The new kid in town, the Sheriff of Nottingham, is no longer such a newbie. He seems well entrenched. I find myself getting up each morning to see what he has in store for us. Yes. He is entertaining and I think he is probably what every local government needs.
The board of county supervisors is a body very used to scratching the backs of each other. They will stab but when it comes to deal cutting, you can pretty much count on cooperation…to a fault. Then there are the pay backs. This one and that one will contribute to campaigns. Corey always has something going so he is probably has the most expertise at this shell game.
Then there are the employees. I have a policy that readers can criticize how an employee handles policy but no outright attacks on an employee. I have some folks here who hate me for that rule. However, public employees can’t just come on the blog and tell us what we can go do to ourselves, like an elected official can. Plus, those at the top have a real bad tendency (everywhere, not just here) of kicking criticism downstairs to a lower ranked employee. I know this happens. I also know employees have to do what they are told. Some of our county employees make real sweet money. Sure they are going to obey. Most serve at the pleasure of the board.
The birdies chirp. They are employees who are probably tired of being abused. The Sheriff has gotten wise about the use of birdies. He tells us his source is birdies which means …can’t be verified…or “rumor has it…” The deputies are another sort. They aren’t employees from what I can gather. They are the people who just glean information. Another good source. Some folks have time on their hands and will buzz here and buzz there, cross pollinating as they pick up information, deposit some here and some there.
The most important thing about the Sheriff’s work is he is providing the transparency that should be provided to the taxpayers. The supervisors now know that we are watching just a little closer, with the help of the Sheriff. County employees and in particular, the upper echelons know that they also might be highlighted by the sheriff. Sheriff just shines that big ole flashlight right on the problem, doesn’t he?
So, how do these folks avoid inspection by the Sheriff of Nottingham? Good governance and honesty would be a place to start. While the Sheriff is good entertainment, he provides a very useful function.
Be sure to check him out today. He lambasted the BOCS for not fixing the amendments. I agree 100% with the Sheriff. Once again they said SCREW YOU to us. He also complimented St. Peter …oops…Pete Candland and renamed him, Hurricane Pete for the change that has been brought in. He comments on each of Pete’s soon to be proposals. H/T to the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Moon, you might have to relax the prohibition on commenting on County employees somewhat. In particular, I think that those who serve at the pleasure of the Board, namely the County Executive and the County Attorney, should be more open to criticism than others. Both of those positions are hired and fired (dream on) by majority votes of the Board. Those two jobs are as political as any of the elected Board seats.
Corey and the others (ex-Peter and perhaps Mike) need a facilitator to make their schemes work. They have that. The facilitators should be as much open to criticism as the perpetrators. It goes beyond being a County employee who is compelled to do as their supervisor directs with no ability to respond. It’s a political role.
Our blog, our rules. No, you may criticize the policy, the person’s handling of the policy but not take personal cheap shots at the person. I will not relax on that. Elected officials are fair game, within reason and decent taste.
All employees that aren’t school board employees serve at the pleasure of the BOCS.
There are bloggers who don’t care who they slice and dice or how it is done.
We care very much. We have both been municipal employees.
I tend to agree with NTK. The Nuremberg defense didn’t work then and shouldn’t work now for the highest ranking.
I agree with Ms. Moon about the rank and file who are covered by civil service employment laws, but those who “serve at the pleasure” should be fair game.
There is more than one way to be an “elected” person–one by general election and one by majority vote of a body that is selected by general election.
I’m with NTK and Clinton–Peacor and Horan are fair targets. As long as the aid and abet the BOCS, they are part of the problem–not part of the solution–see Clinton’s comment regarding the Nuremberg defense.
@Moon-howler
I think we are on the same page. No name-calling or discussion of purely personal matters or physcial appearance, etc. is a matter of decorum and civil debate. I’m OK as long as we can name those who serve at the pleasure of the Board and discuss their actions, statements and performance. If I take a personal cheap shot, I won’t object if you delete it, even though if might be appropriate regarding some people 🙂
@Clinton S. Long
Clinton, it has been mishandled in the past and Elena and I are not comfortable with some of the attack that has been directed at employs. This issue is policy. If employees are creating policy then sure, it can be discussed, even in negative terms. It has to be fact based and provable, not who likes who and who is a bitch. That is not the point and what we are trying to avoid.
@Need to Know
Not performance. Performance is subjective. Actions and statements are fair game.
Calling incompetent is not.
You have otherwise called it right.
@Clinton S. Long
I like the Nuremberg analogy.
The sad part is, the traditional press has utterly forgotten what journalism is, and it is up to blogs like this one, and TSON, to inform the public.
Hi Oy Vey. Have you been on vacation?
The Sheriff is doing a far greater service than I am as far as the bocs goes. That is his specialty for sure. I was not comfortable, as I have said, with questioning people’s word about who paid for what. If a supervisor says they paid for something out of their own pocket, then I will take them at their word until I have evidence to the contrary. Once that part of it was over and we just got on to governance, then I say have at it.
Things I see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears on video, well, that’s another story.