Lynn Wolfe, former Hamblen County Chief Detective (under Sheriff Otto Purkey) and later jailer Lynn Wolfe (under Otto Purkey and under Sheriff Esco Jarnagin), is making news again.
Wolfe, who had been working as a corrections officer at the jail, was terminated and has filed a grievance with the Civil Service Board to be heard in early January 2012
Most local people know of the Wolfe saga. Wolfe worked at the HCSD. In 1998, newly-elected Sheriff Otto Purkey, a relative of Wolfe, promoted Wolfe to Chief Detective.
In December 2000, Wolfe wrecked a county cruiser in a one-vehicle wreck. Wolfe blamed the wreck on winter weather. Blood alcohol levels, however, were reportedly more than twice the legal limit. Wolfe pleaded guilty to the DWI and resigned after negotiating a nice severance package with his relative County Mayor David Purkey.
A few years later, Wolfe was hired back as a corrections officer by relative Otto Purkey. When current Sheriff Esco Jarnagin defeated Otto in 2006, Wolfe was kept on as a corrections officer but was never promoted to patrol/road work despite Wolfe's burning desire to get back behind the wheel of a county vehicle.
Eventually, Wolfe sued Jarnagin. Click here. Jarnagin eventually prevailed and let Wolfe continue to work in the jail, but refused to put Wolfe behind the wheel of a county cruiser.
WHAT ABOUT THE COUNTY'S LAWSUIT AGAINST WOLFE AND WOLFE'S DEBT TO THE COUNTY?
After the 2000 wreck, the County sued Wolfe. County attorney Rusty Cantwell and Wolfe's attorney worked out an agreement where the cruiser was valued at $6,250 and Wolfe was to "work off" the $6,250 debt by "working" for the county at $6/hour.
So where and how did Wolfe end up "working off" his debt? Well, Wolfe was assigned to work for the county maintenance department that just happened to be headed by his father Harold Wolfe.
In claiming that he had "worked off" the debt, Lynn took some timesheets, signed his name on each line, listed a bunch of dates, but did not show even one hour worked on any date listed. Wolfe's timeless timesheets were signed by Gary Templin, who was an assistant to Lynn's father Harold, as proof of hours worked to pay the debt.
Only in the world of Hamblen County Government could timesheets with not one hour of time on them be used as proof of payment of a $6K+ debt. All the timesheets show is that Lynn signed them, put some dates down, and got his father's assistant to sign off on it, with no questions asked.
Then Lynn turned in his timeless timesheets to County Mayor David Purkey, another relative, with no questions asked!
It sort of looked like Lynn knew all along that he could turn in blank timesheets--to his relatives--and get away with it--no questions asked.
Click here to see the "time"sheets and a summary of what went on.
Showing posts with label Otto Purkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Otto Purkey. Show all posts
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
May 19, 2010 Scott Purkey Is No Longer a Member of County Civil Service Board
Rusty Cantwell, Hamblen County's attorney, and Jeff Taylor, attorney for the Hamblen County Civil Service Board, have reviewed the case law and citations that I provided to Taylor about a month ago and have agreed that Scott Purkey legally gave up his position on the Civil Service Board last fall when he accepted appointment to the Construction Board of Appeals.
Scott Purkey is the nephew of County Mayor David Purkey and former Sheriff Otto Purkey. Scott was appointed to the Hamblen County Civil Service Board in early 2009.
Although state law says that a member of the civil service board can not hold any other elected or appointed position in the county, Scott accepted appointment as a member of the Construction Board of Appeals in the fall of 2009.
When I pointed out to the Hamblen County Commission that Scott's membership on two boards was a violation of the civil service act, Scott tried to resolve the problem---and hold onto his Civil Service Board position--- by resigning from the Construction Board of Appeals. [And, no, the local "news"paper didn't report this intial allegation during the public comments portion of a Hamblen County Commission meeting]
The problem with Scott's violation of the law and his attempt to fix it by resigning from the Construction Board of Appeals---as I mentioned in several earlier blog posts--is that there is case law that when an individual accepts a second "incompatible office," he automatically gives up the first office.
Scott was appointed to the civil service board first. When he accepted appointment to the board of construction appeals at a later date, he voluntarily and automatically gave up his civil service position since he could not serve on both and chose to accept the board of construction appeals appointment.
Click here, here, and here.
But never fear, Scott is launching a campaign to get re-appointed to the Civil Service Board. And there are several county commissioners who will do whatever Scott and his uncles (County Mayor David Purkey and former Sheriff Otto Purkey) ask as the Purkeys continue to nip at Sheriff Esco Jarnagin's heels because Jarnagin defeated Scott's Uncle Otto and David's brother Otto in 2006.
A lot of people think that county commissioners would not and should not appoint people who have been and who are active opponents of the Sheriff to the Civil Service Board. Independence and fairness should be the hallmark of service on the Civil Service Board.
Because current Sheriff Esco Jarnagin defeated Scott's Uncle Otto Purkey in 2006, appointing Scott Purkey to the Civil Service Board that handles grievances against Sheriff Jarnagin is like stacking a jury with friends of the Defendant.
Civil service was adopted as a means to help remove politics from the Sheriff's department. Scott Purkey should not even ask to be appointed to a Board that handles grievances against the man who defeated his Uncle Otto, but he will.
Scott Purkey's first and now this second effort to get on the Hamblen County Civil Service Board is tainted and compromised by his political and family ties to the man (Otto Purkey) who lost a heated political race to current Sheriff Esco Jarnagin in 2006.
But this is Hamblen County, and the Purkeys, who still haven't forgotten and haven't moved past Jarnagin's victory over Otto in 2006, continue to try to make things difficult for Jarnagin. It will be interesting to watch the politics of Scott Purkey's push to get back on the Civil Service Board where he can vote on issues involving the man (Esco Jarnagin) who defeated his Uncle Otto Purkey.
It will be interesting to watch as commissioners put on blinders to vote for Scott Purkey, ignoring the political and family ties that naturally compromise and raise questions about Scott's independence and fairness in anything involving Esco Jarnagin.
If the shoe were on the other foot, wonder how many commissioners would appoint someone with strong family and political ties to their opponent(s) to a board that handles grievances against commissioners?
If a commissioner were a defendant in a trial, how many commissioners would want to have the trial before a judge or jury with strong family and political ties to their opponent?
Scott Purkey is the nephew of County Mayor David Purkey and former Sheriff Otto Purkey. Scott was appointed to the Hamblen County Civil Service Board in early 2009.
Although state law says that a member of the civil service board can not hold any other elected or appointed position in the county, Scott accepted appointment as a member of the Construction Board of Appeals in the fall of 2009.
When I pointed out to the Hamblen County Commission that Scott's membership on two boards was a violation of the civil service act, Scott tried to resolve the problem---and hold onto his Civil Service Board position--- by resigning from the Construction Board of Appeals. [And, no, the local "news"paper didn't report this intial allegation during the public comments portion of a Hamblen County Commission meeting]
The problem with Scott's violation of the law and his attempt to fix it by resigning from the Construction Board of Appeals---as I mentioned in several earlier blog posts--is that there is case law that when an individual accepts a second "incompatible office," he automatically gives up the first office.
Scott was appointed to the civil service board first. When he accepted appointment to the board of construction appeals at a later date, he voluntarily and automatically gave up his civil service position since he could not serve on both and chose to accept the board of construction appeals appointment.
Click here, here, and here.
But never fear, Scott is launching a campaign to get re-appointed to the Civil Service Board. And there are several county commissioners who will do whatever Scott and his uncles (County Mayor David Purkey and former Sheriff Otto Purkey) ask as the Purkeys continue to nip at Sheriff Esco Jarnagin's heels because Jarnagin defeated Scott's Uncle Otto and David's brother Otto in 2006.
