Showing posts with label charlie caple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charlie caple. Show all posts

Thursday, November 22, 2012

 
 











Where oh where to begin??
 
 First sorry for the delay in getting this posted. As I was reviewing what the camera “caught” I was once again AMAZED at the inability of the Board of Supervisors to conduct business in a professional manner. There is true discontent among the members of not only the board of supervisors but among the entire governing body of Sussex County. Not to mention the lack of respect and ignorance.
Why is it that a board member and a county official feel the need to get up during public comments and make a statement to the board???? Why is it that a board member (Stringfield) does NOT KNOW where the RT 460 bypass is planning to go, it does impact HIS district… does he not care?? Or is he just that out of touch?? Why is it that when given a sliver of possibility to halt the bypass does the chairman Tyler push this aside saying it’s a done deal and we must live with that fact our focus should be on where the interchanges will be??? It seems to this writer that maybe just maybe Stringfield and Tyler have truly been in favor of this project all along … do they have a personal agenda, something to gain by this??? One can only wonder. How is it that a Board Member (Stringfield) made a derogatory comment about the County Administrator in a public meeting outside of Sussex County? And WOULD NOT apologize for it??
 
Now to the meetings …. Yes meetings! The first meeting was to discuss the evaluation and the evaluation process of the County Administrator, Tom Harris. At a bit after 6 PM the personnel committee (Tyler, Caple, Stringfield and Futrell) called the meeting to order and then wanted to go directly into closed session. County Administrator Harris stated “why did it have to be a closed door session he had nothing to hide from the public”, so they proceeded in an open session. And what a session it was, a bit disappointing that there were only a few in attendance including Fly and Warren who were NOT part of the “committee”.
 
The next 8 video clips are from that session and you REALLY need to watch them all to get a true feeling of the craziness that is supposed to be the business of the County.
 
The other clips are from the regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting. In my opinion the ONLY POSSITIVE thing to come out of the meeting was the fact that the Eastern Senior Citizens were allocated an additional $4,000 of necessary funds to allow them to continue their support of their group. Oh yea we got home before midnight too!
 
Watching all video clips will take a bit of time but well worth it IF YOU ARE INTERESTED in what is going on with YOUR TAX DOLLARS.
 
Each clip is about 4 min in length and I have tried (or will soon) to indicate a key exchange of words for each one. I will also be adding to this posting but wanted to get this out right now. SO PLEASE CHECK BACK SOON and often, and tell a friend about it. The more pressure we can put on this Board of Supervisors the greater the possibility is that WE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!  “Pressure” comes from awareness and involvement! Be AWARE and get INVOLVED.
 
Do you realize that it has been almost 5 years since a County Administrator has received an evaluation? I agree that EVERY employee and elected official need yearly evaluations but what I don’t understand is why is Tyler pushing so hard right now? Could it be he has a plan??? A plan to get rid of Harris??? Heaven help Sussex County if this happens!!
 
Pictured here is what Tyler proposed to use in helping to establish evaluation standards he himself was proud to say developed the questions. WHAT a bunch of garbage, this should be taken to the landfill, maybe they will waive the tipping fees to help out. If this is the best Tyler can come up with it is yet another reason that we have NO leadership.
 
Evaluate the County Administrator 1.AVI
Warren to Tyler do you have a copy of the county administrators contract …. Turn to page 6 section 12…..
 
 
Evaluate the County Administrator 2.AVI
Tyler to board Are you suggesting we do not do an evaluation…. Warren to Tyler we are in violation.
 
 
Evaluate the County Administrator 3.AVI
Tyler to committee I only remember 1 previous evaluation…
 
 
Evaluate the County Administrator 4.AVI
A gum chomping Tyler  The committee will establish ….
 
Evaluate the County Administrator 5.AVI
Harris takes to the podium to address the committee and then Warren Can I get a ruling from our attorney…
 
Evaluate the County Administrator 6.AVI
Warren to Tyler … it’s always just a minute when someone has something to say..
 
Evaluate the County Administrator 7.AVI
Warren to Tyler When did the board deligate that authority to the personnel committee??? Tyler back That’s a good question..
 
Evaluate the County Administrator 8.AVI
Harris to Tyler you do realize there are 94 other counties that do this…Tyler  you don’t have to zerox all the documents from other counties and bring here.
 
Mrs Turner comments.AVI
I hope the attorney finds a legal way to get a tie breaker because will NOT move forward. To Tyler you did not tap for anyone else and when I finish I will sit down. Mr Tyler you can laugh if you want but this is serious.
 
Special called meeting 1.AVI
 
Special called meeting 2 you got a problem.AVI
 
The eMail.AVI
Tyler I sent an email ….. Warren Show me a copy!!!
 
Training more important than other issues.AVI
 
Training more important than other issues 2.AVI
 
Training more important than other issues 3.AVI
 
Where is the agreement.AVI
 
You’re pushing me 1.AVI
 
You're pushing me 2.AVI
 
I have several other clips that were captured between the two meetings when some did not or may not have known I was taping but for now I have elected to not post these.


