Lumberton Informer

Disclaimer: This blog post will contain some content that may be deemed offensive. I will be using various, unedited quotes. Please log off now if you feel you can not handle the content. If you are still reading this post, you have acknowledged the fact that you are aware of the potential volatile nature of this post. The other week, when I penned the "We Are Lumberton" post, I decided that I had dedicated enough time and effort to what's wrong with Lumberton. I posted blogs and provided video to support my statements. At that point, I felt I had given the citizens of Lumberton enough information to help them make an informed decision on how they wanted to move this city in a new direction. I was planning on transitioning this blog into a more positive tool. I'm still planning on promoting positive images of Lumberton but I have to pause for a moment to address the letter I received yesterday from an attorney representing Merlene Wall, city clerk. Now those that...

I wasn't planning on blogging any more but after receiving a letter from William L. Ducker, the attorney representing Merlene (or as he spells it Merlaine), my blogging fire has been ignited once again. It seems there's a plan to either sue me or seek to have me banned from City Hall. First of all, I am operating within my first amendment right. Have tbey heard of freedom of speech. Secondly, if I'm paying someone to be my legal representative, I would certainly hope they could spell my name correctly. I've been threatened with being sued before. When the last board attempted this legal recourse, I had to seek representation. At the first of the year, I will give them a call so I can be ready for the next step. I find it strange that Merlene has so much time to spend on my blog but she can't give an accurate acvount of what's in the budget or how to properly use BBI. Now this is not something I made up, she admits these things, on video. I guess she forgot ...

Yesterday, the special called meeting was canceled due to a lack of a quorum. I wanted to know what Mayor Winston intended with the order to designate Lumberton as a hub. I also wanted to speak with Winston to get more insight about his recent actions and to offer him the opportunity to give a statement that would help exculpate the image engrained in the minds of tbe citizens that viewed his plea at the Lamar County Board of Supervisors meeting. Unfortunately, we will have to wait and see if he has an explanation for his actions. At this point, we have no idea where things stand. We're in the season of giving and Winston is still focused on taking. I can't emphasize this enough. We need our police department. A few weeks ago, I sarcastically reported that a yoing man helped a woman load groceries into her car. A reader responded and said that's what she liked about Lumberton. She also expressed the joy she felt when a woman prayed for her mother in the parking lot of t...

Just last week, we all witnessed Mayor Winston cooning for County support. There are some that feel the Lamar County Board of Supervisors should step in and take over but I'm not in that group. What was made clear during the exchange between Winston and the Supervisors was the fact that they offered some advice on how to correct this matter. It was also clear that Winston had no intention of raising taxes, per the supervisor's recommendation. The question remains, why ask for advice if you're not going to follow it? Are you that much of a block head? According to Winston, "I hoped y'all, especially with the season we're in, would dig into your hearts and find a reason to help others and not find a reason to not help others." In other words, a person that allegedly threw away all the Christmas decorations at his former church because he didn't want them celebrating Christmas, wants the Lamar County Board of Supervisors to play Santa Claus for the Ci...

If you haven't watched the video of Mayor Ben Winston begging the Lamar County Board of Supervisors, you're probably just not into knowing the details of a misguided administration. It seems that a lot of focus was directed towards his comment that there are no smart people in Lumberton. I don't think he meant that literally and he definitely did not intend to have his comments recorded. In my opinion, I think the statement was used figuratively. Let me explain, Winston is well aware of the fact that he did nothing when he served four years as alderman of Ward 4. He repeated his legacy of apathy when he served four years as District 2 Supervisor with the Lamar County Board of Supervisors. Just two years ago, Winston was announced as the victor and was sworn in as Mayor of Lumberton. Based on his record, Winston still garnered enough votes to win another election. Based on his track record, I've come to the conclusion that Winston believes that anyone that voted for h...

I hope you have enjoyed the various activities going on in Lumberton over the past few days. But tomorrow, we're reminded of the fact that Mayor Ben Winston is trying to shut down the Lumberton police department. He, along with other aldermen, will plead with the Lamar County Board of Supervisors to take over the Lumberton Police Department. I wonder who will attend the meeting with him as they attempt to rid this city of local police officers. For those of you that want to support the Lumberton Police Department, the meeting will be at 9:00 am in the renovated couthouse in Purvis. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the Lamar County Sheriff's Office or their officers but I have a problem with a mayor and board that want to pass the buck. They knew about the financial situation before they put their names on the ballot. If they can't handle the job, then they need to step down. They were not blindsided and every department was sufficiently staffed before...

