...Priceless!

GREENVILLE — After several phone calls to city officials and two Freedom of Information Act requests, the city refuses to fully disclose how much it spends on security detail for Mayor Heather McTeer Hudson. While the city did respond to the second FOI request, the exact cost of the security detail remains undetermined.

Hudson said she has been receiving death threats since first coming into office in 2004.

Hudson said the Police Department has also provided her with training in gun use and self-defense. “I’ve really had to change my lifestyle, where I go, and what I do in my time, to adjust to these threats,” Hudson said.

Hudson, who is considering a run for lieutenant governor or governor, said overcoming such threats is important for her. As a black political figure, she said she must try to show that she can persevere.

As Hudson’s status as the first black female mayor in Greenville attracted attention, so has the city’s regular use of police officers assigned to protect her. But the issue of how much is spent on the mayor’s security detail comes during an economic crunch.

This year the city has not yet been able to find funds to reopen its only public swimming pool and sales tax revenues are decreasing due to an economic downturn.

The DDT then submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to Wicks’ office, which was denied. In a written response, Wicks said that hours and pay scale for officers were not listed according to what particular divisions the officers served.

The DDT asked if it was possible for Wicks and Patterson to add up the salaries of officers on security detail, and provide a lump-sum figure without disclosing any names. That request was also denied. A second Freedom of Information Act, submitted after the DDT sought legal consultation from the Mississippi Press Association, did however yield some results.In response to the second FOI request, Wicks issued a spreadsheet anonymously detailing the salaries of seven officers who work on the mayor’s security detail.

According o those figures, the city’s combined total expenses for salary, overtime pay, pension and federal withholdings that the city pays for these officers has been close to $200,000 between Oct. 1 and July 16.

At that rate, the city will have paid about $252,000 to these officers by the fiscal year’s end.The figures that Wicks disclosed did not say how much it costs the city to pay for security detail training or travel expenses.

Wicks noted that the $200,000 is not limited to payment for security detail duties, as the officers on Hudson’s detail also perform all other duties required of first class police officers.

Because there are no numbers disclosing which hours are dedicated to security detail and which hours are spent working on regular police duties, the cost of the mayor’s security detail is still very much unclear.

Hudson has argued that any controversy over how much the city spends on bodyguards may stem from the fact that in addition to her security detail there are police officers assigned to protect City Hall.

The latter group of officers, she said, are not personally assigned to her. Rather, she said, they serve to defend the property and personnel of City Hall. One other city pays for bodyguards.

Greenville’s population, according to a 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, is about 37,000. The DDT called cities of comparable size or greater to determine whether they had security details assigned to their mayors.

According to these telephone interviews, Tupelo with a population of 35,000 does not pay for regularly attending mayoral bodyguards. Neither do Meridian, population 38,000; Biloxi, 44,000; Hattiesburg, 50,000; nor Gulfport, 64,000.

Although officials in Hattiesburg said the city does not provide an ongoing security detail for Mayor Johnny Dupree, who is black, they did say that security details are provided in cases where Dupree receives threats.

The only Mississippi city of comparable size or greater than Greenville that regularly assigns security detail to its mayor is the state capital, Jackson, whose population of 176,000 is more than five times that of Greenville’s. Jackson, however, has a violent crime rate of 86 per 10,000 population, which is nearly 2.5 times higher than Greenville’s.

During Hudson’s early years in office, however, the crime rate was much higher here. According to a Uniform Crime Rate report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in 2004 Greenville’s crime rate was 62 per 10,000 population, while the violent crime rate today is at 36 per population of 10,000.

It is in this earlier, high-crime atmosphere that Hudson said she and City Hall in general first began receiving threats.

It is hard to believe that Mayor Hudson is the most targeted victim of crime in Greenville. If incompetence and apathy were factors in being "targeted", she should be about 15th in line!

Ego, paranoia and "Daddy" are the driving factors behind this incredible waste of money. Murders in Greenville are rarely racially motivated. They are primarily black on black and drug related.

So, why in a majority black city, run by a majority black leadership, should we have to pony up $200,000 a year to "protect" a black mayor?

I would bet that for $200 grand we could have an indoor, Olympic size, heated swimming pool, with security... in case the mayor wished to visit.

I think that race should be a non-issue with regard to whom we elect as mayor in Greenville; however, a price-tag of $200,000 a year for security, might be a factor we need to consider in the next election.

Perhaps, we just can't afford Mayor Hudson...

Forthright

Another One Bites the Dust!

GREENVILLE — A historical landmark was demolished Tuesday.The Finlay House, once the oldest residence in Greenville, is now a pile of rubble, drawing rage from the house’s previous owner and criticism from the Washington County Greenville Joint Historical Preservation Commission.

Walley Morse, the commission’s secretary, called the demolition of the house at 137 N. Poplar St. shameful.“It is a trend that has been going along in Greenville for a long time,” he said. “It’s such a shame to be seeing those great old buildings being torn down for proposed future development that never gets done.”

The Finlay House was the property of the South Delta Regional Housing Authority, which purchased the house from Hank Burdine, of Greenville.

A local construction contractor, Burdine said he not only lived in it, but spent years renovating the home, trying to keep its post-civil war and Italian-styled architecture preserved.

SDRHA Executive Director Ann Jefferson said her organization had the house demolished because of complaints of vandalism and crime that the run-down building was attracting.

Jefferson added that SDRHA was issued a permit from the city of Greenville to destroy the house.“If the house was a historical landmark,” Jefferson said, “Do you think the city of Greenville would have issued us a permit? This doesn’t make any sense. If it was a historical landmark, wouldn’t the city of Greenville have known about it?”

Calls to the city of Greenville’s Permits and Planning Department were directed to the department’s director, Carlon Williams, who was not in.

But a quick Internet search does reveal the Finlay House to be listed on the National Register of Historical Houses. Benjy Nelken, curator of the Greenville History Museum, said he believes the house dated back to the 1870s.The prominent Finlay family of Greenville, who owned several drugstores in Greenville for many years, lived in the house and owned it at a Shelby Street location.

