Wow, hasn’t this last year been a wild ride? Jackson County has had more sewage spills polluting the Tuckaseigee River engineered by TWSA’s incompetence and ineptitude; our county commissioners have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Jackson Paper despite them attempting to abscond to Georgia; the pay raise scandal of the uppermost county employee “fat-cats” has angered thousands; and the never-ending EDC/JDC debacle continues to fester as the attorney general’s interest grows.
Recently, the Smoky Mountain News hung the “Albatross Award” around the county commissioner’s necks for not having satisfactorily resolved quite a few important issues. Commissioners, you’ve had four years to remove a lot of these “albatrosses.” Why haven’t you done so? Is it because that you believe that the citizens of Jackson County will just forget about these issues? Or, do you only care about power and control and your eventual re-election that the good old boy patronage system almost guarantees?
Recently, questions have been raised about contradictions between what Gabler-Mollis has said, what you Mr. Chairman (and at least one other commissioner) have said, what the county manager and the county finance director are saying; and, what JAG has learned. Somebody is lying. The time to come clean about the down and dirty double dealings regarding the Jackson County Economic Commission and the Jackson Development Corporation is before Roy Cooper starts subpoenaing people. Hurry now, special immunity deals with the North Carolina Attorney General ending soon!
Carl Sandburg wrote about the people laughing at “lying politicians, lying labor skates, lying racketeers of business, lying newspapers, lying ads.” The people laugh “until a day when the laughter changes key and tone and has something it didn’t have.” The laughter of the people “foretokening of revolt carries fear to those who wonder how far it will go and where to block it.”
Commissioners, the laughter of the people changed tone long ago. The lack of honest, open government in Jackson County is appalling. Those are our seats you’re sitting in. Resolve these issues before the May primary or else don’t bother us with another sad joke on election day in November.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Coalition of the County
Insightful letter (“Citizens should work for good of county”, Sylva Herald, 12/31/09) of Mrs. Cobb’s. 2010 has all the makings of also being "difficult and unpredictable" as 2009 was. It is an excellent time for our communities to come together and work with each other to improve the lives of all in the county. When our 'leaders', in meeting after meeting, make no report on anything that they may have done for us it seems that we can't count on them to do the job that we elected them to do; commissioners, no report, no pay.
It would seem that citizens are unwilling to serve on county boards and committees of a local government that they have lost trust in. Despite this, perhaps if the county advertised with the local media of the need for citizen-service they might get some volunteers.
Other than not making appropriate good faith efforts to attract citizen-talent perhaps citizen disillusionment with the county is occurring because of the lack of positive action with the on-going TWSA pollution debacle? Or maybe it’s the pay raise to the ‘fat cats’ scandal that everyone’s hopping mad over? Or could it be the financial black hole of the Jackson Development Corporation; the Jackson County Economic Development Commission’s (and the county’s) role in funneling public monies to this private entity; contrary to what has been told us by county leaders (and has made the scandal worse); and the distinct possibility of an investigation by federal and other authorities. County office holders have done closure without resolution in this matter which is akin to burying someone before they’re pronounced dead.
By the way, inside sources have told me that county employees were discouraged from obtaining and reading the Mercer report. Perhaps top un-elected office holders didn’t really want county employees seeing for themselves that the pay raises went against the recommendations of that report and that misrepresentations by these office holders was just an excuse for greed gone wild.
I agree that we need to stay vigilant and continue to work to save our mountains and watersheds. The Jackson County Citizen Action Group was formed by concerned citizens in the late summer of 2008 to be a “coalition of the county” amongst neighbors who wanted to help other neighbors in all parts of the county. To that end we of JAG will continue in 2010 to be the rallying point for “neighbors helping neighbors” and to remind county office holders, elected and un-elected, that we will accept no less than totally honest and open government.
It would seem that citizens are unwilling to serve on county boards and committees of a local government that they have lost trust in. Despite this, perhaps if the county advertised with the local media of the need for citizen-service they might get some volunteers.