Monday, October 22, 2012

Send In The Clowns



"Send in the Clowns" is a song by Stephen Sondheim from the 1973 musical A Little Night Music.  It is a ballad from Act II in which the character Desirée reflects on the ironies and disappointments of her life.
The "clowns" in the title do not refer to circus clowns. Instead, they symbolize fools, as Sondheim explained in a 1990 interview:
I get a lot of letters over the years asking what the title means and what the song's about; I never thought it would be in any way esoteric. I wanted to use theatrical imagery in the song, because she's an actress, but it's not supposed to be a 'circus'.... [I]t's a theater reference meaning 'if the show isn't going well, let's send in the clowns'; in other words, 'let's do the jokes.' I always want to know, when I'm writing a song, what the end is going to be, so 'Send in the Clowns' didn't settle in until I got the notion, 'Don't bother, they're here' which means that 'We are the fools.
In a 2008 interview, Sondheim further clarified:
As I think of it now, the song could have been called 'Send in the Fools.' I knew I was writing a song in which Desirée is saying, 'aren't we foolish' or 'aren't we fools'? Well, a synonym for fools is clowns, but 'Send in the Fools' doesn't have the same ring to it.
How appropriate for a title of the last Board of Supervisors meeting.

The meeting as usual started off at the Courthouse, the room quickly filled.



The high school auditorium filled in anticipation of an interesting meeting.

 Parade of Improvement Association minions take up majority of meeting and push citizen comments and other important business to nearly 1 AM.


NO One, NO ONE, Mr. Fly, Joe and Jane Citizen, NO ONE has ever denied the fact that the Improvement Association has done and does do good work for the carefully selected needy of those within their area of coverage. WHAT is questioned and what many forget including Mr. Tyler and those who paraded up in front of the Board Thursday evening and previously is that Sussex County is in a fiscal crisis and every dollar appropriated MUST be evaluated against every other dollar. The Improvement Association’s allocation is not the only program that received cuts. Maybe next budget session IF things are better they will see an increase, why don’t they understand this????? I still don’t understand how just by rattling off a statement prior to making a speech why it is that Mr. Tyler is allowed to (from his seat as chair of the BOS) vote and debate on such matters. When the State budget was in a fiscal crisis we had 2 past Governors’ elect to take a pay cut to help, HAS TYLER ever thought of cutting his very good salary (he has stated over and over “I make more than $10,000 in salary….” according to tax records it’s a lot closer to $90,000 than it is $10,000) or the salary of the other employees???? If I recall correctly they spend more than 50 % of their several million dollar budget on salaries … NOT on the programs to help those need folks they so proudly talk about.

So Tyler and Caple get off your deleterious campaign to resurrect your $15 G and begin to refocus on ALL the citizens of the county. I am positive when fiscal times are better you will see funding appropriated with the full board’s approval for many programs recently cut like YOUR Improvement Association.
Well just like the meeting it seems this posting has been derailed by Improvement Association discussion. Like Paul Harvey said “Now the rest of the story”.

The evening started off at the courthouse with a public meeting about the old landfills and the monitoring of the ground water.   $60,000 a year just to monitor the two old landfills !!
The court room was not filled up during the presentation but during it more and more citizens began showing up for the regular meeting and it was soon evident that the meeting would need to be moved. Once again, County Administrator Tom Harris with his foresight had made arrangements for the HS auditorium to be available. As the crowd was being told that the meeting was to be moved,  the Board decided to go into closed session to discuss an issue or two all in an attempt to save time. While this had good intentions was this a legal move? How could they go into a closed session without having approved an agenda for the meeting which called for such a closed session? With a Board that gets so hung up on details when it’s in their best interest, singly or as a group, how is it this “minor detail” was overlooked??
After the move …. It’s now almost 8:30 PM or so.
After some standard meeting business there was a presentation on the Rt. 460 Bypass. Folks,  this is a done deal and without an internal collapse on the folks driving this,  IT WILL BEGIN construction in 2014 if not sooner. The Board of Supervisors passed a motion to look into possible ways to oppose at a cost of $20,000 but this I am afraid is a bit too little too late.
THE PARADE BEGINS ….
For exactly 1 hour and 25 minutes,  a well-planned (by whom ???? Mr Tyler ?????)  and orchestrated parade of Improvement Association employees and supporters appeared before the Board. My opening comments covered this but I would like to add what other organization would have been afforded this opportunity????  The parade began at 10:10 pm and ended at 11:35 pm.  Then the Empowerment Ministry in Waverly presented a request for $15,000 to build restrooms, water fountains, and install fencing around their newly built basketball courts.  One Supervisor had already asked this organization to wait until next year to make this presentation when they were starting budget plans, but they were encouraged by others to go ahead with the presentation.  A set up was in the make and as usual the vote was 3-3!  While a worthy endeavor, if the County ever funds this request, then where is the separation between Church and State and since when does taxpayer money go to a Church? 
Then finally the agenda goes to the payment of the Lawyer’s fees.  County Attorney Packer had written a memo detailing the authority of County Administrator Harris and the fact that Mr. Harris had contracted the attorneys for the County and was authorize to make payments up to $15,000 without Board approval.  So, Mr. Harris paid the bill !!  Needless to say, Chairman Tyler was not pleased and made several comments before and after this regarding the ability of the County Administrator and would have to see if their regulations could be changed to weaken the authority of the County Administrator.

