Aldermen question sheriff's proposal

WILL THE LONG BEACH MISSISSIPPI ALDERMAN
MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION

 
STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: mccaleb5thdist@aol.com
WEB SITE:  www.mississippiwebsite.com

By KRISTEN TREADWELL
THE SUN HERALD 

Friday, August 18, 2006

LONG BEACH - The city's aldermen are no closer to a decision about whether the county will provide policing for the city than they were three weeks ago when Sheriff George Payne presented the proposal.

Could it be that each alderman has to check with his people before making a decision?

Let’s not forget the taxpayers are still paying salaries to the X-Acting Police Chief’s.

So having Sheriff Payne take over the Long Beach Police Department would save the taxpayers thousands of dollars each year.

"If the sheriff is interested in it then that's one thing," said Mayor Robert Bass. "But the ball is in the aldermen's court."

I will be requesting my alderman, “Ward 6 Alderman Richard Bennett” to cast his vote for Sheriff Payne to take over the Long Beach Police Department.

While there wasn't much discussion among the aldermen at Tuesday night's work session, they voiced their questions about the proposal. Many of those questions involved citizen safety and financial issues.

By not discussing how to save taxpayers money, it’s obvious it is at the bottom of there list of important item to discuss.

 Payne assured the board that the city would maintain the same level of policing and that streamlining functions would save the city more than if the city tightened the police budget on its own.

I believe there is one thing our Mayor and Alderman forget about.

The money, which is in the budget, belongs to the taxpayers and voters, and I believe they may have lost sight of their reason for being elected, “To Serve The People of Long Beach.”

Bass said he hopes the aldermen will vote in favor of the proposal.

So does the majority of the taxpayers and voters in Long Beach, but elected officials this means very little.

"If you're thinking that you're going to come up to anywhere close to $646,000, well it's just not going to happen," Bass told the aldermen. "This allows us to get on board with a more efficient system."

This is the mayor’s 5th year in office, why didn’t he bring the Long Beach Police Department on board with a more efficient system during his first term?

The Civil Service Commission also met with the aldermen to update them on the police chief search.

Just what does the Civil Service Commission do for Long Beach taxpayers anyway?

I personally would like to do away with the Civil Service Commission, it just another unnecessary paper organization.

Alderman Jimmy Levens said that to be fair to the city and the 20 applicants, the aldermen need to make a decision about Payne's proposal before determining whether the city should hire a new chief.

Is this the same alderman, which wanted the taxpayers of Long Beach to develop his sixty-eight acres of land?

The Board of Aldermen will meet with city auditor Jerry Favre at the City Hall Annex at 5:30 p.m. Friday to discuss the proposal's financial implications. The meeting is open to the public.

Having meeting is a good thing, if they are constructive.

Kristen Treadwell can be reached at 896-2331 or at ktreadwell@sunherald.com. 

STEVEN A. McCALEB
COMMENTARY
MY OPINION

November 28, 2001