I recently read in The Voice a report that County Councilman from District 1 admonished our elected State Representative for not joining with Council to defend the actions County Council has undertaken on behalf of the Citizens of Fairfield County.
Then on Monday, Dec. 9, the Council Chairman was quoted as having said during “Council time” that “adverse” or “inappropriate” press was hampering Fairfield County’s efforts to recruit new businesses and jobs.
I have one question: What planet are you folks living on? It is your behavior that has led us to this point, not the actions of a concerned electorate, or grassroots group. You (meaning Council Members) are responsible for the condition we find ourselves in; it really is all on you, not on the child who has made the observation that “the King has no Clothes.”
At the risk of being repetitive, let’s go back a while. Your County Administrator was accused of inappropriate behavior; you failed to take corrective action in a timely manner, PERIOD! Fact! You have been paying yourselves a monthly allocation of over $750 dollars, without any receipts; again, established fact. Three of you have been receiving a monthly check in lieu of insurance, a practice that has been called by the State’s Attorney General as inappropriate; this too is a fact. These monies may prove to not be illegal, time will tell, but they certainly fail to pass the sniff test as to being an appropriate use of taxpayers’ dollars. Need I go on? Need we discuss the $3,500 annual district funds? How about the weeklong stays in luxury accommodations for a four-day conference on the taxpayers’ dime?
My question is this: Why should we trust you to behave in the best interests of the taxpayers? Perhaps more importantly, why would the Council Chairman try to blame the citizenry for Council’s continued failures, and worse, to suggest that those same grass roots activists are somehow responsible for the lack of economic development in Fairfield County? BALDERDASH!
Professional business people can see for themselves that the leadership of Fairfield County are essentially a gaggle of bungling fools, they don’t need “adverse press” to illustrate to them that Fairfield County is not fertile ground for economic development.
There is much to recommend Fairfield County for business leaders and the Captains of Industry, but the failure of our elected leaders stands out as an impediment to that development. Business professionals recognize at a glance that our elected Council lacks the tools to create an environment advantageous to economic development. These professionals are not fooled by the empty rhetoric coming from the Chair, that somehow, a grass roots activist group is responsible for the negative impressions they are left with.
Truly, “The King has no Clothes!”
Bob Carrison
Winnsboro
