Review of December 3, 2013 Board Meeting: The Dumb, Dumber and Done Edition

I went to the board meeting last night and while sitting there, I was thinking to myself, I can’t believe I’m still attending these circus shows. There was person after person giving these lengthy reports and I thought Mayor Winston created the weekly workshops to eliminate the need to have these lengthy discussions on the actual night of the meeting. So, it seems that Alderman Rogers suggestion to return to the format of having a workshop on the Monday before the board meeting is actually a better idea. At least that would eliminate the need to have a senseless meeting every week; especially since all those Winston said needed the weekly meetings are apparently not attending. Ben Franklin once said, “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” With that being said, I can assure you that there are some on our board and within the offices of city hall that are working overtime in the latter. At last night’s board meeting, I sat and listened as rumors circulated and it seems that the lines are blurred between who’s actually running the show; it seems to be a tossup between Crider and the spouse of a clerk. Everytime there’s a question about something that needs to be addressed or about an agenda item; Winston’s go-to guy, Kent Crider, leans over and gives his interpretation of what the law should read; not what the is listed or declared to be the actual law by the Attorney General. Also, there was this man ranting about a lie he was told. From what I can gather, he seems to be upset that Public Works Director, Ryan Easley has access to a truck and lives in Petal. According to what he was told, Ryan lived in Lumberton and then decided to move to Petal. Well, for those that attended the meetings, we know that is not true. So, he’s getting this mis-information from somewhere. But let me add another rumor that is brewing. I was told or should I say, I was asked if Ryan quit. I really don’t know. He was not at the board meeting, but if he did quit, it would be in line with the way all the other public works directors existed the payroll of the City of Lumberton. Danny Davis quit several times and Ben Barrett, Jr, also quit several times as well. It seems that the “men” that are supposed to run this department are not girded enough stand whenever any pressure is applied. Perhaps, it’s time to see if a female would be better suited for this position and it seems they already have one on the payroll that is more than qualified to fill this position. This was supposed to be my exit post, but it seems that I have a lot more to say than I actually thought. But for the record, this is possibly (and note I did say possibly) my last post about the board meetings in the City of Lumberton. I have took a great deal of criticism and backlash for trying to enlighten the citizens of Lumberton and since my efforts are not appreciated, I will remove myself from the equation and let you continue to complain about the rising costs of water bills, the grips many have about the police department and any other city related issues you love to address at the entrance of Big K and on facebook. Those serving as elected officials are seemingly getting dumber and dumber and I think I’m finally done. I have bigger and better things to do. For instance, I currently blog and write for Our Magazine. You can go to www.our-mag.com and download a copy. This month’s article is entitled “Church of the Poison Mind.” (Shameless Plug). But before I get off this ride to nowhere; otherwise known as the monthly board meetings, I will give some details of what happened. It seems that we are on our fourth fire chief in four months. Hopefully, he will be more inclusive that the previous three. It seems that the power struggle will never end until Crider is removed from the fire board. (Side note: Can Crider legally serve as a member of the fire board while serving on the board of aldermen? I need to see a legal document stating so; I think I will see if Alderwoman Cora Rogers can get this information.) I have blogged about the fire department several times and it seems that they still have the same problems; they’re not inclusive. If there’s qualified individuals applying for a position on the department and they are being denied; one would question the reason. For a former member of the department to be told “they will never serve on the fire department again” does not seem in the best interest of the health, safety and well being of the citizens of Lumberton and if this is happening, it need to be addressed; immediately. As I stated, hopefully, the new chief would be more inclusive and help move this department forward. If not, it’s the citizens that are going to suffer. Maybe the citizens have to wait until the city receive a reduction in their fire rating (raise in cost of home owner’s insurance) before they become concerned. There was a measure on the agenda to hire non-police officers to help patrol the streets of Lumberton. Thankfully, Chief Cowart took a stand and said she will not accept the liability for t this proposal. Also, it seems the city is looking to privatize garbage collection. Winston said that every city he talked to no longer provide garbage service. He said they are charging less that we charge for garbage collection but there was never any offer to pass the savings from privatization on to the citizens of Lumberton. They are also looking into hiring an officer to monitor prisoners that will be used to help in the public works department. Well, this is a scratching my head moment. If they are going to privatize garbage collection, that would free up three or four employees. Therefore, there shouldn’t be any problem with getting the other jobs completed. I noticed when I got home, the City of Hattiesburg is also looking into privatizing their garbage collection but they are also looking at how it would affect their employees. Something I don’t think is a concern for most of the elected officials of Lumberton. But there was some good news dispensed at the meeting. Mayor Winston said the weekly meetings were productive and that the City of Lumberton should be in the clear within a few months. We shall see. There’s still some confusion on how this is going to be accomplished. Also, the board is looking at the personnel policy for the police department. You know what….the meetings are open to the public and I am tired of discussing these meetings. That’s all….I’m done!