Should There Be Term Limits For Committee Chairpersons????
Commissioner Lee raised the question at the last Commission meeting about the appropriateness of commissioners staying on the same committees year after year.
This especially appears inappropriate when a county employee is able to decide the budget that puts money directly or indirectly into their pocket.
Would the county tolerate a commissioner pushing to have new sidewalks put around the square then allow that same commissioner to set aside the money to pay for those sidewalks then allow that same commissioner to have their spouse bid on the project, of course not but commissioners are allowed to be school employees or have spouses work for the school, set the budget to include pay increases then take the money while saying there is no conflict of interest.
It's past time for this matter to be changed, Term limits should be implemented for committees and no one should benefit financially either directly or indirectly from their votes on the commission. Allen Barrett
This especially appears inappropriate when a county employee is able to decide the budget that puts money directly or indirectly into their pocket.
Would the county tolerate a commissioner pushing to have new sidewalks put around the square then allow that same commissioner to set aside the money to pay for those sidewalks then allow that same commissioner to have their spouse bid on the project, of course not but commissioners are allowed to be school employees or have spouses work for the school, set the budget to include pay increases then take the money while saying there is no conflict of interest.
It's past time for this matter to be changed, Term limits should be implemented for committees and no one should benefit financially either directly or indirectly from their votes on the commission. Allen Barrett
posted by Allen Barrett | 7:30 AM
60 Comments:
A conflict of interest is an invitation to corruption. The school funding battles over the past several years leaves no doubt about corruption and the corruptibility of those who are beholding.
There is an unending stream of deception in school finance. Spending in the years 2005 through 2007 was almost three times the national inflation rate. Tax revenue generation was well above the inflation rate, yet the school system dipped into reserves to maintain irresponsible levels of spending.
The 2004-5 tax increase was unquestionably unnecessary, yet approved by a council with a majority of "beholding votes". The 2006 and 2007 budgets contained huge tax increase demands that were absolutely unnecessary, yet narrowly defeated by the council. The "beholding votes" continued voting as a block for anything the director of schools demanded.
The 2008 tax increase was denied by a larger majority, but the council approved accessing reserves and failed to force correction of fraudulently understated revenues!
In each case, the financial data supporting the budgets and tax increase demands were openly and defiantly falsified and fraudulent! There is a wealth of documentation and explanation backing up that claim, but the "beholding block" remained in lock step and voted to pass the school director's fraudulent demands for more money, and "padding" the financial plan to create false impressions of financial propriety and management excellence!
People should never let themselves be placed in a position of compromise. When that fails, government should step in and stop it. When that fails, citizens have an obligation to do whatever is necessary to stop it. That is the state of affairs.
The sorry state of affairs may be summarized by looking for an on line declaration of ethics and responsibility to the public, by the AICPA and GASB. When certified auditors turn a blind eye and ear, there are no eyes or ears, just confusion. When the education system is actively engaged in financial fraud and deception, the problem is far worse than any individual act..
With over six hundred employees in the school system it would be hard for anyone who has had family in Giles County for the last fifty years to NOT have someone in the school system. That does not mean that the votes go toward the school system unjustly.
This is not about someone's ninth cousin but when the commissioner is an employee of the school system or their spouse or child. Voting for a pay raise for yourself and your spouse is not the same as voting for a pay raise that your third cousins' granddaughter may get.
648 - being a school system employee shouldn't disqualify a person from serving their county government. 1125 is also correct legally and morally. The school block voters always claim a conflict of interest, but vote for whatever Jackson demands EVERY TIME.
Our problem is goes deeper than conflict of interest. Our school activists are voting for fraudulent funding requests and approving fraudulent financial performance reporting. The checks and balances to prevent wrongdoing are broken.
A change in the political structure at the county, state, or federal level could bring a whirlwind of legal nightmares on people who have no clue relative to the seriousness of messing with government money.
The state has changed! If the new comptroller cares about integrity, things and lives will change.
The following was written a while back. (Note - the $7.0 million compounded excess spending over the BLS rate is a comparison of the total 3 year spending vs what spending would have been if the BLS increases had been applied in each of the three years. The spread between the $7.0 million excess spending reality and the $2.5 million claimed favorable spending is $9.5 million. - that is only part of the story!)
food for thought!
