Does truth have a place in politics?
The Sheriff, Scott Hammonds, came to the Board of Commissioners during our December meeting requesting more than $600,000 in additional spending to be spent within the next 6 months to fund his replacing Allied Security with his deputies in the public schools. His request would increase the budget by more than $600,000. The money would be used to hire additional deputies and equip them.
Commissioners, as a board, listened and suggested that we would do nothing until we knew how the school board felt about the issue. Time suddenly became of the essence. We had to do this immediately in order not to renew the Allied Security contract. Frankie Waters announced that the school board could take this up at their next scheduled meeting in December and he would call a special meeting of the Board of Commissioners to consider the issue.
I make this disclaimer. This issue has nothing to do with whether or not we replace the Allied Security personnel with Sheriff’s deputies. It has to do with the behavior of elected officials and their character.
I went away thinking the school board was of the same opinion they were about two years ago when Sheriff Coleman withdrew all deputies from security duties at the schools.
I attended the next School Board meeting. I was astounded. I heard the Chairman of the School Board announce (quoting as close as I can remember) “The Chairman of the Commissioners, Frankie Waters called me and said that as soon as we can approve this change, the County Commissioners will meet and fund it.” That is absolutely not what the Commissioners said. This can be verified by looking at the video of the Commissioners meeting.
Sheriff Hammonds made a presentation to the School Board. The result of his presentation was that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would be signed with the School Board and that would determine how the Sheriff would provide the service. There was no draft or proposed Memorandum of Understanding. It would have to be written, negotiated and agreed to by the parties – in the future.
The last Memorandum of Understanding that Sheriff Coleman walked away from was signed by the School Board and the Sheriff (if at all). The Sheriff does not have the authority to sign such a contract because the tax payers thru their representatives, the County Commissioners, are paying for whatever is in the agreement. Therefore, such a contract should be signed and approved by the Board of County Commissioners who have the fiduciary responsibility. The Sheriff cannot set tax rates and enforce their collection. Allowing third parties to set contract terms and conditions to be paid for by taxation is not in the public interest.
I observed there was virtually no debate about what a very controversial issue had been two years ago. I observed that Fake Frankie Waters was not in the room, but the County Manager Brian Alligood was present.
Carolyn Walker made some lame comments about school security. Terry Draper who was present by telephone asked some questions about how the proposal would work and the need to make sure past problems did not reappear.
There was no discussion about future costs or past deficiencies that occurred when Sheriff Coleman was in charge. There was discussion about the need to move really fast in order to get Allied Security away from the schools. Sheriff Hammonds was challenged about his ability to recruit 12 new deputies in such a short time. He unequivocally said he could recruit the 12 deputies. He never made promises to the School Board about correcting past operating deficiencies.
The vote to put the Sheriff in the schools was seven for and one opposed. Terry Williams abstained because he has relatives that work for Allied Security. Terry Draper voted against the proposal.
Considering the false statement made about the commissioners funding, the presence of the County Manger, and the absence of debate by the School Board, I believe this was set up in the back room. There are rumors that the five incumbents on the School Board who are running in the 2024 elections had been lobbied to believe they would not get re-elected if they voted against the Sheriff.
When I voted to hire Allied Security about two years ago, I heard complaints from all the School Board members. Some of those complaints are as follows: The Sheriff insisted the School has no authority over deputies. Deputies came and went as the Sheriff pleased without notice to school staff. Deputies would be absent with no notice to School administration. Deputies did not have to comply with any request by school administration unless they wanted to. A hostile environment evolved.
I was surprised to see these same people agree to allow the Sheriff back in the schools with no prior agreement, no objection, and no discussion about how this would work other than a Memorandum of Understanding to be written at some time in the future.
When public officials take a position on anything, and back it up with creditable information and request that I give them my support, I expect them to not reverse themselves for no apparent reason. School Board, “Which time were you telling the truth, about two years ago or during December of 2023?” Is not the truth the same today it was two years ago?
There are three members on the School Board who were not there two years ago. They failed their elective office responsibility when they blindly went with the political flow.
This article is not about the pros and cons of how we provide security to schools. It focuses on the inability of elected officials to carry out their pledge to honestly, truthfully and without allowing their personal preference or advantage to influence delivering the best solution to all public policy decisions they make in their elected capacity.
The public should make the necessary changes to correct this situation on the School Board during the 2024 elections. When any public official reverses their position for no apparent reason other than what they believe to be their political career, they are not trustworthy. Failure to represent the public based on truth is a serious character flaw.
