August 20, 2014 City Council Unanimously Approves the Mayor's Appointment of Rod Isaacs to the MUS Board To Replace Gene Jolley

The latest MUS appointment saga/fiasco is over.


Yesterday, Mayor Thomas nominated Rod Isaacs to the MUS Board. Bob Garrett seconded the appointment, and the full council unanimously voted "yes."


Previously, the council rejected the Mayor's nomination of Max Biery and Jack Kennerly from three-person slates sent to the Mayor by MUS.


Then the MUS Board (George McGuffin, Harold Nichols, Gene Jolley, Lynn Elkins, and Bryan Dickerson) sent two slates to the Mayor that included individuals who were not qualified to serve on the MUS Board because they served on other city boards.


Finally, MUS figured out the qualifications for service on the MUS Board and sent the three-person slate of Jolley, Rod Isaacs, and Jay Smith to the Mayor.


On the surface yesterday, the six city councilmembers (LeBel, Garrett, Bivens, Senter, Chesney, and Alvis) had a different attitude and tone toward the Mayor and in regard to the Mayor's nomination of Isaacs.


Just a few weeks ago, these same six rejected the Mayor's nomination of Jack Kennerly.  LeBel then asked all those in favor of Glenn Thompson to raise their hands. Six hands went up. LeBel asked City Administrator Tony Cox to send a letter to MUS telling them that council supports and wants MUS to include Glenn Thompson on its slate of MUS nominees.


MUS ignored LeBel's suggestion--or maybe Thompson didn't want to be involved in the whole MUS mess and declined to let his name be included.

July 3, 2012 MUC Selects One Nominee for the McGuffin Seat (and Two Toss-Aways)

George McGuffin, chairman of the MUC Board of Commissioners presided over the monthly MUC meeing last Thursday, June 28, at 8 AM.  Other MUC commissioners in attendance were Harold Nichols, Lynn Elkins, Gene Jolley, and Max Biery.

One of the first items on the agenda was a vote on three names to submit to Mayor Danny Thomas for his selection of one name to submit to the council for the MUC seat currently held by George McGuffin.

The MUC Commissioners approved a three-name list consisting of George McGuffin, Jay Smith, and Tom Strate.

Actually, let's face it. This is really a one-name list (George McGuffin) with two toss-aways (Jay Smith and Tom Strate) thrown in simply because MUC is required to submit three names.

Keeping George on the Board is the name of the game, and it is a very important game.

So important that 20 people--selected by the MUC Board--have already been rejected by what is now a five-member council coalition determined to keep anyone else from sitting in the "McGuffin seat."

So important that these same five councilmembers got Sen. Steve Southerland and Rep. Don Miller to sponsor a bill to change state law to overturn a part--the MUC appointment process--of the 2001 MUC Referendum so that the MUC appointment comes directly to council for a direct vote after rejection of three mayoral nominees.

So important that these five councilmembers (Paul LeBel, Bob Garrett, Kay Senter, Claude Jinks, and Chris Bivens) were afraid and refused to allow the people to vote in a new referendum in 2012 on whether there would be a change to the appointment process that the people had put in place BY THE PEOPLE--at the urging of MUC--in the 2001 MUC referendum. 

So important that Rep. Miller, who was asked by fellow legislators and several of his constituents to let the people vote in a referendum on approval or rejection of the McGuffin Law, repeatedly said "no" to letting the people vote. 

Miller wants the people to vote for him for state representative, BUT he doesn't want to let the people vote in a referendum on the MUC Act as they were allowed to do in 2001.

May 24, 2012 McGuffin Itching for Council To Reject Twentieth MUC Nominee

MUC (Morristown Utility Commission) named three people this morning to its twentieth list of nominees for the Board seat currently held by George McGuffin. 

McGuffin, who has served on MUC for over 34 years, chaired the meeting at which he was dutifully nominated by his fellow MUC Commissioners along with two good people (Peter Cantwell and Jay Smith) who are window-dressing and throw-away nominees whose names are used to fill out the required slate of three.

McGuffin desperately wants to be re-appointed.  He has been mightily frustrated and  inconvenienced by having to go to the state legislature and get state law changed just to ensure that McGuffin finally gets back on the MUC Board.  The McGuffin Law went into effect on May 1, 2012. It overturns the local voter-approved MUC appointment process and puts the McGuffin Law appointment process in place .

For McGuffin, trampling on the little people and wiping out the 2001 referendum votes of 3,202 people has been a distraction and a bother, but the power is obviously worth it.

Harold Nichols is the McGuffin sidekick and business partner and MUC Commissioner who made the nominations this morning.  Nichols does a great job of keeping a straight face as he brags about the newest nominee Jay Smith and then says of Council: "We'll see what they do." 

Earth-to-Harold. The LeBel Five (Paul LeBel, Bob Garrett, Kay Senter, Claude Jinks, and Chris Bivens) will do just what McGuffin wants them to do and just what you and the other MUC Commissioners (Max Biery, Lynn Elkins, and Gene Jolley) want them to do. 

They'll reject the Mayor's nomination of anyone other than George McGuffin--just like they have done WITH YOUR BLESSING to the nineteen other nominees not named McGuffin! 

And then, bless your little heart,  the McGuffin Law will let MUC's next candidates go straight to the City Council. The LeBel Five will reappoint McGuffin, and all will be right in little Morristown.

For McGuffin and Company, those twenty rejectees are just throw-away nominees and stepping stones for McGuffin to walk on to get what HE wants---another five-year term.