Every year the state publishes an audit comparing the actual expenditures and revenue to the amended budget. Every year, revenue is more and better than budget. Every year, expenditures are less than budget which is very favorable! Every year, Mr. Jackson and his followers are on a PR campaign telling the public about savings and tight financial control! The state doesn’t disclose year to year results, so the public doesn’t know what really happens! For example using state audit data, spending increased $1,343,043 in 2005, while claimed budget favorability was $1,340,764! Spending increased $2,471,792 in 2006 while claimed budget favorability was $482,837. Spending increased $1,719,606 in 2007 while claimed favorability was $708,275.
During those three years, spending jumped $5,534,441, (24.7%) almost three times the inflation rate! Instead of telling the public that the accumulated compound total spending was $6,951,953 in excess of the BLS inflation rate for those three years, the message was, “We saved you $2,531,876 because we were under budget!” They didn’t tell you they raised property taxes by $1,269,861 for 2005 and lost a hard fight for another $4,003,809 in 2006 and 2007! The game is deception! The players determine the substance your child’s education!
don m
Note: On Monday it will be February, 2009 and we still do not know what happened in 2008! Does anyone know why we have no audited financial results?
don m
Correct me if I am wrong, we now have Financial Management in place for a year. This was the answer to all of our problems, remember! We no longer cook books, we have a CPA to see that it is no longer possible. Still, there are claims that money is being misrepresented. It does not matter what is going on someone is going to be accused of being a crook. Make up your mind.
Financial Management has only been fully implemented since July 1, 2008. Probably what the writer above is referring to it what has happened in the past. When the audit for 2008 finally gets published it will actually be for 2007-June 30, 2008. How well the finance director is handling the books will not show until the audit of 2009. Even, that is dependent upon how good the auditors are and what areas they choose to audit. You do realize, I hope, they only spot audit. They don't do the whole shebang. Too, much of their auditing is of procedures, its not all the actual accounting of $$.
Financial management is under the thumb of Jackson. Holt is the head of the budget / finance committee, also under the thumb of Jackson. The former head chef of the former education financial manglement operation is now directly under the CPA & ready to move into the catbird seat. Stir gently and we have "MOTSOS" (more of the same old xxxx ("stuff"?)).
The topic seemed to be about teachers & grunts in the education system getting crumbs because the cooks were eating all the meals.
The numbers noted appear to mysteriously end in 2007, because we still don't know what happened at fiscal year ending JUNE, 2008 (last year ago). Some think more sneaky things happened in 2008 - some at the very beginning of that year, some during that year, and some at the very end of that fiscal year ending in JUNE, 2008, JUST BEFORE THE COOKS TURNED THE BOOKS OVER TO FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT!
That aside, the story appears to be about why some eat crumbs & some eat so good they can leave crumbs. If the hungry realized that knowledge is the life line to food, they would find a path to a fair share of the meals. If you accept an, "It just isn't so." for an answer, you will find hunger, not the truth that will set you free. If friends don't help you around the two minute rule, truth will be muzzled. If a chair protects fat cooks who ate the meals from hungry masses, hunger prevails (still true in the council? no longer true in BOE?).
The question remains, How can one stir a pot when the pot is empty? Folklore might help find a loving solution. As Little Bear put it, "Who ate the Porridge" is the perceived issue." If mama bear followed the trail of crumbs, it leads to grandmother's bed, where the sly old wolf is in the act of trying to get Goldilocks the jump in bed with him! That becons another question - "Who's the pervert?" Is that disheveled little girl a street walker trying to hustle an invalid old lady with a gray wig, long nose & sharp teeth? Or, was the sly old wolf not helping the little wretch zip up her trousers? Was he putting candy in her shirt pocket and trying to keep her off himself at the same time? I'm prejudiced & don't like wolves. Folks, it's far too deep for me to cypher - you'll have to do it for yourself
All departments of Financial Management were in place in the spring of 2008. Maybe the budget was not done by them but it was administered from that point on. The law says that the department heads such as Jackson, Hyatt and etc were be on the board. Those facts have always been know. It was said all along that the budgets would be set by them and Finance had nothing to do with that. All we did was move the bookking under one roof with one supervisor. Nothing has changed except that we have spent more money on expense by this office. More salaries and other expenses. Who has won, not the people just like was said all along. I am so glad that people voted for this. We have saved the county so much money! The majority won!?!?