Oh, the politics in this town can be frightful. But Saturday, December 13th, will be quite delightful. And if you have no place to go. Head over to Wood-Hinton Park for the car show, the car show, the car show. Apologies for my attempted remix of Let It Snow, but I wanted to remind everyone about the Car and Bike Show that's being hosted by Wright's Custom Woodwork at Wood-Hinton Park, Saturday, December 13, 2014 beginning at 10:00 am. There will be plenty of food, live entertainment and raffles. The event will raise money to support the Veteran's Christmas Wish List. Please come out and help make this event a great success. After the car show, head on up to Main Street for the PTO Annual Christmas Parade at 5:30 pm.

Last night, a decision was supposed to be made about shutting down the city but the board decided to halt that decision until after Christmas (or until they get a chance to beg the Lamar County Board of Supervisors to take over the police department on December 18, 2014). When I arrived at the meeting and noticed the absence of the Public Works Director but saw most of the police officers and their family members, I knew the police department was on the chopping block. Mayor Winston had the city clerk, Merlene Wall, give a report of funds that were obtained from a surplus sale that would carry the city through the Christmas holiday. Winston claimed that it was a false report that the board planned to terminate officers without giving them at least two weeks notice but when the police department was cut to it's current roster of three officers, no notice was given. In the midst of the fiscal hardship of the city, Alderman H.Jay McGraw found a provision that allowed him to get ...

Today, there will be a lot of finger pointing and an attempt to blame the previous board. So before they start the blame game, let's look at the facts. The condition of this city is the fault of those currently in office and those who voted for them to serve as their representative. At the last board meeting, Ben boasted that he worked three months in the post of mayor without pay. What do you want, a pat on the back. Have you forgotten that Mayor Miriam Holder served for eighteen months without pay. This board keep saying the last board left them in this shape. Look at the facts. The last board kept a full police department and a roster of part time officers. If this board was strapped for cash, why was their first order of business was to set their pay. If the city was broke and they voted to pay themselves, then they were already showing their fiscal irresponsibility. If they want to blame the previous board for something, they can blame them for hiring that tire store manag...

We have one more day before we discover the fate of the City of Lumberton. On Friday, the board went into executive session to discuss the budgetarty shortfalls. As the city appoaches the fiscal cliff, the board still finds time to violate the laws, but I guess at this point, it really doesn't matter. Thankfully, the State of Mississippi, is finally cracking down on the disregard for the Open Meetings Act. After a recent investigation, it was discovered that the Biloxi Board of Supervisors violated the Open Meetings Act one hundred and fourty times within a period of less than twenty four months. Now that larger municipalities are being investigated, I'm almost certain that smaller municipalities, like Lumberton, has an equally staggering number of violations. I just don't understand why a person would run for office and have no regard for the laws governing that office. If transparency is the goal of the law, and according to the Legislature that is the goal, then it ...

All this time, I've been blogging but no one wanted to losten because they hate the messenger more than the message. So, do like our Mayor and stick your head in the sand and hope this goes away. There was a special called meeting tonight because the board just realized they're out of money. Mayor Winston, who led the city down this path, decided not to attend because this is the start of his Sabbath. Didn't Jesus address this matter in Matthew 12:11, when he said, "If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath....wouldn't you take hold of it and pull it out?" Well, Mayor Winston, the shepherd of this city refused to step in to pull this city out of the ditch he created with his "we only need three votes" mantra. As a matter of fact, tonight's meeting should not have taken place because the mayor was in the jurisdiction and the Mayor Pro Tempore violated the jurisprudence of a code charter municipality by chairing the meeting. The ...