The house, Nelken said, became apartments in the 1950s, with tenants renting the upstairs and the downstairs as separate units. The house was sold to SRDHA by Burdine, who himself purchased the house to save it from demolition and moved it to the Poplar Street location.

Burdine said he sold the house to the SDRHA because he believed that SDRHA would make sure the house was properly maintained.

“I said to myself, ‘Here is an organization that has the wherewithal and the integrity — and I emphasized integrity — to keep it going.” But he said in the 1990s he noticed the house was deteriorating. Subsequently, he helped the SDRHA find several people who were willing to purchase the house. But they were all turned down.

Burdine said three weeks ago he noticed that workers had boarded up the house and that dumpster trucks were parked close to it.“I told those workers that if they don’t restore this house, if the allow it to fall, it would have a better faith burning down,” Burdine said. “They took a piece of my heart with that house.”

Jefferson said no one has ever approached her during her 2-year stint at SDRHA to buy the house. “We were willing to give it away and couldn’t,” Jefferson said.

Another prime example of why Greenville is dying... we have no respect for our history. Throughout the Delta, towns are trying to preserve their history and capitalize on a bygone era, but NOT Greenville!

The statement that Jefferson made about not being able to give it away, certainly rings true. The sad reality is that if you have a house anywhere in Greenville that you are trying to sell, you are in trouble.

Forthright

Haley Barbour: No Friend to Health Care

Mental health services slashed by Barbour veto:

Clarksdale’s Region I Mental Health Center received news July 1 that may literally cut it off at its knees and cause serious problems for the four counties its serves and its 3,000 mental health clients.

Governor Haley Barbour vetoed a bill passed by the Mississippi House and Senate to fund the state’s regional mental health facilities, leaving them without the $29 million matching funds to run the facilities.

According to Karen Corley, interim director of the Regional I Mental Health Center in Clarksdale, this is devastating news and could possibly mean a shut-down of the area’s only non-private mental health facility along with the lay-offs of all 158 people on staff.

“We don’t know what is going to happen. The legislature is going back into special session this Friday and we are hopeful that our funding will be included,” Corley stated. “If it isn’t, we do not know what we are going to do. We are right now just working to get everyone behind us to get the funding. If not, this could be catastrophic.”

Region I Mental Health Center provides services to approximately 3,000 mental health patients, most needing life supporting medications and therapy. According to David Cook, clinical director, most of the 3,000 patients currently using Region I Mental Health Center will end up on the street with no medication, which could lead to psychotic breakdowns.

“We have people who come here on a daily basis to receive life altering medications. Many of our clients have major psychoses, have no insurance, and could end up not functioning. There are no hospitals to service our clients and state facilities are extremely backed-up. It could be weeks or months before anything opens up for them. They will probably end up on the streets, in jail, or in Whitfield, if anything is available,” Cook stated.

The staff is currently juggling to stave off the potential shut-down of the facility rather than worrying about their own jobs. If the legislature chooses not to address the problem, all 158 people currently on the staff will probably lose their jobs.

The Region I Mental Health Center is an independent, public, non-profit agency which receives 56 percent of its funding from the Federal Government, but must match the funds. The matching funds, which have come from the state, are what Barbour vetoed. These monies from the state are then paid to the federal government (matching medicaid funds).The Mississippi State Department of Mental Health disburses the money to the Regional Mental Health Centers.

DMH has notified the Department of Medicaid that some of the community mental health centers cannot pay the match and others do not plan to pay the match because of the legality of the request.“For some centers, the lack of funding will have immediate consequences. None of the centers can provide services as intended and survive any length of time,” said Jerry Mayo, executive director of Pine Belt Mental Health in Hattiesburg and president of the Mississippi Association of Community Mental Health Centers.

“Current Medicaid rates do not cover the full costs of most of the services provided as it is. Without the match, services provided by our centers would have to be reduced drastically. Such a reduction in services is likely to contribute to long waiting lists for state hospital beds and an increase in the number of citizens being held in jails awaiting those beds,” said Mayo.

The fifteen community mental health centers operate as individual businesses serving defined counties and not as state-owned institutions or a division of the Department of Mental Health. The centers throughout the state serve more than 100,000 citizens per year including residential services for the seriously mentally ill and addicted. These will likely be some of the first programs that will need to be reduced if the lack of funding goes unaddressed, according to Mayo.

As the name implies, community mental health centers provide services in community settings such as schools, homes, correctional facilities and churches as well as outpatient clinics and facilities in every county of the state. Programs range from intensive services for the seriously mentally ill, behavioral interventions for children, and residential treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, to HIV testing and counseling, prevention programs and specialized services for the elderly.

“We have in good faith worked with the legislators over the years. The House has been very receptive and supportive. It is apparent that others have placed politics above the needs of the seriously mentally ill, developmentally disabled, children and elderly,” said Mayo.The Clarksdale staff requests that citizens contact state officials and request that the funds be made available to continue the services.

As if taxing our hospitals to death were not enough, now our Governor Barbour has turned his wrath toward our community mental health centers. Although the above article refers to Region I (Clarksdale's) possible closure, all 14 Regions in the state face the same woes if his "lunacy" is not stopped.

Throughout the state, thousands of adults and children depend on our community mental health centers for counseling and medications to remain functional members of our society. What will happen to these people? Inpatient treatment is outrageously expensive in comparison to the cost of the outpatient treatment offered at our current facilities.

Where will these patients go... to the hospital ERs which are already crowded with non-emergency patients. That will only increase their costs, not to mention that ER staff members are not qualified to deal with psychiatric patients.

Failing to fund our mental health centers will adversely impact every public institution in our state. Crime will increase, hospitals will incur additional costs, schools will suffer as un-medicated children become disruptive, hundreds of jobs will be lost and most importantly, our friends, family and loved ones will incur great suffering.

If you have never needed the services of our community mental health centers, you are among the fortunate; but, I would bet that you know someone whose life and future happiness depends upon their existence. Mental health disorders are some of the most debilitating maladies that we face today and to withdraw services to these patients will have catastrophic results!