Other than not making appropriate good faith efforts to attract citizen-talent perhaps citizen disillusionment with the county is occurring because of the lack of positive action with the on-going TWSA pollution debacle? Or maybe it’s the pay raise to the ‘fat cats’ scandal that everyone’s hopping mad over? Or could it be the financial black hole of the Jackson Development Corporation; the Jackson County Economic Development Commission’s (and the county’s) role in funneling public monies to this private entity; contrary to what has been told us by county leaders (and has made the scandal worse); and the distinct possibility of an investigation by federal and other authorities. County office holders have done closure without resolution in this matter which is akin to burying someone before they’re pronounced dead.
By the way, inside sources have told me that county employees were discouraged from obtaining and reading the Mercer report. Perhaps top un-elected office holders didn’t really want county employees seeing for themselves that the pay raises went against the recommendations of that report and that misrepresentations by these office holders was just an excuse for greed gone wild.
I agree that we need to stay vigilant and continue to work to save our mountains and watersheds. The Jackson County Citizen Action Group was formed by concerned citizens in the late summer of 2008 to be a “coalition of the county” amongst neighbors who wanted to help other neighbors in all parts of the county. To that end we of JAG will continue in 2010 to be the rallying point for “neighbors helping neighbors” and to remind county office holders, elected and un-elected, that we will accept no less than totally honest and open government.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Duke's Leadership Intellectually Bankrupt!
There’s been a lot of rhetoric from the media recently concerning Duke Energy and the rate increase that Duke is seeking approval for from you, the North Carolina Utilities Commission. Can you hear me now? Any rate increase that Duke is allowed to have is utterly reprehensible, of questionable legality and not acceptable to we the citizens of North Carolina.
Why is Duke trying to expand sales to large municipalities outside of Duke’s service area? Duke is a North Carolina public utility. If Duke wants to continue to provide the public electricity here in North Carolina they must serve the needs of North Carolinians!
It is important that Duke’s Chairman of the Board, James Rogers, understands that his job is to serve me the customer, not the reverse.
Why is Duke trying, over the objections of its customers, to build Cliffside—another coal-fired electric generating plant that North Carolina doesn’t need with money that Duke is trying to take from me? The ‘ah-ha’ moment in regards to coal-fired generating plants happened for me when the TVA disaster occurred in Kingston Tennessee in late 2008. Because of that disaster and TVA’s lying about the events that led up to it, what happened and the aftermath, I don’t believe that any coal-fired electric generating plant can legally and morally be labeled as ‘clean.’ And, destroying mountains, our mountains, my mountains, is not a moral reason to generate electricity.
Duke’s shareholders need to realize that the leadership of Duke Energy is bankrupt when it comes to workable ideas for clean, alternative energy sources. Therefore I have a proposal for you, the commissioners that you must strongly suggest to James Rogers and Duke Energy.
Duke can begin to redeem its tattered public image by joining with communities throughout the great state of North Carolina and helping citizens to create small alternative energy community-cooperatives which would be owned and controlled by the citizens. Instead of continuing to foolishly build bloated inefficient ways of generating electricity and polluting our environment with dirty hazardous coal-fired plants, Duke can finally begin to serve its customers, the citizens of North Carolina, by providing financing, technical support and general know-how for community-based solar, wind and hydroelectric projects and partner with the citizens of North Carolina to move forward to a clean and independent energy future.
Why is Duke trying to expand sales to large municipalities outside of Duke’s service area? Duke is a North Carolina public utility. If Duke wants to continue to provide the public electricity here in North Carolina they must serve the needs of North Carolinians!
It is important that Duke’s Chairman of the Board, James Rogers, understands that his job is to serve me the customer, not the reverse.
Why is Duke trying, over the objections of its customers, to build Cliffside—another coal-fired electric generating plant that North Carolina doesn’t need with money that Duke is trying to take from me? The ‘ah-ha’ moment in regards to coal-fired generating plants happened for me when the TVA disaster occurred in Kingston Tennessee in late 2008. Because of that disaster and TVA’s lying about the events that led up to it, what happened and the aftermath, I don’t believe that any coal-fired electric generating plant can legally and morally be labeled as ‘clean.’ And, destroying mountains, our mountains, my mountains, is not a moral reason to generate electricity.
