Butch Brown and Cancer

We've had a good time poking fun at Butch Brown. But cancer is no laughing matter. We hope for him and his family his treatment is successful and are glad to see he is in good spirits about it.

Former Mayor and Mississippi Department of Transportation commissioner Larry “Butch” Brown recently discovered his prostate cancer has come back for the third time since 2008, but he said everything is business-as-usual at work and at home on his end.

“(Doctors) performed additional biopsies and found that I do have more — and a more powerful — reoccurrence of cancer in my prostate, so now we’re looking at surgical removal,” Brown said.

Despite his diagnosis, Brown said he feels perfectly normal.

“If doctor hadn’t told me I was sick I wouldn’t know I was sick — I feel just fine,” Brown said.

As far as his own health, Brown said he is living his life as usual.

“I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve always done — try to stay out of trouble, keep doing things for MDOT and the City of Natchez and playing with my grandchildren — that sort of thing,” Brown said.

“I’m gonna be here a long time — trust me. The people of Natchez and the people of Mississippi are going to have to put up with me for a long time.”

MDOT: We don't need no stinking traffic lights

This is an example of a city trying to take care of a problem before it happens, and a bureaucracy that won't take steps until after the problem occurs. Sandersville wants a traffic light because of expectations of more traffic once a new casino is open. But MDOT apparently can only react and not solve a problem before it happens.

Sandersville Mayor Walter “Buzz” Jack and other town and county officials met with Southern Transportation Commissioner Wayne H. Brown Wednesday to discuss the possibility of installing a traffic light at the intersection of Highway 11 and Main Street in the small Jones County community.

Brown and Pol said Mississippi Department of Transportation officials have determined that a traffic light is not warranted in the area. Brown said MDOT looked at such things as traffic, concentration, accident records, speed, proximity to the railroad and other factors in reaching its decision.

“Traffic signals do not necessarily reduce traffic,” explained Brown. “Neither do they promote safety.”

Now this is the best part.

He pointed out a section of highway in Gulfport were traffic signals were put up with the expectation of having a safer roadway. However Brown said more than 300 accidents occurred on the section of road that had traffic lights, while only about 45 occurred where there were no lights.

That's right. According to MDOT Commissioner Wayne Brown, traffic lights are dangerous. They increase accidents.

The commissioner told the group that the average cost of a traffic light is $500,000.

A traffic light costs half-a-million dollars. We're all in the wrong business. The good news is we can fix some of the state budget problems. According to Wayne Brown, traffic lights are expensive and dangerous. Why don't we just not install any more?

Still not convinced a traffic light wouldn’t be good for the area, Jack asked if a traffic light could be installed at the intersection if the town and Choctaws partnered to do it.

“No, we will not issue a permit for a traffic light unless it is warranted,” replied Brown. “We’ll look at it again if things change somewhere down the road.”

If something changes somewhere down the road...you mean like a casino opening down the road?

Strain advised those in attendance that the casino is scheduled to open Dec. 20. “We are looking at a daily average of about 500 to 600 cars,” said Strain. “That number may increase during the weekends.”

We suspect there are instances of MDOT putting up traffic lights in anticipation of events rather than just based on past traffic levels.

“We are concerned about safety, not so much for the people going to the casino, but for those who live here,” said Jack. “Once the casino opens, I’m sure we will begin to hear complaints from our people about not being able to get from one side of the road to the other.

“We wanted to avoid some of these things and were looking at a traffic light as a good way of doing it.”

Sandersville, this is really a local problem. It isn't like MDOT created it.

Jack said a traffic light once stood at the intersection, but was removed when the state did some work on Highway 11. He said the town was told that a traffic light or flashing yellow lights would be placed at the intersection, but so far the town hasn’t received anything.

Oh, well, look at it this way Sandersville, MDOT did you a favor by removing that dangerous traffic light. Although it would be interesting to know where that traffic light went. Did it go up somewhere else? Is it in storage? Was it sold? We have determined they are quite valuable. But then again, why anyone would want to buy such a dangerous thing?

One Brown Down

One of the Brown Boys has decided to throw in the towel.

Southern District Transportation Commissioner Wayne Brown said Friday he isn’t running for re-election. He said Friday his announcement was only confirming the obvious. “It’s the worst-kept secret,” Brown said with a laugh.

