Auditor's letter supports use of escrow for advertising

So, Phil Bryant, our Mississippi State Auditor, say that our Harrison county Supervisors
have done no wrong.

That spending $1 million taxpayers dollars a year anyway they want to is not
against Mississippi laws.

I would suggest that "we the people" need to replace Phil Bryant, State Auditor of
Mississippi with a State Auditor that is not against the Mississippi taxpayers and voters.

The Governor of the state of Mississippi needs to remove these elected officials
and state agency personnel.

GULFPORT -Harrison County leaders say a state auditor's letter, which the county faxed to local media, clears them of any wrongdoing related to the county's "escrow account," but the State Auditor's Office says that is not what the letter states.

After reading this article, I believe the State Auditor, Phil Bryant agrees that spending $1 million of the taxpayers dollars in the right thing to do.

Any elected official and/or state agency personnel that spends taxpayers money any way they want should be removed.

S.L. Murray, an auditor's attorney, said the letter he sent the board was referring only to whether escrow money can be spent to advertise the county.

How is purchasing Mardi Gras beads, parties, cars and sport utility vehicles, toys, food, furniture, television sets, stereos and clothing and to send supervisors' constituents on trips to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Branson, Mo. Even so, supervisors deny that they use the account to curry political favor from voters is advertising Mississippi.

It tell me that our Harrison County Supervisor's are spending our taxpayers escrow money any way they want too. And Phil Bryant, our Mississippi State Auditor supports this type of spending. Mississippi is a lawless state.

This is a prime example of how our tax paid elected officials and state agencies take care of each other, and this is not serving the people of Mississippi.

"The letter doesn't say any more than it does," Murray said. "It addresses a very narrow issue - advertising."

Which protects the elected officials and state agencies from any wrong doing.

However, Murray said, "From what we saw of the process side of this account, they appear to be doing it in accordance with current law... That's not to say we agree with it or we don't."

State auditors reviewed escrow spending after receiving complaints from several citizens. The complaints came, auditors said, after articles in The Sun Herald described how the county spends about $1 million a year in tax dollars that it refers to as escrow money. Murray said most of the complaints focused on the county buying thousands of dollars a year worth of Mardi Gras beads for officials and their guests to throw from floats in parades.

My complaint was too request Governor, Ronnie Musgrove remove all of the Harrison County Supervisors.

But the political machine here in Mississippi is rooted deep, and the taxpayers and voters of Mississippi are the only ones which can break this political machine.

http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/law_lib_research/laws/msconst.html
click here to read the Mississippi Constitution***

Sec. 5. All political power invested in, and derived from, the people; all government of right originates with the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole.

Sec. 6. The people of this state have the inherent, sole, and exclusive right to regulate the internal government and police thereof, and to alter and abolish their constitution and form a government whenever they deem it necessary to their safety and happiness; Provided, such change be not repugnant to the constitution of the United States.

The auditor's office and Board of Supervisors have characterized the Mardi Gras throws as county advertising.

County advertising, $19,000 of taxpayers and voters money went to throwing Mardi Gras Beads.

I bet the people which caught those beads are saying, "I am so glad we spent our tax dollars on Mardi Gras beads."

Harrison County Chancery Clerk John McAdams said the March 9 letter from Murray "tells me, as the county's auditor and treasurer, that the Board of Supervisors has done nothing wrong or improper."

Here is another piece of work, Harrison County Chancery Clerk, John McAdams. Here is a person which works in the same building as the Harrison County Supervisors. I would think they are the best of friends and look out of one another.

I requested records under the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983, I requested the same exact records which the Sun Herald Newspaper asked for and received.

This is in response to your request for public records.

These records will be available to you upon payment.

The records you requested pertaining to the Sun Herald article produced in court are not official records. This is a work product maintained in the County Administrator's Office for management of the escrow account.

BLS

Why would records, which are public records, cost anything. As much of the taxpayers money as these state agencies waste. So why should "we the taxpayers" have to pay twice of the same records.

"They have reviewed the same documents that The Sun Herald requested and that the articles resulted from," McAdams said.

I wonder if the, "not official records," are the ones Sandra Cuevas produced as an X-employee of Larry Benefield.

Sandra Cuevas, a former secretary in the county's Lyman Work Center, has said Supervisor Larry Benefield had workers keep a separate and highly detailed accounting of & quot; his escrow money, & quot; and that he directed spending from the account. Cuevas also has said Benefield frequently directed day-to-day operations at the work center in his district, in apparent violation of state unit system laws. Cuevas quit her county job in 1999, she said, because of disagreements with Benefield

Murray said, "When we say we looked at the escrow account, we didn't look at all the purchases. There's something like 17,000 entries on that account. We didn't look at 17,000 entries. We don't have the manpower for that. We reviewed expenditures from that account, and the ones we reviewed appear to follow state law."

And you can be sure that if an expenditure was found which did not follow state law, it was over looked.

Such as $19,000 worth of beads, I would say this did not follow state law. But is did save lots of money for the people throwing the tax paid beads.

Elected supervisors say they use the escrow money as a "catch-all" for expenses that crop up during a budget year. They say much of the money goes to good causes - helping sports leagues, cities, churches, schools and the elderly.

My question is, why is the taxpayers money spent on sports leagues, cities, churches, schools and the elderly.

What is the other $99 million spent on; no this is what is known as FRAUD, WASTE, & ABUSE.

The county also has spent thousands of dollars from the account on Mardi Gras beads, parties, cars and sport utility vehicles, toys, food, furniture, television sets, stereos and clothing and to send supervisors' constituents on trips to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Branson, Mo. Even so, supervisors deny that they use the account to curry political favor from voters.

Do you as taxpayers have an account where you can spend money on the above items.

Do you have $1 million a year to spend anyway you want too, knowing the taxpayers will give you another $1 million next year.

In the name of advertising the county, officials over the past few years have bought more than $17,000 worth of umbrellas emblazoned with the Board of Supervisors seal, plus thousands of dollars worth of printed pens, pencils, T-shirts, caps and paper fans.

Should our Governor, Ronnie Musgrove, remove the Harrison County Supervisors, Chancery Clerk, & State Auditors.

Murray's letter also states that "Whether such expenditures by the Board, although allowable under current law, are the wisest use of county resources is for the Board and, ultimately, the citizens of Harrison County to decide."

"Ultimately, the citizens of Harrison County to decide." We are trying to decide, but when you have elected officials and state agencies saying that under the current law, the Harrison County Supervisors have done no wrong. It's time for the Governor of the state of Mississippi to step in and remove these elected officials and state agency personnel.

The Sun Herald has sued the Board of Supervisors over a December public records request for escrow account records, claiming the county did not provide all the records requested. The board has filed a countersuit and criticized the newspaper, claiming it did provide them. But since the lawsuit was filed, the county has provided additional records, including some that county leaders had denied existed.

"Since the lawsuit was filed, the county has provided additional records, including some that county leaders had denied existed."