Transportation commissioner, MDOT executive director clash over funding, Horn Lake stop light

• Northern District Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell became irate during Tuesday’s commission meeting, demanding Executive Director Brad White “shut up.”

A disagreement in the telling of events between one of Mississippi’s Transportation Commissioners and the state agency’s executive director led to the raising of voices during Tuesday’s commission meeting. 

The matter began in the August 25 commission meeting, where Northern District Commissioner John Caldwell (R) asked for detailed information on federal grants and where they “will go.”

MDOT Executive Director Brad White said he did not have that information in front of him at the time but said he would send it immediately after the meeting concluded. 

After Caldwell made a comment to the effect that he cannot seem to get answers from MDOT because they do not know the answers when asked, White expressed frustration. 

“Commissioner, that’s not a fair statement. We have the answers. I just don’t have it in my head,” White said. “I’m happy to provide you with any information you want. But nor is it fair for you to pretend as if you’re just completely in the blind about what we do.”

It was pointed out by White that all grants are brought before the commission before moving to the next step, complete with detailed information about the project for which the funds are intended. 

“For you to insinuate that you don’t know what’s going on is an indictment of yourself, not the staff,” White said. “I can give it to you, I can’t make you read it.”

Caldwell then shifted his focus to a situation where a traffic light was requested by elected officials in Horn Lake, a city in DeSoto County where a young girl Caldwell knew died in a traffic accident on Highway 302. He contended that when MDOT did a study, the department indicated that the city would need to provide additional funding to get the light installed. However, to Caldwell, there are many other projects across the state funded at hundreds of millions of dollars.

Use of federal funding is restricted to the approved project, White explained, so it cannot be shifted to other projects. 

This week, the commission held a follow up meeting where White presented the information on the grants and traffic light situation requested by Caldwell during the August 25 meeting. Caldwell joined the commission meeting by phone.

In his research through staff conversations and MDOT records, White found that while an initial traffic study deemed installation of the light within the “bubble” of approval, it was given final approval due to Caldwell’s intent to have the light installed.

However, follow up studies by MDOT’s chief engineer determined issues with the first traffic study. In spite of those issues, MDOT still committed to installing the light on MDOT’s dime due to Caldwell’s promise.

The city wanted more decorative poles, called a “mast arm” system. MDOT indicated to Horn Lake leaders that if the city covered the additional cost above the traditional cable system for a mast arm system, MDOT would still contribute to the project.

“So, in keeping with what we’ve done all over the state, we committed that we would move forward in providing all the equipment and all of the other things that we would normally provide in order to install a signal. And they would be permitted, through an agreement, to upgrade the type of poles they would like. And [like] every other municipality or county that’s done so, they would bear the extra cost that would go into that,” White described.

After presenting his findings on the matter, which included overviews of discussions with the police chief who indicated other intersections in the area that currently have traffic lights see higher collision numbers than the one in question, and that the Mayor still does not have a final answer from the Board of Aldermen, White concluded his presentation. 

“But I do feel like it’s important that the city be on board before we move forward with putting something there in the city,” White told the commission. “Now I recognize that this paints a little bit of a different picture than the one Commissioner Caldwell drew at the last commission meeting. But [Southern District] Commissioner [Charles] Busby and [Centra District] Commissioner [Willie] Simmons can be rest assured that what I’m telling you is the truth as far as I can find it within our records and within talking with our capable staff that had this issue resolved.”

White then asked for questions from the commission, adding, “The old saying is the truth’s kind of like a lion, you don’t have to defend it, you just turn it out and it’ll defend itself,” White said.

Caldwell interjected rather irately, saying he resented the insinuation that he is a liar and there was no truth to his comments in the previous meeting.

“There wasn’t, I resent what you said at the last meeting,” White exclaimed.

Caldwell, then screamed into the phone three times for White to “shut up,” saying he was going to commend White’s explanation of the history of the matter at hand until he was called a liar.  The commissioner went on to say his intention was to get a light installed at an intersection faster than MDOT’s typical timeframe of 7 to 10 years.

“We take too long to put red lights. We take too long to put roundabouts. We take too long, we’re darn slow. And that’s the truth” Caldwell said.

When Simmons (D) and Busby (R) both said that Caldwell’s description of the situation during the August 25 meeting and the facts presented by White during Tuesday’s meeting conflicted, Caldwell became even more agitated. 

“My little piece of what I said last meeting didn’t warrant this bullshit!” Caldwell exclaimed. “And I’m telling you right now [silence on the line] — that is not the way this is supposed to work. The three of y’all want to insult me and insult my integrity, that’s bullshit! We’re going to talk some integrity.”

Simmons reminded Caldwell that all meetings are public and called for professionalism amongst the commission.

“You do know that our meetings are recorded so we can share with you what was actually said,” Simmons interjected.

When Simmons eventually regained control of the meeting from the exchange with Caldwell, the commission went into executive session to discuss worker’s compensation matters and pending litigation.