Mississippi’s three-member transportation commission is likely to look much different soon. In addition to Brown’s replacement, the northern district will also be represented by a first-termer. An election will be held Jan. 11 to replace Northern District Transportation Commissioner Bill Minor, who died in office Nov. 1.

Minor and Brown, both Democrats, often found themselves opposing Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall, a Republican, on major issues including the job performance of MDOT Executive Director Larry Lynn “Butch” Brown.

The new commission may decide the fate of the other Brown.

The 2011 primaries are in August and the general election in November.

Brown's planned departure is a poorly kept political secret. Rumors have swirled for some time that he likely would not seek re-election.

Others already have been lining up for the post, most notably, Senate Highways and Transportation Committee Chairman Tom King, R-Petal. King said Friday that he is taking a hard look at the job and will make a formal announcement in early January.

In the Northern District, the qualifying deadline for candidates is 5 p.m. Friday. Holly Springs resident Ray Minor - Bill Minor's younger brother and business partner - already has turned in his signatures for qualification. Also having met the qualifying deadline are Tippah County District 4 Supervisor Dennis Grisham; Grenada business owner Larry Lee; MDOT employee Larry Lee; and DeSoto County schools transportation director John Caldwell. House Transportation Committee Chairman Warner McBride, D-Courtland, also has announced. Others are eyeing the post.

We hear those in the transportation community view both elections as a referendum on Butch Brown. And that it is not so much a partisan race. For example, it is expected that Ray Minor and Warner McBride, both Democrats, would support Butch Brown. But in the Southern District, the word is that the Republican Tom King would also support Butch Brown.

Wayne Brown has stood behind embattled MDOT Executive Director Butch Brown, who is of no relation.

Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall made a motion to dismiss Butch Brown following the MDOT chief's run-in with the law this summer at the Beau Rivage casino, a vote Hall lost by a 2-1 split.

He actually didn't lose the vote, his motion died for failure to get a second. Bill Minor and Wayne Brown would not even allow the motion to come to a vote.

Butch Brown was arrested in July on a public intoxication charge, which was eventually dropped in return for his agreeing to take anger management classes. Butch Brown was in hot water again in November after he railed on federal U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood during a meeting of national highway leaders.

Hall said he is planning to seek re-election next year. If he wins, he will be the senior member, but Hall said he's not concerned about training newcomers.

"I'm sure whoever wins will come in and we'll bring them up to speed right quick," he said. "We have a pretty senior staff. Added Hall: "It's no secret I plan to make a change at the top if I get the vote to do that."

We hope voters send Hall some backup so we can see a real change at MDOT.

Butch Brown Agrees to Anger Management; Charges Dropped

That was easy.

The attorney for state transportation director Larry "Butch" Brown says his client will enter anger management classes and, in return, the city of Biloxi will drop a public intoxication charge.

Brown, 67, of Natchez, is executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation. He was scheduled to stand trial in Biloxi on charges arising from an incident at Beau Rivage Casino in July.

Brown did not appear in court Thursday.

His attorney, Walter Brown of Natchez, no relation, said if the MDOT chief successfully completes the anger management course, the charges against him will be dropped and his record will be expunged.

Butch Brown Trial Thursday

Unless something has changed, Butch Brown faces trial tomorrow on a charge of public intoxication.

Salter: Butch should go - Ledger: MDOT needs change

Sid Salter writes today that Butch Brown should retire from MDOT to focus on his own concerns.

Brown needs to step down from the leadership of MDOT and attend to his personal issues. Brown needs to be able to focus on his battle against cancer without the political turmoil that is certain to develop over his leadership of MDOT during the process of choosing a successor to the late Minor.

In all likelihood, the election to choose Minor's successor doesn't bode well for Brown continuing in that role regardless of his health.

The Clarion Ledger editorialized the "the activities, comments and actions of Executive Director Butch Brown continue to keep the Department of Transportation in an upheaval of political intrigue and controversy."

Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall has sought Brown's removal for some time and, again, has called on him to step down. Hall has been overruled by the other two commissioners, Wayne Brown (no relation to Butch Brown) in the Southern District and Minor, who died of a heart attack the morning of Brown's remarks about LaHood.

A new commission will change the political makeup, which could affect whether Brown remains executive director of MDOT.

Calling federal highway officials names won't help Mississippi build needed highways. Some new state leadership might.