A lot of people think that county commissioners would not and should not appoint people who have been and who are active opponents of the Sheriff to the Civil Service Board. Independence and fairness should be the hallmark of service on the Civil Service Board.
Because current Sheriff Esco Jarnagin defeated Scott's Uncle Otto Purkey in 2006, appointing Scott Purkey to the Civil Service Board that handles grievances against Sheriff Jarnagin is like stacking a jury with friends of the Defendant.
Civil service was adopted as a means to help remove politics from the Sheriff's department. Scott Purkey should not even ask to be appointed to a Board that handles grievances against the man who defeated his Uncle Otto, but he will.
Scott Purkey's first and now this second effort to get on the Hamblen County Civil Service Board is tainted and compromised by his political and family ties to the man (Otto Purkey) who lost a heated political race to current Sheriff Esco Jarnagin in 2006.
But this is Hamblen County, and the Purkeys, who still haven't forgotten and haven't moved past Jarnagin's victory over Otto in 2006, continue to try to make things difficult for Jarnagin. It will be interesting to watch the politics of Scott Purkey's push to get back on the Civil Service Board where he can vote on issues involving the man (Esco Jarnagin) who defeated his Uncle Otto Purkey.
It will be interesting to watch as commissioners put on blinders to vote for Scott Purkey, ignoring the political and family ties that naturally compromise and raise questions about Scott's independence and fairness in anything involving Esco Jarnagin.
If the shoe were on the other foot, wonder how many commissioners would appoint someone with strong family and political ties to their opponent(s) to a board that handles grievances against commissioners?
If a commissioner were a defendant in a trial, how many commissioners would want to have the trial before a judge or jury with strong family and political ties to their opponent?
Monday, April 12, 2010
April 12, 2010 Burzell Appeals Termination To Civil Service Board
As I thought would happen, Ernie Burzell filed a complaint/appeal with the Civil Service Board over his termination as a deputy under the Civil Service Act. See previous post here. Burzell wrote a letter to the Civil Service Board (Joel Seal, Scott Purkey, and Tim Horner) on March 23, 2010, stating that he wants to "appeal" his termination by Sheriff Esco Jarnagin. He asks the Board to advise Jarnagin not to fill any positions opened as a result of "Sheriff Jarnagin's interpretation of the law regarding deputies running for Sheriff."
I can understand that Burzell and the other deputies (Rucker and Kitts) are upset. This whole matter has been a mess.
But for Burzell to say that he or the other deputies were fired as a result of "Sheriff Jarnagin's interpretation of the law" is ridiculous.
It was the STATE attorney general's interpretation of the law--as found in three different opinions--that said deputies who are covered under civil service can not run for sheriff. The STATE AG also noted that the federal Hatch Act may also prevent deputies from running for sheriff.
It was HAMBLEN COUNTY'S attorney Rusty Cantwell who, after the third STATE attorney general's opinion came out, told Jarnagin that he (Jarnagin) had no choice but to dismiss the deputies (Burzell, Kitts, and Rucker) who were running for sheriff.
Civil service gives deputies protection from political firings BUT, according to the STATE AG, there is a trade-off for this job protection. The STATE AG has opined that deputies, who are covered under civil service, are not allowed to run a political campaign for Sheriff.
Prior to the adoption of Civil Service in Hamblen County, deputies could be hired without any detailed testing standards and could be fired for just about any reason or for no real reason.
Prior to teh adoption of Civil Service in Hamblen County, there was no civil service board with whom a grievance could be filed when an adverse job action occurred.
Prior to the adoption of Civil Service in Hamblen County, deputies could and were required or "strongly encouraged" by Otto Purkey and other incumbent sheriffs to campaign for their boss.
Not every county in Tennessee has adopted the 1974 Civil Service Act. Hamblen County deputies, however, pushed for civil service in Hamblen County. During his last term in office (2002-2006), Sheriff Otto Purkey joined the deputies in asking the County Commission to adopt Civil Service and the Commission subsequently voted Civil Service in.
Now the deputies are seeing the flip-side of civil service. The STATE AG has interpreted the civil service act as requiring that a deputy resign or be terminated prior to announcing a run for Sheriff. The COUNTY ATTORNEY, after the third AG Opinion was released, advised the current Sheriff to dismiss the deputies running for office if they refused to resign.
Burzell is within his right to appeal his termination. He is flat out wrong, however, when he refers in his appeal to the terminations being "a result of Sheriff Jarnagin's interpretation of the law." He should have said he wants the civil service board to review actions taken "as a result of three STATE AG opinions and as a result of the advice of County Attorney Rusty Cantwell."
Read the STATE AG's interpretation of the civil service act and deputies running for office here, here, and here. Read County Attorney Rusty Cantwell's advice to Jarnagin here.
But for Burzell to say that he or the other deputies were fired as a result of "Sheriff Jarnagin's interpretation of the law" is ridiculous.
It was the STATE attorney general's interpretation of the law--as found in three different opinions--that said deputies who are covered under civil service can not run for sheriff. The STATE AG also noted that the federal Hatch Act may also prevent deputies from running for sheriff.
It was HAMBLEN COUNTY'S attorney Rusty Cantwell who, after the third STATE attorney general's opinion came out, told Jarnagin that he (Jarnagin) had no choice but to dismiss the deputies (Burzell, Kitts, and Rucker) who were running for sheriff.
Civil service gives deputies protection from political firings BUT, according to the STATE AG, there is a trade-off for this job protection. The STATE AG has opined that deputies, who are covered under civil service, are not allowed to run a political campaign for Sheriff.
Prior to the adoption of Civil Service in Hamblen County, deputies could be hired without any detailed testing standards and could be fired for just about any reason or for no real reason.
Prior to teh adoption of Civil Service in Hamblen County, there was no civil service board with whom a grievance could be filed when an adverse job action occurred.
Prior to the adoption of Civil Service in Hamblen County, deputies could and were required or "strongly encouraged" by Otto Purkey and other incumbent sheriffs to campaign for their boss.
Not every county in Tennessee has adopted the 1974 Civil Service Act. Hamblen County deputies, however, pushed for civil service in Hamblen County. During his last term in office (2002-2006), Sheriff Otto Purkey joined the deputies in asking the County Commission to adopt Civil Service and the Commission subsequently voted Civil Service in.
Now the deputies are seeing the flip-side of civil service. The STATE AG has interpreted the civil service act as requiring that a deputy resign or be terminated prior to announcing a run for Sheriff. The COUNTY ATTORNEY, after the third AG Opinion was released, advised the current Sheriff to dismiss the deputies running for office if they refused to resign.
Burzell is within his right to appeal his termination. He is flat out wrong, however, when he refers in his appeal to the terminations being "a result of Sheriff Jarnagin's interpretation of the law." He should have said he wants the civil service board to review actions taken "as a result of three STATE AG opinions and as a result of the advice of County Attorney Rusty Cantwell."
Read the STATE AG's interpretation of the civil service act and deputies running for office here, here, and here. Read County Attorney Rusty Cantwell's advice to Jarnagin here.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
March 24, 2010 Watch for a Grievance To Be Filed Against Esco Jarnagin; UPDATE: Read Attorney Cantwell's Letter to Jarnagin Advising Jarnagin To Dismiss Deputies
It is very possible that one or more of the deputies who were recently fired by Sheriff Jarnagin will file a grievance with the Civil Service Board over the terminations.
Jarnagin was recently force to terminate the deputies on the advice of County Attorney Rusty Cantwell in order to comply with the Civil Service Act that was adopted in Hamblen County during the term of former Sheriff Otto Purkey.