Duke’s shareholders need to realize that the leadership of Duke Energy is bankrupt when it comes to workable ideas for clean, alternative energy sources. Therefore I have a proposal for you, the commissioners that you must strongly suggest to James Rogers and Duke Energy.
Duke can begin to redeem its tattered public image by joining with communities throughout the great state of North Carolina and helping citizens to create small alternative energy community-cooperatives which would be owned and controlled by the citizens. Instead of continuing to foolishly build bloated inefficient ways of generating electricity and polluting our environment with dirty hazardous coal-fired plants, Duke can finally begin to serve its customers, the citizens of North Carolina, by providing financing, technical support and general know-how for community-based solar, wind and hydroelectric projects and partner with the citizens of North Carolina to move forward to a clean and independent energy future.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Duke's "Great Fear"
Over the past few weeks several individuals and one media outlet have provided Jackson County citizens with a comedic Greek Chorus concerning the Jackson County commissioners and their decision to condemn the Dillsboro Dam and the land around it. News stories that have been written about the commissioners supposed ‘exercise in futility’ have come seemingly from a corporate spin doctor’s pen. Other individuals have attempted to “shame” us for not ‘doing the right thing’ and allowing Duke to have its way and destroy a county icon and significant cultural resource.
One individual claims that the powers of a private corporation (Duke) supersede the powers of a duly elected body (Jackson County Commissioners). Pardon me; I thought that the United States was a republic and not an oligarchy. Things change I suppose, despite ‘silly little pieces of paper’ such as the Constitution of the United States. The supposed “cornerstone” of the integrated Nantahala/Tuckaseigee 2003 Settlement Agreement was actually an ‘agreement’ rammed though by Duke as a sop to the ‘stakeholders’ and their own selfish agendas. This silenced the rest of the environmental community and curried favor with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Duke’s “Great Fear” is that they won’t get another half century of a licensed monopoly on hydro-electric production in Jackson County and make hundreds of millions of dollars from us, the rate-payers.
Yes, it is truly an absolute shame to see Jackson County’s limited natural and cultural resources raped once again. A huge electric power monopoly and a few selfish, self-centered ‘stakeholders’ are going to get what they want—no matter the cost. And the public be damned!
Regardless of the outcome of the FERC re-licensing process, I pity the poor souls (and there have been quite a few) who would sell themselves and the cultural resources of Jackson County for little more than, comparatively speaking, thirty pieces of silver. I can sleep at night; can they?
One individual claims that the powers of a private corporation (Duke) supersede the powers of a duly elected body (Jackson County Commissioners). Pardon me; I thought that the United States was a republic and not an oligarchy. Things change I suppose, despite ‘silly little pieces of paper’ such as the Constitution of the United States. The supposed “cornerstone” of the integrated Nantahala/Tuckaseigee 2003 Settlement Agreement was actually an ‘agreement’ rammed though by Duke as a sop to the ‘stakeholders’ and their own selfish agendas. This silenced the rest of the environmental community and curried favor with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Duke’s “Great Fear” is that they won’t get another half century of a licensed monopoly on hydro-electric production in Jackson County and make hundreds of millions of dollars from us, the rate-payers.
Yes, it is truly an absolute shame to see Jackson County’s limited natural and cultural resources raped once again. A huge electric power monopoly and a few selfish, self-centered ‘stakeholders’ are going to get what they want—no matter the cost. And the public be damned!
Regardless of the outcome of the FERC re-licensing process, I pity the poor souls (and there have been quite a few) who would sell themselves and the cultural resources of Jackson County for little more than, comparatively speaking, thirty pieces of silver. I can sleep at night; can they?
Monday, September 8, 2008
If You're Tired
by Chuck Connors
Current events in Jackson County have caused people to ask me, “what can I do about this assault on our values and our way of life? What can I do about the developers buying up the county? What can I do about the politicians constantly spending us into debt, shrugging their shoulders and smiling over the outright disappearance of public monies that has been going on for years? What can I do about loose cannon not-for-profits spending our money as if it where theirs? What can I do?”
