Skip to content

Our County Roads — A Disaster (a message from Impact Wilcox)

Our County Roads — A Disaster

Why can’t our County roads be repaired and properly maintained? At the very least, why can’t potholes be filled so that every car ride does not result in more rattles, misalignment, and tire damage?
When our current County Commissioners are asked these questions, the answer is always the same – we don’t have any money. After making the required payments on our massive long-term debt, and meeting the County employee payroll costs (around $ 280,000 per month), then paying a few of the overdue bills, we are FLAT BROKE. The Road Crew goes for months without gravel or asphalt for even a few critical repairs.
WHAT HAPPENED? HOW DID WE GET THAT BROKE?
Our County has been struggling economically for many years. The Recession of 2008-2009 hit us especially hard, our unemployment rate topped out at 26.4%, but then gradually, revenues were starting to increase again. Then another disaster hit our County – this time self-inflicted. In November, 2010, we elected Michael Saulsberry and Reginald Weatherly, re-elected Reginald Southall, and these three, along with Ricky Powell, immediately set about spending money as if we were not the poorest County in the State, but the richest.
• They all got new trucks, and illegally used them for personal use.
• Gas usage for Commissioners vehicles skyrocketed ( Saulsberry alone in ONE month, spent $ 1,250.87, filling his tank 20 Times)
• They bought numerous tracts of un-needed land from Clifford Twilley for $ 151,000 (appraised value- $ 41,400)
• They went on County-paid junkets to Reno, Portland, Albuquerque, Pittsburg,Nashville, Kansas City, Washington, Dallas, Perdido Beach – Fancy resorts, luxury hotels, airport limos
• They fired the $ 8,000 County Attorney, and hired the $40,000 + attorney.
• They created a high-paying,no-work job for Clifford Twilley, and Saulsberry even personally delivered Twilley’s paycheck, and then reduced other employees hours because we were broke.
This outrageous and corrupt spending EMPTIED OUR BANK ACCOUNT.
REFINANCING SCHEME – THE PLAN TO ALSO BANKRUPT OUR FUTURE
To get their hands on more money, they brought in a sharp-dressed, slick-talking shyster from Jackson, Miss. to guide them through a Debt refinancing scheme (Google-Brandon Comer, and the Bastrop, La. Daily Enterprise article, “Financial Advisor bio doesn’t quite add up” by Wes Helbing and Dee Tubbs)
Refinancing a portion of our debt gave them $ 600,000 in “new money” to divide up and spend. Saulsberry spent ALL of his portion with only ONE contractor, KC Construction, without any competitive bids. Zero dollars was spent on roads. Southall spent much of his portion buying yet more inflated-price land from Clifford Twilley, and then paying $ 13,244 for a private citizen’s trailer concrete pad, and relocating his trailer.
This refinancing scheme left us with $ 12 MILLION in long-term debt that won’t be paid off until OCT. 30, 2042 !!
PAYMENT ON THIS DEBT
In 2012, payment was $ 282,000
In 2017, payment increased to $ 472,000 !!
So, these “financial wizards”, Saulsberry, Southall, Weatherly, and Powell, spent us into near-bankruptcy, and then mortaged our future with burdensome debt that robs our citizens of decent infrastructure, such as roads, for many years to come. AND they have the audacity to offer their “leadership” to us again??
Please contact[IMPACT WILCOX)if you have any questions on this information. We have full documentation on this information and will gladly share this with any citizen.

4 Comments

  1. Janene Witt on May 14, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    FINALLY, people are speaking up about the corruption in this county! Thank you for this article and please continue to expose what is happening in this county.

  2. Jayne Thomas on May 14, 2018 at 8:08 pm

    Seems as if that picture has been pretty well painted. This has got to be stopped. It’s not THEIR money period. Tax payers of this county has been ROB in more ways than 1. I’m not the smartest person by no means but I’m not a complete dumbass either. Anyone what so ever thinks any of this is right please please indulge us as to how you got sooooo stupid. Come on people WAKE UP !!!! Or one day soon it’s all gonna be over but the crying !!!!

  3. Edward Tracy on May 24, 2018 at 12:31 pm

    VOTERS IN WILCOX COUNTY, I plan to call in to the morning radio show on WQLS in Camden Friday morning to ask mayor Chris Stone why he will not turn over public documents that were requested by citizens, as well as why he has used county resources on his private property, why he has moved his landlines and sued so many adjoining landowners and lost, and other concerning questions regarding potential illegal activity. If he does this in the small town of Pine Apple, imagine what he would do if he is elected probate judge for the county! Hopefully he will call in to respond. If he believes anything I’m saying to be slanderous, I beg him to sue me. Maybe that way I will be able to see the public documents.

  4. Susan Matranga on May 24, 2018 at 9:17 pm

    We need to clean house in Wilcox County! Our so called representatives are only concerned with lining their pockets and not willing to helping the residents of Wilcox County and the City of Camden. It’s getting old and I am tired of the same old BS being thrown around! Our roads are horrible! We have in our community so much to offer. Fishing tournaments, restaurants, shops, etc. But it’s all going to hell in a hand basket because of the people representing us! So sad!

Leave a Comment