To read Cantwell's letter and his advice to Jarnagin to "dismiss" the deputies, click or double-click on the letter (below) to enlarge it. Cantwell's letter was issued after a third attorney general's opinion (March 2010) again said that deputies in any county that has adopted the County Sheriff's Civil Service Act of 1974 can not run for sheriff.
Click here for a prior post on this topic and links to the prior AG opinions (October 2009 and January 2010) on deputies covered under civil service running for office.
If a grievance is filed, will Scott Purkey--who has been serving illegally on the Civil Service Board for several months--hear the grievance? Click here. Scott is former Sheriff Otto Purkey's nephew. He is also the nephew of current County Mayor David Purkey, and the son of Junior Purkey.
Jarnagin was recently force to terminate the deputies on the advice of County Attorney Rusty Cantwell in order to comply with the Civil Service Act that was adopted in Hamblen County during the term of former Sheriff Otto Purkey.
To read Cantwell's letter and his advice to Jarnagin to "dismiss" the deputies, click or double-click on the letter (below) to enlarge it. Cantwell's letter was issued after a third attorney general's opinion (March 2010) again said that deputies in any county that has adopted the County Sheriff's Civil Service Act of 1974 can not run for sheriff.
Click here for a prior post on this topic and links to the prior AG opinions (October 2009 and January 2010) on deputies covered under civil service running for office.
If a grievance is filed, will Scott Purkey--who has been serving illegally on the Civil Service Board for several months--hear the grievance? Click here. Scott is former Sheriff Otto Purkey's nephew. He is also the nephew of current County Mayor David Purkey, and the son of Junior Purkey.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
March 20, 2010 Scott Purkey Resigns One Position After Serving Illegally on Civil Service Board for Months
At the Thursday county commission meeting (March 18), I passed out a section of the Civil Service Act to all commissioners and to the press. After reading TCA Section 8-8-406 aloud, I pointed out the obvious, this one-sentence section says that a Civil Service Board member can NOT hold any elected or appointed office within the county.
Click here for my previous post and to view the state law (TCA 8-8-406) that I handed out to the press and to the commissioners.
I then informed the commissioners that Civil Service Board member Scott Purkey has been serving illegally as a member of the Civil Service Board for many months because he is not only on the Civil Service Board but he is also on the Board of Construction Appeals. [Maybe it is just coincidence, but the Scott Purkey who has been allowed to serve illegally on the Civil Service Board just happens to be the nephew of County Mayor David Purkey and former Sheriff Otto Purkey and is the son of Junior Purkey a/k/a the Purkey Posse.]
I was told today that Scott Purkey hustled to the Courthouse and resigned from the Board of Construction Appeals yesterday, one day after his nearly 6-month violation of the Civil Service Act was made public. One has to wonder if Purkey ever read the Civil Service Act--either before or after he was appointed to the Civil
Service Board. The law that he was to uphold and administer clearly says that you can't be on the Civil Service Board and hold any other elected or appointed office.
UPDATE: Purkey's rush to resign from the Board of Construction Appeals is an obvious attempt to preserve his position on the Civil Service Board where he can continue his partisan activities. David Purkey will try to keep Scott in that position even though there is support for the proposition that Scott already gave up his position on the Civil Service Board automatically on the day that he accepted appointment to the Construction Board of Appeals.
If you are thinking that you didn't see any report of this in the "news"paper, it's because the local "news"paper didn't report it. Now we'll have to wait for Sunday's paper to see if the "news"paper bothers to report that the allegation was made, that Purkey was in fact in violation of the Civil Service Act for about six months, and that he then resigned from the Board of Construction Appeals to try to keep his Civil Service Board seat. Do NOT hold your breath on this one.
It would be a real shocker if the "news"paper actually did some follow-up and asked Scott Purkey about this and whether he has ever read any part of the Civil Service Act. Nah, that won't happen. The local "news"paper follows a Don't Ask & Don't Tell policy on "news" about elected and appointed officials.
"News" doesn't exist unless it is "news" that has been pre-approved for publication by the powers-that-be.
Click here for my previous post and to view the state law (TCA 8-8-406) that I handed out to the press and to the commissioners.
I then informed the commissioners that Civil Service Board member Scott Purkey has been serving illegally as a member of the Civil Service Board for many months because he is not only on the Civil Service Board but he is also on the Board of Construction Appeals. [Maybe it is just coincidence, but the Scott Purkey who has been allowed to serve illegally on the Civil Service Board just happens to be the nephew of County Mayor David Purkey and former Sheriff Otto Purkey and is the son of Junior Purkey a/k/a the Purkey Posse.]
I was told today that Scott Purkey hustled to the Courthouse and resigned from the Board of Construction Appeals yesterday, one day after his nearly 6-month violation of the Civil Service Act was made public. One has to wonder if Purkey ever read the Civil Service Act--either before or after he was appointed to the Civil
Service Board. The law that he was to uphold and administer clearly says that you can't be on the Civil Service Board and hold any other elected or appointed office.
UPDATE: Purkey's rush to resign from the Board of Construction Appeals is an obvious attempt to preserve his position on the Civil Service Board where he can continue his partisan activities. David Purkey will try to keep Scott in that position even though there is support for the proposition that Scott already gave up his position on the Civil Service Board automatically on the day that he accepted appointment to the Construction Board of Appeals.
If you are thinking that you didn't see any report of this in the "news"paper, it's because the local "news"paper didn't report it. Now we'll have to wait for Sunday's paper to see if the "news"paper bothers to report that the allegation was made, that Purkey was in fact in violation of the Civil Service Act for about six months, and that he then resigned from the Board of Construction Appeals to try to keep his Civil Service Board seat. Do NOT hold your breath on this one.
It would be a real shocker if the "news"paper actually did some follow-up and asked Scott Purkey about this and whether he has ever read any part of the Civil Service Act. Nah, that won't happen. The local "news"paper follows a Don't Ask & Don't Tell policy on "news" about elected and appointed officials.
"News" doesn't exist unless it is "news" that has been pre-approved for publication by the powers-that-be.
Friday, March 19, 2010
March 19, 2010 Is Civil Service Board Member Scott Purkey Serving Illegally?
The 1974 Sheriff's Civil Service Act which has been adopted in Hamblen County provides for a three-person civil service board to test applicants, draw up employment rosters, etc.
The members of the Hamblen County Civil Service Board are Joel Seal, Tim Horner, and Scott Purkey. It is difficult to keep the tangled web of Courthouse kinships straight, but I understand that Scott Purkey is Mayor David Purkey and former Sheriff Otto Purkey's nephew and Junior Purkey's son. David, Otto, and Junior are brothers.
Yesterday at county commission, I provided the commissioners and "news"paper reporter Bobbie Young with a copy of the above section (TCA 8-8-406) of the Civil Service Act. You can click on the image to enlarge it.
During public comments, I read this short section that includes the statement that members of the Civil Service Board "shall not hold any elected or appointed office within the county."
I then pointed out that Scott Purkey is serving on the Civil Service Board while also holding an appointed position on the Construction Board of Appeals. No commissioner said a word. Mayor David Purkey said nothing. County Attorney Rusty Cantwell said nothing. No commissioner asked Cantwell to comment. Chairman Stancil Ford finally said that he would look into it.
First, the Civil Service Board granted leave to deputies to run for office in violation of the Civil Service Act. Click here. Now--unless somebody decides that the words "shall not hold any elected of appointed office within the county" mean the exact opposite of what they say--it looks like a member of the Civil Service Board, Scott Purkey, is not "qualified" to continue service on the Board and is violating the Civil Service Act.