Warner McBride Dodges on Butch Brown

There are many issues voters should consider in the upcoming special election for transportation commissioner in the Northern District. Just as the first important vote in Congress is for Speaker of the House and control of the whole Congress, so the first important vote at MDOT is for the executive director who with the support of two commissioners rules the entire agency and is more powerful than the third elected commissioner.

If a candidate denies Butch Brown is an issue then that is code that they will support Butch Brown.

McBride, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, said he plans on making a public announcement to run after the governor sets the election date.

He said his "thoughts and prayers go out to Butch and his family" as he deals with cancer.

"I think until he's back home and recovering and better it's inappropriate to discuss his leadership," McBride said. "The question is not about Butch Brown or other personnel, but it's how MDOT can best be run for the people of Mississippi, and that's going to be my focus."

Wayne Brown: Butch's remarks rhymed with "AASHTO"

An update on this morning's post also coming from the Mississippi Business Journal (and Y'all Politics is posting, too.)

We did manage to reach Southern District Transportation Commissioner Wayne Brown (no relation to Butch) on his cell phone a few minutes ago.

Wayne Brown could not remember exactly what Butch Brown said that drew Mendez’ ire, but did say there was a profanity involved that “rhymes with AASHTO.”

“I think Victor was a little too sensitive. We have a right to express our opinion in these rural states about the direction transportation’s going in. Did Butch do it with the best taste in the world? No, he did not.”

Wayne Brown has been an ally of Butch Brown for many years, and he said this latest incident does nothing to change that. Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall has often clashed with both Browns. A spokesman for Hall said Friday morning that Hall did not attend the AASHTO Board of Directors dinner.

“Mendez had a right to say what he said in his letter; Butch had a right to say what he said,” said Wayne Brown. “Both of them could have done it with a little more sensitivity.”

Federal Highway Chief: Butch Brown's behavior "offensive" and "shameful"

Clay Chandler at the Mississippi Business Journal breaks this story:

Early this afternoon, Magnolia Marketplace obtained a letter Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez wrote to Brown and copied several others on. It’s only two sentences long, but it packs quite a punch.

The full text of the letter, which was dated Nov. 3 and addressed to Brown: “Your remarks as a public official were highly offensive, inappropriate and unprofessional. Your behavior was shameful and brings discredit to your department (the Mississippi Department of Transportation), the citizens of the great State of Mississippi and your peers at AASHTO.”

Wow.

Mendez was referring to Brown’s behavior during AASHTO’s Board of Directors dinner, which was listed on the letter’s subject line, on Nov. 1. According to the AASHTO meeting agenda, the dinner took place at the Imperial Palace, was invitation only and started at 6 p.m. Here’s the interesting thing about that: Northern District Transportation Commissioner Bill Minor died the morning of Nov. 1. He was attending the AASHTO meeting.

So whatever Brown did that night, hours after his friend and colleague’s sudden death, was deemed so “offensive, inappropriate and unprofessional” by Mendez, he fired off a letter and copied the other two members of the Transportation Commission (Dick Hall and Wayne Brown), AASHTO’s executive director, AASHTO’s incoming president, and the deputy director of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Butch Brown Trial November 18

The Sun Herald updates us on Butch Brown, executive director of the Mississippi Department of TourismTransportation, and his Beau Rivage adventure.

Mississippi Department of Transportation Director Larry L. “Butch” Brown has pleaded not guilty to a public intoxication charge and is set to stand trial Nov. 18.

The charge stems from Brown’s arrest in July at Beau Rivage casino. Biloxi police records say Brown was “intoxicated and unconscious” at a slot machine at 5:43 a.m. Brown has maintained his innocence in the case, but didn’t return a phone call seeking comment Thursday.

Casino security placed Brown under citizen’s arrest until Biloxi police arrived. He was booked into the Harrison County jail, where he later posted a $480 bond. Brown’s disorderly conduct charge was dropped at the casino’s request. Biloxi police filed the public intoxication charge against Brown, for which he will stand trial before one of Biloxi’s two municipal judges.

Butch Brown Court Date - September 13

The Beau Rivage dropped the "disorderly conduct" charge against MDOT Executive Director Butch Brown, but he still faces the public intoxication charge and his court date was set for September 13, according to WAPT.

Biloxi police said Mississippi Department of Transportation Director Larry “Butch” Brown is expected in court Sept. 13 in connection with a misdemeanor public intoxication charge he faces as a result of his arrest Friday morning at the Beau Rivage Casino.

