Commissioners, I apologize for missing the last (April 19) meeting. I had bigger fish to fry in Washington, D.C. on that date. I know that you missed me.
Now back to the little pond with the little slippery fish that just keep nibbling the worms off the hook and getting away.
It must have cost quite a bit of political capital to get the local government commission to forget about those missing audits. I know that you felt real good Mr. Chair, about calling a big, armed peace officer to subdue a little old lady; especially after you raised her dander a bit by disavowing all responsibility for the EDC/JDC and we, the tax payer’s money. With all due respect to Commissioner Cowan, the Jackson County board of commissioners may not have the legal authority to insist on the missing audits yet we the citizens of Jackson County have the authority to insist on accountability for our money that was given to the EDC and the JDC. Remember gentlemen, those are my and every other citizen of Jackson County’s seats up there. I know that you recall that little agreement you and I have on accountable, open and honest government or else resign from our seats. Right?
It seems that it is coming down to fish or cut bait time on the old Tuckaseigee Mills property. We have already allowed the main tenant to become in arrears over $530,000.00. Anybody got an extra half of a million (or more) dollars to throw down a rat hole?
Commissioner Massie, I agree with you that Jackson County needs to reduce the size of its huge motor pool. But darn commissioner, don’t you think that we need to reduce the size of our county government first? It would seem that the exorbitant fat-cat salaries that the managerial county employees are getting contribute quite a bit to the size of the county’s indebtedness. I don’t agree with our county finance director on much. Yet Director Fox has pointed out one truth: if we don’t reduce our expenditures in this county we are going to go broke. Balancing the budget is NOT enough. Forget raising taxes. We don’t have the money. Darn, I bet ya’ll wish you could print money like that gang up in Washington D.C. don’tcha?
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Fasttrack to Political Suicide
Commissioners:
Last time we had a little chat about the shell game also known as the county budget. No county office holder, elected or unelected, emailed me their resignation. That means that all of you commissioners and all county office holders, especially the upper level managerial office holders, county manager included, publicly agree to fulfill the standards of accountable, open, and honest government. I certainly hope so.
Speaking of office holders, I understand the sheriff is here tonight to ask for two new ordinances concerning burglar alarms and adult entertainment. I’m all for both burglar alarms and adult entertainment especially since they are both covered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Let’s be real careful here and not cause another controversy or else first amendment groups could really hammer the citizens of Jackson County with more litigation that we definitely don’t need.
Speaking of ordinances, I understand that at least one commissioner has professed ignorance on how these suggested draft amendments to the Hillside and Subdivision Ordinance came to occur. If that is so (and I don’t disbelieve him) then how did the planning board come to begin the process of suggesting possible changes? It is my understanding that someone or someone’s above Ms. Cable’s level of authority had to ask that the planning department and planning board look at possible changes. Who did this? Why now? And why are we citizens being presented with bogus evidence such as that misleading photograph of the two ‘McMansions’ in Cashiers as evidence for change to the ordinance. Messing with the Hillside and Subdivision Ordinance, especially now, is the fast track to political suicide. I haven’t heard any of you talk about retiring from public life just yet. Forget refinement gentlemen, let’s strengthen the ordinance. It didn’t cause the business and construction downturn, the idiots up in Washington D.C. and the New York Stock Exchange did.
Oh, one more thing. Budget amendments are all well and good. The only problem is why can’t we stick to the original budget and stop adding on piece-meal these constant requests for more money. It’s almost like one of those little ankle-biter dogs constantly nipping at you. A little bite here or there doesn’t do much damage. But over the long run those sharp teeth can put you in a world of hurt. All of these little budget amendments nips eventually add up to millions and millions of dollars of debt; something that our children and grandchildren will end up paying for, right?
Always watching,
Last time we had a little chat about the shell game also known as the county budget. No county office holder, elected or unelected, emailed me their resignation. That means that all of you commissioners and all county office holders, especially the upper level managerial office holders, county manager included, publicly agree to fulfill the standards of accountable, open, and honest government. I certainly hope so.
