth of the city, not individual growth. I will be the first to admit that the post about Stephanie Mullings were out of line and they were not the purpose of the blog. I also feel that the negative comments about elected officials,police officers, and myself were also out of line, but we have a select group of people in our city that feel that it is fine to derogate an individual as long as they are not affili...

We are all focusing on the pay cuts and the budget, but how many of you took the time to look beyond the print on the paper to see that those numbers are connected to individuals and their families. The aldermen want us to think that the cuts were so hard and that it was a necessary evil, but no one is willing to explain why everyone's salary was cut, but our city clerk's salary remains the same. At the suggestion of Alderman Johnson, I will submit that question in writing and see if I finally get an answer. I have been accused of having a personal vendetta against Stephanie Mullins and that is not true. I, like many others, am curious as to how she was able to prepare a budget that left her without any reduction in pay? How do we expect the deputy court clerk to provide for her family when the aldermen are proposing to cut her salary to $7.25/hr @ 20/week? There are also cuts/increases throughout the police department. One alderman stated that we were hoping to provide t...

The long-awaited, long-delayed conclusion to the seemingly never ending board meeting was finally took place today. The first agenda item was a vote to enter into executive session. When the aldermen emerged from the back room, it was revealed that Gibson, Crider, Hale and Johnson voted to terminate Deputy Clerk, Betty Speights and Public Works Employee, Harry Wilkes. The vote was vetoed by Mayor Miriam Holder. This was the signal of the remainder of the votes that took place this afternoon. Gibson, Crider, Hale and Johnson voted in favor of all the cuts that were placed on the agenda; Alderman Quincy Rogers did not vote for the cuts and he explained to the audience his reason for not voting for the cuts. Alderman Rogers said that the cuts were not across the board, and that the City of Lumberton will not be able to meet the $1.2 million dollar budget they submitted by making cuts to the salaries of the city employees. Mayor Holder also stated that there is an Attorney General...

If you read yesterday's edition of the Hattiesburg American, you are aware that mayors and boards are clashing all across the state. The article clearly stated that people don't understand what their responsibilities are and everybody wants to be the executive. One of the most relevant points made in the article was the following statement: "Newly elected officials sometimes come to office hoping to push a specific agenda, only to find there are limits to their power. At the same time, longer-serving officials can get possessive about the reins of government and are unwilling to share that authority." I think that statement applies to a lot of what is taking place in the City of Lumberton. P.C. McLaurin, former director of Mississippi State University's Center for Government Training and Technology, said such disputes in city government are not uncommon. But they are not easy to fix. "There is no magic answer to this because you are dealing with humans, ...

If you've watched the news or read the newspaper this week, you would be hard-pressed to find any good news about the City of Lumberton. When I started reading today's edition of the Hattiesburg American, I noticed the story about the Purvis Tornados and how they have not lost a game this season. Where was the headline about the Lumberton Panthers? They are undefeated and well on their way to becoming State Champions, AGAIN! Kudos, to the Lumberton Panthers, the coaching staff, teachers, parents and fans of Panther football. If you traveled along Main Street, you can see the transformation that is taking place. The area businesses are getting ready for Lumberfest, which will take place October 16 2010. There are displays of pumpkins, scarecrows, bales of hay and fall mums at the four way stop, and I am certain that many more fall displays will be set in place before the start of Lumberfest. The Friends of the Lumberton Library are selling cookbooks to help support the ...

Several concerned citizens were getting out their cars at City Hall, and were met at the door by other citizens telling them that the meeting had been cancelled. The mayor was also exiting the building and told the citizens that she was just informed that the meeting had been cancelled. What is really going on? Why are these men and women so afraid of meeting with the public? What are they afraid of us finding out? Well, that's good news for those that were facing pay cuts, they have more time at their regular salaries. It's impearative that the citizens of Lumberton attend and demand transparency from their elected officials. A news crew from WDAM was there to interview Mayor Holder to get her reponse to what took place at Monday's meeting and what it's going to take to resolve the issues in the City of Lumberton? Mayor Holder did apologize for her actions at Monday's meeting. They interviewed several citizens, Stephanie Mullens declined to be interviewed, an...

Believe it or not, I'm at a loss for words. I don't know what we, as a city, are going to do about the things taking place at City Hall. I know we can submit a complaint to the Ethics Commission and the Mississippi Department of Public Integrity, but what else can the citzens of Lumberton do to make our elected officials realize that they were elected to serve the best intrest of the residents of Lumberton, not their own personal agendas? I am growing weary of sitting in meeting after meeting and having an alderman dismiss the comments from the audience like the voting public does not matter. I am also tired of the self-indulgent, self-absorbed non-professionals that are sitting on the board room and in the clerk's office. I don't have a copy of the law, but I am looking to find it, but I am still bothered by the comments made by Kent Crider at the Tuesday night meeting. When Mayor Miriam Holder decided that she would address the board, Kent Crider took his paperw...

