BRIEF HISTORY
Pretty soon, Hattiesburg was sued for environmental violations by the Gulf Restoration Network, and as part of a settlement with GRN, Hattiesburg had to come up with a new method of wastewater treatment to meet 2015 Phase two permit limits. However, Hattiesburg also sued USA Yeast to modify the terrible discharge contract the city made with the plant. In the settlement with the yeast plant, the Mississippi Development Authority provided $6 million in funds to pay for a $10 million treatment plant for USA Yeast. Rod Dickerson, a professional enginner advising Hattiesburg Patriot News, said the new pretreatment plant would be enough to bring the city into compliance with its permit. However, city engineers ignored that solution. Instead, they pushed for more expensive, unnecessary options. Options which would make them millions.
0The USA Yeast pre-treatment plant was to be in place in June of 2014, but delays pushed the plant from coming online until June 2015. Meanwhile, no one proposed waiting for the pretreatment plant to be put into operation before rushing to build something that was predictably unnecessary.
When the pre-treatment plant came online in June of 2015, Hattiesburg almost immediately began meeting Phase Two, 2015 permit limits. But not a single word of this compliance was ever mentioned by the mayor, city council, the engineers, or the attorneys advising the city. And why would the engineers bring attention to something that would eliminate the need to build such a monstrosity?
Kim Bradley, Mary Dryden, Carter Carroll, and Henry Naylor kept pushing Groundworx, and after its failure to materialize, they pushed the mechanical plant.
The Mayor was always for the mechanical plant. Engineers with Neel Shaffer would make millions off of the mechanical plant, and many in the firm were top Dupree contributors. Attorneys would also make millions underwriting the bonds. Campaign contributions and future job opportunities would likely flow freely.
In August of 2016, Tom Garmon, the founder of the Hattiesburg Patriot, armed with water test results proving Hattiesburg’s compliance with its permit for almost a solid year, confronted Christopher Wells, a top MDEQ regulator. Garmon demanded answers as to why the citizens were being fined for failing to begin construction of something that was 100% unnecessary; since the city had been meeting its limits for almost a full year. Well’s response was astounding, and it proved the politicians in Hattiesburg, along with their engineers (political contributors), and attorneys were not acting in the best interest of the citizens of this community.
The audio of the call with Garmon and MDEQ is below. A portion of it was played before council, which resulted in the project being killed and sewer rates lowered. This saved Hattiesburg residents close to $550 million dollars (principal, interest, and operating cost) over 30 years. This would have cost about $600 annually per household.
MDEQ Attorney, Chris Wells, acknowledges the city has been meeting their permit limits. Chris Wells talks to Hattiesburg Patriot Founder and Mayoral Candidate,Tom Garmon, about stopping the fine, which was giving the Mayor and City Council the political cover to ramrod the construction of a new $140 million treatment plant.
Some of the names called are as corrupt
Vote Toby Barker!!!
Still voted for DUPREE!! FYT!!!
who are you for or are you saying. You are evidently not for Toby Barker with all the negative info Jan Polk ( Senator John Polks wife) sent out on Facebook from your computer account. Why would she send any info concerning the mayor race since she lives in Canebrake!!
Jonny Dupree is as corrupt as they get. He DID NOT WIN THE LAST ELECTION!! HE’S STOLE IT FROM THE WINNER!! And y’all wonder why your broke, and he’s still the Mayor. Y’all need your heads examined if you don’t arrest, try, and convict him on major charges.
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Time to drain the swamp
Where is all the money gone that to fix our streets it’s a damn shame we have to drive on these rough azz roads
All residents of Hattiesburg should read this and listen to the two recordings!
Mayor DUPREE is the MAN so you people need to get over it. Talk about you president Trump. Get Trump out of office. Now
Trump is the President, you need to get over it and support him. Dupree needs to be run out of town.
If people would shake their tribal mentality and stick to the facts Dupree would not be running for office. I would like to apologize to the Voters of Hattiesburg that we left town and allowed this nonsense to happen. Very disheartening to see how backwards Hattiesburg has regressed since we had great Mayors in Bud Garrard, GD Williamson, Bobby Chain and Ed Morgan…
OK so come on back to town and all will be forgiven.. You’ll Be Glad you Did. We can have a new beginning..
His campaign manager and best friend stole from HUD to pay the mortgage on the mayor’s church using a house the mayor purchased at auction.
I’m sorry I disagree Hattiesburg had its problems with Chain and Gerrard, Ed Morgan, really?? as well. Hattiesburg is not perfect but is not a bad place to reside. Mr. Dupree is a good man whom I know personally and won’t allow you and anyone else to throw dirt on him or the City of Hattiesburg.
Just because you know him, he is a good man. He may be a good man but he is a lousy mayor. Look at the shape Hattiesburg is in. The roads are horrible. He has done nothing to improve the city since he has been in office. I didn’t think Ed Morgan was a good mayor either.
WOW!!!!!
Vote for Bill Bayes in Ward 3. Burks is a liberal college professor and only represents likely something worse that what we have now. Bayes is the one conservative in this race.
As on old US Attorney once told me,” follow the money.”
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I drove by Mt. Carmel church unreal that it is in such horrible shape. The mayor lives across the street and didn’t give a shit..
Wake up Hattiesburg!
Vote for Bob Johnson ward 1 !
Vote for John Burks!!
Everyone needs to hear this when deciding who they plan to vote for. It is time for Carter to go!!
Check Johnny Dupree’s offshore accounts and safety deposit boxes. I’m quite sure that’s where a boatload of cash is located. He’s a liar and I’d bet a thief as well.
He belongs right along beside his buddy Fairley !!! And take Kim Bradley with him.
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We need help we got screwed after years of hell in south been village they threw us away..
Nobody cares that our housing authority has done us this way after waiting two years fora response…you cant imagine wtf we have been through…now we are powerless as i watch people get houses in weeks i waited years only to be pushed off like nothing…well ok…il go snap mode fine
The housing authority made us wait two n a half years to accept us.,then we got a letter saying they can’t help us cause we didn’t gives them paperwork,..which is a lie..now I’m sorry but I’m fighting this shit we where the only white people in the whole building and honestly I think its race based
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Nick Misslerð¢
I want to know why this isn’t on the local news and why they aren’t making dupree answer for this
My personal opinion, Dupre has local media in his pocket
AND staying invisible since his “posse” in PRISON……Will be interesting to hear when they start spilling dupree’s little secrets
http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/hattiesburg_mayor_duprees_confrontation_with_hattiesburg_patriots_garmon_ge/
But that didn’t answer the maintence plant and waste water business……And why isn’t the news airing any of this??
Because they view this site as competition and won’t report anything that would be credited to this site.
I want to hear Duprees answer to this as well…….And I want OUR MONEY BACK!!!!!
http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/hattiesburg_mayor_duprees_confrontation_with_hattiesburg_patriots_garmon_ge/
Love how Hattiesburg Patriot nails butts to the political cross! Keep it up guys! ð
GREAT JOB, Tom!!!âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