Scott is not only related to former Sheriff Otto Purkey, he worked for Otto in the Sheriff Department and supported Otto in the 2006 Sheriff's election. Because of his obvious partisanship, Scott should never have been appointed to the Civil Service Board in the first place. Out of all the people in Hamblen County, surely there is a person who meets the qualifications of the act and who can be expected to act in an impartial and knowledgeable manner in fairly administering the Civil Service Act.
Scott Purkey's initial appointment to the Civil Service Board gets back to the good old boys network and keeping everything in-house. It is obvious where that style of appointment has gotten the Civil Service Board. We'll soon see if Scott is so desperate to stay on the Civil Service Board that he resigns his Construction Board of Appeals position or if Scott finally recognizes that his "service" on the Civil Service Board was compromised from day one and that he should resign from that Board.
Just to make sure that all the info is out. Scott was appointed to the Civil Service Board first and then many months later he was appointed to the Construction Board of Appeals. It will be interesting to see if someone tries to justify Scott's dual service by interpreting 8-8-406 as saying that you only have to be free of other office at the time you are appointed to the Civil Service Board--then you can accept all the other appointments that you want to.
That, in my opinion, would be an absurd position but who knows what will be done or said to protect Mayor Purkey's nephew.
If the statute is meant to prevent a conflict in dual service on the Civil Service Board and other boards of offices, then when you are appointed to the Civil Service Board and when you are appointed to another office doesn't matter. TCA 8-8-406 simply says members of the Board "shall not hold any elected or appointed office within the county." Scott Purkey is a member of the Civil Service Board and holds an appointed position within the county.
While he could "resign" from the Civil Service Board, there is support for the position that when Purkey accepted appointment to the Construction Board of Appeals, he automatically gave up/resigned his position on the Civil Service Board without any other action being taken.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
January 31, 2010 David Purkey, Still Wanting To Be Tennessee Safety Commissioner, Latches onto Gubernatorial Candidate Haslam's Coattails
The local "news"paper had an interesting picture on its front page on Friday, January 29. Gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam and his wife knocked on the door of Lynn Purkey in the Alpha Community, and a Tribune cameraman just happened to be there to record the event.
The article then mentioned that Haslam was "flanked" in his door-knocking campaign by long time friend and supporter Hamblen County Mayor David Purkey.
[I'm not sure why, but the "news"paper forgot to mention that the Lynn Purkey who just happened to answer the door is Otto Purkey's wife and that Otto is David Purkey's big brother and that Otto is the former Sheriff of Hamblen County who lost his re-election bid in 2006 to current Sheriff Esco Jarnagin. Lynn Purkey's door was not randomly picked so an explanation of who Lynn Purkey is and her connections might be in order]
I haven't decided whom I will support in the governor's race in Tennessee. This post is not about the governor's candidates but about the fact that David Purkey has grabbed onto Haslam's coattails with all his might in the hope that if Haslam is elected, David will finally get the dream job that he has always wanted---Tennessee Commissioner of Safety with power over the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
To understand Purkey's dream, you have to go back to June 2006 when David was in the middle of what he had declared was his "last" run for County Mayor. Although David had said that he wanted to serve one "last" term as mayor, ironically David ran off to Nashville and applied for Safety Commissioner right in the middle of that "last" campaign for County Mayor.
What was even funnier was that the local "news"paper either didn't know that David had applied for the Safety Commissioner job while in the middle of running for County Mayor OR the "news"paper knew and decided not to report this significant bit of news to its local readers. Nope, the "news"paper never said a word about any of this until after I had a blog post based on a story in the Nashville Tennessean about David's application.
Click here for my June 26, 2006, post that was based on a June 22, 2006, Tennessean article. Then click here for the "news" story that the local "news"paper ran on June 27, 2006 (5 days after the Tennessean article and one day after my blog post). Noe4accountability is a personal blog--not a newspaper with full-time reporters. There is something ironic about a local "news"paper that didn't know what the local Mayor was doing OR that chose not to report what the local Mayor was doing until five days after it had been reported across the state in the Tennessean. In fact, the local "news"paper only reported that the Mayor had applied for Safety Commissioner and had withdrawn one day after I finally went ahead and mentioned it on this blog. How "news"y is that?
Of course, there is plenty of other "news" that the local "news"paper chooses not to report. The "news"paper decides what is "news" and how that "news" will be reported. Bob Moore will cover up anything that Jack Fishman says to cover up. Bob will slant anything as directed by his boss. Bob will print just about anything that a government office or official tells him to ---without checking the accuracy of the information. Click here for one example of how Bob just publishes what government officials hand him and refuses to check on the accuracy of what he is provided. Some--but not all--front-page articles by Bob are little more than front-page press releases with a little flowery language added for that personal touch. Whether it's appropriate or not in a "news"paper article, I will admit that Bob's style of writing and word-choice are entertaining.
Frankly, I doubt that Haslam really knows much about David Purkey, the man who has always wanted-- and still wants--to have control of law enforcement in Tennessee. I don't know the whole story about David. I do know that he hates me because he couldn't control me while I served on county commission (2002-2006). I know he hates that I brought in the state auditors to perform the county audit in 2003 when Hamblen County had more findings (29) than any other county in the state. Click here. I know that he hates me because I pushed for openness and accountability throughout county government and for better control of spending.
This is a man who became upset and red-faced when I simply asked that a county decal be placed on all county taxpayer-provided vehicles (other than undercover vehicles or exempt law-enforcement vehicles). David wanted that county car, but he definitely didn't want a decal on it to let people know that it was a Hamblen County taxpayer-provided vehicle. The rest of the commissioners blinked.
And when I decided not to run again in 2006, one of David's first requests to the new commission was to ask for a car allowance of $7200/year---paid as a salary increase. David had two goals in this. He would get the county to pay for a car that he could keep (no decal, of course) after he left office AND, by having his car paid for through a salary increase, his future government retirement pay would skyrocket since his retirement pay is partly-based on the highest five years of compensation. With the car allowance/salary increase deal, Purkey upped his highest compensation from around the $83,000 he had been drawing as County Mayor to $90,000+ and upped his retirement for the next 20-30 years as well.
With David's continuing desire to be Tennessee Safety Commissioner, it's time to let the public know at least some of what the local "news"paper covers up about David Purkey, the lifelong politician and master of the cover-up, with help from friends in high places.
The article then mentioned that Haslam was "flanked" in his door-knocking campaign by long time friend and supporter Hamblen County Mayor David Purkey.
[I'm not sure why, but the "news"paper forgot to mention that the Lynn Purkey who just happened to answer the door is Otto Purkey's wife and that Otto is David Purkey's big brother and that Otto is the former Sheriff of Hamblen County who lost his re-election bid in 2006 to current Sheriff Esco Jarnagin. Lynn Purkey's door was not randomly picked so an explanation of who Lynn Purkey is and her connections might be in order]
I haven't decided whom I will support in the governor's race in Tennessee. This post is not about the governor's candidates but about the fact that David Purkey has grabbed onto Haslam's coattails with all his might in the hope that if Haslam is elected, David will finally get the dream job that he has always wanted---Tennessee Commissioner of Safety with power over the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
To understand Purkey's dream, you have to go back to June 2006 when David was in the middle of what he had declared was his "last" run for County Mayor. Although David had said that he wanted to serve one "last" term as mayor, ironically David ran off to Nashville and applied for Safety Commissioner right in the middle of that "last" campaign for County Mayor.
What was even funnier was that the local "news"paper either didn't know that David had applied for the Safety Commissioner job while in the middle of running for County Mayor OR the "news"paper knew and decided not to report this significant bit of news to its local readers. Nope, the "news"paper never said a word about any of this until after I had a blog post based on a story in the Nashville Tennessean about David's application.
