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ARE YOU A MULE OR ARE YOU BLIND?

Based on emails TWG has received as well as a recent letter to the editor, it seems that if one disagrees with Comm. Bernard, they are considered blind. 

Following are the most recent email we received—which was sent to the citizen AFTER the editorial was in the paper—and the letter to the editor. 

Thursday, 1/21/10  4:08 PM

Fw: RE: My Road

…

Letters to the editor... Upset with Commissioner, January 14, 2010

Printed in The Monticello News

Editor:

I have had some alarming e-mail conversations with ym commissioner, Jack Bernard, lately.

I e-mailed him to question some concerns that I had over some things I heard. My new­est concern I witnessed via You-Tube, where you can-watch and hear the meetings.

I really like this since the meetings conflict with my schedule and it is very hard for me to attend on a con­sistent basis. Having them filmed and placed on You-Tube allows me to see and hear for myself what is taking place when I can not actually attend. Fantastic idea!

Prior to the election, 1 re­ceived a very ugly e-mail from Jack.  He was trashing the other Commissioners, especially one and yet was asking for my vote in the upcoming election.

I e-mailed him back and told him I thought the e-mail was a little ugly, (trying to be nice). 

I also told him up front that he had lost my vote for re-election when he was pre­viously my commissioner. I also explained to him why (final straw) he had lost that vote. When he and the other four commissioners voted to change the zoning with the Blincoe Land deal it was, in fact, an illegal vote.

That board of commis­sioners had passed a law or ordinance restricting any one from a rezoning request, if back taxes were owed on the said property that was being considered for rezoning.  There was back taxes owed on that particular land and therefore all rezoning should have been denied as the Zon­ing Board had suggested, among other reasons.

Jack got very angry with me, called me a mule and told me to never contact him again. I have this e-mail if anyone is in disbelief or curious that I may be embellishing the facts.

Where 1 did not vote for Jack at any time during the recent elections, that was my right.

However, he did in fact win the election and once again to my dismay, he is my commis­sioner. As my commissioner I will contact him with any and all concerns that I may have.  I will let him know how I feel about any subject that may arise that I feel as a tax­payer I would like to com­ment on.

After I watched the video of the 1/4/10 BOC meeting I was shocked that he took it among himself to get two of the other board members to agree to not allow public comment.  He was able to get [Carl] Pennamon and [Charles] Hill to agree with him and [Alan] Cox and [Mary] Patrick vot­ed against. 3-2 it was passed. During this meeting he got (Continued on Page 5)

Continued from Page 4

very upset with Patrick when she asked him if he was not a servant of the people, that with not wanting the people to comment it appeared like did not consider himself to be a servant to the people?

He very loudly stated he would not allow other mem­bers of the board to treat him with disrespect. He demanded to be treated with the same respect as he treated the other members of the board.

I have not seen a great deal of respect for two particular board members, so my first thought to his comment was that perhaps he was being treated with the same respect that be treated them with.

I asked Jack why on earth he did not want any public comment made prior to agen­da items being voted on since as a taxpayer I had the right?

However, I could not make him listen or understand one way or the other when he was previously my commissioner and I am sure it would not be any different now, except that it would be easier for him to not listen, since we were barred from making any comments.

He stated I was blind. I am not sure what he exactly meant by that comment. One more thing about this subject, Chair Commissioner Hill stated he liked not having public com­ment because it may sway his vote on agenda items up for vote. WHAT????

In all fairness Jack did tell me that public comment was not eliminated completely, we all could comment at the end of the meetings, only if we signed up prior to the meet­ings and the comment was in regards to a current agenda item. I am not sure why we can or even want to do that since the voting had already taken place and the comments we make did not matter, even if they did matter prior.

Obviously it did to one commissioner and therefore he wanted comments elimi­nated so his decision would not be swayed.

Also in all fairness to Jack, I did make a comment that asked him why should I pay taxes to support this county when as a taxpayer, no one [asked] how my hard earned dollars should be spent.

I vote to let the commis­sioners pay for it all since they are the only ones mak­ing the decisions, with total disregard to what the taxpay­ers want, including their sal­ary. He told me to contact my friend Mary Patrick.

What has that got to do with it? She is a commissioner, a damn good one in my .opinion, but then so is Cox. They seem to care what the taxpayers say, even when it comes down to having to make some tough choices that can not please everyone. They appear to be at least trying to make this county better and listen to the people at the same time.

I also asked Jack why he suggest a vote to increase the new County Manager's salary to $75,000.00 -vs- the $72,000 that had already been agreed on.

I would have thought $72,000.00 was more than enough especially with the financial state the county is presently in. He did not re­spond, unless the one "You are Blind" covered it all.

During this past special election, I of course did not vote for Jack as stated above. I was very disappointed, es­pecially in the folks in Turtle Cove, that Jack won the elec­tion.

If you look at the voting stats it was the Turtle Cove precinct that voted Jack in. I do not know if Chris Batchelor would have done a good job or not, he has never been a commissioner. I was willing to give him the opportunity, as was most of this district.

However Jack had been a commissioner and he was not really for the people then and he obviously does not intend on being for the people this time either, regardless how many times he says he is.

Is it just me or does Jack respond to everyone the same way to questions, concerns and comments? Is everyone a Mule or Blind? I guess Deaf should be thrown in there somewhere. I am sure it has just been an oversight in my conversations with my Com­missioner, hopefully for the last time, Jack Bernard.

Gay Morrison

TWG
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