Police described Brown as belligerent and combative. He was arrested and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct, police said. Brown was released on $480 bond, police said.

Biloxi police said the misdemeanor public intoxication charge still stands.

Even Brown admits to the Associated Press he was drinking that night

"I was playing, of all things, a penny slot machine," Brown said with a chuckle during a telephone interview...Brown, 67, said he'd had wine with dinner and "a couple of whatever they serve" as drinks in the casino. He said the incident was "embarrassing."

Busting Ass, Butch Brown Style

“We still have to wade through the murky bullshit of the Biloxi Sun Herald doing articles just like this, while we’re out there busting our ass to make something good happen for you." - MDOT Executive Director Butch Brown (Biloxi Sun Herald, June 5, 2010)

That's right, man. Butch Brown is a hard working civil servant. Get off his ass. He is out there, bustin' it hard, just trying to make sure Mississippi has paved roads. You know? He gets no respect, no respect for his hard work. People always criticizing him. Come on. He is just a blue collar guy.

And sometimes he needs a littl R&R.



From the AP:

Authorities say Butch Brown, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation, was arrested at a Biloxi casino early today and charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

Both are misdemeanors.

Harrison County Sheriff Melvin Brisolara says Brown was released from jail on $480 bond.

According to the Clarion Ledger, the "charges have been dropped". According to the Natchez Democrat, "The Biloxi Police Department says the case is 'pending action of the Biloxi Municipal Court.'" According to the Mississippi Business Journal (which called on Butch Brown to resign), Butch Brown "didn’t just publicly embarrass himself and disgrace the state of Mississippi. He followed his misdemeanor with lying to an MBJ reporter, denying that the incident occurred."

More on this to come, we're sure.

Mitchell praises reporting on Jackson council, MDOT

Charlie Mitchell of the Vicksburg Post rightfully praises reporting by Michael Newsom of the Sun Herald and Chris Joyner of the Clarion Ledger. Newsom has reported on the lavish trips taken by Department of Transportation officials while Joyner has questioned the value of taxpayer paid trip by Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes. Both deserve praise for their investigative journalism.

List of $200+ hotels used by MDOT officials

The Sun Herald has a list of hotels and resorts costing more than $200 a night used by MDOT officials.

Feds teach Bill Minor colors during MDOTourism travel

So what have we learned about MDOTourism this year? Read this story from the Sun Herald and you'll see that Bill Minor learns his colors at conference, Butch Brown thinks open government is bullshit, and Wayne Brown is planning a tax payer funded trip to Cuba.

Even as many other government agencies and businesses are cutting back on travel in the weak economy, records show Mississippi’s top four transportation officials are spending more to go to conferences and other shindigs.

Mississippi Department of Transportation Director Larry L. “Butch” Brown, Southern District Transportation Commissioner Wayne Brown (no relation), Central Commissioner Dick Hall and Northern Commissioner Bill Minor spent a combined $56,045 on travel in 2009.

The Sun Herald recently searched travel records for Sept. 30, 2008, through March 12, 2010. The documents show trips to places including Boston; Vail, Colo.; New Orleans; Destin, Fla.; Hot Springs, Ark.; Pigeon Forge, Tenn.; and many Washington, D.C., trips. The records also show receipts from expensive hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt Regency and the Washington Court Hotel. They stayed a combined 52 nights in hotel rooms costing more than $200 a night in the last 18 months.

Wayne Brown, who laments the lack of cheap rooms in the Beltway, booked the most expensive stay, according to the 2009 records. He paid $385 for one night at the Ritz-Carlton in Arlington, Va., for a conference. He said some events have to be held at hotels that can accommodate large conventions.

If only there was hotel near the Ritz-Carlton that was cheaper. Maybe like the Doubletree, the Crowne Plaza, the Holiday Inn, the Best Western, or the Days Inn. All of which are less than two miles away from the Ritz-Carlton (some just a few blocks) and all of which can be booked for under a hundred dollars a night (according to hotels.com).

“The taxpayers are spending almost $1 billion a year on roads in Mississippi and they need people leading that charge that are knowledgeable and involved,” Wayne Brown said.

By that logic, there is no need to elect an incumbent. The whole reason to reelect someone is because they have experience. But what Wayne Brown is saying is whether you've been there for years or just got there, you still have to go to these conferences. Apparently, incumbents like Brown don't retain much information as they have to go every year.