Since Barbour refuses to discuss this matter with either the senate or the house, it is difficult to discern his actual motives; however, the results of his actions are quite clear: Increased crime, major job losses and untold human suffering.

If you feel strongly about this health care travesty, get on line and write your state Representatives and the governor and let them know how you feel. Barbour is no friend to health care and if we allow him to go unchecked, he will completely destroy what has taken Mississippi so long to achieve.

http://www.mississippi.gov/

Forthright

The Cost of Independence

GREENVILLE - Washington County residents due to renew car tags in July and after will have to wait until Wednesday to do so and then will see the cost go up.

The price hike will be due to a reduction in legislative tax credit signed into law as part of the state's new budget, said Washington County Tax Collector Patricia Lee.

For close to eight years, Lee said, a legislative tax credit has given vehicle owners a discount on their car tags.

To deal with budget shortfalls, however, the legislature reduced the legislative tax credit from 5.5 percent of a vehicle's assessed value to 4.25 percent. Lee said although the diminished tax credit was effective July 1, when the new fiscal year began, the delay until Wednesday occurred because of two reasons:

*The Legislature did not pass the budget, which contains the new diminished tax credit, until late Tuesday night.-- There is a general delay caused by the time it takes for county tax collector offices to upload the new state tax credit rates into the county's computer systems, and for the formulation used to calculate those rates to be tested.

I thought this was supposed to be prevented by the new tobacco tax? Just another tax on the "rich" in our Sherwood Forrest economy!

Forthright

Workin' the System

Anonymous said...

Those of us who work hard and pay for insurance through our tax paying jobs cannot afford to get sick. We would lose our homes, and in turn be ineligible for the "entitlements" that non taxpayers receive so readily.

Morbid obesity should not be a disability. It is directly caused by putting food in your mouth and the wrong foods. I say we have stores where food stamps can be used to buy healthy necessary items to make nutritious meals. I work hard and yet cannot afford a new car with air conditioning and see young people driving Grandmas car with the disabled tag playing loud music with lyrics I do not want to hear.

I see teens giving birth to baby after baby to get their checks. People have no reason to change. The government will support them. And the government will leave the taxpayers going into bankruptcy to support these selfish lazy bums.

And by the way, I am not from here and there are plenty of places in this country where public education is wonderful and private schools other than parochial do not even exist.

There is no hope unless we crack down on these criminals stealing from us. Let's change the rules overnight and see the morbidly obese, teen mothers, and other abusers of the systems beg us for jobs so they can survive. Let's make welfare recipients ineligible to go to anything other than charity... hospitals.

Let's see the children see hope for a better life through their "parents" opting to become a productive member of society.

The author above is correct in his/her observations of the blatant abuse of our welfare system... but here's the problem: We created this system to atone for the sins of our past and now it is being used as the biggest ponzi scheme in history (yes, even bigger than Bernie's).

Under our current system, having children can make you big money. From the time that they are born, these children are subsidized by the government.

Medicaid pays for the cost of their birth and all of their subsequent health care needs. Food is provided free via WIC, food stamps, TANF, free lunch programs, ADC and a variety of other programs. Free education begins at age three in Headstart and continues into our public schools (no need to pay extra for something that is provided free from taxpayer dollars).

At about age six, they have to insure that their children keep earning this free money, so they have to "find" each child's disability. Some of the most popular are ADHD, morbid obesity, fallen arches and severe learning disabilities. (Your local public schools and other "club members" can assist you with this.)

Remember to get your disability claims filed early in life, because once they are "determined" disabled, you can get a large back payment check from the age of onset.

Multiply all of this by 6, 7, or 8 and it can add up to some real money. Don't worry about the physical burden of having all of these children... that's what grandmas are for!

And if these children get involved in drugs, sex and crime.... hey, it was good enough for you... let 'em learn their own lessons! They can always ride the welfare train as long as we keep providing the fuel.

Warning to Welface recipients: Do NOT get a job! You will lose all of your and your children's benefits... and you can't buy all of this for $7.25 an hour.

Understand?

Forthright

Greenville's Claim to Fame

Anonymous said...


Gville is 2.5 times the national poverty rate in the country. Most that live in Gville, MS, with no job, their primary economic goal is to get on some type of program, food stamps, SSI or any type of free money because it pays more than a 40 hour per week job.

That is the REAL reason no business will ever make it in Gville, MS, because the end answer is private education and big company management are not going to pay for education, grades 1-12 @ $400.00 per month per child.

Anonymous said...

Actually, Big Company management has and does pay for private education. They know that it's the only way to get quality people here. (U.S. Gypsum is one example.) And for the record---to those who may claim that the private schools caused the end of quality PUBLIC education---when the private schools started up in '69/'70, the white kids were in the minority.

Some fled to the Catholic schools to be under the protection of the Church while segregating themselves from a majority-black school system (and they still do). Others stayed with Weston and GHS and paid a price. Others went to the privates and paid a price that couldn't be measured in money. Greenville's public schools won't be saved by private schools closing or by white students returning to the public schools.

The current teachers, students, and administration have to work hard, be honest, be diligent, set high standards, and expect results. Unfortunately, much of this must begin in the home.

And that's where the difference lies.

Both writers make good points and they are connected by one common thread... the entitlement mentality. There is so much corruption, fraud and waste in our "welfare" system that being unemployed has become one of the most lucrative "jobs" in the Delta!

Becoming "disabled" is a major source of the fraud for many area residents and certain "doctors" play a major role. People are getting large checks for disabilities such as Attention Deficit Disorder, fallen arches, and morbid obesity! How does a government check abate any of these "disabilities"?

There are families that net over $4,000 per month in SSI and disability income and spend their days shopping at Wal-Mart and McDonald's. Morbid obesity is NOT a genetic disorder... it is a societal result of ignorance and apathy!

Education, for the entitlement mentality crowd, is free daycare with 2 free meals. Why should they value an education, when they make more on "the system" than most do with a college education!

