|
Democracy or Banana Republic?
At Monday’s Sept. 10th 6:00 p.m. meeting at the Courthouse Annex, commissioners will vote on several important Agenda items. This includes voting on Commissioner Nancy Marcus controversial employee insurance health plan proposal. The Budget Committee (names below) approved and recommended a plan where all employees will pay 2% more on health insurance, effective Jan. 2008. Currently, Loudon County pays 90% and a county employee pays 10% of insurance cost.
Commissioners will also nominate a Chair and fill numerous committee appointments, but names are not posted on the Loudon County government website even though we employ an IT person, at a salary and benefits of $40K - 50K est.!
Electing Commission’s Chairperson:
Commission elects a chairperson and vice-chair annually, and adopts its own rules and procedures. Commissioner Roy Bledsoe has been Chair for many years. I believe its time for a change. Commissioners should elect a Chair with courage to lead in a positive direction. The mayor presides or dominates most meetings including workshop meetings. Commissioners adopted rules and procedures, which allow people to speak, Commissioners however, look the other way while some people are bullied and harassed and meetings run amuck!
Leadership starts with the Chair of Commission. It’s time to break away from business as usual. In other counties, the mayor sits in the audience and gives his or her report at the prescribed time on the agenda. Loudon County commission is the legislative body. Government should act responsibly with checks and balance and transparency.
Approving Committees, What about
Salary & Benefit Committee? Also on the agenda is the approval of committee appointments. Missing for a 2nd year in a row, is filling vacancies on the Salary & Benefits Committee (S & B). This committee has important functions including formulating and recommending proposed policy changes to employee health insurance, wages and salaries, and other benefits.
The S & B committee met regularly since June 2005 but after the 2006 General Election, things changed. Several months ago, Commissioner Nancy Marcus, a member of the S & B committee, asked Mayor Arp if the committee had dissolved? According to Mayor Arp, “elected officials” were meeting 2 and 3 times a month on different employment proposals. Vacancies should be filled and the Salary and Benefits Committee should reconvene and meet publicly in accordance to the Sunshine Law, preferably during evening hours when employees, public and press can attend! Click for video
Global warming may turn Loudon County,
Memphis and Carolinas into another floating island in the Atlantic, but
until then, we still live in a Republic governed by Democratic
Principles and the United States Constitution, not Little Havana, a
Banana Republic. Please voice your concerns and hold your elected
officials accountable for their actions.
HAROLD DUFF, COMMISSIONER (Resignation, according to mayor) NANCY NARCUS, COMMISSIONER DON MILLER, COMMISSIONER DOYLE ARP, ASSESSOR (new assessor – Chuck Jenkins) TRACIE LITTLETON. REGISTER OF DEEDS RICK THOMAS, JUVENILE DIRECTOR (Resignation, according to mayor) TAMMY REYNOLDS, EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Your Loudon County Elected Officials 2007-2008
Mayor Doyle Arp, Phone: 458-4664 office, 458- 3980 home (Chairman Budget Committee), Email: darp@loudoncounty.org (Chairman Budget Committee)
1st District - Nancy Marcus, Phone: 458-8581, Email: kens300@aol.com Budget Committee member 1st District - David Meers, Phone: 458-2414, Email: dmeers2414@charter.net
2nd District - Earlena Maples - Phone 986-6772, Email: emaples@lcub1.com 2nd District - Shirley Reno - Phone 986-1256, Email: s_reno@bellsouth.net
3rd District - Bob Franke Phone: 856-0303, Email: rdfranke@msn.com Budget Committee Member
4th District Roy Bledsoe (Chairman) Phone: 458-2829
5th District Harold Duff - Phone 988-6647, Email: superhbd@aol.com 5th District Chris Park - Phone: 986-1229, Email: cwpark@cvs.com Budget Committee member
6th District - Wayne Gardin, Phone: 988-4433 Email: wgardin@aol.com
7th District - Don Miller, Phone: 458-0658, Email tvdrmiller@aol.com Budget Committee member |