Bottom line, Tyler does not want the County Administrator to hire, fire, engage in contracts, and pay bills.  Tyler wants to have control over all these things so that he can hire his friends, fire his enemies and pay who he wants to or not even pay them if they are owed money.  If Tyler does not agree with something, his first comment is about how he needs that policy changed.  If it is something he wants, then he parades people before the Board to voice their support for a particular person or organization.  Some of the people that he brings before the Board are not citizens of this County but are given more opportunity and time to speak than the tax-paying citizens of the County.
Let the County Administrator be the County Administrator and do the job for which he was hired !!
Then we are at nearly 1:00 am and Tyler states that it is time to adjourn the meeting without public citizen comments.  This did not go over well with the few remaining audience members and we were given our time to speak whether they heard it or not, but got our comments on the record.  

I have grouped the videos from the meeting into groups. I hope this helps in your viewing of them.

Crater Planning 1.AVI  http://youtu.be/IXaUK7wNuys

Crater Planning 2.AVI   http://youtu.be/cKlKBMsjdS0


Attorney's fees 1.AVI   http://youtu.be/jZ04COzFhu4

Attorney's fees 2.AVI   http://youtu.be/0lT034kM9Jc

Attorney's fees 3.AVI    http://youtu.be/vTqRjS7BLAE


Economic Development Planning 1.AVI  http://youtu.be/urzMDbbmFRw

Economic Development Planning 2.AVI  http://youtu.be/g3nQ3QzgVAA
98%


Improvement Association 1.AVI   http://youtu.be/aHUA-_u0CBg

Improvement Association 2.AVI http://youtu.be/Cfz1TZGUTcI

Improvement Association 3.AVI  http://youtu.be/cfo4dLY8Dz8






Friday, August 31, 2012

Public Meetings scheduled for TONIGHT at 6PM




The 2nd of the 4 scheduled Community Meetings will be held tonight 6PM at the Prince George Electric COOP in Waverly.

It’s YOUR opportunity to provide ideas for our future to those who are supposed to be listening to US. BE THERE!!


 

Also for those of you who might want to see copies of the various letters that were talked about in the recent Sussex Surry Dispatch, here they are. If after reading them you don’t think a CHANGE is needed in our leadership of the county I just don’t know what would wake you up.



Monday, August 20, 2012

Videos from the Sussex County BOS Meeting on the 16th





PLEASE look back at the last post to listen to 4 citizens speak out during the public comment time of the meeting.

Below are many many videos from the meeting much of them comming from the regular portion of the meeting and several additional comments from citizens.

I am sorry that they might NOT be identified in such a way you can easly follow but the meeting itself was not easily followed. The board,  mostly Tyler got off point so many times it seemed like a free for all. Please take time to view the videos and YOU make up your own mind as to the effectivness of our current Board of Supervisors and see if you agree that Rufus Tyler is NOT a leader. I don't want to ask him to step down because Caple is the vice chair and he would take over the leadership and if you think Tyler is not a leader Caple would be worse.
I did not think anyone could doze off during the meeting with all the "discussions" and verbal bantering back and forth between board members.


The videos are mostly in time order if that will help you follow along


Addition to agenda 1.AVI




Addition to agenda 2.AVI






Addition to agenda 3.AVI




Addition to agenda 4.AVI




Service Authority 1.AVI




Update code.AVI




Adopt Bylays.AVI




Dennis Gaston.AVI





Dennis Gaston 2.AVI





Agenda 1.AVI




Agenda 2.AVI




Agenda 3.AVI






Agenda 4.AVI




Agenda 5.AVI




Agenda 6.AVI




Agenda 7.AVI




Agenda 8.AVI




Agenda 9.AVI




Agenda 10.AVI




Agenda 11.AVI




Agenda 12.AVI




Al Peschke.AVI




Blackwater District Report.AVI




Chester Carter 1.AVI




County Admin Duties 1.AVI






County Admin Duties 2.AVI






County Admin Duties 3.AVI




Debbie Turck



Her video clip is on the last post "Work for us or we'll replace you"




Personnel Policy 1 and 2 are pictures not videos




Personnel Policy 3




Personnel Policy 4




Personnel Policy 5




Personnel Policy 6




Special Called meeting 1




Special Called Meeting 2




Special Called Meeting 3




Special Called Meeting 4




Special Called Meeting 5




Special Called Meeting 6 point of order




Special Called Meeting 7




Vote On Budget