The Strange Case of the JPOA Endorsement
In a week that can't get any better, not even an story on an endorsement can be lame. The Jackson Police Officers Association announced yesterday their endorsement of mayoral candidate and former south Jackson business owner Jonathan Lee. Lee was hailed by that group's president, Earnest Perry, as a "visionary" …
Clarion-Ledger Disputes Jonathan Lee's Account
Jonathan Lee supporters are using a Clarion-Ledger article to defend a controversy he's mired in—but it actually helps build the case that he was dishonest about his position at the company.
Sam Begley Sparring with 20/20 PAC re Jonathan Lee + New Lawsuit Revealed
My email today is absolutely filled with city politics. I just came out of a meeting and discovered that the Jackson 20/20 PAC that we wrote about in this earlier story has now endorsed candidates other than Jonathan Lee (when we wrote the story, all the money had gone to …
The Big-Money GOP Donors at Gunn's Private Party
There were some high-dollar contributors at a private meeting Speaker Philip Gunn had in his office last night. An unusual amount of activity at the Capitol yesterday evening led a TV news crew and a print reporter to investigate, but the journalists were turned away by Capitol security, wrote Clarion-Ledger …
Jonathan Lee Releases 14-Page Plan
Jackson mayoral hopeful Jonathan Lee hit the airwaves last night with the premier of his television spot, now he's released a 14-page brochure—a prospectus, if you will—you can find here. In it, Lee discusses, sometimes in detail, his plan to tackle crime, employment and economic development, infrastructure and education. Lee …
Shame on Bryant et al for Using Faith in Naked Political Move
This Associated Press story just illustrates how absurd it was for the Mississippi Legislature, and Gov. Phil Bryant, to push and pass a law that tries to circumvent the First Amendment, which wisely tells government to stay the hell out of (my words, not theirs) people's religious choices. As I …
On Final Day of Session, a Million Statements
The 2013 legislative session temporarily drew to close today. Because lawmakers failed to renew the state Medicaid program, Gov. Phil Bryant will have to call a special session sometime before July 1. Anyhow, a lot of people had stuff to say, mostly through emailed press statements. Here's a flavor from …
Charter School Bill Passes. What Took So Long?
Since last year's surprising defeat of charter-school legislation in the Mississippi House Education Committee, proponents of the public-private schools seemed to want passing a charter school law priority No. 1. In the offseason, Speaker Philip Gunn even stacked the committee to clear the way for charter schools to pass and …
Fourth Time's A Charm for Death of Medicaid
Democrats may not have the votes to expand Medicaid to cover 330,000 more people. Republicans don't have the votes to pass Medicaid without at least talking about expansion first. That has been painfully evident every time Medicaid has come up for a vote on the House floor. Today, for the …