December 9, 2006
I-TEAM
INVESTIGATION AIRS MONDAY December 11, 2006
Due to some scheduling changes, the I-Team segment did not
air this past week; however, Comm. Bernard has called to
let us know that the next segment of the Investigation into
Chief Magistrate Judge Ken Jackson will be aired on Monday
night (12/11/06) at both 6PM and 10PM on Channel 5—Fox 5
Atlanta. Both he and Judge Jackson were interviewed.
TWG has had
an email questioning if these actions of Judge Jackson (coaching
and doing legal work during the day) weren’t just a mistake
and that everyone is entitled to a mistake. These
actions have been going on for over 5 years.
This isn’t a mistake. Judge Coach Jackson’s defenders say,
“What’s wrong with helping children? What’s wrong with spending
time ‘coaching and working with his children in
various sports activities’?” Well, nothing is
wrong with it if you do it on your own time.
Every county employee would like to take off every afternoon
around 2PM and go do what they want to do and still get
paid. It just doesn’t work that way!
The
Judge could do anything he wanted if he would acknowledge
that he is no more than a part time Magistrate and should
be paid for only the hours he works.
We ask that
you email us at our website if you hear from Rep. Jim Cole
or Sen. Johnny Grant. Sources have told us that “nothing
was going to be done” because Judge Jackson campaigned “door
to door” with Rep. Cole in his bid for re-election. This
is more than a local issue; if the law needs to be clarified,
this is a Statewide issue and we believe Rep. Cole when
he campaigned on doing what was right.
We have also
obtained the letter written to the Magistrate Judge by the
County Commissioners requesting that he verify his hours.
We will have that up on our website later this week for
you to read. The Clerk of Court has already put
on his website, “the judge will not be changing his work
habits.” Time will tell.
TWG
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Mission
Statement:
** To keep the taxpayers of Jasper County, Georgia informed
as to where and how their tax dollars are being spent.
** To keep the taxpayers abreast of local policies and
laws being discussed and enacted.
** We advocate more open government, less government spending,
and lower property taxes.
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