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What happens in Vegas stays off city payroll
Published Thursday, May 29, 2008
Lame duck Ferriday Mayor Gene Allen’s latest antic is unbelievable.
Allen sought (and received) permission from the Ferriday Town Council to use public funds to pay for travel to the Miss Black USA Pageant in Las Vegas. The trip will come in late June, just a little over a week before he leaves office. Fortunately, Ferriday voters ousted Allen in the last election.
Allen claims he wants to accompany Miss Black Louisiana, daughter of Councilwoman Gloria Lloyd.
What an awful display of both misuse of public funds by Allen and a conflict of interest by Lloyd.
Councilman Johnnie Brown apparently has been drinking Allen’s magic Kool-Aid because he approved the expenditure, too.
We see absolutely no benefit to the taxpayers of Ferriday in the trip. If Allen were lobbying for some issue that would benefit the people of Ferriday in Washington, D.C., then, perhaps, such travel could be justified.
But allowing Allen to strut into the lobby of The Orleans Hotel and Casino — site of the pageant — on the taxpayer’s dime won’t bring change to the streets of Ferriday.
We urge both the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office and the District Attorney for the Seventh Judicial District to investigate this matter immediately.
Quick action is needed before a single penny of public funds gets spent on this amazingly arrogant example of corrupt government.
Comments
Posted by ardvark (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 6:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
HEADLINE: What happens in Vegas stays off city payroll
I found it amusing that just below the headline was an ad for a candidate for mayor.
Posted by Teach4Peace (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 6:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is apparently the year of the lame duck, yep, their in season!
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 7:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Natchez Democrat>>> Do you have any idea how the citizens of Ferriday can put a stop to this stupidity??? I do not live there but it is where I grew up and I would like to know the answer.
Posted by Swapmeet (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 7:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great Article!
Posted by annuity (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 7:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds to me like they are treating the town of Ferriday and it's citizens like they are their own little tribe
Posted by Groverhar (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 8:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here Here Democrat, I was hoping you would write and editorial on this. Hope it will do some good. THis is just intolerable. Who does this man think he is? Edwin Edwards or something.
Posted by natchezsouthside (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 9 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Call city hall and tell them NO--DO NOT PAY FOR THIS!!!!!!!!!
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 9:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Gene Allen has no respect for the people so he must have no respect for himself; he certainly shames himself in attempting this.
Allen's legacy will be one of deterioration, scandal, abuse of police powers, and betrayal of the trust of the people- in my opinion. That goes for the former statement as well.
Let the jury of the people decide.
Posted by Syoung (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 9:54 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 10:22 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by triscuit (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 1:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Very unethical. The money should come out of his own pocket. Jindal visited McCain with unused campaign funds. That would have been an acceptable solution. It wouldn't surprise me if Allen and the Council have acted illegally in this matter.
Posted by aleighh10 (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 4:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is an outrage! Allen should have more respect for his city (But apparently he doesn't)! The city should petition this! His visit serves no purpose to the well-being of the city, which, wether he knows it or not, IS HIS JOB! This should not be allowed!
Posted by kmonii05 (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 6:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am former Ferriday native and corruption in the Town of Ferriday certainly did start with the Allen regime. It has been a way of government politics for as long as Ferriday has been in existence.
I read this paper to stay abreast of what is going on in Ferriday, but I have been quite appalled that the Democrat, what I have always revered as a "notable and reputable" paper, has stooped to what appears to border on slanderous journalism. Granted, we are all entitled to our own opinion, that is why this country's forefathers gave us the "freedom of speech", as well as "free press", but it is funny to me that nothing was ever said about the Town of Ferriday when the likes of other town government officials, prior to Mr. Allen, were in office. This town and its way of life has been in dumps long before Gene Allen became mayor and sadly, it will probably continue to be that way until the people of the town of Ferriday stop making poor decisions with regard to their town, stop trying to block any idea of progress and work together, instead of against one another.
It will be quite interesting to see what will become of the Town of Ferriday after June 1.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 7:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What happens june 1st??
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 8:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Fire- maybe PW will go with him and her?
Posted by oldschool (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 8:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is just the beginning, there will be more to come! :) lol lol
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on May 29, 2008 at 8:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
?
Posted by kmonii05 (anonymous) on May 30, 2008 at 3:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Fire - a new mayor takes office after June 1.
Posted by kmonii05 (anonymous) on May 30, 2008 at 3:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Correction...The new mayor takes office July 1.
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on June 2, 2008 at 11:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I thought it was July 1st would be nice if it was June 1st though :)......
Posted by kmonii05 (anonymous) on June 3, 2008 at 2:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Fire - let's see if Glen McGlothin is going to prove that history does not have to repeat itself. This is certainly not his first time in this role. I will keep reading the Democrat just to see if it actually plays out just like I think it will....
Posted by hopefloats (anonymous) on June 4, 2008 at 7:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
He should have at least asked them to pay for the mother to go...thats a little strange. Thank goodness Glen McClothin is voted back in!
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