Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba appeals veto ruling to state supreme court

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba has filed an appeal of an Aug. 1 Chancery Court judge’s ruling against him in a case over his veto of a Jackson City Council’s “no” vote to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Lumumba’s attorney Felecia A. Perkins filed with the clerk of the Mississippi Supreme Court Friday, Aug. 26, with additional documents filed on Monday, Aug. 29.

Last month, specially appointed retired Meridian Judge Larry E. Roberts heard arguments in Hinds County Chancery Court and later sided with the city council, saying Lumumba went beyond his scope of duty in vetoing the council's “no” vote on awarding a garbage collection contract last March.

The mayor awarded an emergency garbage collection contract to New Orleans based Richard’s Disposal Inc. and the Jackson City Council voted against the measure twice. Lumumba later vetoed the Council’s votes and the Council refused to honor the contract, saying the mayor could not veto the Council’s “no” votes.

Lumumba challenged the council in court and Roberts sided with the council, whose attorney John Scanlon argued that "nothing was adopted" in the council's decision to deny the contract with Richard's.

Therefore, no action was taken by the council that would be subject to a mayoral veto.

"You have to have an affirmative vote. If the mayor is given the right to veto a negative vote the city council would be stripped of its right to govern," Scanlon told the judge in a July 8 hearing.

Richard’s has been collecting waste within the city since April 1 under an emergency contract issued by Lumumba and still has not been paid. Richard’s has filed its own lawsuit against the city over this issue and is continuing to collect garbage without pay.

A court date has not be set for Lumumba’s appeal.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba appeals chancery court veto ruling