A Lesson In Deflection

Under pressure from Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler and a number of Madison County residents for a too-cozy relationship with County Engineer Rudy Warnock, Board of Supervisor's President Tim Johnson is deflecting accusations by pointing the finger back at the Mayor. Pointing to a legal contract between the City of Madison and developer Richard Skinner and calling it "extortion" doesn't make it so. In fact, Skinner and the Mayor on behalf of the city both voluntarily signed the agreement.

Unless someone comes forth to claim they witnessed the Mayor pointing a gun at Skinner's head and demanding he sign, this is much ado about nothing. In fact, if Madison County, under the leadership of Supervisor Johnson, would uphold their end of the deal on the Reunion Parkway project and complete it by December of 2011, then the money would be returned to Mr. Skinner as the deal clearly states (posted on Jackson Jambalaya). Then again if the State Auditor would subpoena the UNapproved subcontracts for enviromental work that Engineer Warnock ordered and then way overbilled for on the Reunion project and a couple of others, it would go a long way to help return money to the county that could then be used on construction.

It is a typical response from Johnson: create a problem by using your position to provide a loop hole for your friends to gouge the taxpayer, while shifting money from the original project to others which in turn slows the project (further providing your buddy the engineer with a chance to re-engineer the project). And then, when it comes to light what you have done and bites you in the rear end, blame it on the accuser.  Of course the tactic is used often by the other two Supes in the voting block of three, as well, as my friend Kingfish at Jackson Jambalaya reports and is busy uncovering today.

The lack of ethics in DC ain't got nothing on us!



CLASSY!

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