Click here for my June 26, 2006, post that was based on a June 22, 2006, Tennessean article. Then click here for the "news" story that the local "news"paper ran on June 27, 2006 (5 days after the Tennessean article and one day after my blog post). Noe4accountability is a personal blog--not a newspaper with full-time reporters. There is something ironic about a local "news"paper that didn't know what the local Mayor was doing OR that chose not to report what the local Mayor was doing until five days after it had been reported across the state in the Tennessean. In fact, the local "news"paper only reported that the Mayor had applied for Safety Commissioner and had withdrawn one day after I finally went ahead and mentioned it on this blog. How "news"y is that?
Of course, there is plenty of other "news" that the local "news"paper chooses not to report. The "news"paper decides what is "news" and how that "news" will be reported. Bob Moore will cover up anything that Jack Fishman says to cover up. Bob will slant anything as directed by his boss. Bob will print just about anything that a government office or official tells him to ---without checking the accuracy of the information. Click here for one example of how Bob just publishes what government officials hand him and refuses to check on the accuracy of what he is provided. Some--but not all--front-page articles by Bob are little more than front-page press releases with a little flowery language added for that personal touch. Whether it's appropriate or not in a "news"paper article, I will admit that Bob's style of writing and word-choice are entertaining.
Frankly, I doubt that Haslam really knows much about David Purkey, the man who has always wanted-- and still wants--to have control of law enforcement in Tennessee. I don't know the whole story about David. I do know that he hates me because he couldn't control me while I served on county commission (2002-2006). I know he hates that I brought in the state auditors to perform the county audit in 2003 when Hamblen County had more findings (29) than any other county in the state. Click here. I know that he hates me because I pushed for openness and accountability throughout county government and for better control of spending.
This is a man who became upset and red-faced when I simply asked that a county decal be placed on all county taxpayer-provided vehicles (other than undercover vehicles or exempt law-enforcement vehicles). David wanted that county car, but he definitely didn't want a decal on it to let people know that it was a Hamblen County taxpayer-provided vehicle. The rest of the commissioners blinked.
And when I decided not to run again in 2006, one of David's first requests to the new commission was to ask for a car allowance of $7200/year---paid as a salary increase. David had two goals in this. He would get the county to pay for a car that he could keep (no decal, of course) after he left office AND, by having his car paid for through a salary increase, his future government retirement pay would skyrocket since his retirement pay is partly-based on the highest five years of compensation. With the car allowance/salary increase deal, Purkey upped his highest compensation from around the $83,000 he had been drawing as County Mayor to $90,000+ and upped his retirement for the next 20-30 years as well.
With David's continuing desire to be Tennessee Safety Commissioner, it's time to let the public know at least some of what the local "news"paper covers up about David Purkey, the lifelong politician and master of the cover-up, with help from friends in high places.
Monday, July 06, 2009
July 6, 2009 City and County: Briefs and Upcoming Posts
A lot has happened locally over the past several weeks.
Democrat State Rep. John Litz announced that he would not run for re-election and said that he was not ready to comment on his future plans.
Democrat Larry Mullins jumped into the vacuum and announced that he is a candidate for state representative. In Mullins' announcement, it was mentioned that his wife Kathy Trent Mullins will not run for re-election as Circuit Court Clerk for Hamblen County.
John Litz later announced that his future plans include a race for County Mayor against Republican candidate Bill Brittain. [I don't think that John will have any opposition in the Democrat primary. There is a very slim possibility that Bill might have some opposition from an elected official who was miffed when current County Mayor David Purkey apparently got a group together and pretty much selected the current Republican candidate line-up without considering or consulting with that individual. The current Purkey line-up for the two major offices is Brittain for Mayor and Purkey's Finance Director Nicole Buchanan for Trustee.]
The School Board is meeting with the Hamblen County Education Committee on June 7 to discuss the Board's plans to spend $5.3 million on environmental and maintenance issues (roof, etc.) at East High. If you can get off work at 1:00 pm on that day, you might want to attend.
City Administrator Jim Crumley has been asked by at least four councilmembers to resign or retire or somehow get the heck out of City Hall. City Mayor Sami Barile hates the possibility of Jim leaving. With Jim gone, Barile loses her right-hand man and the source of her knowledge of city government.
With the prospect of Crumley's exit, Mayor Sami Barile is now telling government officials to act with civility at city council meetings. The local "news"paper has also editorialized for civility. Civility is important, but the Mayor needs to realize that disagreements and discussions are not automatically indicative of a lack of civility. And, hopefully, she will even come to recognize that questions are not micro-managing. If she had been paying attention and asking questions before and after taking office, maybe she would have known of the financial disaster that awaited her after she was sworn in in May 2007. In any event, Mayor Barile needs to worry less about what she considers a lack of civility and start worrying more about learning firsthand what's really going on in city government and in the City of Morristown.
Barile and council need to start addressing the jobs situation, skyrocketing unemployment in the City, the red light cameras, spending problems, the city's huge debt, sewer issues, and the lack of accountability. If and when Crumley is no longer spoon feeding Barile/council with his misleading analyses of the state of the city, Barile and company should set up procedures that will provide for checks and balances on the incoming administrator.
The Mayor and council need to be kept in the loop about city government (pay raises, car allowances, cell phones, contracts, sewer, spending). The Mayor and council need to eliminate the free-rein that Crumley had to spend and shift money around (in bunches of up to $10,000) without explaining the reason in advance and without getting council's permission in advance. Any contracts negotiated by the City Administrator or others need to come before the council for final approval and the contracts should be in final form and available to councilmembers for review at least a week before the contract is placed on the agenda for a vote.
In other news, former Hamblen County Deputy Dexter Morris was convicted in federal court of violating the civil rights of females stopped and detained by him and of lying to federal agents when confronted about the incidents.
There was testimony that a number of complaints were filed against Morris during the tenure of former Sheriff Otto Purkey and that Purkey ignored or dismissed the complaints, eventually promoting Morris to patrol officer. Other testimony indicated that Deputy Ernie Burzell handled a complaint filed by a 16-year old girl who was stopped by Morris without cause. Morris allegedly fondled the girl and apparently admitted to Burzell that he had no reason to stop the teenager and that he had asked the girl "What does a 16-year old do to get those boobs?" Burzell took no action on the complaint and entered nothing in Morris' file about the incident.
I will discuss these items in more detail in future individual posts
A lot more local governmental happenings and revelations are on the horizon.
Democrat State Rep. John Litz announced that he would not run for re-election and said that he was not ready to comment on his future plans.
Democrat Larry Mullins jumped into the vacuum and announced that he is a candidate for state representative. In Mullins' announcement, it was mentioned that his wife Kathy Trent Mullins will not run for re-election as Circuit Court Clerk for Hamblen County.
John Litz later announced that his future plans include a race for County Mayor against Republican candidate Bill Brittain. [I don't think that John will have any opposition in the Democrat primary. There is a very slim possibility that Bill might have some opposition from an elected official who was miffed when current County Mayor David Purkey apparently got a group together and pretty much selected the current Republican candidate line-up without considering or consulting with that individual. The current Purkey line-up for the two major offices is Brittain for Mayor and Purkey's Finance Director Nicole Buchanan for Trustee.]
The School Board is meeting with the Hamblen County Education Committee on June 7 to discuss the Board's plans to spend $5.3 million on environmental and maintenance issues (roof, etc.) at East High. If you can get off work at 1:00 pm on that day, you might want to attend.