If you thought the mayor and board would be on their best behavior for the last meeting of the year but think again. The first agenda item was a violation of the Open Meeting Act. Not because they went into executive session, but because they went into executive session to discuss personnel with Sheriff Riegel. Last time I checked, he wasn't employed by the City of Lumberton. After 45 minutes in executive session, they returned with their usual line, no action was taken. There was a surprisingly brief update from Gary Hickman. The board approved the use of Wood Hinton Park on December 13, 2014 for a Car and Bike Show sponsored by Chris Wright of Wright's Custom Woodwork. The show is to benefit veterans. For more information ,contact Chris Wright. The department heads gave their reports. Not much has changed in the police department. The officers are doing ticket blitzs, so please buckle up. Danny Davis said they're in a crunch because businesses are no longer giving th...

As you can tell from the header, we're still trying to establish a name for the watchdog group. Tonight is the last regular scheduled meeting of 2014. Since we're not officially organized at this moment, I would like those that are attending tonight's meeting to make sure they get a copy of the agenda and take notes on the votes; who made the motion, the second and who voted yea or nay. This information will be needed as we prepare to file our ethic complaints. I know we're in the Christmas season and many are in holiday mode. I will stay in contact via email and through texts with those that provided their contact information. Hopefully, our first official meeting will be Wednesday, the day after the January board meeting. I'm looking forward to working with each of you as we hold our elected representatives accountable. Yesterday, I sent out an email with information about the ins and outs of a code charter municipality. The email contained the following: Th...

I feel that I must begin this blog ppst with an explanation of the photo collage. It's a play on a commercial I was watching last night. I giggled and thought to myself, what if Mayor Winston was making such poor decisions because he's hungry. As stated in the commercial, you're not yourself when you're hungry. Now that I got the humorous part over, let's get down to business. Unless you're living under a rock, you have heard about the Ferguson verdict. As I browse social media sites, the question of how this happened keeps coming into the discussion? There are those that are outraged by those destroying their city by rioting and looting. Please note, I think the riots detract from the death of the young man. However, I find it interesting that there are those that will label those rioting as barbaric; as animals. But what do we call those that destroy a city via a vote? In Lumberton, they're called the Mayor and Board of Alderpersons. Just a short while a...

Apparently, I have been going about this the wrong way. I know there are those that don't like my delivery but I don't have time to be coy. The City of Lumberton is circling the drain and if we, the citizens, don't take action, it will be nothing more than a memory. How much more do we have to loose before it becomes a matter of concern. We basically have no police protection, no fire protection and no accountability at city hall. This didn't just happen. It's been happening and as the city slowly fades away, we sit by and let it continue to erode. Everybody in Lumberton knows that the majority of land is owned by three individuals and one of those individuals happens to serve as mayor. Now, the city does not have enough business to generate revenue so the only way to create a workable budget is via millege rate increase. Now, did you seriously think Mayor Winston was going to raise the millege rate when he and two of his friends/business partners own so much la...

Alderman Tommy Dukes was not in attendance due to a recent injury. He can miss 11 regular scheduled meetings. It's my hope that his near death experience changed his perspective and he will return as a better representative or he will use his recovery time as a moment to reflect on the possibility of resigning. Dukes is blessed to have survived the wreck and he was especially blessed that the incident didn't occur in Lumberton because there wouldn't have been any emergency personnel on duty to respond. In the meantime, please keep Dukes and his family in your prayers. The first agenda item was to review the contract with Media 3. The City of Lumberton has not been getting timely payments from Media 3 because the contract has not been renewed. The vote on this matter was a tie and Mayor Winston refused to exercise his duty as a mayor in a code charter municipality and break the tie. Now, I hate using the word dumb when referring to a person but for someone, that is not...

If your spouse told you not to get on to this blog this post is not intended for you. Now for the rest of the readers the meeting went as follows:The board meeting started with an order to approve the transfer of $15,000 from WSOM account to the general fund. The motion was approved. After the motion to transfer another $15,000 from WSOM, Jay McGraw, the unofficial city clerk (I guess thats why he and Melissa butted heads), went into a tirade about how much money the city was receiving from various grant programs but I guess he forgot that he and the majority of the board voted to close those accounts, so how will the money get deposited; especially the anticipated grant money? The majority of this post will have references to the video of the meetings; so if you havent watched the video, I would advise you to do so. Somehow, during the confusing explanation about the need to borrow more money from WSOM, it was revealed that WSOM actually owes money to the general fund. Now, we have ...