Yep, we are on a slippery slope and going straight down hill in the Delta. It will not change until WE demand that the abuse of welfare be stopped!

Forthright

What's the Scoop?

Hel..loooo?

Has everyone grown tired of the Scoop? Surely there is something going on in the Delta that we can discuss, rant or rave about. I love a lively discussion, but the Scoop has grown a bit cold of late.

The contributors to this blog are what keeps it popular. Everyone has ideas, opinions, complements or grips... and this is your public forum. Let's hear from you! You know I don't' make this stuff up (although I have been accused of it).

Tell us what is on your mind... vent... it lowers your blood pressure and is fun!

Forthright

S.O.S.

Mayor Update said...

Well, here we go...the traveling Mayor is at it again! She leaves soon with local kids to Germany on a summer excursion...how nice?

Good thing that there are no issues here at home for her to be dealing with, good thing our economy is booming to pay for her trip, good thing we have bountiful staff in place to take up her slack....NOT!!!!

We have got to find someone to run against this crazy woman in 2012! Putting her back in office for a third time would be insane and a death sentence to Greenville.

If you know of anyone, who has good business sense, good marketing skills, good management skills and cares about Greenville...please!!! Let's start working NOW to get them in office in the next two years! Otherwise, be prepared to watch this city fail!

This Mayor is a self serving, egotistical, maniacal, diva, self important, spoiled rotten, childish wretch and she has got to go!

Anonymous said...

The citizens of Leland woke up from their funk and replaced their Diva mayor. After several years of a three ring circus of local politics, Leland is moving forward. The good thing is that they elected a qualified candidate. And he is a black gentleman.

So for all you conspiracy theorists out there you can forget the race card. It is all about being qualified and having the best of interest for the Town of Leland!

I must congratulate Leland citizens for pulling together to rid their local government and school administration of self-serving tyrants. It should send a positive message to other Delta communities that change CAN happen when people come together to the benefit of all, rather than voting by race or for special interest candidates.

As for Greenville's mayor, I am afraid that she will be a tough cookie to beat... until she is ready to move on to the next position that "Daddy" arranges. She is young and has time on her side... unlike Greenville!

The "Queen City" is sinking so fast that I doubt whether our "Captain's" presence will make a hair's breadth of difference. The majority of the voting public in Greenville is totally ignorant of the "issues", so they vote for the candidate who "looks" most like themselves. Regardless of who runs against Heather McTeer Hudson in the next election... this fact will not change... and believe me, it could get worse.

Greenville is a house divided, fixated in a political mentality circa, 1950. Propelling it into the twenty-first century will be a slow and arduous process!

Forthright

Doctor! Doctor! Give me a Break...

Up Clarksdale way...

A county supervisor in the Mississippi Delta thought he was meeting two prostitutes from SugarDaddyForMe.com when he pulled into the Shady Nook truck stop, but instead was arrested by the FBI, federal agents said in court documents.

Coahoma County Supervisor and Clarksdale cardiologist Dr. Roger Weiner was charged with the federal crime of soliciting prostitution across state lines Sunday and arraigned Monday.

A federal investigation began in December when Weiner’s former colleague gave FBI agent Justin Newsome the doctor’s ‘‘electronic communications’’ from a work computer the two shared, according to a seven-page affidavit filed Monday in federal court.

The agent began monitoring SugarDaddyForMe.com, which he described as an online chat room for wealthy ‘‘Sugardaddies’’ to meet ‘‘Sugarbabies’’ for ‘‘companionship and entertainment.’’ Newsome said in court documents he found Weiner’s ‘‘attempts to solicit sexual acts and companionship from female members in exchange for gifts and monetary payment.’’

The information was used to obtain a search warrant to view Weiner’s e-mails.Weiner did not immediately respond to messages left Tuesday on his cell phone and at his office, the Weiner Heart and Cardiovascular Institute. Weiner’s lawyer, Kevin Hovan, said the allegations will be investigated. He declined further comment.

The affidavit describes the investigation in salacious detail, alleging that Weiner promised to pay women hundreds of dollars per sexual tryst. An FBI agent posing as a prostitute began communication with Weiner on the Web site in January, according to the affidavit, under the screen name ‘‘wild—ginger.’’ Weiner gave the agent his e-mail address to set up a meeting.

At one point, the agent wrote that ‘‘you can expect to be treated like a king but this princess can only meet if she knows she is getting at least $500.’’

‘‘500 is no problem,’’ Weiner responded, according to the affidavit. ‘‘If you are truly ’wild’ and good looking your potential for spoiling is enormous.’’

Then on May 11, another undercover officer who began chatting with Weiner agreed to set up a ‘‘threesome’’ with Weiner and another supposed prostitute, court records state.

Authorities say Weiner called a few days later and offered to pay the women $400 each. But when Weiner pulled into the truck stop Sunday morning in his black BMW coupe, he was arrested. Authorities said he was carrying nearly $1,100 in cash.

He was arraigned in federal court in Greenville on Monday and released on $20,000 bond. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday in U.S. District Court in Greenville.

Weiner came to Mississippi from Philadelphia and opened his medical practice in the late 1990s, according to the clinic’s Web site. He was elected supervisor in 2007.

I suppose that the "good" news is... this didn't happen in Greenville! It is difficult to imagine that the same person in whom we trust our cardiovascular health, frequents the Shady Nook truck stop in his spare time. What happened to golf?

To further add insult to injury, we elected this sleazy surgeon as Supervisor which leads one to wonder whether some of his political cronies may have also had a finger in this pie... (sorry).

The sad news is that this article made national news, which will help perpetuate the stereotypical view of Mississippians as uncultured reprobates.

At any rate, this entire saga is prime fodder for a book and a mini-series... perhaps: "Surgeons and Sugarbabies", or simply, "Shady Nooky". The final chapter of this Delta novel will star an equally sleazy Southern lawyer who successfully defends the good doctor by quoting Johnny Cochran's now infamous line... "If it don't fit, you must acquit!"

Forthright

Who's Watching the Kids?