City Administrator Jim Crumley has been asked by at least four councilmembers to resign or retire or somehow get the heck out of City Hall. City Mayor Sami Barile hates the possibility of Jim leaving. With Jim gone, Barile loses her right-hand man and the source of her knowledge of city government.
With the prospect of Crumley's exit, Mayor Sami Barile is now telling government officials to act with civility at city council meetings. The local "news"paper has also editorialized for civility. Civility is important, but the Mayor needs to realize that disagreements and discussions are not automatically indicative of a lack of civility. And, hopefully, she will even come to recognize that questions are not micro-managing. If she had been paying attention and asking questions before and after taking office, maybe she would have known of the financial disaster that awaited her after she was sworn in in May 2007. In any event, Mayor Barile needs to worry less about what she considers a lack of civility and start worrying more about learning firsthand what's really going on in city government and in the City of Morristown.
Barile and council need to start addressing the jobs situation, skyrocketing unemployment in the City, the red light cameras, spending problems, the city's huge debt, sewer issues, and the lack of accountability. If and when Crumley is no longer spoon feeding Barile/council with his misleading analyses of the state of the city, Barile and company should set up procedures that will provide for checks and balances on the incoming administrator.
The Mayor and council need to be kept in the loop about city government (pay raises, car allowances, cell phones, contracts, sewer, spending). The Mayor and council need to eliminate the free-rein that Crumley had to spend and shift money around (in bunches of up to $10,000) without explaining the reason in advance and without getting council's permission in advance. Any contracts negotiated by the City Administrator or others need to come before the council for final approval and the contracts should be in final form and available to councilmembers for review at least a week before the contract is placed on the agenda for a vote.
In other news, former Hamblen County Deputy Dexter Morris was convicted in federal court of violating the civil rights of females stopped and detained by him and of lying to federal agents when confronted about the incidents.
There was testimony that a number of complaints were filed against Morris during the tenure of former Sheriff Otto Purkey and that Purkey ignored or dismissed the complaints, eventually promoting Morris to patrol officer. Other testimony indicated that Deputy Ernie Burzell handled a complaint filed by a 16-year old girl who was stopped by Morris without cause. Morris allegedly fondled the girl and apparently admitted to Burzell that he had no reason to stop the teenager and that he had asked the girl "What does a 16-year old do to get those boobs?" Burzell took no action on the complaint and entered nothing in Morris' file about the incident.
I will discuss these items in more detail in future individual posts
A lot more local governmental happenings and revelations are on the horizon.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
January 13, 2009 Brett Kilgore: Off and Running for Sheriff in 2010
Brett Kilgore, who resigned a few months ago from the Hamblen County Civil Service Board, is off and running for Sheriff.
Even though the primary is over 15 months away, Kilgore has already printed, paid for, and handed out election brochures. (Click on the images to enlarge)
In 2006, Kilgore paid for an ad in which he endorsed former Sheriff Otto Purkey. Otto Purkey lost to current Sheriff Esco Jarnagin in 2006, and Kilgore was subsequently appointed to the Civil Service Board by Otto Purkey's brother, County Mayor David Purkey.
That appointment eventually led to a confrontation between Kilgore and current Sheriff Esco Jarnagin when Kilgore, along with fellow Civil Service Board Member Joel Seal, voted to order Sheriff Jarnagin to promote and put Lynn Wolfe, a relative of David and Otto Purkey, back on the road as a deputy.
Jarnagin refused, noting that Lynn is best-known for totaling a 1999 county cruiser in December of 2000 while returning from an out-of-town party. Newspaper reports at the time stated that Wolfe's blood alcohol content was more than twice the standard for drunk driving. Click here for background on the civil service board ruling and the appeal.
Wolfe was Otto Purkey's chief deputy at the time of the wreck and resigned after he was given a severance package by David Purkey.
The county sued Wolfe to recover the cost of the vehicle. An agreement was reached providing that Lynn Wolfe would make restitution to the county for $6,250 by performing community service. And who would Lynn Wolfe perform his community service for? His father Harold Wolfe, of course!
Harold Wolfe was head of the county's maintenance department. David Purkey saw the obvious conflict in son (Lynn Wolfe) working off restitution by working for father (Harold Wolfe). David sent a memo to Harold telling Harold that, if anyone gets nosy and asks, just tell that that Gary Templin is supervising Lynn.
In "working" for his father's maintenance department, Lynn turned in three timeless timesheets to his kinfolk David Purkey, and Purkey accepted and filed the timeless timesheets in Wolfe's personnel file. Lynn's supervisor Gary Templin had actually signed off on two of the timeless sheets, and Lynn turned in the third one without any supervisor's signature at all.
Lynn resigned in 2001, so how did he end up back at the Sheriff's Department again? After a few years went by, his kinfolk Otto Purkey, who was still Sheriff, hired Lynn back as a jailer.
Esco Jarnagin defeated Otto in 2006, and when Lynn tried to get promoted to road deputy, Esco
refused to sign a waiver that could have put Lynn back on the road again in a county vehicle. Lynn then filed a federal lawsuit against Jarnagin.
Details and documents regarding the Wolfe saga: the wreck, the civil service board, and the lawsuit are here.
Brett Kilgore is off and running, and we'll have more info in future posts.
Monday, March 31, 2008
March 31, 2008 Jailer Lynn Wolfe Sues Sheriff Esco Jarnigan
What can public documents tell you that no public official will tell you? Plenty. What can public documents tell you that no newspaper will tell you? Plenty.
Lynn Wolfe filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Esco Jarnigan in federal court in January 2008 because Sheriff Jarnigan would not promote him to road deputy. Click on the first images above to read the 5-page complaint.
Lynn Wolfe filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Esco Jarnigan in federal court in January 2008 because Sheriff Jarnigan would not promote him to road deputy. Click on the first images above to read the 5-page complaint.
Wolfe was Hamblen County's chief detective under former Sheriff Otto Purkey. Chief Detective Wolfe was driving a county cruiser in December 2000 returning home from an out-of-county "party" when he totaled the county's 1999 Ford Crown Vic in a one-vehicle accident.
According to reports, a blood test was administered at M-H Hospital showing that Mr. Wolfe was legally drunk at the time of the accident. Wolfe resigned after the accident and received a severance package that was agreed to by County Mayor David Purkey (former Sheriff Otto Purkey's brother). Click on the Feb. 2, 2001, letter above.
According to several individuals, including one who talked to Mr. Wolfe several months ago, Mr. Wolfe is related to both Purkeys.
What actually happened in December 2000 and afterwards? Did Wolfe make restitution to the county for the vehicle he wrecked while DWI?
Hamblen County filed suit against Lynn Wolfe in 2001 to recover the costs of the cruiser that was totaled in December 2000 when he was DWI. An August 29, 2002, Agreed Order provided that Wolfe was to pay the county $6,250.00 for the 1999 Crown Vic.
The terms of the agreement were that Mr. Wolfe could pay $6,250.00 cash or he could work the payment off performing community service at $6.00/hour. Click on the Agreed Order above.
According to County Trustee Bill Brittain, Wolfe chose the community service option. Did Wolfe really "pay" for the cruiser through community service?
Or did the taxpayers pay for the car, pay for the lawsuit, get an Agreed Order requiring that Lynn Wolfe make restitution to the county, and then have all this ignored by Lynn Wolfe, Mayor David Purkey, and several others who saw or prepared the paperwork and were in the know?
Three community service "time sheets" that Wolfe filled out and that were turned in to Mayor David Purkey are shown above. Two of them are signed by Gary Templin. Look at these time sheets and see how many hours of "community service" were performed as restitution. These time sheets are public records that are kept in the County Mayor's office.
