Epic Fall

editorial-logo3This could shape up to be an interesting week in Jefferson County. Last week some members of the Nominating Committee made the push for a Called Meeting for action and discussion regarding the Chairman of the Committee and for scheduling of meeting times. Add in the fact that the Legal Counsel for Open Meetings in the State of Tennessee waded in this week on the issue and things could get very interesting. The really sad thing is that this County Commission has already lost the respect of a large portion of the citizens in this County. There have just been too many conflicts made public, too much team voting and too many personal agendas for the public to overcome. So, where do we go from here? Is there a way that this Commission can salvage some semblance of Statesmanship and rebound their reputation in the eyes of the public? Oh, probably. It is a testament to how dysfunctional that this Commission really is that they have dipped so far in public esteem. Generally, those that are not directly involved in an issue have a very forgiving memory in regard to elected officials. It is only through repeat offences that the public grows weary and suspicious and unfortunately, that is where we stand in Jefferson County. But, in order to restore some sort of dignity to the office of the Commission, these Commissioners must tow the line. No more outbursts. No more team voting. No more complaints filed with the State. They must be the pinnacle of propriety and the poster children for good politics. Can they do it? Maybe. Will they do it? My guess is that they will go down in infamy as the County Commission that Couldn’t. And that is a real shame because without the personalities and power plays this Commission could have really done something good for Jefferson County. They walked into office with the power of the people behind them and I do not doubt that most had the best of intentions. But, good intentions without appropriate actions are useless. And now we have digressed to the point that uselessness plays second fiddle to embarrassment. Wow. What an opportunity missed. What an epic fall.

 * Commission Chairman Mills contacted the Post last week concerning the Editorial. He stated that the removal of the Megasite from the regular meeting agenda was standard operating procedure for items that do not require action and are addressed in work session. Mills said that the topic of the item did not come into play.

Source: K. Depew, News Director