The board meeting went fairly well. Jack McMullan addressed the board to offer some solutions to the budget. He said that he found a way to help the city save over $30,000 and keep all employees at their current salaries. The board said they would consider his suggestions, but a few moments later, they adopted the final budget amendment. Maybe the are planning on making the amendmendments Jack suggested at a later date. Jerry Brown addressed the board about his businesses receiving free water services from the City of Lumberton. He stated that the city clerk was aware of all of his properties, and that he paid his bills. He also stated that if there were any oversites, that the city should send him a bill. Alderman Rogers is investigating this matter, and I look forward to seeing the results of this investigation. For some reason, the board did not approve the Municipal Compliance Questionnair for fiscal year ending September 30, 2010. The meeting also revealed that there are se...

There must be something in the air. Another person has contacted me and told me that I will be hearing from their lawyer. I guess that phrase is supposed to scare me into abandoning the things I say on this blog, but if they would take a few moments and read the disclaimer (the tab located under the photo of Lumberton City Hall) they would have a better understaning of why I am not moved by their threats to seek legal counsel. Just for the record, I have written several cease and desist letters myself, and if they get an attorney, the letter I receive will probably be something like this: Dear Mr. Griffith: This law firm represents [Private], and we have been asked to write this letter to you. Some of your statements about [Private] in your blog are untrue and defamatory. You made them maliciously to injure [Private]in its trade, office and profession. As such, they are defamatory per se. Under MS Law 51-5-11, this letter constitutes a demand for immediate retraction in writing of th...

For those of you that don't know, there was no board meeting last night. The news program listed the meeting as "chaos." But I was glad to see so many in attendance at last nights meeting, although nothing was accomplished. This board has been in office for 15 months, and what happened last night was only the tip of the iceberg. This has been taking place since day one, and I just don't know how we, as a city, got to this point. When Alderman Kent Crider turned to Alderman Gibson and said "you know what we talked about. . .are you ready?" Next thing I know, he is standing up, having a brief exchange with the mayor and then he exited the building. There are so many things going on in this city, and none of the aldermen, with the exception of Alderman Quincy Rogers, seems to care about what is "truly" going on at city hall. I don't understand why there is such much energy put into keeping the mayor from addressing the citizens of Lumberto...

If you did not attend last night's board meeting, you missed a whopper of a meeting. I am going to start from the end of the meeting to give you an idea of how volitaile the meeting became. Danny Davis, Public Works Director, dotted into the board room after pacing back and forth in the hallway like a spoiled child and then blurted out "What you two know about this city wouldn't cover a pimple on my ass." Satisfied with his total lack of professional decorum, he stomped out of the building again. Prior to making his third dramatic exit, Danny Davis, in yet another diva moment, threw his keys and city paid cell phone on the table in front of the mayor and trampled out into the darkness of the night. He waited outside, hoping and praying that someone would come and beg him to stay. True to form, Alderman Gibson ran to his rescue, begging him to stay. This couldn't have been played out any better if they would have rehearsed. While all of this is going on, I...

The regularly called meeting for the Lumberton Board of Aldermen will be tonight at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall board room. Several special called meetings were posted throughout last week, but the never achieved a quorum. Tonight, we get the opportunity to question our elected officials about our water bills, the constant influx of billing erros, the urgency to have a special called meeting about personel issues within the police department, and the recent announcement of the pending closing of Cooper Industries. Monday's meeting is the only meeting that citizens comments are allowed. Naturally, citizens make comments throughout the Tueday meeting, but they are officially given the opportunity to address the Board of Aldermen on Monday night. Ideally, this meeting should be SRO (standing room only) but hopefully, enough concerned citizens will come out and confront their elected officials. For those of you that seem to think that my blog is based soley on opinions and innuendo, th...

Another business in the City of Lumberton is closing. Cooper Industries, located at 100 Industrial Parkway, will be closing the doors to its business in March of 2011. The employees were notified to today of the pending closing. This is another blow to the revenue of the City of Lumberton. In recent weeks, we saw the closing of Fiorella's and Land O' Lakes. I will provide more information when it becomes available.

A comment was made several weeks ago about Mayor Holder. Some anonymous person stated that she deserved to be disrespected by the aldermen because of her behavior during her tenure as Alderwoman-at-Large. They also stated that what goes around comes around, and that justifies the voting block that has been established by Johnson, Gibson, and Crider. Well, there is a statement that says the old law of an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. But I am wondering if the person that made the comment is really aware of what happened during the last administration? More than likely, they are relying on second hand information because if they attended the meetings they would have known that Alderwoman Holder fought tirelessly to keep several grants that are now being used by the city. If it was not for Alderwoman Holder, we would not have the Downtown Renovation Grant. If Alderwoman Holder was not on the board, we would not be enjoying the new walking track and other facilities at the ...