GREENVILLE - A four-day work week was unanimously adopted at Tuesday's Greenville School District Board of Trustees meeting. According to interim school Superintendent Joyce McNair, the four-day week will begin June 1. The move affects 240-day employees, such as principals, secretaries and custodians. Recently, the School Board adopted a reduction of force policy.

A four day work week is a great concept to save money... but in a public school? Do you think that the kids may figure out that when the principal is away, it might be easier to "play"? Secretaries generally run a school office, so who is going to deal with all of those issues? As for custodians, they are too few in number already... duh?

Sure, public schools are financially challenged, but these "reductions in force" will only denigrate the entire system. Examples: A bomb threat is called into your child's school... who is in charge if the principal is "off" that day? Who deals with the irate parents who storm in daily to speak to the person in charge? Who cleans the restrooms on a daily basis to prevent infectious waste from spreading disease and illness?

My view is that these "cuts" are ill-conceived and will ultimately cost the districts more money in "ancillary costs". Educating our children is not a part-time job... especially in the Delta.

Forthright

Location, location, location!

Greenville Real Estate agent said...

Having personal family photos out, during a showing, makes people uncomfortable to feel that they are invading a family's privacy. It shows "ownership" and discourages that customer imagining their family or themselves in that home. Get it out of there, store it.

As for staging, that is the best and most attractive placement of furniture, decor and accessories to play up the best points of the home. So many times, people accumulate so much "stuff" that the rooms in the house are overwhelmed with clutter or too large furniture. In the end, a buyer only sees that and not the rooms. The rooms may be average or above average in size, but who can see it?? This applies to all the rooms, bathroom and kitchen. Too many chachkis or decorative items can block the eye of the buyer. Clean out closets, cabinets, etc. to show that spaciousness.

Minimal is highly encouraged in staging. Spaciousness is the goal sought for the buyer to see, airy, light, CLEAN rooms, it is critical.

Get the floors in shape, take up the ugly carpet or replace it, if the underfloor is in good shape, clean it, repair or replace with more updated products for flooring. Buy area rugs! In the front and back yard, clean up is key! Rake, keep mowed, weed and trim up! Put the toys up, get rid of the yard art and any other clutter. Plant some new flowers or bushes, landscape and trim back bushes away from the windows and house, put down stepping stones to designated outdoor relaxing areas. Clean up the patios and porches. Have none? Set up an outside garden or yard entertainment area, to show the joy of outdoor living.

Fountains are so popular today and don't have to be expensive to be enjoyed. The water sounds encourage relaxation and will be pleasing to the buyer.Get rid of junk, old lawnmowers, old useless bikes, and trikes, "crapola". Clean out the garage or carport, so the buyer can see that there is, indeed, room for two vehicles.Curb appeal is critical to that first impression of the buyer. If it looks bad on the outside, they will never call to see the inside.

Paint, paint, paint! Do a professional job or hire one! Paint inside and outside, with attractive, neutral colors that anyone would accept. No outlandish colors on the inside or outside, not everyone wants a pink house, walls of installed mirrors or purple bedrooms.

How about the roof? Does it need to be replaced? Most homeowners insurance will cover the delta homes for years of past hail damage, windstorms and winds of hurricanes. All you have to pay is the deductible and claim roof damage. YOUR POLICY WILL NOT BE CANCELLED for making a roof claim! That is what you are paying your premiums for! Call your Ins. agent or if in doubt, call a roofer to see if a new roof is required, if not, ask him for a statement of roof condition for the potential buyer. One less worry for a buyer!

Defunk any home odors from pets and children. Get rid of any mold or mildew, insects, rodents, inside and outside.Burn candles during showings to be sure their are enticing aromas and not horrid smells. Take out the garbage before a showing!! Just because YOU don't smell it, does not mean it does not smell! Be sure the temperature in the home is comfortable. If not, no buyer will hang around to take in the house sweltering or freezing! (Maintenance is important too! If it makes noises or is not working properly, get it fixed or replaced!)

Most of all of this is a matter of elbow grease, common sense and a few dollars. Most can be done by the seller and family, but if you need help, there are decorators in town, part time and full time, who can help you pull it all together to look its best. It is worth the investment of a few hours of their time for consultation advice or decorating for you, that will pay off in a big way to make that sale happen at the end! If you can not afford it, find a friend who has a great knack for home decor to help you see what you no longer see.

By the way, FYI, trailers are very hard to find financing for through the banks, nearly impossible, due to depreciation. Be prepared, make the price right to attract cash buyers or see if financing it for the buyer is an option.

Good luck!

Great advice for selling a house in a competitive market. The one tip that this local realtor left out is... "Location, location, location!"

Unfortunately, Greenville has few prime locations left. Even residents of stable neighborhoods like Gamwyn Park are "getting out" due to crime and plummeting home values. Look what has happened to Washington Avenue and Main Street. Sure, there are some real bargains on the market right now, but who wants to buy a house whose value will only depreciate over time?

A home is generally the largest purchase that we make and most people expect to be able to recoup their initial investment, plus improvements, over time. This is where the "location" piece of the puzzle becomes important!

For people to purchase homes, they must have jobs. For jobs to exist, there has to be a skilled workforce. To obtain a skilled workforce, you have to have quality "public" education. Greenville has none of these, which is why students who pursue "higher education" never return to Greenville.

Greenville has become a welfare community. "Entitlement" is the most prevalent source of income for most of our residents and this "life-style" is being passed on to subsequent generations at an alarming rate. Until this cycle is broken, Greenville will continue to decline.

To my "rose-colored" glasses fans, I apologize for my candor and "negativity", but these are the realities of Greenville's evolution. If you want "smoke and mirrors", I suggest you attend the next city council meeting.

Forthright

Greenville Pride!

GREENVILLE DDT: More than 40 potential bidders and subcontractors attended a pre-bid conference for the Washington County regional jail Thursday at the Washington County Courthouse.

The pre-bid conference with architects and members of the Board of Supervisors gave bidders a chance to meet while obtaining information about seven bid packages covering different aspects of construction.


