Let The Sun Shine In The New Year

I always find the ending of the year to be a time of reflection. It provides the opportunity to revel in the things that were done right and access the wrong turns. Usually, this time of year there is little else going on in Jefferson County and we are all just coming off several weeks of celebration, leaving us full of good will or just plain too full to care much about the daily workings of the County. However, this year, that is not the case. An end of year placement of a new County Finance Director has kept the political machine in an uproar. Last week I wrote an article that answered the question of the Finance Committee violating the Open Meetings Act. The information that came from the State of Tennessee’s Open Records Counsel interview did not really surprise me. This is not the first brush with a violation that the County has been involved in and I know from prior research and interviews that the bar is very high regarding violations of the Open Meetings Act. Simply put, just because it smells bad or looks bad doesn’t mean that it is a technical violation of the Act. While that may not seem fair and it certainly isn’t comforting, it is what it is. I suppose that the most head scratching thing about the actions of the Finance Committee is that they should have known that it would look bad and, given the concerns that surround the Finance Office, the appearance of propriety is important.

Ethical questions are also surrounding the placement of Potts as the new head of the Finance Office. I have had several emails and been stopped everywhere from the grocery store to holiday parties by those wanting to debate the ethics of his placement. Some are concerned that his wife sits on the School Board and fear that, with Potts as the County’s CFO the schools will have some financial advantage. Others are concerned that one of the Finance Committee members is the cousin of Potts’ wife and they believe that gave him an unfair advantage over other applicants. I say that I have no idea how Potts did in his interview because they were closed. On paper, he is qualified and that is all that I, or anyone other than the members of the Finance Committee, know. Had they opened the interviews to the public, the debate regarding his appointment might have been fair but, as is, he was at least on equal footing with the other applicants.

According to the State of Tennessee, there is not an ethical consideration in his appointment. Potts’ wife serving on the School Board has no impact on his position. She is not his supervisor, though she, along with a Board of seven total members, does supervise the Director of Schools and the Director of Schools does sit on the Finance Committee. Is that awkward for Director of Schools Edmonds? Maybe. But it is a reach to contend that it is a breech of ethics for Edmonds to support Potts for the Director of Finance. In fact, given the recent tedious relationship between Edmonds and Potts’ wife it is as likely that Potts was climbing uphill to win Edmonds’ vote. No one who has attended recent School Board meetings will contend that Edmonds and Ann Marie Potts are seeing eye to eye and sometimes the atmosphere between the two has bordered hostile. As far as Finance Committee Member Huffaker being related to Potts, it just isn’t close enough to count, as far as the State of Tennessee is concerned. Did she support him because of married relations? I can’t speak for Huffaker. My guess is that she would say that she has faith in his ability and integrity. Is that because they are related by marriage or because she knows him? Truthfully, if we eliminate every candidate for employment that has some relationship than we will certainly have no candidates from Jefferson County. I personally come from a very large extended family and there are some that I would hire and some that I would not. Most of us are in that position, if we are truthful. The State of Tennessee does not extend nepotism beyond siblings and their spouses. Ethically speaking, cousins and cousin in laws just don’t count.

I have been thinking a lot about this issue and I think that we are missing the bigger picture here. Yes, we have a huge problem with transparency in Jefferson County. And we also have trust issues. Many are unhappy with the Chamber of Commerce. Many are unhappy with the school building program. Many are unhappy with the County Commission. And, in my opinion, there are good reasons for dissatisfaction in all of those areas. However, it is important to not let disenchantment with one issue create a situation where we project our suspicions on every action. Potts went in under bad circumstances. Too many things were done wrong for the guy to get a fair shake at doing the job. Like many in Jefferson County, I don’t like the way that things were done. But, they are done and they aren’t violating any Acts. I would have like to have witnessed the interview process and judged for myself but that didn’t happen. 2015 is coming this week and it is time to start fresh. We have a new Finance Director and he takes office at the end of the week. The former Finance Director is moving to the Directorship of the Chamber of Commerce. Both have the opportunity to make Jefferson County a better place. If we have learned nothing in 2014, surely we have learned, the hard way, that transparency is necessary to rebuild trust with the people of Jefferson County. That is the buzz word for 2015-Transparency-Let the Sun Shine in Jefferson County!

I hope that you and yours have a Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year!