Of those who run in the March 2024 primary, Terry Draper raised issues. Carolyn Walker reversed the truth from two years ago. She voted to sustain her political career. She has a husband who is a County Commissioners who supported her bad behavior. Carolyn Walker has an opponent in the March primary. He is Raymond Start. Terry Draper has two opponents. They are Daniel Hudson and Brian Wood.
Within some religions it is not a sin to lie to nonbelievers. The Christian religion requires the truth be told to all, both believers and nonbelievers. Christian ethics must be restored to politics.
Comments
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Voters all over the country have been kicking out both liberal school obard members and do-nothing school board members in the last few years, even in some large and rather liberal counties. That happened by wide margins here in Beaufort County last set of school board elections. The problem in many places is that the tail (the superintendant) is wagging the dog (the elected board members) and that is being brought to a screeching halt all across the country. Voters are fed up with the indoctrination instead of education in our schools.
In Beaufort County, our school board members for the most part are not flaming liberals, but are weak and lazy individuals who want their liberal superintendant to do all the work. The result is the same. |
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Big Bob: Who terrorized whom in your MAGA conspiracy World of parroting Idiot President Biden?
Please be specific when denigrating the winning vote total, made by those that wish to Make America Great Again in the next election to eradicate incredible ignorance and corruption from the Executive Branch. |
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I think I'm in the majority. But hey, maybe you can terrorize their families and kids to get what you want. That's what mAGA does , right?
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For the far left like you, LIttle Bobbie, I am sure they are happy with the school board majority. Six seat warmers dance on the puppet strings of a superintendant who showed his alliance to the far left concepts of "equity" and "inclusion" in his very recent PhD paper, wrtitten while he worked for this school board. It appears that all six think of Cheeseberger as their boss instead of the employee he really is.
For the rest of us? Not so much. |
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HR - I'm betting the school board does just fine.
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White Republican: You just commented these same acerbic words yesterday on this very same post (see below). I have allowed your parroted words a second time, as thoughtless and uninspiring as they were at first, as a testament to your kind.
However, this is your warning to keep the stupidity to a minimum. For the publication, it is a quality control issue. |
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You are a moron and hide behind your words. You often fall asleep in public and probably dream things happen or are said and in fact they do not. You need to hang your tired, old bald hat up and go sit at the house.
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Smarter than Hood: I allow aliases on this rapidly expanding platform as a matter of courtesy until I, in my sole discretion, may cut them off for NOT making a semi-salient point without attacking your selected antagonist at such malevolent level, so I warn you to be careful if you wish to remain on this platform, as an alias.
On the other hand, "Smarter than Hood, " I will allow you a wider berth to discredit your selected target, in your trademark malicious manner, IF you exhibit the courage to announce your person as a real person; otherwise, your standing here is far more limited. Furthermore, referring to your projected intellect by the symbolism of your alias - "Smarter than Hood" - is an incredible misnomer, and suggests rather that you are, in a purely representative sense, Far More Dishonest Than Hood, who, as a long elected politician, here in Beaufort County, does at least endeavor to tell the truth, and often is far ahead of the present reality paradigm in making representative consequential decisions for his constituents. One more thing to consider as the alias self-referred to as "Smarter than Hood," this platform offers an EDIT function in the "Guest Comment" section. I suggest that you use it so that you might improve your atrocious syntax so that truly knowledgeable people can actually begin to understand your projected point ... "Smarter than Hood." Otherwise, people of some intellect just lose interest, and then consider you as just one more inconsequential fool attempting something beyond them - effective communication. |
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The school board and the superintendent have dragged their feet for almost three years in failing to video tape school board meetings. I know what I heard because it was a radical departure from the Commissioners meeting.
Not having a video available to the public gives the School Board and their minions wide latitude to lie, lie, lie. |
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You are a moron and hide behind your words. You often fall asleep in public and probably dream things happen or are said and in fact they do not. You need to hang your tired, old bald hat up and go sit at the house.
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Wow I was in the room and this article written on this blog page is nothing far from the truth. Let’s start with FACTS not a Hood thought he dreamed while he slept through the meeting.
1. Chairman said that Chairman Water’s called and said the school board had to vote BEFORE the county would entertain funding. 2. Allied’s contract ends August 1 as the school board said if we wanted a transition we had to move for the sheriff to hire people. 3. Hood makes up stuff he must dream of while he sleeps in meetings. This county need to wake up as the longest elected commissioner he has lost many jobs, companies, and families because of his back woods policies. |
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My advice...dont do stupid stuff. But what do I know.