Columbus Matters

08/12/2025

Sometimes what is not listed is more important. What towns are missing from the NIBRS crime reporting listing (Hint: not Caledonia, Starkville, or West Point)?

08/11/2025

June 8, 2024 - The Commercial Dispatch published an article about Columbus' missing audits. The article opened with "The city of Columbus’ delayed audit report for Fiscal Year 2021 is on its way, and the FY2022 report is expected by September." Perhaps The Dispatch should have included the year with its forecast of September?

Who do you trust among those involved, The Dispatch, the audit firm, the City of Columbus, MS - Mayor's Office, ...?

The State Auditor's office is putting cities and towns on notice to get their audits completed.

06/02/2025

Where to Vote Tomorrow? To find out where you vote/your polling place, go to MS Secretary of State's page. Click Y'ALL VOTE--then click on MY ELECTION. Enter your address.

Be sure to scroll to the VERY BOTTOM and look for MUNICIPAL PRECINCT & POLLING PLACE. (County precincts come up first and your polling place may be different.) https://myelectionday.sos.state.ms.us/VoterOutreach/Pages/VOSearch.aspx

Know Before You Go!

SafeVoteMS

04/17/2025

A letter from Dr. Stanley K. Ellis

04/01/2025

The Regime Remainders hired their "hand pick" City Registrar to continue the incompetence and corruption. If you hate incompetence and corruption vote for better candidates. If you can.

10/15/2024

We've had many requests for the paper that has recently been the subject of some controversy but we are out of printed copies from the edition way back in July. The article that inspired the controversy linked below [and the full edition is also available].

Ward 5 Councilman Jones was so outraged by this article that he laid baseless claims of racism at Columbus Matters and A Better Columbus.

He may have over-reacted. Those with reading comprehension skills will see the article mostly pertains to the Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State:

The Mississippi Regulation of Charitable Solicitations Act, enacted in 1991, authorizes the Secretary of State (SOS) to regulate charities soliciting funds in Mississippi. The SOS aims to protect citizens from unscrupulous nonprofits through a process that includes selecting charities for examinatio

09/18/2024

Breaking: Mayor Keith Gaskin announced he will not run for re-election.

09/07/2024

Consider Getting Invovled in the Golden Triangle Theatre!

NEXT WEEKEND! JOIN THE FUN AS A VOLUNTEER! Come help with a show, stay and watch, and get a GTT swag bag! We LOVE our volunteers!

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/Dxi3Ru3PCLoymhcBA

09/04/2024

There's still time to join as a sponsor. Support our First Responders!

08/30/2024

On May 10th, 2024, we reported: "The school board is accountable to nobody but those that appoint the board, the Columbus City Council. If the school board appears to have performed its job without due diligence the louder truth is the City Council has failed in its duty to oversee most of its appointed boards and commissions, including the school board.
Proponents of the bond boast that it won't raise taxes, but this conveniently glosses over the fact that a "NO" vote would actually eliminate the milage rate assigned to the expired bond issue and thus result in lower taxes for residents. By borrowing more money now, taxpayers will keep their same high rates."

CMSD 662 241 7400 Main Office said they do not have the Board Members contact information (and it's not listed on their website.) They did share the boards email addresses:
Cynthia Brown: [email protected]
Robert Smith: [email protected]
Jose Shumake: [email protected]
James Richardson: [email protected]
Telissa Young: [email protected]
Stanley Ellis (Superintendent): [email protected]

City Council & Mayor (who appoint the school board)
Ethel Stewart Councilwoman, Ward 1 [email protected] Cell Phone: 662-251-3841
Joseph W. Mickens, Sr. Councilman, Ward 2 [email protected] Cell Phone: 662-251-0724 Rusty Greene Councilman, Ward 3 [email protected] Cell Phone: 662-889-1912
Pierre Beard Councilman, Ward 4 [email protected] Cell Phone: 662-418-7329
Stephen Jones Councilman, Ward 5 [email protected] Cell Phone: 662-386-5022
Jacqueline DiCicco Councilwoman, Ward 6 [email protected] Cell Phone: 662-889-1913

08/19/2024

The City pays for at least two software systems to streamline communications and promote transparency, costing over $8,000 a month. At the last work session they discussed getting another one to help with "dilapidated properties and blight."

”The perception that there is a long waiting list of doomed houses the city cannot tear down isn’t quite true," the Code Enforcement Director said in Dispatch interview in March 2022. The oldest order for a demolition was about seven months... part of the delay is following proper protocols."

In the same article it was reported that the house at 215 11th St. N is one of 15 houses awaiting demolition and that the City would be caught up in a few weeks (April 2022). But it still sits today unsecured and rotting. The report left out is that City officials were notified in June 2020. There are many other properties waiting to be demolished. Whose checking up on the demo work that was completed in "two weeks?" (which is now over two years ago. )

Simple Solution. Use only one software system (SeeClickFix) since City Employees have already been trained (the city has had it since 2019) and the money is already invested. Eliminate the "User.gov" Software and others. Do not invest in yet another software system that accomplishes the same goal as SeeClickFix.

08/08/2024

Show your support to our First Responders by making a contribution to their September 6th luncheon honoring their work and sacrifices. (Event is for First Responders Only)

All First Responders in Lowndes County, please accept this as your invitation to be honored: Friday, September 6 at 11:30 at the American Legion. Share with other responders. Thank you for all you do.