The saga of Jackson’s unclean ingesting water has entered a brand new part: Federal takeover. The feds have fired the mayor and his public works administration and changed them with an interim public works director, Ted Henifin.
It’s not a foul gig for Ted, who will make $400,000 a yr and might be given a boatload of federal and state cash to work with.
Which will appear to be some huge cash, however given the federal deficit is $1.4 trillion this yr, I suppose the feds can afford it. There are some advantages to being a part of the richest nation within the historical past of the world — a nation that may seemingly print as a lot cash because it desires and by no means fail to seek out consumers.
And it could not appear to be that a lot on condition that the water disaster was costing the residents 1,000,000 {dollars} a day. That’s over $60 million whole in the course of the newest disaster. You may most likely add one other $50 million for the opposite 5 boil water intervals that got here earlier than.
Mr. Henifin’s $400,000 annual compensation towers over the compensation of the newest Jackson public works director, who was making lower than a fourth as a lot. Even Mayor Lumumba’s official compensation doesn’t come shut at $120,000 yr.
The $400,000 underscores the extent to which the town administration was merely out of their league in coping with an issue far past their ability set.
My guess is that the town might have turned the water division round if it had employed somebody on the $175,000 stage and given them the authority and funding to correctly workers and preserve the therapy services. As a substitute, they had been promoting for engineers on the town’s inside assist wished bulletin board with a Jackson residency requirement. That simply wasn’t gonna minimize it.
The EPA takeover underscores the mistrust the EPA has within the metropolis administration. An unbiased checking account might be set as much as deal with the cash, preserving it outdoors the attain of any metropolis officers.
That ought to clear up one other huge drawback: State mistrust about Jackson metropolis officers — primarily Lumumba. All of the shenanigans surrounding the waste disposal contract, the airport, the Savannah waste therapy plant, the Siemens water meters and lots of extra shady contracts have made state officers hesitant at hand over extra money, understandably so.
This state mistrust hasn’t been sufficient to get the governor or the state legislature to overturn the ill-conceived minority put aside legal guidelines which lay the groundwork for a lot of the corruption.
These put aside legal guidelines had been nicely that means however had a giant unintended consequence — corruption. Legit corporations are compelled to cope with “entrance males” to satisfy the put aside necessities and get the contract. The $100 million Siemens water meter deal is the poster youngster for this.
Certainly, the unqualified put aside contractors within the Siemens deal laid the groundwork for the water catastrophe. Poorly put in meters malfunctioned, inflicting nutty water payments. The nutty water payments led to a confidence disaster within the water billing division. Folks stop paying their payments and the water division didn’t have the moxie to close them off, having confirmed their incompetence.
All of this led to a drastic drop in water division income. Slightly than roll up his sleeves and repair the state of affairs —one thing that might have required a $400,000 ability set — Lumumba simply minimize the water division finances and used one-time capital funds to pay the working finances. Finally, all of it got here crashing down.
The mayor might have appealed to state officers for assist, however he was too politically conceited to kiss the governor’s ring and make it occur. So the feds lastly intervened and took over the entire mess.
I attempted to seek out out if the feds had ever taken over the day-to-day administration of a metropolis’s water provide. A Google search turned up nothing. This can be a primary. Not precisely the factor a metropolis desires to be first in.
Nationwide notion apart, it could really be a terrific factor for Jackson residents and the beleaguered restaurateurs. By the point it’s throughout, Jackson might have among the finest water programs within the nation — all paid by federal {dollars}. Speak in regards to the regulation of unintended penalties!
It’s superb to see how the nationwide media portrayed this disaster because the inevitable results of Republican racists ravenous a black metropolis of its share of funds. Kudos to Governor Reeves for debunking this with precise details and figures, not that the liberal nationwide media would let details intrude with their most well-liked storyline. That’s biased and lazy journalism.
What’s true is that this disaster had a very long time coming. It began with putting in a elaborate membrane plant in 2005 in a metropolis that was utilizing muddy lake water as its supply. The brand new-fangled expertise didn’t reside as much as billing and have become a upkeep hog. Working a twin membrane plant alongside a standard plant simply doubled the ability and upkeep required.
Additionally true is the sluggish however positive decline of the Jackson tax base, which siphoned off one of the best water clients and taxpayers, furthering the monetary pressure. However this wasn’t racism. This was individuals wanting greater homes and loads of out there land.
In that sense, Mayor Lumumba received caught with no chair. Of all his miscues, failing to let residents know in regards to the EPA emergency decree for over a yr was by far his worst.
That is simply the newest in a collection of federal takeovers in Mississippi. The Hinds County jail, the state psychological well being system, the MDOC and different governmental entities have been beneath varied federal decrees.
It’s a unusual type of federalism. Its efficacy stays to be seen.