The turnout pleased and surprised county officials.“I wasn't expecting as many people as we had to come out,” said Washington County Board of Supervisors President Paul Watson Jr. “It shows that there are a lot of people out there very interested in this project.”

The Bids are scheduled to be opened during the regular Board of Supervisors meeting on May 18. The new prison, a 500-inmate facility, will house 300 state prisoners and 90 from the city.

The remainder will be county inmates. Plans call for the facility to be built on five acres of land on King-Stokes Road, just off U.S. 82.

Now here's a project of which we should all be proud! What better place to build a prison than in Greenville? Water parks, restaurants, recreation facilities... forget about 'em... what WE need is a prison!

A prison will help keep Delta families (gangs) together. When these felons check out, they will return to their native streets and hoods, having perfected their "trades" in the big house. As prisoners, they will have access to free education and physical fitness, so when they emerge, they will be better educated and more physically fit "felons".

Employers will be eager to hire these reformed cons for their newly learned skills and trades, so the new prison is just a "win-win" for everyone! RIGHT?

Forthright

P.S. I hear the city council is considering installing speed bumps on the newly paved Washington Avenue, to deter its latest use as a motorcycle drag strip. Wow, another Epiphany of logic... transforming concave pot-holes into convex "bumps". Gotta love 'em!

Praise for ER Staff!

Appreciative patient said...

I want to say a positive for the DRMC ER STAFF. I recently had a severe allergic reaction to medication with a BP of 70/40. I was obviously very ill and covered in hives and splotches. I had to be ambulanced from the clinic to the DRMC.

The Ambulance staff were very kind and alert to my needs before, during and at the end of my transportation across town. Once arriving, the DRMC staff immediately took action to admit me and determine the cause of the reaction. Every one was attentive, courteous and professional. When questioned they answered an explanation or offered it, before the question occurred.

Knowing how low my BP was, I was scared to death and doing a lot of mental praying to God from the ride in the ambulance to arrival at DRMC. Within a short time, the physician, Hilton O'Neal and staff had my symptoms back under control. I had arrived around 4:30/5:00 PM and was treated and released in much better shape by 6:30PM.

At the end of the evening, I was splotch free and feeling sooo much better!!! I was truly relieved and impressed by everyone taking care of me. Thanks to all on the ER day staff on April 14th, 2009!!

It is great to hear a positive note about DRMC. The truth is that DRMC has some excellent doctors and nurses who are very talented and dedicated to their jobs. Positive ER experiences are rarely shared... because good service is what we expect from all health care providers.

Almost all of the criticism directed toward DRMC seems to be centered around its administration and their seemingly wasteful expenditures and unappreciative attitude toward staff.

It is hard for doctors and nurses to take pride in their jobs if they are not "appreciated" by the leadership of the hospital. Sure, both physicians and nurses make very good salaries, but if you dread going to work every day because of the bureaucratic BS from above, you can not perform your job effectively.

Health care dollars need to be spent "at the bedside" rather than in the "boardroom". If you look at any successful hospital in the country, you will see the "teamwork" starts at the top. When leaders lose sight of the fact that the patient is THE most important person in the hospital, quality care is compromised and the hospital's reputation will eventually suffer. Such is the case at DRMC.

I commend the employees of DRMC for their dedication to patient care in the face of administrative "abandonment". One of the first lessons in medical school is how to differentiate treating the causes of an illness rather than its "symptoms". To blame the many talented clinical staff members at DRMC is to attack the symptoms of a problem... without ever addressing the actual cause.

Forthright

Another Financial Folly?

GREENVILLE - The wait for medical personnel to arrive at an accident scene may have been considerably reduced now that Delta Regional Medical Center has merged with Air Evac Lifeteam.

As a result, the Delta now has emergency air transportation.“This is something that is needed,” said Ray Humphreys, CEO of DRMC. Beginning in July, an Air Evac helicopter will be based at the DRMC Pavilion. The helicopter and its crew will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Humphreys said the hospital sees about 50,000 trauma patients in a year, representing about 10 percent of those seen in the state.

The closest Air Evac helicopter is based in Batesville. The new Greenville facility will reduce reaction time to and from an accident scene.“This is so valuable to Washington County in terms of the lives that it will save,” said Washington County Board of Supervisors Mike Gordon.

Emergency air transportation is not cheap.

According to Bubba Bell, a former Greenville firefighter who will be the program director of the DRMC operation, and DRMC Board of Trustees member Bill Schultz, an average flight is around $15,000.

While no one who needs the helicopter service will be denied, there will be a membership program. For $50 a year, an individual will not have to pay for an Air Evac flight if needed. Membership costs $55 per couple and $60 for a household of three or more. “It's a very smooth flight,” said Schultz, who flew in for Monday's lunchtime press conference. “I wasn't worried at all.”

The concept here is great and could prove to be a life-saving service. However, my concern is not the wait time for transport to DRMC, but the wait time once you arrive at the ER... and the quality of care. Inadequate staffing (both nurses and physicians) remains a major problem at DRMC.

At a cost of $15,000 per flight, it will take 300 "members" to pay for one uninsured, non-member's flight. The majority of patients treated at DRMC are medicaid or "self-pay" (which equates to "no pay"), so this will rapidly become a very expensive venture for our county hospital. Since no one will be refused this service, there is no incentive for the the uninsured or under-insured to pay the very reasonable price of membership.

I am afraid that given our demographics, the membership fee would need to be at least $1,000 per year to offset the massive costs of indigent care that will be provided... and we all know who eventually pays for "indigent care."

Don't get me wrong. In a medical emergency, we are all thankful for every service that can be provided. The issue is cost... and who will eventually pay the price. Is this something that Washington County can afford and is it a prudent expenditure in this time of national economic crisis. Medicaid is already operating in the red and hospitals are facing additional taxes to support these programs for the indigent.

As much as we dislike thinking of hospitals as "businesses", they are, and the leaders have to be responsible with the public funds which support them. Once again, my advice to DRMC is to focus on their quality of basic acute patient care and quit having delusions of becoming a "TV Emergency Room."