Speaking of office holders, I understand the sheriff is here tonight to ask for two new ordinances concerning burglar alarms and adult entertainment. I’m all for both burglar alarms and adult entertainment especially since they are both covered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Let’s be real careful here and not cause another controversy or else first amendment groups could really hammer the citizens of Jackson County with more litigation that we definitely don’t need.
Speaking of ordinances, I understand that at least one commissioner has professed ignorance on how these suggested draft amendments to the Hillside and Subdivision Ordinance came to occur. If that is so (and I don’t disbelieve him) then how did the planning board come to begin the process of suggesting possible changes? It is my understanding that someone or someone’s above Ms. Cable’s level of authority had to ask that the planning department and planning board look at possible changes. Who did this? Why now? And why are we citizens being presented with bogus evidence such as that misleading photograph of the two ‘McMansions’ in Cashiers as evidence for change to the ordinance. Messing with the Hillside and Subdivision Ordinance, especially now, is the fast track to political suicide. I haven’t heard any of you talk about retiring from public life just yet. Forget refinement gentlemen, let’s strengthen the ordinance. It didn’t cause the business and construction downturn, the idiots up in Washington D.C. and the New York Stock Exchange did.
Oh, one more thing. Budget amendments are all well and good. The only problem is why can’t we stick to the original budget and stop adding on piece-meal these constant requests for more money. It’s almost like one of those little ankle-biter dogs constantly nipping at you. A little bite here or there doesn’t do much damage. But over the long run those sharp teeth can put you in a world of hurt. All of these little budget amendments nips eventually add up to millions and millions of dollars of debt; something that our children and grandchildren will end up paying for, right?
Always watching,
Saturday, March 20, 2010
County's Finances Not a Shell Game
At the March 1 commissioner’s meeting in this continuing soap opera that we call Jackson County government, I was personally attacked and challenged to “report back on which project” I’d “like to see done away with.” In as much as I am not accountable to the county manager; fortunately in our system of government he (and all office holders) are accountable to me; I still wonder what fiscally irresponsible person or persons, in these financially troubled times would go wild like spring breakers on the citizen’s credit card and push the county’s indebtedness to within two percent of the maximum allowed by state statutes?
I’ve talked with Dottie Brunette, our county librarian, and she knows that I support a new and expanded library for our county. What I don’t support is the overspending by millions of dollars on the library and the cost over-runs because no one in county government is willing to hold the builders accountable to their original agreement.
County Manager Kenneth Westmoreland overlooked several very important items in his response to me. What about:
Hiring county employees when there was a stated hiring freeze. Why even bother to say you are going to “freeze” hiring and then turn right around and hire people. That’s duplicitous and probably illegal.
Or:
The “fat cat” upper-most county employee salary raises seemingly timed for when county tax revenues are shrinking; then adding insult to injury, justifying these exorbitant raises by paying an outside consulting firm $25,000.00 to gather and collate information that is already paid for with your and my money and available from Raleigh.
Or:
The sheriff’s drug money scandal which, by the way, was and is public money and was not “given as a gift” by the federal government as the manager stated. N.C. G.S. 159-25 requires two signatures on all checks written on public monies. This wasn’t done for how many years? The county finance officer, county manager, and chairman of the county commissioners are all culpable and accountable to this law. They ignored it until a local media outlet brought it to the attention of the state treasurer and the local government commission. Attorney General Roy Cooper should be very interested in prosecuting all guilty parties.
The four year county property tax assessment cycle started in 2002, not 1998 as the manager claimed. His claim that homeowners would be in for “sticker shock” is not genuine and therefore fallacious. Those assessments are no loner realistic or valid. They are being used a weapon against the citizens of Jackson County to enlarge county government and attempt to increase direct control over all of our lives. Ultimately, the only way that the county can get that money from us is by threat of force.
