Clay County Commission
Jan 11th 2024
We're starting off a
new year so how about some thoughts....
One thing is for sure, the CCC has been laced with serious issues since the beginning of time.
Back thirty years ago RT Sizemore was on the Commission (maybe Commission Prez) and was faced with serious ambulance service issues. How serious? The State folks were ready to shut the Clay County Ambulance Service down it was so screwed up.
We noticed Commissioner Sizemore walking up the old Courthouse steps with a state regulator at his side. That state was guy, we think anyway, was Marsh Tucker who came to the Courthouse with major complaints on response times, pitiful communications, dogs riding in the back of an ambulance, and lack of operating capital. His message to Sizemore: straightened this place up or we will shut down the entire operation.
Gulp.
In response, that original emergency service annual fee (not a tax) was levied on county property owners. So completely outraged, well over 65% of the county refused to cough up the $25. Sheriff Clarence Douglas refused to collect the "fee" saying, he was only allowed to collect taxes.
Most of that gray hair RT sported came from his years as a Commissioner.
Later came Tim Butcher who got beat by Peter S Triplet during a Spring primary election. So peeeeferbed , Butcher refused to show up for another meeting but continued to collect his salary twice a month for 9 months.
We misspoke.
Butcher came back for a late Dec meeting where he pushed hard to have the CCC vote into place a replacement Prosecutor for Jeff Davis who had quit. Butcher pulled no punches and pushed into office, Daniel Grindo.
Butcher's absence netted him the nick name: Tim "No Show" Butcher.
A few years later Commissioner Mathew Bragg stopped coming to public meetings while continuing to receive his taxpayer funded checks. Those months of no shows turned into a nickname HAC Bragg. The HAC meant Mathew "He Ain't Coming" Bragg.
When Commissioners don't perform their duties bad things happen. It's a checks and balance kind of thang. During those years, bad things did happen.
Coming to meetings can be almost as bad. One group of Commissioners was named The Three Blind Mice. Another elected body of the group was called Kookla, Fran, and Ollie.
There has been a long string of maladies leading to right now where Commissioners David Schoolcraft and Joyce Johnson have earned the title, the Dynamic Duo. Their jack boot tactics of thumping any others ideas and marching forth with some dumb as dirt changes.
Enter 2024, an election year.
For this election cycle, Commissioner Connie Kinder is on the ballot (as far as we know) in May. Kinder is the odd person out and comes up short when it comes anything she wants to accomplish, plan, or offer. She's often the one in the two to one decisions. Behind the scenes, she is left out of conversations. Often, it's Kinder who sometimes makes public all the back room crap that mares our county.
2024 may be a make or break year for the most powerful governing body in County Clay, the Clay County Commission and the future of our 324 square miles of turf.
Dynamic Duo
Citizen Activists
AW
One thing is for sure, the CCC has been laced with serious issues since the beginning of time.
Back thirty years ago RT Sizemore was on the Commission (maybe Commission Prez) and was faced with serious ambulance service issues. How serious? The State folks were ready to shut the Clay County Ambulance Service down it was so screwed up.
We noticed Commissioner Sizemore walking up the old Courthouse steps with a state regulator at his side. That state was guy, we think anyway, was Marsh Tucker who came to the Courthouse with major complaints on response times, pitiful communications, dogs riding in the back of an ambulance, and lack of operating capital. His message to Sizemore: straightened this place up or we will shut down the entire operation.
Gulp.
In response, that original emergency service annual fee (not a tax) was levied on county property owners. So completely outraged, well over 65% of the county refused to cough up the $25. Sheriff Clarence Douglas refused to collect the "fee" saying, he was only allowed to collect taxes.
Most of that gray hair RT sported came from his years as a Commissioner.
Later came Tim Butcher who got beat by Peter S Triplet during a Spring primary election. So peeeeferbed , Butcher refused to show up for another meeting but continued to collect his salary twice a month for 9 months.
We misspoke.
Butcher came back for a late Dec meeting where he pushed hard to have the CCC vote into place a replacement Prosecutor for Jeff Davis who had quit. Butcher pulled no punches and pushed into office, Daniel Grindo.
Butcher's absence netted him the nick name: Tim "No Show" Butcher.
A few years later Commissioner Mathew Bragg stopped coming to public meetings while continuing to receive his taxpayer funded checks. Those months of no shows turned into a nickname HAC Bragg. The HAC meant Mathew "He Ain't Coming" Bragg.
When Commissioners don't perform their duties bad things happen. It's a checks and balance kind of thang. During those years, bad things did happen.
Coming to meetings can be almost as bad. One group of Commissioners was named The Three Blind Mice. Another elected body of the group was called Kookla, Fran, and Ollie.
There has been a long string of maladies leading to right now where Commissioners David Schoolcraft and Joyce Johnson have earned the title, the Dynamic Duo. Their jack boot tactics of thumping any others ideas and marching forth with some dumb as dirt changes.
Enter 2024, an election year.
For this election cycle, Commissioner Connie Kinder is on the ballot (as far as we know) in May. Kinder is the odd person out and comes up short when it comes anything she wants to accomplish, plan, or offer. She's often the one in the two to one decisions. Behind the scenes, she is left out of conversations. Often, it's Kinder who sometimes makes public all the back room crap that mares our county.
2024 may be a make or break year for the most powerful governing body in County Clay, the Clay County Commission and the future of our 324 square miles of turf.
Dynamic Duo
Citizen Activists
AW