Jacksongate has been building for some time. Years of neglect and apathy by folks who should have been keeping watch; double-dealing and outright chicanery by a few key rascals; finally caused us, the many, to wake up to the determined, greedy attack on our way of life in Jackson County. But what can you and I do?
It’s about the water. It’s about politics. It’s about changing business as usual. If you’re tired of mega-developers buying thousands of acres of our mountains for the benefit of the few; if you’re tired of the same old excuses and outright stories from our so-called leaders; then join with others just like you and fight these destroyers of our land and our way of life.
It makes no difference whether you were born here, raised here or moved here a short time ago. What matters is whether you want the land to survive and prosper, whether you want to raise your children here, whether you want what is right. Friday September 19 at 6:30 pm at the Family Resource Center in Webster is when you get your chance to say “No more. This must stop now. We, the people, want what is right!”
Current events in Jackson County have caused people to ask me, “what can I do about this assault on our values and our way of life? What can I do about the developers buying up the county? What can I do about the politicians constantly spending us into debt, shrugging their shoulders and smiling over the outright disappearance of public monies that has been going on for years? What can I do about loose cannon not-for-profits spending our money as if it where theirs? What can I do?”
Jacksongate has been building for some time. Years of neglect and apathy by folks who should have been keeping watch; double-dealing and outright chicanery by a few key rascals; finally caused us, the many, to wake up to the determined, greedy attack on our way of life in Jackson County. But what can you and I do?
It’s about the water. It’s about politics. It’s about changing business as usual. If you’re tired of mega-developers buying thousands of acres of our mountains for the benefit of the few; if you’re tired of the same old excuses and outright stories from our so-called leaders; then join with others just like you and fight these destroyers of our land and our way of life.
It makes no difference whether you were born here, raised here or moved here a short time ago. What matters is whether you want the land to survive and prosper, whether you want to raise your children here, whether you want what is right. Friday September 19 at 6:30 pm at the Family Resource Center in Webster is when you get your chance to say “No more. This must stop now. We, the people, want what is right!”
Monday, August 18, 2008
Chump Change
by
Chuck Connors
It’s a shameful thing when honest citizens who are attempting to uncover corruption in our county are threatened and attempts are made to intimidate them. Certain officials sworn to uphold the law and responsible for the public’s money should know better. This is another aspect of the on-going wrong-doing called Jacksongate that I’ve been talking about for the last few months.
Related to the effects of insane growth are the hundreds of thousands of dollars that seem to have gone missing in the Jackson Development Corporation. I’ll admit that this almost seems like chump change compared to the current shady dealings in various developments here in Jackson County, yet in my opinion that doesn’t forgive the scoundrels who are responsible for the missing public funds in this very public scandal from their standing before the bar of justice.
There are approximately $700,000 in public monies unaccounted for. It’s gone folks—maybe for good. The Drexel property seems to have been purchased with public funds twice! To our knowledge the EDC hasn’t been audited or bonded. Because of what we see in these financial records we believe it’s in the best interest of the citizens of Jackson County for the Economic Development Commission to be dissolved immediately. Mrs. Leatherwood has been able to document in large part the wheeling and dealing going on and believes that the shoddy and haphazard forms of documentation thoroughly justify immediate action by you, the county commissioners. We want clarification and an accounting dollar-for-dollar of the money that the JDC has accessed and spent. This indebtedness of the public treasury has raised many questions about the lack of oversight into these affairs. Somebody’s responsible. Who is going to face the music?
Gentlemen, there is an easier, softer, right way though. Shut down the EDC, order a full audit of the records involving the JDC/EDC financial mess, and return what money that can be salvaged to the public treasury now. The fallout from Jacksongate can be lessened, but only if you Gentlemen take action tonight and begin to restore public confidence in our county government.
Chuck Connors
It’s a shameful thing when honest citizens who are attempting to uncover corruption in our county are threatened and attempts are made to intimidate them. Certain officials sworn to uphold the law and responsible for the public’s money should know better. This is another aspect of the on-going wrong-doing called Jacksongate that I’ve been talking about for the last few months.
