Coast Absentee Voting

Jackson County Circuit Clerk Joe Martin declared this week that Tuesday’s election will go down in history for voter turnout based on the number of absentee ballots his office has processed – 2,500 so far. A record.

And in Gulfport and Biloxi, Gayle Parker’s clerks have taken in twice that many.

It has been so hectic at the circuit clerk’s office in those two cities that Parker’s clerks have created a line just for absentee voters and have had to work late for the past two weeks catching up.

Absentee voting isn’t the same as the early voting that’s done in other states. Mississippi doesn’t allow standard early voting. Absentee voting means voters won’t be available to vote on Tuesday for whatever reason – and the reasons are clearly outlined in the law – so they fill out an application at the circuit clerk’s office, swear their reasons are true and marks their ballot ahead of time.

Absentee ballots are sealed and counted with the rest of the ballots on Tuesday at the voting precincts.

In all three Coast counties, a voter can go to the circuit clerk’s office and vote absentee today and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

A person may vote absentee if over 65, going to be out of town, in the military, a disabled war veteran, a patient in a hospital, temporarily living outside the United States, a student who will be away at school, disabled, a member of Congress or someone who is required to be at work all day.

Oppose The Richton Proposal

Members of the state House Conservation and Water Resources Committee heard from South Mississippians on a variety of issues including the strategic-petroleum reserve plan at Richton and a massive post-Katrina water and sewer project.

About 35 residents showed up at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County campus for the meeting Tuesday. Some from rural parts of Jackson County wanted more oversight of the $640 million post-Hurricane Katrina water and sewer project, which aims to install water and sewer lines north of interstate 10 to handle expected development there.

Eric Richards, of Pascagoula, said he was concerned about the proposal for a strategic petroleum reserve in a Richton salt dome. The plan would use a water source, of which one option is the pristine Pascagoula River, to flush out the large underground dome formation, to make room to store petroleum. Other water sources, including the Gulf of Mexico, are being studied by the U.S. Department of Energy, which is overseeing the project. The brine water bi-product would be dumped into the Gulf of Mexico, under one plan.

Richards told the committee he didn’t favor using the Pascagoula River to drain the dome, but he said the Mississippi River would be a better option. Richards also said he believes many of the industries would suffer if the Pascagoula River was used because they also depend on the water from the river, but would have to compete with DOE, which is overseeing the project.

Consultant Sentencing Delayed (Again)

Sentencing has once again been reset for political consultant Richard K. Buckman, who pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in February to misdemeanor charges of failure to file income tax returns

Buckman, who has helped numerous South Mississippi politicians win elections, pleaded guilty earlier this year and in exchange for the plea, two of the four charges against him were dismissed.

Buckman has admitted that he failed to file income tax returns on gross incomes of $208,657 in 2002 and $62,755 in 2003.

Buckman is facing penalties of up to one year in prison, $25,000 in fines, a $25 special assessment fee and up to one year of supervised release on each of the two counts against him. The plea agreement also instructs Buckman to make a $181,714.81 restitution payment to the Internal Revenue Service for the years covered in the indictment.

Buckman, 39, was facing two additional charges, which accused him of failing to file tax returns on gross incomes of $634,516 in 2000 and $93,135 in 2001.

Buckman, who spent four years at the University of Southern Mississippi focusing on political science and economics though he never obtained a degree, currently operates Buckman & Associates in Gulfport and TCB Consulting in Washington, D.C.

Over the past 10 years, Buckman has worked in a number of South Mississippi political campaigns, including several mayoral races.

MS: Senate Candidates On The Economy

This is a reprint of an article published in the Jackson Free Press.
Ronnie Musgrove
As governor, Democrat Ronnie Musgrove was exceptionally tight-fisted. His opponent, interim Sen. Roger Wicker, has frequently charged that he squandered a budget surplus during his administration. This is inaccurate and misleading, as Musgrove dealt with a national economic downturn and decreased state revenue by cutting spending. He managed to balance the state’s budget without increasing taxes, against the recommendation of the Stennis Institute for Government.

In 2001, Musgrove vetoed 42 appropriations bills that legislators had based on an estimate that state revenue would grow by 3.7 percent for the next year. Musgrove contended that a 1 percent growth estimate was more realistic. Legislators overrode his veto, and Musgrove had to cut $55 million in state spending later that year when it became clear that revenue would fall below the Legislature’s projection.

As senator, Musgrove would support closing tax loopholes for companies that outsource American jobs. He also denounces tax breaks for big oil companies, which he says are inflating the price of oil.

