Barbour's picks:
Good, could be better
By Staff
Dec. 28, 2003
Gov.-elect Haley Barbour's selection of former district attorney Rusty Fortenberry to head the state Public Safety Commission should be well received by law enforcement professionals and the public at large. The Mendenhall lawyer is a good man chosen for the right role. His credentials and experience as a district attorney give him a solid perspective on law enforcement.
And, Barbour's appointment of current Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps seems appropriate. Epps is an able administrator who just last week announced that the cost of housing inmates at Parchman has actually decreased. That's a huge achievement in a time of escalating costs in other areas and tight budgets.
But two other appointments announced last week are disappointing Robert Latham at the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and Maj. Gen. Harold Cross as adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard leave much to be desired.
Latham is a former Senatobia Volunteer Fire Department chief and former Tate County emergency management director. He was appointed to the MEMA position in 2000 by Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and has been a less than effective administrator. We believe a change would have been healthy for the state agency charged with such important tasks as homeland security and helping people recover from natural disasters.
Troubling appointment
The more troubling appointment is Cross, who currently serves as assistant adjutant general and commander of the Mississippi Air National Guard. Whistleblowers who first exposed allegations of favoritism and wrongdoing at the Meridian-based 186th Air Refueling Wing believe Cross has been an impediment to subsequent investigations.
One investigation conducted by Col. David Bertholf of the U.S. Air Force Inspector General's staff resulted in 16 substantiated allegations of abuse of authority, records falsification, racism, corruption and operation of an illegal liquor store on base operated for the self-profit of senior leadership.
Cross' promotion to adjutant general just now while investigations continue sends a signal that Barbour is downplaying the probes of the 186th, and that's just the opposite of what we had hoped for from our new governor.
The important point is that the investigations into the 186th ARW have not been completed. A 311-page summary report compiled by the Air Force Inspector General of activities at the 186th ARW has not been made public, although, reportedly, some prime subjects in the investigation were given complete, unredacted copies. The Air Force should make this document public immediately, especially if it has already been selectively released.
Barbour should also schedule a meeting with Col. Jody Bryant and others who helped bring the 186th allegations to light so he can hear their complaints first hand and decide for himself whether they are justified.
In the meantime, Cross might want to consider stepping aside while the investigations run their course. At the very least, Barbour should ensure Cross' full cooperation with investigators.
The only way to restore full public confidence in the leadership of the Mississippi National Guard, especially in the way the state headquarters views investigations of the 186th ARW, is for the investigations to be completed and for the full reports to be exposed to the light of day.