Related to the effects of insane growth are the hundreds of thousands of dollars that seem to have gone missing in the Jackson Development Corporation. I’ll admit that this almost seems like chump change compared to the current shady dealings in various developments here in Jackson County, yet in my opinion that doesn’t forgive the scoundrels who are responsible for the missing public funds in this very public scandal from their standing before the bar of justice.
There are approximately $700,000 in public monies unaccounted for. It’s gone folks—maybe for good. The Drexel property seems to have been purchased with public funds twice! To our knowledge the EDC hasn’t been audited or bonded. Because of what we see in these financial records we believe it’s in the best interest of the citizens of Jackson County for the Economic Development Commission to be dissolved immediately. Mrs. Leatherwood has been able to document in large part the wheeling and dealing going on and believes that the shoddy and haphazard forms of documentation thoroughly justify immediate action by you, the county commissioners. We want clarification and an accounting dollar-for-dollar of the money that the JDC has accessed and spent. This indebtedness of the public treasury has raised many questions about the lack of oversight into these affairs. Somebody’s responsible. Who is going to face the music?
Gentlemen, there is an easier, softer, right way though. Shut down the EDC, order a full audit of the records involving the JDC/EDC financial mess, and return what money that can be salvaged to the public treasury now. The fallout from Jacksongate can be lessened, but only if you Gentlemen take action tonight and begin to restore public confidence in our county government.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Its All About the Water
Water is second only to oxygen as a fundamental that we humans must have. Seemingly here in the mountains of Western North Carolina we have a lot of water. At least we used to. As the Southeast continues in the second year of an extreme drought springs have either already run dry or are running dry and our rivers, such as the Tuckaseigee, aren’t doing very well either. The fact that there are diminishing water supplies available for the people’s needs who live here already drives home the indisputable fact: to you who want to move here from somewhere else, sorry we don’t have the resources to support you. You’ll have to build your third, fourth, or fifth homes elsewhere.
Unfortunately, last year the plans for 200 plus developments snuck in under the wire before the Jackson County subdivision and steep slope moratorium came into effect. I have seen some of the vesting documents involved and questions have been raised in my mind over the legality of some. Those questions are rapidly becoming moot (overall) as, legal or not, Jackson County just does not have the water resources to support these developments.
According to Golf Magazine, the “typical golf course uses 300,000 gallons a day.” That’s 300,000 gallons of water a day to keep green an unnatural carpet so that the too-much-money-not-enough-brains folks can hit little white balls around and then drive little carts to the “19th Hole” to celebrate their handicap. That’ll be three Scotches and water and a Bourbon and branch bartender. Yeah right.
What are you going to do when a four-wheel drive truck can drive across the Tuckaseigee just about anywhere along its length in Jackson County? What are you going to do when your one and only water source, your spring or well dries up? What are you going to do when the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewerage Authority begins mandatory water rationing?
Developers. Its time to face the facts. You’ve sunk all your investor’s money into a dry hole. People. Oppose these developments that will steal our water. It’s all about the water.
Unfortunately, last year the plans for 200 plus developments snuck in under the wire before the Jackson County subdivision and steep slope moratorium came into effect. I have seen some of the vesting documents involved and questions have been raised in my mind over the legality of some. Those questions are rapidly becoming moot (overall) as, legal or not, Jackson County just does not have the water resources to support these developments.
According to Golf Magazine, the “typical golf course uses 300,000 gallons a day.” That’s 300,000 gallons of water a day to keep green an unnatural carpet so that the too-much-money-not-enough-brains folks can hit little white balls around and then drive little carts to the “19th Hole” to celebrate their handicap. That’ll be three Scotches and water and a Bourbon and branch bartender. Yeah right.
What are you going to do when a four-wheel drive truck can drive across the Tuckaseigee just about anywhere along its length in Jackson County? What are you going to do when your one and only water source, your spring or well dries up? What are you going to do when the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewerage Authority begins mandatory water rationing?
Developers. Its time to face the facts. You’ve sunk all your investor’s money into a dry hole. People. Oppose these developments that will steal our water. It’s all about the water.
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