Thursday, October 3, 2013

Cory Wilson: Final thoughts on Hattiesburg's special election

Hattiesburg’s election saga is finally over. Saturday, while normal people were preparing to watch Alabama play Ole Miss, the Hattiesburg election commission was finishing its final count in the mayor’s race.

I spent most of last week observing, first in person on Tuesday, and then by email and phone. Mayor Johnny DuPree was certified as garnering 207 more votes than Dave Ware, and thus will again be the mayor. The final tally was DuPree, 7,512 and Ware, 7,305. Turnout increased more than 50% over the votes recorded in June.

The fact that voters tuned in and came out is a real silver lining of a four-month saga that captivated observers across the state. Otherwise, I cannot help feeling that the process produced more losers than winners. The June 4 election, in which a mere 37 votes separated the candidates, was marred by irregularities and a complete breakdown in the way absentee ballots were handled.

During the ensuing election contest, witnesses testified to lapses by absentee voters, the clerk’s office, poll workers, and notaries. Witnesses testified to voter impersonation, disenfranchised felons voting, and unlawful witness intimidation. Not a pretty picture. And then the trial itself ended in a mistrial, after the jury initially reached a verdict, in light of uncontested evidence, for Dave Ware. Considering the problems with the absentee ballot process in particular, the judge eventually ordered the special election that occurred September 24. More of this article

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12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who cares what some guy nobody ever heard of has to say about some election in po-dunk Mississippi anyway? Go video some more silliness in Jackistan if you are bored my friend.

Anonymous said...

Well, the thing that I take away from that disgusting display in Hattiesburg is that after 60 years of blacks crying about voter intimidation and so on, is that the process has come full circle and now it is the whites that have been "disenfranchised" and no one cares. Further, blacks have figured out that no one is going hold them accountable for anything they say or do so people like Ike Brown can set in motion as much fraud and intimidation as they want to. The prevailing environment in regard to local elections statewide now fits the definition of anarchy. I DO long for the "good old days"....

Anonymous said...

Something about this election still doesn't smell right. Just when you think you've seen it all, a dimocrap steals a Jatran bus in Jackson.

Anonymous said...

October 3, 2013 at 10:53 AM = happy loyal JJ reader

Anonymous said...

Dude must have thought the bus needed a night out, too!

Pugnacious said...

Don't think that Councilman Dave Ware won't "put master" on Johnny Dupree--thank you, Enoch Sanders-- over his lack of action in pursuing the Johnny Miller Roofing Co. bonding company. Probably, there was no bond?. And that sweetheart contract "underwriting" in the USA Yeast affair stinks, too.

Anonymous said...

11:05 a.m. whines about some non-existant white voter "disenfranchisement" instead of accepting the reality that his candidate was beaten by Mayor Dupree worse than he beat him the first time. Thank God that his/her version of the "good old days," when only white people could vote, is gone forever.

Anonymous said...

Okay. So the fact that the box from one of the biggest precincts (the Rowan precinct) takes five hours to travel five miles and then arrives without a seal on it is no biggie. After all, Mr. Wilson tells us that after the most aggressive and focused training effort by the Secretary of State (SOS) ever, all that matters is the number of ballots inside matches his count of voters. Besides, Johnny DuPree won by 200+ votes.

Of course, I’m sure our Democrat brethren would be equally understanding if the shoe was on the other foot. For instance, I’m sure they wouldn’t first claim election fraud (even though an unsealed box being transported is one of the first election law prohibitions taught by the SOS) and then go digging for evidence to prove the violation was material…. or would they? The Democrats wouldn’t hastily make the incendiary claim that whites in Hattiesburg (who are now a minority voter block) are suppressing the African American vote and trying to steal the election…… or would they? They wouldn’t immediately file multiple lawsuits claiming election law violations and then promptly drop all but the one that gave them the most sympathetic judge…….. or would they? They wouldn’t use their politically connected friends to contact the State and US Attorney Generals to politicize what should be an impartial process ……. or would they?

No wonder our nation is no longer a place governed by laws. The game requires both sides to fight. However, when one side like the one represented by Mr. Wilson is so ready to concede that nothing inappropriate happened when it is so very clear that an important election law was indeed violated, what are we to think? More importantly, what are we to do? One side is fighting with a beautifully adorned, competition-fencing sword. The other is fighting with guns, knives and brass knuckles. Predicting the winner is not difficult.

Anonymous said...

Loved Corey's comments on the federal observers and what they should be worried a out.

For the guy who wrote the first comment, Corey is paid to write columns so someone must think he's worth reading. And he knows more about election law than just about anyone in the state.

Anonymous said...

Any way you shake it the 2nd election was a major loss for Precious and the Waterboy.

Anonymous said...

10:21 p.m., the problem is there is no proof of what you speculate happened. When a person goes to court to make an allegation that laws were broken, be he Republican or Democrat, that person must have enough persuasive, admissible evidence to prove such a strong allegation. It's easy to speculate in a blog comment about what allegedly happened.

Mr. Wilson is right; Mr. Ware lost fair and square.

Pugnacious said...

Mississippi's "civilized appendages" have become unglued! For the 49% disinfranchised voters of this State there must be a some other option for those who want to drop out of the electoral rat race. One option would be for our legislature to offer a bill that would waive school tax property levied on home owners and farmers who agree to have their name purged from the voter rolls. Why should childless couples, home schoolers, retired folks, Mennonites and others who send their kids to private/parochial/ church schools be forced to pay for public school construction and operations? The $14,000,000 Noxubee County High School out on US Highway 45 was mostly paid for by punitive property taxed levied upon the backs of the disinfrachised voters of Noxubee County.



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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

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In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

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This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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