9:20
School dept was the last to move to the central finance office. That dept was fully under financial management effective July 1, 2008. Full audit year under the financial program will not be audited until Fall of 2009. Then we shall see the performance of Loretta Garner. Everyone knew that Vanzant, Jackson and Hyatt would be on the financial management committee by law. The other four members have been voted onto that committee by the weak commissioners we have. So now we have Faulkner, Campbell, and Holt chairing the committee. All three, along with Vanzant, Jackson and Hyatt were strongly opposed to financial management. Apart from Reedy who is now a member, he supported the new financial system. If you would read the Financial Management Act of 1981 Code, you will find that the Finance Director does have a great deal to do with the setting of new budgets, along with other duties. You will have noticed the selection committee deliberately chose not to fill the position with a strong candidate so she could be manipulated by them, and I'm afraid she fits the bill. This has nothing to do with the financial system itself which is excellent if it is adhered to and will serve this county well. The financial management committee, apart from Reedy, is determined to sabotage, which is why some laws under financial management are being broken. No additional dollars have been added to the central financial office. I do agree funds that were already available should not have been spent, but saved. Here again, you have a weak finance director who is manipulated. Let's not loose sight of the program but attribute the problems within to the personalities involved. This county will not turn around until Vanzant is out the door, closely followed by the commissioners who are in the game just to benefit themselves, their families and friends rather than working for the betterment of the people who voted them into office.
9:20 You have no clue relative to accounting or financial management.
Yes, Hyatt and Jackson are on the board, but you fail to state the fact that it is because of the position they hold. You fail to state they are legally held to the standards required of those positions!
To my knowledge, Mr. Hyatt hasn't violated any trust. He is not an accountant, but to my knowledge he operates openly, honestly, and within his financial means. I respect him and his judgment. His position is on the board because roads are a vital resource to the county and those interests must be protected. If you can remember, back in 2004-5 Jackson increased his spending and ram rodded an unnecessary tax increase on the public. That left the other departments, including the road commission with cuts!
The director of schools position should and must be the pillar of the community when it comes to truth, integrity, and openness. Jackson, the person, is the opposite of those mandatory characteristics. Simply stated, the position rightly belongs on the board. However, anyone who violates the trust of that position must be removed as director and within the finance board. His open violation of trust is clear evidence of corruption.
You are right that each department head creates their own budget. You forgot that they are fully responsible for the integrity of it! You are absolutely wrong that it is an absolute right without checks & balances or proper accounting practices and procedures.
Although governmental operations are generally subject to GASB regulation, I doubt that any certified person would defy AICPA or any other professional accounting opinion regarding deception and fraud! The word fraud has a simple universal meaning.
There is personal professional liability in addition to losing certification for violation of ethics and standards! Ignorance is not a defense. The point is simple. If Mrs. Garner, a CPA and director of financial management, takes exception to a financial document, anyone who proceeds to ignore her should be facing criminal charges. That includes anyone who intentionally provides false and deceptive information. She has many very powerful resources to enforce compliance. Failure to act can be complicity.
The conflict is ethics or job. I would hate to be the person who fired someone who refused to follow an order to violate professional ethics and the law. On the other hand, violating the law to keep a corrupted job affects a lot more than a paycheck.
Hyatt violated my trust for him when he hurriedly hired a girl to take over the bookkeeping duties in order for high payed Julie Phillips to stay at his dept. to become a high payed telephone answerer.
As long as Hyatt isn't fighting for tax increases, stays within whatever money he has comming in, keeps the highways in good shape, & maintains a workforce that is courteous & helpful, I could care less how he does it. It's his job to manage it with the resources we give him. If he didn't know what he is doing, none of that would happen. If she is a key player in his team, so be it. He can call her a manager or whatever - I don't care! I don't want to manage it or run it.
I'm not a relative or even a casual friend of either one, but certainly not an enemy. The school director & his helpers are a whole different can of worms.
Yea, well it sounds like you have a personal relationship somehow with Hyatt for if I recall the school director at least let all of his girl go over to Finance.
Oops, typo! I meant "girls" instead of girl. Mr. Jackson didn't do that and I'll give him credit where credit is due.
There's nothing personal about it. I'm not involved in personal lives. I don't have a dog in that fight & you don't either.
Just a little note - the term "girl" is a little sexist. The personnel that work at the financial management office ARE NOT "girls", they are women or ladies. Please, a little respect for those people.
Girls, Women, Ladies, whatever...I believe you get the point!
Barry Hyatt did wrong and has done an injustice to the taxpayers of Giles County. But what has been done has been done and I don't believe there is anything that can be done about it except just remember it.
