Jackson Free Press

According to WAPT, Marshand Crisler has asked JPD Chief Anderson "to present a crime-fighting plan to the public," which she has declined to do. Is this a case of no plan, or has she been around Frank too long? I'm of the opinion that it's time to kick her out and find someone with actual job skills.

Previous Comments

ID

124923

Comment

Time to kick the whole lot of Melton's team out!

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-12-20T10:23:30-06:00

ID

124924

Comment

Last night's City Council Meeting must have been a 'doozy'. Can't wait to watch the re-run tonight! Stokes voted FOR claims! A recalcitrant Mayor appeared and threatened to expose the Council's travel expenses!! This is NOT a comment an honest person would make. When are some folks going to 'get it'? The Mayor and two accompanying persons, probably the former bodyguards, went to Texas, via commercial airline, the week before; who paid and were these presumably non-armed JPD personnel on the City's payroll for this trip? Isn't it about time our State Auditor got involved in all these Temp Agency payments? Past time for full disclosure there. Know the JPF has tried to get an accounting; now the Council wants an accounting. Since the C-L settled regarding public information, don't know if they can get these or not. Some of us in the public really want ALL of these records open and we want it NOW!!!

Author

ChrisCavanaugh

Date

2006-12-20T10:45:36-06:00

ID

124925

Comment

I love Ben's line. [quote]"I'm sure we all feel threatened now," Allen retorted.[/quote] I'm sure the Mayor doesn't want too close an examination into why the City's paying for his travels hither and yon.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-12-20T10:49:39-06:00

ID

124926

Comment

Anderson is a joke right now. How do we know how capable she is when she is not allowed to do her job? If she has any self respect she should resign. Just curious, what are the retirement benefits for her job?

Author

Kingfish

Date

2006-12-20T11:09:53-06:00

ID

124927

Comment

As I said before, the plan is hidden (top secret). Frank and Shirlene know that if the plan is revealed the crooks will obtain, study, depicher, and overcome it. If it's kept a secret, the crooks are at the mercy of it. So are we! Lord help us. Two years in and they still don't know what the heck they're doing! I imagine Frank would say, "I'm just trying to save my azz right now."

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2006-12-20T11:12:56-06:00

ID

124928

Comment

Since some of you are quoting from The Clarion-Ledger story, I'll post it here. Interesting that McLemore and Stokes got into it. Remarkably testy retort from Allen, though I can't say I blame him. What business does the mayor have making threats against council because they want to exercise more oversight regarding "temporary" employees? Melton has been brandishing this expenses threat for over a year now. He really needs to come up with something new if council is to feel properly threatened.

Author

Brian C Johnson

Date

2006-12-20T12:38:55-06:00

ID

124929

Comment

Y'all know that we've been concerned about all these temporary agency payments for a while. Apparently, Hickingbottom is paid through a temp agency, as are a lot of the "youth" crew and felons on payroll. I've already heard questions raised about whether or not they are getting around drug tests by sending them through temp agencies, but I asked Melton and (former MBN agent) Charles Melvin (who is over the youth crew) that in April, and they said unequivocably that all part-time workers and those hired through temp agencies are taking drug tests. With this city's clampdown on information, I don't know how to get at whether that is true—but I imagine Council members might be able to if they tried. Get a list of the temp agency workers and then demand the results of their drug tests. Request their criminal records. That would be a good step toward accountability. And City Council is long overdue holding this administration accountable, although some of them have made some efforts.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-12-20T13:09:13-06:00

ID

124930

Comment

I'd bet they're taking them, but the results are being tossed out when they get to the City of Jackson.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-12-20T13:14:27-06:00

ID

124931

Comment

I believe there should be an accounting. I also know that legally the Council has the power to do this. They should investigate the claims docket,subpoena the employees at issue and ask them. I believe both the Mayor and the Council should reveal their travel expenses. What kind of threat is that anyway. Shutup or I will tell everyone what you are legally doing? Or is the mayor intimating the council members have been abusing the same system he allegedly has? Either way, let the sun shine in on this. If nobody is doing anything wrong, whats the problem, right? When does the city allegedly produce its year end accounting?

Author

Niles Hooper

Date

2006-12-20T13:28:44-06:00

ID

124932

Comment

You're right, Niles. They should. They must. It is Council's responsibility to investigate exactly who is on the payroll of the city, how much they're being paid, whether they're taking and passing drug tests, where they live (Carter's Grove?), and so on. The Ridgeway incident, where city officials allegedly instruct a minor to commit a felony, is as good a reason as they need to figure out what is really going on in City Hall. They are derelict in their duties if they don't. As for travel expenses, I agree. Let the sun shine in, and the chips fall where they may. But in response to Melton's little game of threatening his critics, it. doesn't. frackin'. matter. That is, there is no relevance between that and the issue of temp employees—just as there is no relevance of what kind of drug activity might have been going on in the Ridgeway Street duplex. That. isn't. a. defense. As for Anderson, we've called for months for her to step down and for Council to insist on hiring a real police chief who isn't Melton's puppet. The city's simply insane if it keeps paying her to stay in this position.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-12-20T13:33:38-06:00