Roger Wicker
Republican Roger Wicker, true to his fiscally conservative views, is a staunch opponent of tax increases in nearly any form. He supports making George W. Bush’s tax cuts permanent and repealing the estate tax.

Wicker voted against the final version of the $700 billion bailout package. He has called the bailout a “bad deal” and said that he would have preferred free-market alternatives, such as establishing a program to insure mortgage securities.

Wicker also supports suspending or eliminating the capital gains tax to aid investors. Despite his aversion to taxes and federal spending, Wicker is a skilled navigator of the federal earmark system that McCain and Musgrove deplore.

“I like to hear a job creation idea from local people about how we can enhance the quality of life,” Wicker told the editorial board of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Oct. 13.

As a U.S. representative and interim senator, Wicker has secured federal funding for numerous projects in Mississippi, many of which have created jobs and bolstered local economies.

“I’m a mainstream Mississippi conservative who sees the benefit of a small amount of federal effort, working together with state and local folks to create jobs for Mississippians,” he told the Daily Journal.

Thad Cochran
Thad Cochran, also Republican, has distinguished himself as an opponent of higher taxes and increased government spending. He has voted repeatedly to repeal or cut the estate tax, which applies to those with estates worth $2 million or more. Cochran voted multiple times for reducing taxes on capital gains in 2005 and 2006, earning a 0 percent rating from Citizens for Tax Justice, a progressive taxation interest group.

Despite his fiscal conservatism, Cochran is renowned in Congress for securing federal earmarks. In 2008 alone, Cochran secured $837 million in federal funds for state projects.

Erik Fleming
Democrat Erik Fleming favors repealing George W. Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, instead eliminating the income tax on overtime pay. He proposed eliminating the tax on overtime pay as a state legislator. The measure ultimately failed on a technicality, Fleming says, but it still proved fairly popular.

“I never bought into trickle-down theory that the Republicans always espoused,” Fleming said. “I think that people that work for a living should always be considered first, before the investing class. Instead of bailing out people that made bad decisions, why not guarantee loans for small businesses to expand?”

“Putting all the emphasis on the business class without putting any regulations on them, I just think we’re doomed to repeat that cycle again,” he said.

He also stresses the importance of reviving an ethic of saving in American culture. Fleming would like to add an option to the federal tax return for taxpayers to invest some of their refund in U.S. Treasury bills. He encourages the expansion of innovations like Individual Development Accounts, which help people with low incomes build assets.

When voting always have ALL tghe facts on the candidates or you are not making an informed decision with your vote.

That Is One Way To Get A Scoop

WLOX-TV news reporter Toni Miles has lost her job after being arrested on a felony cocaine charge.

Her attorney, Charles P. Wilson Jr., said her dismissal today “was based on mere allegations. Just because somebody has been accused of something, it doesn’t mean that they have broken the law.”

WLOX Station Manager Dave Vincent has not returned phone calls for comment.

Miles, a member of the TV station’s news team since 2001, was arrested early this morning at the home of Gulfport businessman Ronnie Wayne Blacklidge Jr. They and two others were arrested at his Bayou View home on Quincy Avenue. The Gulfport Police Department said they entered the home with a search warrant at 3:12 a.m.

Miles was a field reporter for WLOX during the week and a weekend co-anchor.

Blacklidge is a local developer and helps run a family-owned asphalt company, Blacklidge Emulsions. He lives in a neighborhood west of Courthouse Road.

Miles, 32, of Biloxi, and Blacklidge, 36, have both been released from the Harrison County jail. Both are charged with possession of cocaine. They were booked in at the Harrison County jail at 10:15 a.m. Both posted bail around 1 p.m.

Wicker Confident Of State GOP

Former North Mississippi Congressman Roger Wicker, who had an iron grip on his old district but isn’t as well known south of Jackson, faces his former roommate in a nasty battle for the U.S. Senate seat vacated with Trent Lott’s retirement.

To keep the seat, Wicker faces Democrat Ronnie Musgrove, a former governor and veteran of three statewide races, two of them successful. Since Gov. Haley Barbour appointed Wicker to the interim seat, Wicker has been trying to become well known on Lott’s South Mississippi stomping grounds.

The 57-year-old has north Mississippi roots. He is the son of retired Circuit Judge Fred Wicker and the late Wordna Wicker, and a 1969 graduate of Pontotoc High School. At the University of Mississippi, Wicker was the Associated Student Body president and made the Hall of Fame. He earned his bachelor’s and law degrees there.

