“If you’re too big to do the small things, then you’re too small to do the big things.” I don’t know who deserves the credit for this, but it’s powerful in its simplicity and meaning.
Let’s consider the “small thing” example of revising the county council regular meeting agenda items outside of a public meeting and without a vote by council members. As several citizens and I have pointed out, removing the second public comment item from the agenda was not done according to council’s own by-laws.
The county’s by-laws clearly state the items to be included on the agenda, and that the agenda items can only be changed by a council vote at a public meeting. While county attorney Morgan confidently stated “…the Chair does set the agenda based upon our current by-laws” at the July 22 regular meeting, he has yet to respond to my several requests to show me where in the by-laws this power to change the specific agenda items is given to the chairman. Calls to the chairman have also gone unanswered.
So if this council’s leadership allows these small things to be done outside their own rules, what big thing is lurking below the surface that will suddenly rear its ugly head? We already witnessed one big thing. The massive check to the IRS approved by the prior Administrator Laura Johnson for penalties and interest from incorrect tax returns. And on December 11, 2023 we the citizens heard about this for the first time, and council members looked surprised even though it was asserted at least some of them were made aware of this.
I am so ready to move on from this subject to something more important to the county, like the performance-based budgeting mentioned by councilwoman Swearingen at the most recent meeting that can free up money for emergency services and animal shelter improvements. However, the opaqueness of council’s leadership and my being shut down by the chairman when I brought up this subject at the July 22 meeting can only make one wonder what big things are waiting to surface next.
Don Goldbach
Lake Wateree