Weill Challenges Mayor Over Bond Money

Dang. Weill found a backbone. :) Color me impressed.

Amazing...simply amazing! Jeff Weill couldn't stand Lumumba getting all the media attention. He had to grab the spotlight again! WEILL you please sit down!!

If I were you, Iron, I'd hold back the applause until Weill coughs up the evidence behind his accusations. He's been very quick on the trigger; remember how it backfired when he put out his big study a couple months back about civilians in the police force. There was no there there.

These are serious accusations, even if he tries to downplay them. Too bad we didn't have more of these kinds of public challenges from that ward and others when Melton was mayor.

Does the council have oversight of the bond money? If so, then Weill seems to be in the right in simply wanting to know how much money has been spent, and where.

With the financial situation the last administration left us in, oversight is crucial in terms of expenditures and government spending.

I fail to see Weill's actions "accusations," but more of implementation of a type of checks and balances system (again, assuming the council has oversight of the bond money).

Soooooo TRUE, Ladd. That is why it is hard to accept anything Weill says now. I wonder even what his purpose is now for being on the City Council.

If it prompts Johnson to properly attribute his figures, it'll be a big start. My fear is that Johnson will just shrug it off and keep up with the "I'm running the show" attitude he's projecting now.

I think he's running his part of the "show". Ironghost. He is definitely showing leadership - that quality in government we have missed now for four years. Weill and Lumamba are doing what Crisler did when he joined the Council, they are running for Mayor.

Weill has been on a negative roll. First, he wanted to meet "privately" with Johnson's appointments of Chief of Police and Fire Chief. Why "privately." I don't think that
"Dog will Hunt" this season.

I get so tired of this because it is akin to what we are experiencing nationally with the Republicans trying so hard to discredit President Obama and other Democratics that they are attempting to unseat in upcoming elections.

Let's try to get this thing right this time. There is so much work to do it we are serious about helping Johnson to keep Jackson moving in a positive direction.

Oh lord. Just because someone questions the democrat in charge, they've suddenly become obstructionist? Give me a break.

From what I've heard, everyone was given three (3) minutes to meet privately with both candidates. Weill objected, complaining he wouldn't hire anyone he couldn't talk longer with. Valid, as I know I've had interviews lasting up to an hour for lesser jobs I didn't get. If Weill won't vote for the candidate based on a lack of time to seriously interview, then that's his reason.

Remember, no one would question Frank early on. Now we have people willing to do the job and they get jumped on?

I am told that members of the Jackson City Council and members of the media, including the Jackson Free Press, were given a 472 page proposed budget book detailing how the administration was balancing the budget, department by department, division by division, category by category. This has already been explained to Weill and the council.

Weill objected to balancing the budget using the reserve fund and wanted the Administration to slash JATRAN funding instead. That idea didn't fly with the majority of the council and now Weill has esentially "reframed" his argument. I think he missed his calling as a tabloid journalist or uptight socialite!

Iron, whether Weill is an "obstructionist" is a matter of opinion. As someone who has worked frequently in situations where I've held the minority opinion, I can tell you that there are ways to get things accomplished in spite of being the dissenter, and ways to just turn people against you. From what I've seen of Weill, he seems to be in the latter camp.

More and more, he comes off as someone who will simply "take his marbles and go home" if he doesn't get his way. That might work well for his Republican North Jackson constituents—and maybe in the courtroom—but it won't work in a predominantly Democratic-voting city where most voters support the Mayor. Seems to me he needs to be a little less the Republican lawyer and a little more the diplomat if he ever expects to win others to his way of thinking.

It is a good point about the council having oversight of the bond money; I'm vague on that. If they do, then it wouldn't be out of character to ask where the money's coming from. I don't see why only the Mayor would have oversight of it, but then weirder things have happened.