The three time sheets do NOT show even one hour of time worked. Instead, they show that Mr. Wolfe somehow pre-listed about 130 dates, signed his name beside each date, and then had his community service "supervisor" Gary Templin sign and turn in the time sheets even though the "time" sheets had NO TIME on them.
Who is Gary Templin? Gary was Assistant Director of County Maintenance on the dates shown. But there's more! Gary's boss was Director of County Maintenance Harold Wolfe, Lynn Wolfe's father.
It will be interesting to see if other community service time sheets are suddenly found somewhere in the Mayor's Office or elsewhere when it comes time to determine if Mr. Wolfe actually made restitution to the county as stated on Page 2 of his complaint. The time sheets that the Mayor has provided thus far don't show any restitution.
How could anyone--Mayor Purkey or even Lynn Wolfe himself--have known when Lynn had "worked off" the $6,250.00 judgment when the only time sheets the Mayor's office has show ZERO TIME WORKED?
Who was supposed to see that restitution was made? Who knew that "timeless" time sheets were being handed in? Who ignored the "timeless" time sheets? Why?
The kinships and resulting conflicts of interest are obvious. Even Mayor Purkey and the Wolfes knew there would be a stink with Lynn Wolfe supposedly working off his judgment by working for his dad's County Maintenance Department.
No problem. Mayor Purkey sent Harold Wolfe a note telling Harold Wolfe what to say about Lynn Wolfe making court-ordered restitution by working for his father's maintenance department.
Purkey's note of 9/13/02 (click on above memo) says:
Purkey's note of 9/13/02 (click on above memo) says:
"Harold, If anyone asks, Lynn is being supervised by Gary Templin. Gary can see me for the details. Thanks, D"
Why would the County Mayor have to tell Harold Wolfe that Lynn Wolfe is being supervised by Gary Templin? Didn't Harold, Director of County Maintenance, already know that his assistant was supervising his son?
Did Gary really supervise Lynn Wolfe or did he just dutifully sign time sheets for his boss's son--time sheets that didn't even have one hour of time on them?
The details of Templin's supervision of his boss's (Harold Wolfe's) son (Lynn Wolfe) are found in the public documents shown above and others.
Conflicts of interest. Sweetheart deals by your kinfolk. Turning in blank community service time sheets to your kinfolk that list lots of dates and that are signed by your "supervisor" (your dad's assistant) but show NOT ONE HOUR OF TIME WORKED.
Conflicts of interest. Sweetheart deals by your kinfolk. Turning in blank community service time sheets to your kinfolk that list lots of dates and that are signed by your "supervisor" (your dad's assistant) but show NOT ONE HOUR OF TIME WORKED.
Being re-hired by your kinfolk Otto Purkey. Purkey loses the election and there's no longer kinfolk to promote you to road deputy.
File a civil service complaint against the new Sheriff because he won't promote you to a road deputy position for which you are not eligible because you are not POST-certified as a result of your DWI.
And now a civil rights lawsuit against the new Sheriff because he won't request a POST-certification waiver so Lynn Wolfe can somehow get back "on the road again."
File a civil service complaint against the new Sheriff because he won't promote you to a road deputy position for which you are not eligible because you are not POST-certified as a result of your DWI.
And now a civil rights lawsuit against the new Sheriff because he won't request a POST-certification waiver so Lynn Wolfe can somehow get back "on the road again."
Nepotism at its worst. Conflicts of interest all over the place. Public documents tell the tale.
Now what does the county do about it? What, if anything, will be done to make sure that restitution is made and that lack of oversight and ignoring "timeless" time sheets never occur again?
Who watches the watchers? Who protects county tax dollars?
Friday, August 25, 2006
August 25, 2006 Last Commission Meeting Yesterday? Almost.
The Hamblen County Commission held its August meeting yesterday, August 24. It was supposed to be the last meeting of the current commissioners as the newly-elected commission takes office on September 1.
And it was the last meeting---almost!
There was one small snag at the meeting.
Most, maybe all, Sheriffs across the state have a Chief Deputy. Sheriff Otto Purkey, however, eliminated that position in Hamblen County several years ago.
Newly-elected Sheriff Esco Jarnagin wants to restore the position of Chief Deputy.
Most Commissioners (except for Commissioner Doyle Fullington) didn't seem to have a problem with the re-organization of the Sheriff's Office to include a Chief Deputy again.
A lot of commissioners did seem uncomfortable--as they should be-- with making this decision without complete financial information about costs and where the money will come from.
A salary estimate of $45,000 -$47,000 was mentioned in a letter to commissioners by Sheriff Jarnagin, but there could be additional costs related to insurance, social security, and other benefits.
Solution: Another meeting of the full commission on August 28.
Finance Director Nicole Epps will present an analysis of all costs for the Chief Deputy position.
Sheriff-elect Esco Jarnagin will be invited to discuss the way to fund this position and whether this position can be handled through a budget amendment that requires no new money.
More on the 28th.
And it was the last meeting---almost!
There was one small snag at the meeting.
Most, maybe all, Sheriffs across the state have a Chief Deputy. Sheriff Otto Purkey, however, eliminated that position in Hamblen County several years ago.
Newly-elected Sheriff Esco Jarnagin wants to restore the position of Chief Deputy.
Most Commissioners (except for Commissioner Doyle Fullington) didn't seem to have a problem with the re-organization of the Sheriff's Office to include a Chief Deputy again.
A lot of commissioners did seem uncomfortable--as they should be-- with making this decision without complete financial information about costs and where the money will come from.
A salary estimate of $45,000 -$47,000 was mentioned in a letter to commissioners by Sheriff Jarnagin, but there could be additional costs related to insurance, social security, and other benefits.
Solution: Another meeting of the full commission on August 28.
Finance Director Nicole Epps will present an analysis of all costs for the Chief Deputy position.
Sheriff-elect Esco Jarnagin will be invited to discuss the way to fund this position and whether this position can be handled through a budget amendment that requires no new money.
More on the 28th.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
October 27, 2005 County Inventory--What about the Vehicles?
Vehicle Mileage and Condition Reports Come In for All Departments Except One
After just over a month, I can report that all departments (assessor, Cherokee Park, community service, EMA, garbage dept., highway dept., juvenile court, maintenance, planning) responded quickly to the request for mileage/condition information for vehicles for the fiscal year that ended 6/30/05---all departments, that is, except the Sheriff's Department. See my post of September 13th.
An inventory report with mileage and condition information was something that the entire commission unanimously requested from all departments beginning with the 6/30/04 inventory and continuing with the 6/30/05 inventory and beyond. The purpose was to keep up with the mileage and condition of vehicles so there would be a record and awareness of when a vehicle or vehicles would need replacing.
The Sheriff, like everyone else, was asked to provide this information for all county-owned vehicles-- except undercover vehicles and others that are already marked out on the sheriff's inventory.
After everybody had responded except the Sheriff, I waited a while and then called Sheriff Otto Purkey to see if he had gotten the request and to ask if there was a problem in providing this information.
The Sheriff asked if there was a law that says he had to do this. I mentioned that the commission had passed a resolution requesting this information from all departments, and the Sheriff replied that he didn't think he cared to do that.
Well, OK. But exactly why doesn't the Sheriff care to co-operate? What is the problem with providing mileage and condition information? No one else had the slightest problem in this regard.
Surely it is not because of the confusion where Sheriff Otto Purkey's Department shows his brother County Mayor David Purkey's car in the Sheriff's inventory even though County Mayor David Purkey's vehicle was actually purchased with Juvenile Court money.
Just for the sake of keeping things straight, however, I hope that eventually someone will put the vehicle that the Mayor drives in the Mayor's inventory list where it belongs and put the gasoline, repair and maintenance costs for the Mayor's vehicle in the Mayor's budget, too. How can you keep up with a department's true costs when you have a department putting its vehicles and costs in another department's budget?