So, because you think Barry Hyatt did something wrong, you have to demean the personnel in financial management? Come on, act like a grown up.
It's all about facts sweetie. No I haven't demeaned anyone, just stating facts that it was as injustice to taxpayers for Barry Hyatt not to have sent her over to Finance. All Bookkeepers needed to have been moved into a centralized office and that included Julie Phillips. The fact remains, it was wrong in what Hyatt did. I'm not going to argue with you or anyone else and I'm not an enemy of Hyatt or Phillips but on the other hand, I am not dumb and can see what games where played to keep her at the Hwy. Dept. Enough said about that.
There should be term limits and a reduction of county commissioners period.
Get real before you get warped about what "wrong" is.
Julie apparently did a lot more for Mr. Hyatt than simple clerical accounting tasks. If you had ever been in a management or director position with productive people, you would know multi-tasking is more than random acts of kindness. In her environment, she apparently had opportunity to learn far more than how to run a calculator, hand out a pay check, or pay a bill.
If you gain knowledge of suppliers and personnel, their functions, and the things that go round and round under the hood to make the wheels move, you just might be a person that can get a job done when needed,and save a ton of money in the process!
Mr Hyatt has to operate his function within a budget. He hasn't received a "tax increase" in spite of the fact that "energy related" costs have gone through the roof. If Ms Julie has an ability to figure out ways to save more money than she is paid, then she stayed in the right position which is absolutley right for Giles County! Only an idiot would say doing the right thing is wrong!
If you have trouble with that, consider the absolute mess in school accounting and finance! Then, consider moving that mess, intact, into the financial management function. That is wrong from the standpoint of promoting incompetence and wrong from the position of Giles County and taxpayer financial security!
We hired a CPA to run the financial management function, not Julie. It is not very difficult to find well qualified bookkeepers within Giles County. I asume we did just that. Hyatt retained a person he obviously wanted to keep within his organization. It's Hyatt's job to manage and staff his department as he best sees fit to meet his elected objectives - it's not up to me, you, or anyone else!
We have a single area of major financial waste and corruption with millions of dollars of very real zeros attached - and it isn't the highway department!!!! It's called focus - Solve a real problem & stop trying crying that the sky is falling!
Get real before you get warped about what "wrong" is.
Julie apparently did a lot more for Mr. Hyatt than simple clerical accounting tasks. If you had ever been in a management or director position with productive people, you would know multi-tasking is more than random acts of kindness. In her environment, she apparently had opportunity to learn far more than how to run a calculator, hand out a pay check, or pay a bill.
If you gain knowledge of suppliers and personnel, their functions, and the things that go round and round under the hood to make the wheels move, you just might be a person that can get a job done when needed,and save a ton of money in the process!
Mr Hyatt has to operate his function within a budget. He hasn't received a "tax increase" in spite of the fact that "energy related" costs have gone through the roof. If Ms Julie has an ability to figure out ways to save more money than she is paid, then she stayed in the right position which is absolutley right for Giles County! Only an idiot would say doing the right thing is wrong!
If you have trouble with that, consider the absolute mess in school accounting and finance! Then, consider moving that mess, intact, into the financial management function. That is wrong from the standpoint of promoting incompetence and wrong from the position of Giles County and taxpayer financial security!
We hired a CPA to run the financial management function, not Julie. It is not very difficult to find well qualified bookkeepers within Giles County. I asume we did just that. Hyatt retained a person he obviously wanted to keep within his organization. It's Hyatt's job to manage and staff his department as he best sees fit to meet his elected objectives - it's not up to me, you, or anyone else!
We have a single area of major financial waste and corruption with millions of dollars of very real zeros attached - and it isn't the highway department!!!! It's called focus - Solve a real problem & stop trying crying that the sky is falling!
3:14
Hyatt did indeed receive a budget hike, as did most departments that used gas. Did you forget the $182,000 the commission gave to the Hyatt for extra gas costs, then the gas price went down but I didnt hear of the money going back to the county fund.
Right on 4:41. Tell it like it is!
3:14 just cant get past that Julie should have been moved. And Barry Hyatt deep down knows that!
I understand budget increases related to petroleum, energy, & inflation. We also have monopoly, speculation, & corruption - things that have been allowed to control us & then sack our national economy. I haven't forgotten anything, including the fact that our roads are OK in spite of extreme economic times no tax rate increase.
