Jackson mayor to declare State of Emergency?

[zblanton1]

You know, I get the feeling this is kind of like the Obama-Bush ordeal, where Bush wasn't a great president, and then he handed the crap pile over to Obama, who just made it worse.

This is kind of like that where everyone wants to point the finger at Yarber, but the infrastructure problems are NOT Yarber's fault! Look at Ditto, Johnson, Melton, Lumumba, but don't look at Yarber! This is a first for any mayor of Jackson, and it's something that proves Yarber's worth as mayor I think!

He's been handed the crap pile, and now he's trying to deal with it and wade through it all.

[An Einnseanair]

Anyone can declare a state of emergency. My wife declared a SoE for the condition of our basement/den a few weeks back.

What matters is how much authority the declarer has. The president can order up US military troops and send in FEMA with federal aide. The governor can mobilize the MS National Guard and request federal emergency funds. According to the article posted earlier, a SoE allows the mayor to circumvent standard design and bidding procedures to get stuff done quickly. In my wife's case, she used the SoE to temporarily cease all video game activity until the mess was cleaned up.


Incidentally, is the pothole-and-water-main repair portion of the budget one of the areas where the city can "cut the budget until it bleeds, then cut more"? Not trying to troll a thread, just trying to make a point that stuff like smooth roads and water pipes need maintenance that costs money. I realize this is City and not State or Federal, but the concept is the same.

[golden eagles fan]

Originally Posted by zblanton1

You know, I get the feeling this is kind of like the Obama-Bush ordeal, where Bush wasn't a great president, and then he handed the crap pile over to Obama, who just made it worse.

This is kind of like that where everyone wants to point the finger at Yarber, but the infrastructure problems are NOT Yarber's fault! Look at Ditto, Johnson, Melton, Lumumba, but don't look at Yarber! This is a first for any mayor of Jackson, and it's something that proves Yarber's worth as mayor I think!

He's been handed the crap pile, and now he's trying to deal with it and wade through it all.

I agree. Mayors before Yarber promised better infrastructure, but didn't do much. I saw more street repair during election years. Also, I've not seen as comprehensive a plan to deal with this as I've seen under Yarber. He said in an interview on JSU-TV that in a year from now, people will be mad at him for having to take detours due to road closures to make long-neglected improvements. At least, Yarber is not kicking the can down the road and not making excuses.