ID

124933

Comment

Good to see The Clarion-Ledger paying attention to the Hickingbottom issue today: mong the city's temporary employees is Bob Hickingbottom, whose job title is Public Works "job evaluator" and who has been working for the city through a temp agency since August 2005. The city pays Hickingbottom's temp agency, Douglas Inc., $16 an hour for his work. The agency then pays Hickingbottom at a rate of $13 an hour. Hickingbottom described his job as making sure Public Works crews are actually working. "I have a schedule of the work they are supposed to do, and I go out and basically verify it." At a rate of $13 an hour, Hickingbottom would make nearly $30,000 a year. But Hickingbottom said he normally works more than 40 hours a week because he is constantly on call. During the week of Nov. 13-19, Hickingbottom reported he worked 78 hours and submitted a payment claim for more than $1,500, city invoice records show. Hickingbottom has garnered attention lately for helping organize the "Fight, Frank, Fight" rally after Melton was indicted in September on felony charges stemming from accusations he damaged a Virden Addition duplex. But Hickingbottom said his work on the rally was done on his days off. During Melton's bid for mayor in 2005, Hickingbottom was paid more than $7,000 for working on Melton's campaign. When asked why Hickingbottom never has been hired as a permanent employee, Melton said it was because Hickingbottom had never asked to be.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-12-21T11:41:34-06:00

ID

124934

Comment

Also, I'm bumping Ironghost's forum thread here to Noise ...

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-12-21T11:42:02-06:00

ID

124935

Comment

Back to Hickingbottom: So. A man being paid with taxpayer money (even if funneled through a temp agency) orangizes a *rally* to try to get people to "vote" Melton innocent. Hmmm. Of course, had Council (or mainstream media) paid closer attention to what Melton was doing with this staff a year ago, maybe we wouldn't be in this place today. Sigh.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-12-21T11:43:26-06:00

ID

124936

Comment

Donna, I read the part about Melton being at council chambers for the 1:00 pm meeting to explain the expenses. Adam or Brian going? I hope so. It will be a charade for sure.

Author

Cliff Cargill

Date

2006-12-21T11:45:27-06:00

ID

124937

Comment

Yeah, we'll be there. We missed the Tuesday meeting because Adam's son was sick, and Brian and I were getting out the paper. The perils of a small staff sometimes. But we have it on tape.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-12-21T11:46:36-06:00

ID

124938

Comment

If Hickingbottom is making sure Public Works crews are working, then every fulltime Public Works supervisor needs to be fired. Wonder if all the temps are from Douglas, Inc. and if Douglas, Inc. actually was awarded a contract with the city for the temp service? Of course, these are all the appropriate, procedural questions we all would ask...but street talk is that Hickingbottom is really the one who is to help the administration get back at those who take acception to what they say and do.

Author

JenniferGriffin

Date

2006-12-21T12:28:52-06:00

ID

124939

Comment

Well, certainly, Hickingbottom has long been the man to go on trash radio and such to trash people. During the campaign, he tried to get people to believe that I was "working for" Harvey Johnson because we dared to report the truth about Frank Melton. What goofiness.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-12-21T12:41:29-06:00

ID

124940

Comment

Yeah, I'm looking forward to Melton dealing some dirt on the Council. Let's get it on! I bet you could take thousands from Melton in a poker game! He ain't got no bluff!

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-12-21T12:59:26-06:00

ID

124941

Comment

No, Pike, but he makes up for that in ruthlessness! Higginbottom, a proud, self-styled 'political operative', definitely is in the fund raising and image-building business for the Mayor. And Donna, you are right, during the campaign he came across as nothing but a vicious liar. I still find it difficult to accept that Jackson citizens voted for someone surrounded by folks like Higginbottom.

Author

ChrisCavanaugh

Date

2006-12-21T15:43:11-06:00

ID

124942

Comment

So one can assume the Council had no part whatsoever in approving any part of this emerging “tempgate” situation, or will this prove yet another “oversight” on behalf of this Council a la the O’reilly Evans contract. The Council certainly must take accountability in having confirmed Anderson as chief in the first place. I hope the four Council person’s who aren’t seemingly Melton loyalist aren’t choosing to become impassioned after learning the media will or has already revealed Melton’s underhanded deeds. My view is that this Council has to often chosen to give this administration a pass. And for the record what was the vote on Anderson’s confirmation by the Council?

Author

K RHODES

Date

2006-12-21T18:57:54-06:00

ID

124943

Comment

Woo! I made front page! :D

Author

Ironghost

Date

2006-12-21T21:39:14-06:00