What would you do - put TJ over the road department too????? You are in a tizzy because you want to set the pay rate for Hyatt's employees & tell them what to do! You hate Julie because he says she is good. Meanwhile TJ moves the book cookers into financial management & promotes the main person who should have known what was happening, to be in the cat bird seat of financial monkey business. The one with gold teeth is getting a free pass & you are all torn up trying to make us believe Hyatt has to get your approval to park a dump truck. If it were left up to you or me for that matter, we'd probably take the center post out of the garage & the whole darn thing would fall in on top of us. I sure hope he does know what he is doing, cause I sure do know neither one of us could help if we had to!
My statement was tax increase, as in tax rate increase. Sorry about that if it was confusing. Tax revenue did increase significantly without a rate increase, until the very recent economic collapse. Now it is time tighten the belt & live like the real world & start cutting the fat (some call rippling bulges muscle)
Lets be reaL, If the cost of fuel & asphalt doubles, you either pay for it or bottom line you cut related services in half. I'm sure things have been cut, things we would like are postponed, & changes are necessary in how things are done. Times are now rough & everyone has to adjust to reality.
If they come up with a Lovell wheel tax, the answer isn't just no, it's expletive NO! I may be wrong, but I think we have to understand the source when it comes to tax rate increase scams.
The school budget is about to hatch & I'll bet Mr. L won't be able pass another opportunity for a wheel tax. Take a chill pill & save all that hatred for someone who has earned it.
Nobody has said anything about hating anyone. It is you that seems to be in a tizzy. I hope Lovell gets his wheel tax passed and maybe Hyatt can pave all the county roads and give his employees another raise (incl Julie).
Again forgetting Lovell & Campbell want a wheel tax but the money to go to highway not schools. Can't agree with the poster who thinks our roads are in pretty good shape. You must drive the roads I have to. Betcha Julie's salary could have paid for 2 or 3 roads to be paved each year.
Why do you think the county revenue increased?
We.. it's back to conspiracy and corruption (the buzz word) and hatred for Mr. Lovell and Mr. Campbell. You people just never stop, do you?
Pretty good shape is a comment based on the doubling & tripling of petroleum related products such as fuel & asphalt. I can remember times when you couldn't drive over 35mph on roads because of holes, wash outs, etc.
You need to get a quote on a new driveway. I doubt your two or three roads would get you all the way around your house.
If Julie is good at what she does, she could easily save a road commission department several times her salary per year. I've had secretaries save operating costs many times their salary - in areas where they had no authority or mandate other than helping someone who needed it more than her area. You never know till you try & never will if you haven't been there, & never really felt good unless you did something you thought impossible.
Revenue increased because I know it increased - I can read the numbers.
Don't hate Lovell or Campbell. Do hate unnecessary taxation & will fight it & will fight any BS based tower building. Haven't heard anything about Campbell trying to raise taxes - is someone trying get even with him?
Lovell has never seen a tax he didn't like. If he wants to climb back on the wheel, let'er spin.
9:09 If revenue increased, where did it come from in these hard economic times? Are you suggesting Giles County is immune from the recession and we are actually flourishing?
9:16 Listening to the radio and plain ole face to face you will hear Campbell constantly saying "we need a wheel tax" and he has been the co sponsor of the resolution to get it passed in the county. Fact.
918 - Have you read any of the state audit reports or any of the county numbers as published on the state web site (sales tax), etc.? You have to manually compare year to year, because the state doesn't really want you to know (a factual piece deception!).
Up until the moment the bottom fell out of the economy, sales tax revenue should have been way up - simply because of fuel prices if nothing else. Are you saying 2007-8 revenue dropped? That year ended June 30, 2008! By definition, I would guess that all revenues would have been transferred to the county and received on or before that date, thus booked and locked in by that date. (It's 2009 & we don't know?)
I don't recall anyone suggesting Giles County isn't subject to economic changes. I and many others have stated the fact that our "education" department has no clue relative to economics, prudence, or truth when it comes to finances. When you spend every dime of revenue you get and raid reserves to increase spending close to three times the inflation rate, you have passed the definition of incompetence and entered the world of malfeasance. When you falsify official accounting data to look good, deceive to create false emergency needs of new tax rate increases, and cheat key employees out of COLA rate increases to fatten waste, we are entrenched in corruption!
Instead of building reserves in the real good recent times, the educators have spent all & depleted reserves to have a good time. Do you want to "bail them out"? Mr. B won't print my suggestion, so I'll simply say, toss them an anchor! NO NEW TAXES & that goes for Mr. Campbell or any other extended hand.