According to Bill Minor, these conferences teach the commissioners their colors, which might qualify any kindergartner to be a commissioner.

“We know reds mean stop, green means go,” Minor said. “We are talking about … ‘Go Orange’ to make people slow down. Orange means slow down in these places where we are working on the roads because there could be a big bulldozer pull out in front of you, or somebody could walk out in front of you and be killed. These are things we’ve learned when we go because the feds are there teaching us.”

And if it is anything the feds are good at, its teaching.

According to the state Department of Finance and Administration, of the combined $56,045 the four spent on travel in 2009, MDOT Director Butch Brown spent $20,921. Wayne Brown spent $19,225. Minor spent $12,552 and Hall, who lives closest to Jackson, where Transportation Commission meetings are held twice a month, spent considerably less than the others, at $3,347.

MDOT’s annual budget includes $3 million for travel.

Butch Brown said he believes, given MDOT’s size and responsibilities, the expenses are reasonable. He’s been critical of the Sun Herald for reporting his agency’s travel spending.

“We still have to wade through the murky bullshit of the Biloxi Sun Herald doing articles just like this, while we’re out there busting our ass to make something good happen for you,” Brown said.

“I am never told who went,” Hall said. “I never see those expenses. That is all made by the executive director. Yes, I think too many people go to some meetings, but that’s about all I can say about it. I don’t control it.”

So I guess when Wayne Brown wants to take his next foreign trip, all he has to do is get it cleared with Butch Brown.

“I think we need to do considerably more overseas travel,” Wayne Brown said. He said he’d like to visit Cuba because that country would be advantageous as a hub for massive container ships, which could be downloaded and their cargo placed on smaller ships bound for Mobile, New Orleans, Gulfport and other Gulf Coast cities. He said work could be finished faster in Cuba because of less-stringent environmental regulations. “I think Cuba holds a great key to our ports,” Wayne Brown said. “With this Panama Canal widening and those ships coming in there, you have to download those somewhere. The most favorable place to download them is Cuba, for Mississippi, because if they go on out further, then they will transship them to Savannah and places like that.”

MDOTourism: Tax Payers Picking Up The Tab

Good news and bad news from the Sun Herald on MDOTourism.

The good news:

Top highway officials said they stopped letting the road-building industry pay for their trips to meetings at luxury hotels in tourist hot spots — a change lawmakers and the state’s top ethics official applaud.

The bad news:

Taxpayers now pick up the tab

Not everyone can afford a Florida vacation this summer. But don't worry, some of your tax dollars are going to pay for MDOT officials to have their own Florida vacations.

A set of travel records the Sun Herald recently requested, from September 2008 until March, showed trips to Destin, Fla., for separate conferences — one by the MRBA and one by the American Council of Engineering Companies. Taxpayers covered the tab, which included rooms at top-drawer resort hotels.

At one ACEC meeting in February 2009, Wayne Brown was reimbursed $385 for one night’s stay at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City outside Washington. He also attended the Mississippi Asphalt Pavement Association meetings in Fairhope, Ala., in March 2009. Expense reports showed he paid $252.56 a night for the four nights he stayed there, with an overall tab of $1,165.

Wayne Brown, Minor and Hall attended meetings of the MRBA in Destin, Fla., paying $247 a night at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Wayne Brown stayed three nights, paying $866.41, Hall stayed three nights, paying $909, Minor stayed two nights, paying $745, for all expenses. Wayne Brown found himself at the same Sandestin hotel a couple of months later, when he spent four nights for an ACEC conference. Each night was $247, for a trip totaling $1,145.

Wayne Brown also attended an Alabama Society of Professional Land Surveyors meeting in Montgomery, Ala., in February 2009, which cost taxpayers $707.76.

So what then is the alternative? Obviously, don't travel so much. In case they couldn't see it from their Jackson tower, there is a recession on and Mississippi families have to cut their vacation plans. Use the money on a road, not a road trip.

MDOT's Butch Brown to Sun Herald: stop "kicking our ass"

"I think you ought to back off of MDOT and start saying thank you instead of kicking our ass." MDOT Executive Director Butch Brown to the Sun Herald.

Butch Brown apparently thinks the press should only do public relations and not hold government accountable.

