SteveTrubilla@paperbullets.us "Scandals involving state and local government still lay locked in the mouths of citizens". - Jack C. Landau
Re-Elect Jerry W. Jones for Sheriff of Franklin, NC County GOLF TOURNAMENT is scheduled for September 19, 2014. Email campaignmanager@jerryjonessheriff2014.com for more details.
Buy land now, learn why later. Why do voters put up with this?
By: Steve Trubilla
Remember this quote from former speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi, “We have to pass the bill to know what is in it, and get away from the fog of controversy?” My reply is, this makes sense, but not to me.
It appears to be the same flawed logic used by Franklin County commissioners to purchase the Bull Creek Golf and Country Club.
Apparently it did not make sense to Commissioner Harry Foy either, as he was the only dissenting vote.
The fog of controversy is an interesting play on words. It is a skilled politician’s way on not answering questions.
It is the kind of thing said to overcome something that does not make sense. The tactic of, if you cannot dazzle them with brilliance then baffle them with something else.
As this relates to Pelosi’s comments on the Affordable Care Act, many questions were left unanswered ... Important questions like, the cost of the legislation, what the plan was to implement it, and what influence pharmaceutical companies and others had with it.
The questions were never answered. The fog has not lifted, and more unanswered questions have surfaced.
Questions not being answered by politicians is not just a game played in Washington, DC, it is an active sport right here in Franklin County.
Remember the destruction of the historical records. Many questions have been left unanswered. One that comes to mind is, who was held accountable? The answer appears to be no one.
Another unanswered question is why have millions of dollars been spent to do corrective maintenance on county buildings like the courthouse and detention facility? There is no preventive maintenance program in place. To quote a county executive when I asked about this, “We are not in that business.”
Predictably, over time we will be right back where we are now.
Roughly four years ago Edgar. Owen’s gift was received by the county. Another unanswered question, why was this money never leveraged with a matching grant?
Franklin County’s economic tier standing renders it prime for grants. This question has been asked many times.
It has been long speculated that when a final decision was made on the purchase for the park it would be done along “good old boy” lines. Of course, no matter what property was purchased, accusations were bound to fly. One would have thought even the perception of impropriety would have been avoided.
This thinking places value on how the average citizen may perceive things. Clearly, many elected officials and county executives do not.
When I asked one county commissioner about this he replied to the effect, “I was elected, if people do not like it, they need to address it at the voting booth. I do not have to answer questions.”
Enter the fog of controversy when it is influenced by such arrogance. Dress this with voter apathy and the next scandal will soon surface, and so it has.
Ethics and integrity are the pillars of leadership. Even the perception of corruption erodes the public trust and confidence.
Why suffer the risk and consequence of this when it is not necessary? What is to be gained? Now there is the question, and by whom?
It has been widely reported, factual or not, that Commissioner Sidney Dunston has family ties to the Bull Creek Golf and Country Club property. He is chairman of the county board of commissioners.
He personally approved and appointed the committee that ultimately made the decision to make the purchase, and was party to disapproving the purchase of other property.
Can or does this foster the perception of injecting the power of his office’s influence? I am not accusing him of any wrong doing, nor absolving him. Perception, for many, is reality.
I have read where related questions were posed to him by Mrs. Mary Ella Hutchinson. His response, “I am not involved (in the golf course),” Dunston said. “I have kept my distance. I don’t have any personal interest in this property.”
The question of a family connection to the property was never fully answered. If one exists, I feel he should have totally recused himself, and then had absolutely nothing to do with the matter once the purchased property was under consideration. It would have been the right and ethical thing to do.
What does “I have kept my distance” mean? By the way, Dunston is the commissioner who personally told me he does not have to answer questions.
There are many other important questions relating to this that should be answered. I will be addressing some of them in future articles.
One of them is why was county commissioner Don Lancaster, a banker with a business interest in the property, appointed to the board that made the final decision on this?
To Lancaster’s credit he did not vote on the matter, and was not present when appointed to the board.
“Purchase the land and find out what the details are later?” No, thank you. This is unacceptable.
I feel our district attorney, the state bureau of Investigation, and/or attorney general should intervene with this, and call for a full investigation. What do you think?
Stay tuned for more on this next week.
Re-Elect Jerry W. Jones for Sheriff of Franklin, NC County GOLF TOURNAMENT is scheduled for September 19, 2014. Email campaignmanager@jerryjonessheriff2014.com for more details.
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