The spending balloon is bloated beyond any form of reason. Let the air out or let it burst! I saved some money and now it is worthless as defined by interest & secure investment. Further each dollar will be worth 50 cents very shortly after the national printing presses start on the next free pass for freeloaders & crooks. I know how to survive & that ain't going to happen with you on my back! Swim or drown! It's one of many reasons ants live through the winter & grasshoppers don't. We're being educated by grasshoppers! It's winter & time to bury them. RIP
I work at the highway department and Julie Phillips is one of the best employees that Barry has. She does her job and does it well.
The ones that Barry Hyatt needs to get rid of are Gene Barnickle and Kathy Young. They are both worthless and a drain on Barry's budget.
Barry was smart to keep Julie...she knows her job and does his too!!!!
Back to the subject of term limits:
We have some very good people in county government. I do not want to lose them. I do not want to risk having someone who may be a good person, but totally inept. If we bring in new people every couple of years, we will have a built in learning curve that equals inefficiency.
The other side of the coin is having one or two that need to be fired yesterday, but no one will do it. If they are elected, the firing process would be by recall.
The director of schools situation is appointed, not elective at this time. Recalling the board of education to fire a director of education doesn't make sense. It makes less sense to allow the system to be corrupted by a corrupted director. If the position is changed to elective, how can the best candidate be recruited? Who in their right mind would run for an office in a community where no one knows them?
As much as I hate to admit it, the director position should be appointed by the school board. We have also proved another point - the director of education must be subject to the will of the people! Our situation proves that point beyond any doubt or other consideration.
A simple solution would let the board hire the person for possibly 1 year, and make any tenure beyond that point subject to election.
Minimally, an office as important as director of education should be subject to recall by petition and vote of the citizens.
This might be a reason we need a charter??
Gene Barnickle and Kathy Young? That is funny as hell. If you really worked at the highway department you could come up with a couple better ones. Give me a break. Think a little harder! Look in the mirror and you'll see a worthless drain on a budget. I'd say you are a worthless excuse for a use of oxygen. So the next time you want to roll something off your tounge, may you choke on it.
I don't really know where to post this. If I place it on the correct topic, well as usually happens, it's old news and may not get read. I looked for a way to touch base with the ones who post topics and could not find them, so I am breaking my own rule and posting here. To the administrators of the blog, it will not offend me in the least, (not that you need my permission, I did not start this blog, nor do I help maintain it), if you feel the need to move this post to another topic, create a new topic, or remove the post altogether. It is your right.
That being said, I want very much to encourage and plead with every citizen of Giles Co, to attend the school board meeting Thursday night at 5 p.m. The tentative agenda include the director' eval and possibly a resolution to the imfamous "report of smoking" situation. Rumor is the other teachers will be there to prove once and for all if they were truly slandered and libeled or has Mrs. Weisser made "much ado about nothing."I guess it could go either way, but I would very much like to know how these other teachers feel. If the emails exist, and apparently they do, and what has been posted is true about their contents, then there is absolutely "no gray" here. Mrs Polly committed libel and Mrs. Swinford and Mr Jackson allowed which is equivalent to encouraging it......I personally do not see anyway else of interpreting that. But if what has been posted is not true, then it truly has been a case of someone's reputation preceding them, hence Mrs Polly's name associated with making the wild accusations against the others. In any case, it will be any interesting meeting, if what has been publicized as the agenda, remains the agenda, but if it doesn't, then it is most likely the result of this post and scared Mr Jackson off....This much I do know for a fact, Mr Jackson did close the investigation without ever talking to the other two teachers which is in effect saying that they are beneath him and not worthy of being heard even though they were mentioned by name. He did talk to others regarding the issue of the emails and if I am not mistaken, isn't that the very definition of gossip? My question as a taxpayer in this town is this: WHY did this even happen in the first place? The catalyst that started this ridiculous situation is the report of a "smoke odor". As Mrs Polly was never accused of anything, and the emails are in existence, what has one issue got to do with another? When every principal in the county received a memo concerning this same issue, (Mrs Polly is the director of the after school program), I don't recall a single one of them going off on a tangent about some alleged past insults....it wasn't the time or place; BUT all school employees are REQUIRED to sign an acceptable use policy regarding school email and internet use. It's NOT optional. So if all this talk is factual regarding the contents of the emails, then the school board, if they are to maintain any credibility have no choice but to reprimand Mrs Polly and beg the other teachers not to bring charges and sue for libel. Guess this is where the rubber will meet the road and we will see if the board members have a backbone and will do the job they are elected to do, assuming the emails do exist, of course. I'm not sure if that has ever been actually proven. (Hopefully someone will have them at the board meeting, if they exist and make them public at last. The board can't afford to lose this battle