Well, we'll thank-you. Thank-you Mr. Brown for taking our tax payer dollars and buildling new offices. Thank-you Mr. Brown for using my tax money on trips around the world. Thank-you Mr. Brown for planning to rip-up Church Street in Port Gibson because you don't want to do a bypass. Thank-you so much, Mr. Brown, for running MDOT for us because really, we could never find anyone else to do it for us.

The Sun Herald shares MDOT's attempt to counter the sunshine the press puts on how MDOT spends our money.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation recently charged the Sun Herald nearly $1 a page for travel-expense reports for four state highway officials, compared with 25 cents a page for the same kind of records in 2008.

The newspaper was billed a total of $511 for the records, which included a 25 cent per page charge to copy the 538 pages. The total, officials said, also included paying a software consultant $250 to "develop a program" for identifying the records.

Really? To develop a program to identify the records? So until the Sun Herald asked for it, MDOT had no idea how much they were spending on travel! They couldn't because they didn't have a system to answer that question. That sounds like bad management to us.

There was also a $90 charge for a clerk to pull and copy the documents, and $36 for an auditor to review the records. MDOT said the auditor worked for an hour looking for missing receipts and documentation.

Hold on. They charged for an auditor to find "missing receipts and documentation." So MDOT has a practice of paying for travel without receipts or documentation. That appears to be the process because otherwise, they wouldn't have to look for them. And apparently, MDOT's auditors don't get receipts or documentation as part of their normal job activities or else they wouldn't need to charge the Sun Herald for doing it. So tack on bad auditing to bad management, or it could be just part of it.

The Sun Herald made a request for travel records in late 2008, in which MDOT was asked for travel-expense reports for about four years' worth of travel records for the same four officials.

MDOT turned over the four years' worth of documents for the officials, but charged only 25 cents a page for nearly 1,700 pages of records. There was no additional charge for computer software, clerks and auditors in the records released in 2008.

So that means in the past two years, MDOT has actually gotten LESS effective. It costs four times as much to make a copy, not to mention paying someone to write software as well as clerks and auditors to do what it seems like they should be doing already.

Director Butch Brown said he doesn't believe the Sun Herald should be looking into the travel costs for him and the commission

I wonder why?

MDOT: Meet the new King, same as the old one

It seems that Southern District Transportation Commissioner Wayne Brown (D-Lucedale) may not run for reelection, and Senator Tom King (R-Petal) may run for the seat.

The key to MDOT politics is not partisanship, it usually comes down to one issue: Butch Brown, Executive Director of MDOT. He is hired by a majority of commissioners so to maintain control he needs 2 votes. He doesn't care if those votes are Republican or Democrat.

Wayne Brown has been a supporter of Butch Brown. And the word is, Tom King would also be on the Butch Brown team.

(We're back from our Christmas Vacation.)

MDOT puts new light on Open Meetings law

No to belabor the issue we've discussed extensively already, but here are a few reports from around the state on the latest involving Democrat MDOT Commissioners Wayne Brown and Bill Minor and their violation of Mississippi's Open Meetings Law.

The Greenwood Commonwealth: Dinner not exempt from sunshine law

When members of the Transportation Commission get together to discuss policy, it doesn’t matter whether they are doing it in a board room or over cocktails. It’s a meeting that the public has a right to know is occurring and the right to observe.

Minor, his fellow Commissioner Wayne Brown of the Southern District and Department of Transportation Director Butch Brown violated that requirement in August, according to the head of the state Ethics Commission.

This was no random social gathering. The intent of the dinner was clear -- to line up support on the commission for putting more state money into an interchange project, and to keep Hall out of the loop since he has been unreceptive to the idea. Furthermore, public officials don’t have to cast votes to be in a public meeting. They just have to have a quorum sufficient to conduct the public’s business — such as discussing where to spend its money.

If Minor and Brown don’t like those rules, they should regret the next time they’re invited to such a dinner.

The Madison County Journal: Skirting open meetings

An Ethics Commission report determined just that and found Commissioner Bill Minor of the Northern District and Wayne Brown of the Southern District guilty of violating the state's Open Meetings Act.

During his attempt to deny the charges, Minor actually confessed to the violation, not only confirming everyone who was present, but admitting they discussed funding for the Reunion interchange.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse, but so what if you're above the law.

Violators of the Open Meetings Act face a maximum $100 fine, that's all. The commissioners got a reprimand.