Our county’s finances are not a shell game, although the manager seems to treat them like he treated Spartanburg county and Greer’s finances when he was ‘working’ for the citizens there. They are mine and every other citizen’s money. Any county office holder who is not willing to accept this fact and to fulfill the standards of accountable, open, and honest government to we the citizens can email me their resignation immediately
I’ve talked with Dottie Brunette, our county librarian, and she knows that I support a new and expanded library for our county. What I don’t support is the overspending by millions of dollars on the library and the cost over-runs because no one in county government is willing to hold the builders accountable to their original agreement.
County Manager Kenneth Westmoreland overlooked several very important items in his response to me. What about:
Hiring county employees when there was a stated hiring freeze. Why even bother to say you are going to “freeze” hiring and then turn right around and hire people. That’s duplicitous and probably illegal.
Or:
The “fat cat” upper-most county employee salary raises seemingly timed for when county tax revenues are shrinking; then adding insult to injury, justifying these exorbitant raises by paying an outside consulting firm $25,000.00 to gather and collate information that is already paid for with your and my money and available from Raleigh.
Or:
The sheriff’s drug money scandal which, by the way, was and is public money and was not “given as a gift” by the federal government as the manager stated. N.C. G.S. 159-25 requires two signatures on all checks written on public monies. This wasn’t done for how many years? The county finance officer, county manager, and chairman of the county commissioners are all culpable and accountable to this law. They ignored it until a local media outlet brought it to the attention of the state treasurer and the local government commission. Attorney General Roy Cooper should be very interested in prosecuting all guilty parties.
The four year county property tax assessment cycle started in 2002, not 1998 as the manager claimed. His claim that homeowners would be in for “sticker shock” is not genuine and therefore fallacious. Those assessments are no loner realistic or valid. They are being used a weapon against the citizens of Jackson County to enlarge county government and attempt to increase direct control over all of our lives. Ultimately, the only way that the county can get that money from us is by threat of force.
Our county’s finances are not a shell game, although the manager seems to treat them like he treated Spartanburg county and Greer’s finances when he was ‘working’ for the citizens there. They are mine and every other citizen’s money. Any county office holder who is not willing to accept this fact and to fulfill the standards of accountable, open, and honest government to we the citizens can email me their resignation immediately
Monday, March 1, 2010
See What Attracted Me!
Giant bulldozers cut across contour lines;
Up and down hillsides, slicing through the forest mat;
Grinding and crushing the bones of the mountains.
“See what attracted me!”
Cutting back hillsides, leveling out home sites;
Raw red earth spilling into streams;
Lifeblood of the land spurts away.
“See what attracted me!”
The sound of hammers echo off the mountainsides;
Power saws rip down trees for ‘million dollar’ views;
Construction trash and empty liquor bottles despoil the land.
“See what attracted me!”
Trout streams buried in plastic pipes;
Non-native grasses kept artificially alive;
Fertilizer run-off of golf courses poisons the drinking water.
“See what attracted me!”
The landslides slip and slide
Way down the mountain sides,
Just like groupie panties in the locker room.
“See what attracted me!”
Later, when all is destroyed
Having created this artificial ‘paradise;’
Only then do the people cry and scream:
“See what attracted me!”
February 22, 2010
Up and down hillsides, slicing through the forest mat;
Grinding and crushing the bones of the mountains.
“See what attracted me!”
Cutting back hillsides, leveling out home sites;
Raw red earth spilling into streams;
Lifeblood of the land spurts away.
“See what attracted me!”
The sound of hammers echo off the mountainsides;
Power saws rip down trees for ‘million dollar’ views;
Construction trash and empty liquor bottles despoil the land.
“See what attracted me!”
Trout streams buried in plastic pipes;
Non-native grasses kept artificially alive;
Fertilizer run-off of golf courses poisons the drinking water.
“See what attracted me!”
The landslides slip and slide
Way down the mountain sides,
Just like groupie panties in the locker room.
“See what attracted me!”
Later, when all is destroyed
Having created this artificial ‘paradise;’
Only then do the people cry and scream:
“See what attracted me!”
February 22, 2010
The People Laugh
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)