If I were ever a member of the DRMC "flight club" for $50 a year, I would tip the pilot $1,000 to just take me to Memphis!

Forthright

A Head with a Heart

The following is an article taken from the Boston Globe in March of 2009. The author is Kevin Cullen and it demonstrates that even in an economic crisis, the "whole" is more than simply the sum of its parts. No ones job in unimportant and that caring can extend beyond one's inner circle. Several Scoop readers suggested that Paul Levy's innovative thinking would be a great model for DRMC.

It was the kind of meeting that is taking place in restaurant kitchens, small offices, retail storerooms, and large auditoriums all over this city, all over this state, all over this country.

Paul Levy, the guy who runs Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, was standing in Sherman Auditorium the other day, before some of the very people to whom he might soon be sending pink slips.

In the days before the meeting, Levy had been walking around the hospital, noticing little things.

He stood at the nurses' stations, watching the transporters, the people who push the patients around in wheelchairs. He saw them talk to the patients, put them at ease, make them laugh. He saw that the people who push the wheelchairs were practicing medicine.

He noticed the same when he poked his head into the rooms and watched as the people who deliver the food chatted up the patients and their families.

He watched the people who polish the corridors, who strip the sheets, who empty the trash cans, and he realized that a lot of them are immigrants, many of them had second jobs, most of them were just scraping by.

And so Paul Levy had all this bouncing around his brain the other day when he stood in Sherman Auditorium.

He looked out into a sea of people and recognized faces: technicians, secretaries, administrators, therapists, nurses, the people who are the heart and soul of any hospital. People who knew that Beth Israel had hired about a quarter of its 8,000 staff over the last six years and that the chances that they could all keep their jobs and benefits in an economy in free fall ranged between slim and none.

"I want to run an idea by you that I think is important, and I'd like to get your reaction to it," Levy began. "I'd like to do what we can to protect the lower-wage earners - the transporters, the housekeepers, the food service people. A lot of these people work really hard, and I don't want to put an additional burden on them.

"Now, if we protect these workers, it means the rest of us will have to make a bigger sacrifice," he continued. "It means that others will have to give up more of their salary or benefits."

He had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when Sherman Auditorium erupted in applause. Thunderous, heartfelt, sustained applause.

Paul Levy stood there and felt the sheer power of it all rush over him, like a wave. His eyes welled and his throat tightened so much that he didn't think he could go on. When the applause subsided, he did go on, telling the workers at Beth Israel, the people who make a hospital go, that he wanted their ideas.

The lump had barely left his throat when Paul Levy started getting e-mails.

The consensus was that the workers don't want anyone to get laid off and are willing to give up pay and benefits to make sure no one does. A nurse said her floor voted unanimously to forgo a 3 percent raise. A guy in finance who got laid off from his last job at a hospital in Rhode Island suggested working one less day a week. Another nurse said she was willing to give up some vacation and sick time. A respiratory therapist suggested eliminating bonuses.

"I'm getting about a hundred messages per hour," Levy said yesterday, shaking his head.

Paul Levy is onto something. People are worried about the next paycheck, because they're only a few paychecks away from not being able to pay the mortgage or the rent.

But a lot of them realize that everybody's in the same boat and that their boat doesn't rise because someone else's sinks.

Paul Levy is trying something revolutionary, radical, maybe even impossible: He is trying to convince the people who work for him that the E in CEO can sometimes stand for empathy.

DDT Editorial:

We appreciate the restraint that four Greenville City Council members exhibited last week when they decided to forgo spending the city's money on travel to the Mississippi Municipal League's annual conference in Biloxi in June.

Three will not attend; Ward 1 Councilman Kenny Gines, Ward 3 Councilman Lee Owen, and Ward 5 Councilwoman Ann Hollowell. Ward 2 Councilman Carl McGee will travel at his own expense, although not a huge expense as he explained later.

He has access to housing accommodations there.“There's no halo over my head,” he quipped.

Ward 4 Councilwoman Betty Watkins will attend, but because of her retirement status she already saves the city $6,000 per year, as she explained during the council meeting at which the trip was discussed.

Ward 2 Councilman Errick Simmons was absent from the meeting and his name remained on the list of those attending. Mayor Heather McTeer Hudson also will attend and urged the others to do the same, but they were not swayed.

In this time of tightening budgets, up and down sales tax revenue returns, and economic hardships, it's good to know that our City Council representatives are thinking ahead to a time when they may have to ask city employees to make sacrifices as well. They are leading by example.

It's not as if MML conferences are without merit. Members of city councils and boards of aldermen from around the state attend this conference each year to network, but more important, to educate elected city officials.“The league represents the collective interests of cities and towns to the state legislature, provides timely information on crucial municipal issues, offers certification and training for elected officials and provides valuable networking opportunities,” according to its Web site at http://www.mmlonline.com/.

We recognize the value of this opportunity, but we also are grateful to those who will save the city several thousands of dollars by not attending this year.

Everyone knows that these "conferences" are part work and part vacation; otherwise they wouldn't be held in resort areas. Can you imagine the statewide attendance if the conference were being held in Greenville, which is far more centrally located than Biloxi?

In private organizations, when they need to cut costs on travel, they send one or two representatives to the conference. In return, they are charged with presenting the information attained to the entire leadership group. Most conferences offer free PowerPoint presentations to facilitate the sharing of education provided. You eliminate hotel, travel and meal costs, but still get the training.

The days of "perk" trips are over. If the city can't afford garbage pick-up twice a week, they shouldn't be spending $7,500 on travel/training when there are more cost effective ways to accomplish the same goal. In an economic crisis, everyone needs to cut back a little. I commend the council-members who declined to "feed at the trough". As for our mayor... drop us a postcard!

Forthright

The "Costs" of Business in Greenville

Anonymous said...

My college-age son and I were watching the local news and heard that the local Pizza Inn, A&W, and Long John Silver's all had closed recently. He commented that it was no wonder, as he had not visited any of those places in all the years he's been independently mobile---they simply did not interest him. I quote: "If people want to have a successful restaurant in Greenville or anywhere else, why don't they simply appeal to the desired demographic?"

