Weapons of Mass Destruction in the County?

Here is another article about our work.
If you don't want to read the whole thing, skip to the last paragraph where a local government official compares the citizen's recovery committee's idea of building a new road to Sadam Hussein invading Kuwait.

Citizens Recovery Committee to Give Recommendations
February 18 , 2006

Citizens Recovery Committee to give recommendations to Council on Monday,
Feb. 20, and Council has set March 21 deadline to send its recovery plan to
Mississippi Recovery Authority


The Jefferson Davis County Citizens Recovery Committee will present its
recommendations for projects to County Council members at noon on Monday,
during a committee meeting in the Council trailer office behind the County
government building.

And the Council has set its March 21 meeting as its deadline for finalizing
its plans for recovery including land use, and forwarding them to the
Mississippi Recovery Authority. The deadline for getting it to the state is
March 31.

Judge David Gorbaty, co-chairman of the citizens committee with lawyer
Walter Leger, said the committee’s report will cover proposed projects in
eight areas: infrastructure, coastal protection, transportation, education,
economic development, housing, public safety and public health.

“I think the proposed projects are ones that are reasonable,’’ said Gorbaty,
whose 36-member group has been meeting since its appointment in November and
has received input from residents in public meetings. Gorbaty said the
recommendations don’t cover land use in this phase.

He also said the committee is working on trying to get funding for some of
its projects and has applied to private foundations for money.

The projects have to be submitted to the Council for review and a vote.
First they will be presented to the Council on Monday during a committee
meeting in the Council trailer office and then also discussed Tuesday at the
Council’s regularly scheduled 11 a.m. meeting in the large tent behind the
government complex.

Council Vice-Chairman Joseph DiFatta Jr., who has worked closely with the
citizens committee, said the committee “has done an excellent job of helping
the Council hear the wishes of the people of Jefferson Davis County.’’

And the Council is prepared to act, DiFatta said. ““We have our act together
and we are ready to give a concise statement (to the state) as to how Jefferson Davis may look in the future.’’ He added, “This is a prime opportunity to
fix issues that have plagued us, such as traffic, drainage and density.’
’
Some parts of the County will look different, he predicted. “There may be
small pockets of areas that could be better utilized for the whole County’s
betterment.’’

Council member Craig Taffaro Jr. said, “I’m hoping to combine what they (the
citizens committee) say and the consensus of the Council. We will go
systematically and come to some consensus.’’ He also said, “We need to give
direction to local residents’’ who are wondering what they can and should do
about re-building.

Whatever the Council recommends is subject to the state’s final say so.
Congress still has to provide money and then it goes to the state level
before going to a County.

But Taffaro said he thinks it important to get out a plan to the state in
advance of the March 31 deadline. “What Washington is looking for is that we
have come together as a state. And it’s important the state sees we’ve come
together as a County.’’

Council member Mark Madary of Arabi said he firmly disagrees with proposals
he has heard, including eliminating the re-building of much of the area he
represents.

“I believe Arabi is the most viable area of Jefferson Davis County,’’ Madary
said. No matter that it suffered great damage north of Judge Perez Drive,
Arbia is still the closest part of Jefferson Davis to the financial and social
centers of Biloxi, he said, and should be re-built and not turned into
green space.

He said he would never support forced expropriation of residents’ property.
“It’s unfair and grossly Un-American. That’s why we fought the Iraq the
first time because Saddam Hussein was wrongfully trying to take Kuwait.’’ He
said he would only support voluntary selling of land by residents.