[Madison County Supervisor Tim] Johnson was joking about the violation recently during a meeting of the Board of Supervisors, saying he wanted to make sure everyone understood that a reception the board was invited to was "a dinner and not a meeting."

The statement drew laughter from other members of the board and county staff, but it's a meeting if they discuss public business.

If Johnson believes this is a joke and that such meetings are the appropriate way to conduct the county's business, then we are afraid to imagine what other open meetings infractions have occurred.

The fact these officials are not ashamed or afraid to break the law is good reason the Legislature should stiffen the penalty for violating the Open Meetings Act.

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal: Transportation commissioners won’t fight ethics finding

Hood said late Wednesday that Commissioners Bill Minor of the Northern District and Wayne Brown of the Southern District withdrew their objection to his decision.

Last week, when Hood’s recommendation was released, the commissioners said they intended to object.

But Minor said Wednesday, “Let them do whatever they are going to do. I just want to get it over with.”

Hood will recommend to the commission that the transportation commissioners broke the law and that they be enjoined from violating it again.

While he said he wanted to put the incident behind him, Minor said he plans to ask the Ethics Commission for clarification on the open meetings law.

He said road contractors routinely invite all three transportation commissioners to lunch or dinner where often business is discussed.

The Madison County Journal: Law needs stronger penalty, experts say

Attorney Leonard D. Van Slyke, who operates a legal hotline for the Mississippi Center for Freedom of Information, said the case is a great example of the why the state's open meetings laws should be revised.

"I certainly believe that this case points out the need for stronger penalties and enforcement procedures," Van Slyke said. "Currently the law has very little steam and hopefully this will enable the legislature to see the need for strengthening these laws."

Van Slyke added that Minor and others involved seem to be unaware of the open meetings laws, as they continue to contend they've done nothing wrong.

Van Slyke said until more teeth are put into open meetings laws public officials will continue to ignore them.

"Stronger penalties would definitely promote public officials to seek education on the requirements of both the open meetings laws and public records legislation," Van Slyke said.

State Rep. Rita Martinson, R-Madison, says she will take a long look at the laws and supports change.

Martinson wrote a letter to the editor of several local newspapers calling out the actions of Minor and Brown, while questioning local officials' involvement.

She said such dealings should be done in public and those found in violation should face stricter punishment.

Butch Brown wants to hike your taxes

Butch Brown - the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation through the support of MDOT Commissoners Wayne Brown and Bill Minor, both Democrats - wants to hike your gasoline taxes.

Charlie Mitchell writes about it.

An average Mississippi family may start shelling out that much more per driver in fuel taxes per year before too long. The stage is being set — artfully — to increase Mississippi’s excise tax by a nickel per gallon.

Building the case for an increase, among others, is Butch Brown, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Assisting him in a loosely organized campaign are alliances of contractors. The companies that build bridges and construct, widen or resurface roads need the work, and MDOT needs the money to pay them.

Why does MDOT want more of our money? Mitchell speculates on that as well.

We also rank extremely high -- inexplicably, absent a belief there’s more than a little cash slipping through the cracks, so to say -- in what we pay per mile for road work as compared to other states.

Terrain is different and so are wages, but how does one explain a 1995 report to Congress that in Wisconsin the average wage on federally assisted highway projects was $15.55 per hour, more than twice Mississippi’s $6.69 per hour, yet the total construction cost per mile was $394,405 in Wisconsin and $641,238 in Mississippi?

Costs, not including “slippage,” continue to rise. Arkansas officially estimates it costs more than $100,000 per mile per lane this year for a good overlay job.

So Butch Brown and MDOT want to raise our taxes because we spend more per mile for road work than other states. Sounds like a management problem. Here's an idea, how about bringing costs under control before pinching more money from our pockets.

Maybe they could spend less of our taxpayer dollars (and on the special interest dime) visiting Budapest, Vienna, Brussels, Puerto Rico, Cancun, Key West, San Francisco, Walt Disney World (maybe they studied the monorail), Cape Cod, New York City and both country entertainment meccas Branson, Missouri and Opryland in Nashville.

Ethics Commission Chairman Tom Hood believes MDOT Commissioners Bill Minor and Wayne Brown violated Mississippi's open meetings laws (Butch Brown was there, too, but he is not a commissioner). Minor's response was one of confusion, as if he didn't know it was wrong. Perhaps that will be MDOT's response to the wasteful costs per mile of roads.