There are HUNDREDS of local folks---and thousands beyond our city limits---who crave a nice location for a meal, someplace they don't have to be ashamed to take a date, someplace that is as much a destination as a diner. How hard would it have been to open a McAllister's deli rather than a silly A&W/LJSilver combo. Totally wrong demographic!

If you want your restaurant to survive, then appeal to the group that has the money to spend. We don't want another hot wings trailer or tamale shack. We want a location, a place to spend a pleasant evening with friends.

We don't want another national pizza franchise---we want Lost Dog Pizza! We don't want another Taco Bell---we want Newk's Express or Sweet Pepper's Deli. Pay attention!!!! Heather, Betty Lynn, Ed: get the word out, please. We will THROW money out of the car window as we drive up! Just give us some better options.

The author makes some very good points. We would all like to see some up-scale restaurants in Greenville, but let me ask you this: Would you open a restaurant in Greenville?

The fact is that these franchises cost between $250K to $750K to open, over and above the cost of land and construction. Then you have the problem of labor. There is no labor pool from which to draw in Greenville... only the welfare pool who are perfectly content to milk the system rather than work, but they will take a job for a while, just to become eligible for unemployment. They know the system!

Think about the last time you went through a fast food drive-thru and could barely understand the person speaking. Did they get your order right? Probably not... do they care? NO! They have no work ethic and know they always have welfare to fall back upon if they are fired.

The difference between Greenville and Cleveland is that Cleveland has a large pool of educated college students from which to draw. They are trained in their job as wait-staff and appreciate the chance to make even a meager income on their way to enhancing their lives and education.

Anyone who has been in the restaurant business in Greenville will tell you that the biggest obstacle to making a profit is the employees. Take a day off and your restaurant becomes a free food pantry. What they don't give away to "friends", goes out the back door to their homes. Employee theft is considered just another entitlement of the low paid... another perk of "club membership".

No business can make a profit when you are being robbed on a daily basis... by your own employees! Greenville will never have any of these up-scale eateries because of the ignorant and unethical work-force we have produced. As long as it pays more not to work, than work, we are doomed!

Forthright

Color-Blind America?

GREENVILLE - City Council members are speaking out about their votes last week over whether to approve funds for travel/training requests.

Betty Watkins, Carl McGee and Errick Simmons on Tuesday voted to send Police Chief Charles Patterson, Capt. Andrew Kaho and Lt. Xavier Redmond to Jackson to attend the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Region III conference. The cost is $288.50 each.

Ann Hollowell, Kenny Gines and Lee Owen voted against.

However, the motion passed when Mayor Heather McTeer Hudson broke the tie by voting in favor of approving the travel expenses.** (end of article by Terri Ferguson of the DDT)

I have a problem with our city tax dollars paying to go to ANY Race specific event. I would be more likely to agree a need, if the conference had been for Police Leaders in General and not "Black Only". Same goes for the city paying for the Mayor attending "The Black Mayor's Conference". Our tax dollars should be specifically related to the population in general. If these people want to attend a race specific event, then they should be willing to pay their own way. If Lee Owens requested funds to attend a "White Council conference", can you imagine the roar from those who do the same???

If we are going to get past racism, we need to get at least past the tax dollars paying to support race specific events and groups.

African Americans who continue to differentiate themselves as members of "black" organizations are simply perpetuating the stereotypical views of "separate, but equal". Are there black and white "laws" and are they enforced differently by our police officers?

Do black mayors manage cities differently than white mayors? What are these "members only" secrets that need to be segregated by race?

This "labeling" only perpetuates racism and serves to further divide our communities. However, as for our mayor's approving these "black" travel requests, I am afraid that she would appear a bit hypocritical had she not voted to approve any one's travel requests, given her last year in office.

Continuing education is a good thing which should be supported by community leaders; however, the stink about this issue is the use of the term "black" as somehow being "different". If we are all truly equal, why do we need to differentiate ourselves as black, white or purple?

We will never get beyond racism until all races quit pointing to our differences, rather than our similarities.

Forthright

Patricia Lee: "Not Guilty"

A third trial for former county Tax Collector Patricia Lee ended today in Washington County Circuit Court with a verdict of "not guilty" to all charges. Lee was arrested along with eight former clerks in 2007 after an investigation found employees of the tax collector's office were placing car tag purchasers in cheaper tax districts to provide them a discount. A jury was seated for the trial on Tuesday.

Lee was being prosecuted by the state attorney general's office, which investigated the car tag discount scheme. Her defense attorney is Johnnie Walls. In addition to Lee, eight have been charged as a result of the investigation. Lee's two previous trials have ended in mistrials.

Now who would have predicted this verdict? Eight other employees in your department are participating in this "discount scheme" and you don't know about it?

What can I say? This is just another example of the perks of "club membership".

Forthright

How to Stimulate Greenville... Tell Us!

Heads up - Greenville wish list for stimulus money said...

Copied from web site shown below: Projects in Greenville, Mississippi. Below are the "shovel-ready" projects for which this city submitted in the 2008 U.S. Conference of Mayors report. You can click on a project to read (and add to) its description.

You can also discuss the project and vote on whether you believe it is critical or not. The total cost of all the projects submitted by Greenville is $337,850,000. Copy and paste to go to web site or just click on this link: http://www.stimuluswatch.org/project/by_city/Greenville/MS

Thanks, "Heads up" for the web address. This is a great site for information about how our city funds will be spent, plus you can rate the importance of each project and state why you believe the project is needed or a waste of money! As with the "Scoop", all responses will be anonymous unless you offer your name (which many have done).

Everyone should at least vote on these expenditures. Here's a tip... Click on the up and down arrows in the "vote ratio" column of the page. This will order the project from the least or most important projects. When you click on each project, you can vote "yes" or "no" to its importance and below, you can offer comments as to why you believe as you do.

Here's a great chance to become more informed about our city projects and to let your voice be heard. Your votes may become very useful in future debates about what Greenville residents really want. Check it out.

Forthright