and have a huge sum of punitive damages to pay, but they do have insurance, at least for now. Wonder how long it will be before they can't get insurance with the multiple lawsuits???? If the alleged emails don't exist or are not true, then the board can do what they do best, and ignore the situation and hope it blows over. That's a BIG "if" though and the gamble involves mine and your tax $$$$$. If my name was libeled, the hotheaded part of me would want someone to pay. The definition of "libel" according to wikipedia is the written untrue, derogatory statements to another party. Coach Chunn has stated that if it is on school email, it is the same thing as being on the front page of the local paper.....that's sounds pretty cut and dried to me. So if the alleged msgs are not a fantasy and truly exist and if they contain even one, yes just one statement that is false, well again, I don't see any gray area here. The only thing left to wonder about, is whether Mr Jackson, Mrs Swinford and the school board will also be held accountable since the so-called investigation that was much publicized never took place and how much culpability will the school board have to own up to as they also threw those teachers "under the bus", so to speak. If the email do exist, seems to me that Mr Jackson, Mrs. Swinford, Mrs Polly, and the school board have less that 48 hrs to "make nice" with these teachers. If the emails don't exist, well, it sure added some "excitement to our lives around here. If even one person can produce those damaging emails on school technology, I personally don't see a lot of wiggle room for the "powers" that be. What is the cost of a damaged reputation worth, may literally be the "$100,000.00 question?!?!?!?! In any event, I encourage all citizens to take a more active role in their government by attending the board meeting, after all we Americans just spent a trillion dollars today for the right to have a say in our government. Let's start at home. I hope the rumors are true and those teachers do come forward, if for no other reason than to put an end to the nonsense and I don't mean ignore it until it goes away, "for a time." That's been tried and didn't work out so "good". It needs to be handled, fixed, and preventive measures taken to remove the liability risk from the school board which we as taxpayers fund!As I said, it is only a rumor that the teachers are planning to come forward, but personally I would like to say to both sides of the issue...."Good luck to both, may the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth be revealed, and as a private citizen of this town, I am praying for all that I know to be involved."
It will be interesting to see if the citizens of Giles County support changing our way of Government; and, if the power brokers will allow that change to be implemented.
For those of you who have run this County in the same manner as your father and grandfather; times are changing.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 8:25:00 PM:
The blogger definitely stepped on your toes!!!
I know both Kathy Young and Gene Barnicle....they are both smart a likes and worthless.
Both are cheaters...asked their spouses!!!!!
They cannot be trusted as a friend either!!!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
OOOh Weee!! Comment Deleted!
Must-of really stepped on toes!!!
Kathy Young or Gene Barnicle must be showing more of their true colors!! Can't even post their response..ha! Way to go blog Administrator!!!
Everyone needs to remember that Kathy Young is Charles Greene's sister..."that" says it all.
Kathy and Gene...play nice now....
What about it blog admin???? What was wrong with what I wrote??? You can talk about people on your crappy blog like dogs but you can't say s**t and a**? Is that why you want to delete what I wrote? How unfair is that? So tell me why you deleted it I want to know why it IS FAIR to downgrade people and talk about peoples families and other b.s that has absolutely nothing to do with the subject on hand. Come on and please be fair. I read this at the top of the main page everytime I check the site: "The purpose of the "Giles Free Speech Zone" is to identify problems of concern to the people of Giles County, to discuss them in a gentlemanly and civil manner, while referring to the facts and giving evidence to back up whatever claims are made, making logical arguments that avoid any use of fallacy, and, hopefully, to come together in agreement, and find a positive solution to the problem at hand. Help make a difference!" Why don't you make a difference and take all the post that have nothing to do with the subject. What kinda "gentleman" gets on a blog and demeans people and there families? If you are gonna run a website and try and do it in a gentlemanly manner then don't you think you should be fair??? You are showing bias for sure!!! You are probably setting their saying "well you don't have to read it!" Well, you are correct. However if people can get on here and talk a bunch of bull then you should at least let the people read both sides of the story. Am I wrong? Please tell me!!! I am done with this website because it is totally unfair and worthless. All this amounts to is a place for miserable faceless cowards to come and try to make someone elses life just like their own. I am sure McPeters had good intentions when he started this site however it is so mismanaged that it has absolutely no credibility whatsoever. While I am going to log in one more time for an answer from you Mister Admin...it will be my last because I personally do not like not being able to voice my opinion while others get to voice theirs. Thank you for giving Giles County such a wonderful site. Now sat back and wonder while it never gets mentioned on radio or newspapers. Talk about peoples families 3:06:00PM. Talk all you want the admin must agree with you 100% because he is letting your voice be heard but not the other half. Thank you "gentlemen". You have been such a pleasure to talk to. I am glad we could find a "positive solution" to the "problem at hand". Admin I am gonna leave you with a qoute and you take it for what it is..."Do what is right, come what may".