Wicker was elected to Washington in 1994 as part of the “Republican Revolution” when the GOP won control of the House while current Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour was chairman of the Republican National Committee. That was also the year of then-Republican U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America”- a plan for a more ethical and fiscally responsible Congress – that helped spur the Republican Revolution.

GSFP Announcement

We regret that our limited resources makes it necessary to concentrate on one state for now.  We will be mainly reporting on report on stories from South MS.  We will keep our sights on LA, AL, and west Fl for news that would be of interst, but for now we must limit our area of reporting.

Again we are truly sorry for this and hope that time and resources will make it possible to return to the whole area of the region.

Thanks for understanding and all your support….EDS

MS: Senatorial Candidates Visit Coast

In the battle for U.S. Senate between Republican Roger Wicker and Democrat Ronnie Musgrove, populous South Mississippi is fertile ground for votes, but also has myriad challenges as it recovers from Hurricane Katrina.

The victor will have to contend with those issues, which include the lack of affordable insurance and housing and also a vital tourism industry that appears to be feeling the effects of the U.S. economic downturn.

What do the candidates have to say about those issues?

Both Wicker and Musgrove support a plan touted by Democratic U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor to expand the National Flood Insurance Program to offer wind coverage for homeowners. The plan, often referred to as the multi-perils insurance bill, has passed the House of Representatives but has been stymied by powerful senators.

Both campaigns say affordable insurance, including the multi-perils plan, is key to getting more affordable housing.

Wicker said he also introduced legislation with Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Cochran, that authorizes $200 million for senior and disabled citizen housing aid.

Musgrove said getting the U.S. economy back on track and also creating jobs would greatly benefit the tourism industry.

The Musgrove camp contents fixing the economy would mean getting spending under control in Washington and also reducing the amount of money the federal government borrows from China. They also say ending trade deals that “send jobs over seas” and lowering gas prices would help.

Wicker said more promotion of Mississippi would help. Although the U.S. economy is suffering, Wicker said plenty of international tourists are coming to the United States. Wicker said he is promoting the bipartisan “Travel Promotion Act,” which would establish an office in the Department of Commerce to increase travel promotion. Wicker is a member of the Commerce Committee, which he said would have jurisdiction over such a bill.

LA: House Turned Into Rubble Before Appeal

Delores Jones called the city of New Orleans frantically this week when she heard that a demolition crew had arrived at the Central City house she and her husband have owned since the early 1970s.

The 73-year-old woman had in her possession a letter, dated Oct. 1, saying she had 30 working days to challenge a plan to raze her two-story rental house at 2401-03 La Salle St. on the grounds that it was in “imminent danger of collapse.” But Wednesday, just 16 weekdays after the date of the letter, Jones’ house was turned into a pile of rubble by Dynamite Demolition, a city subcontractor.

The property became the latest casualty of confusion and procedural troubles in the city’s demolition program, which has come under heightened scrutiny since a post-Hurricane Gustav executive order temporarily wiped away reviews for certain historic properties targeted for demolition.

There have been several reports of demolition errors recently, and the signs of trouble keep mounting. For example, a list of properties declared in imminent danger of collapse — one step in the demolition approval process — and posted on a city Web site Sept. 29 includes 1720 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. That is the address for the fully renovated Ashe Cultural Arts Center, a main gathering place for Central City residents.

Nagin’s executive order allowed the city for two weeks to bypass the Neighborhood Conservation District Committee and immediately demolish any properties the city administration deemed an imminent health threat, about 170 properties in all

An angry Jones said health problems had prevented her from making headway with her property since Hurricane Katrina. But she said she had recently withdrawn $30,000 from her retirement account and had hired someone to carry out structural repairs to the rental house, which isn’t part of any historic preservation district.

She said that if she had been given the 30 days as promised in the letter, she could have saved the building. “I just wish they could carry out their business with a sense of compassion and realize they’re dealing with people, ” she said

FL: Vote Early!

Early voting continues in Escambia from :30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today; 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday; and 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Nov. 1.

There are four early voting locations:

Supervisor of Elections Office, 213 Palafox Place, second floor.

Supervisor of Elections branch office, 292 Muscogee Road, Cantonment.

Lucia M. Tryon Branch Library, 5740 N. Ninth Ave.

Southwest Branch Library, 12248 Gulf Beach Highway.

Details: www.escambiavotes.com.

In Santa Rosa, hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturdays, ending Nov. 1.

There are two early voting locations in Santa Rosa County:

Supervisor of Elections Office, 6495 Caroline St., Milton.

South Service Center, 5841 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze.

Details: http://www.santa rosa.fl.gov/elections.