Bottom line 10:02 pm...if the only problem in your original blog was a few cuss words---then don't use the words. Then what ever you said will be heard.
I appreciate that what I want to say is heard...
Thank you blog administrator. I think you have stated numerous times that this kind of language will not be allowed. You have held up you end.
I feel confident that the deleted blog would be posted without the foul language.
Quit whining 10:02pm. Nobody cares if you get on the blog again since nothing you say has any relevance. Just trying to defend you honor Kathy Young...of which you have none.
831 Without doubt, you've earned a good butt kicking. Endless rants of rubbish says you are absolutely what you call the other two people.
Don't know either person, but do know you are a worthless piece of garbage. Anyone with a brain can see your lack of character.
Hiding behind "don't know either person" is not a real good smoke screen...come forth Kathy...and then talk about a "butt kicking..
Character...you ain't got it now nor have you ever had it..all the way back to your best friend from long ago.
You know exactly what I am talking about.
451 you are a true idiot - don't know any of you - sounds like you ought to come out from hiding, raise your leg up real high & see if you can really whiz up on the top of the fire hydrant! I'd pay to see it!
I'll bet you snuck in here from East KY. Have you got 6 fingers & three toes?
Interesting point 10:02P.M. Still no response from the admin. Kinda fishy huh?
Apparently Admin doesn't have to respond...he is in control and to your dismay he really doesn't care what your think.
The rules are plan for the site...ABIDE BY THEM OR BE DELETED!!!!! Even your simple mind should be able to understand.
Very proud of the stand that Admin takes...and by the way I knew Mr. McPeters and he would be proud of Admin.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
WHAT A IDIOT YOU ARE...8:25 PM.
YOU ARE A WASTE IN THE WORLD.
YOUR TRUE CHARACTER SHOWING THROUGH AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU MUST ME TALKING ABOUT YOURSELF. BECAUSE THE NAME YOU BLOGGED IS JUST EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE PLUS BEING A IDIOT.
It's time that one can only leave a message if he/she is logged in with a user name. Some of this bad language and talking about people and their families will cease.
I am very sorry and embarrassed for every reader of this blog that the post from Sunday, 15 February 8:25 PM
was not deleted more quickly. I have been out of town with no access to the internet and was unaware that someone with the ability to use a computer would be so severely limited in their vocabulary they could not express even simple-minded thoughts without sinking to a level below the gutter. Allen Barrett
If you take out all the slander and the name calling you will have to shut down the blog. If you would just print things in refence to the topic would make it alot nicer to read and probleble more educational and enlighten people on what is truely going on the Giles county. Clean up the blog for many reasons. Make it a sight people not from here could read and find out informative info.
This is a free speech forum 7:43. If you remove everything everyone finds objectionable there would be not comments to post as you said. I agree to some extent what you have said but, as long as the rules are followed that are laid out upon posting there should not be a problem. Things have been said on here about me and no they didn't please me. I chose to ignore it and not respond. It is however everyone's right to have a voice on issues. People do not have to read this blog if they object so strongly. If will say this if citizens use this as their only tool to gain knowledge of what goes on in our county or voice their opinion, then they have certainly limited oneself to be educated. Attend meetings and talk to your commissioners. That is getting the answers straight from the horses mouth so to speak.
The ugly head of zoning is one more reason we need home rule.
Zoning has never stopped anything except time and reason.
10:59 If the answers coming from the horse's mouth were straight answers we would be ok. But so many 'horses' straddle the fence so we dont often get a straight answer.
12;25 You are exactly right! Thanks
Feb 13 post.
I think that smells of double standard, don't you?
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