Maybe even sometime soon the Mayor will put a county decal on the taxpayer-provided vehicle he drives. Putting decals on county vehicles is something else that county commission unanimously voted for over a year ago, but there is something about putting a Hamblen County decal on the County Mayor's car that greatly upsets the Mayor.
The other really odd thing about both the 2005 and the earlier 2004 inventory as well is that the Sheriff doesn't show any computers, desks, furniture, or other equipment in his inventory for either year. The Sheriff lists nothing except vehicles even though it's obvious that the Sheriff's Department and the jail have computers, desks, chairs, printers, filing cabinets, and other furniture and equipment. Hopefully, someone will go back now and track down, tag, and list all the Sheriff's equipment.
Having a current and accurate list of equipment and a tag on all items helps ensure that these is a record of items like computers, printers, and scanners and that these items remain in the department.
With county vehicles, you are talking about an investment involving hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. You obviously need to keep a close track of those vehicles and accurate mileage and condition records. The Sheriff shows about $790,000 in original acquisition value for his 45 or so vehicles. The Garbage Dept. shows about $731,000 for vehicles, and the Highway Dept. shows about $550,000 for vehicles.
There are some questions to ask about computers and other items that are shown in one department, but that are kept and used by other departments, but we'll save that for another day. There are also a lot of items that were left off the 6/30/04 inventory that are now showing up on the 6/30/05 inventory.
Inventories are important as a record of what the county has, what condition each item is in, and to help gauge what will need to be replaced and when. We seem to have improved our inventory record-keeping from last year, and we just need to complete the 6/30/05 inventory, putting all equipment, vehicles, and other items in the right place.
Next...audits. Why I pushed for state auditors in my campaign. What they have done for the county. How much we have saved-- not only on the audit itself but also by implementation of many of the new auditor's suggestions. And lots more.
After just over a month, I can report that all departments (assessor, Cherokee Park, community service, EMA, garbage dept., highway dept., juvenile court, maintenance, planning) responded quickly to the request for mileage/condition information for vehicles for the fiscal year that ended 6/30/05---all departments, that is, except the Sheriff's Department. See my post of September 13th.
An inventory report with mileage and condition information was something that the entire commission unanimously requested from all departments beginning with the 6/30/04 inventory and continuing with the 6/30/05 inventory and beyond. The purpose was to keep up with the mileage and condition of vehicles so there would be a record and awareness of when a vehicle or vehicles would need replacing.
The Sheriff, like everyone else, was asked to provide this information for all county-owned vehicles-- except undercover vehicles and others that are already marked out on the sheriff's inventory.
After everybody had responded except the Sheriff, I waited a while and then called Sheriff Otto Purkey to see if he had gotten the request and to ask if there was a problem in providing this information.
The Sheriff asked if there was a law that says he had to do this. I mentioned that the commission had passed a resolution requesting this information from all departments, and the Sheriff replied that he didn't think he cared to do that.
Well, OK. But exactly why doesn't the Sheriff care to co-operate? What is the problem with providing mileage and condition information? No one else had the slightest problem in this regard.
Surely it is not because of the confusion where Sheriff Otto Purkey's Department shows his brother County Mayor David Purkey's car in the Sheriff's inventory even though County Mayor David Purkey's vehicle was actually purchased with Juvenile Court money.
Just for the sake of keeping things straight, however, I hope that eventually someone will put the vehicle that the Mayor drives in the Mayor's inventory list where it belongs and put the gasoline, repair and maintenance costs for the Mayor's vehicle in the Mayor's budget, too. How can you keep up with a department's true costs when you have a department putting its vehicles and costs in another department's budget?
Maybe even sometime soon the Mayor will put a county decal on the taxpayer-provided vehicle he drives. Putting decals on county vehicles is something else that county commission unanimously voted for over a year ago, but there is something about putting a Hamblen County decal on the County Mayor's car that greatly upsets the Mayor.
The other really odd thing about both the 2005 and the earlier 2004 inventory as well is that the Sheriff doesn't show any computers, desks, furniture, or other equipment in his inventory for either year. The Sheriff lists nothing except vehicles even though it's obvious that the Sheriff's Department and the jail have computers, desks, chairs, printers, filing cabinets, and other furniture and equipment. Hopefully, someone will go back now and track down, tag, and list all the Sheriff's equipment.
Having a current and accurate list of equipment and a tag on all items helps ensure that these is a record of items like computers, printers, and scanners and that these items remain in the department.
With county vehicles, you are talking about an investment involving hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. You obviously need to keep a close track of those vehicles and accurate mileage and condition records. The Sheriff shows about $790,000 in original acquisition value for his 45 or so vehicles. The Garbage Dept. shows about $731,000 for vehicles, and the Highway Dept. shows about $550,000 for vehicles.
There are some questions to ask about computers and other items that are shown in one department, but that are kept and used by other departments, but we'll save that for another day. There are also a lot of items that were left off the 6/30/04 inventory that are now showing up on the 6/30/05 inventory.
Inventories are important as a record of what the county has, what condition each item is in, and to help gauge what will need to be replaced and when. We seem to have improved our inventory record-keeping from last year, and we just need to complete the 6/30/05 inventory, putting all equipment, vehicles, and other items in the right place.
Next...audits. Why I pushed for state auditors in my campaign. What they have done for the county. How much we have saved-- not only on the audit itself but also by implementation of many of the new auditor's suggestions. And lots more.
Friday, September 16, 2005
September 16, 2005 Two more vehicle reports come in
Two more county vehicle mileage/condition reports have arrived.
Most county officials are very co-operative in providing information about county (taxpayer) cars, trucks, and equipment.
Barry Poole and his staff (Bob Gouge, Jeff Wisevarver, Rex Epps, and Melody Roxburgh) at the Highway Department and Garbage Department are among those who are always co-operative and helpful. They sent in mileage/condition reports on the trucks, tractors, and equipment for the Highway and Garbage Departments. I received the reports today.
After I sent out e-mails requesting this information on Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 13), the responses have come quickly.
In fact, I need to mention that Frank Parker, director at Cherokee Park, actually handed me the mileage/condition information for the Cherokee Park vehicles and equipment at the September 12 Finance Committee meeting--right after I asked. I didn't send Frank an e-mail request because he was at the Committee meeting and responded on the spot.
Right now, I think only two small departments--workhouse and county maintenance--and one large department--the Sheriff's Department-- haven't responded yet. It really shouldn't take long for the workhouse and county maintenance to work up mileage reports since they only have a small number of vehicles.
Sheriff Otto Purkey has a lot of vehicles in his inventory, so I'm guessing it may take one or two more days for him to list the mileage and condition of each. Strangely enough, County Mayor David Purkey's vehicle is run through his brother's (Sheriff Otto Purkey's) Department instead of being listed in the County Mayor's Office/Department.
Even more strange to those who tend to think that each department or official should include the cars that he or his employees drive in that department's budget and inventory, it appears that County Mayor David Purkey's vehicle, the one that is listed in Sheriff Otto Purkey's inventory, was actually paid for and purchased with funds out of the Juvenile Court budget.
It may be that Mayor D. Purkey gave an old car to Juvenile Court and then let Juvenile Court pay for the Mayor's new car...and then Mayor Purkey's new car, the one that was paid for out of the Juvenile budget, was put into Sheriff Otto Purkey's inventory, leaving Sheriff Purkey to pay for his brother's gas, maintenance, etc. out of the Sheriff's budget instead of out of the Mayor's budget. Are we confused yet?
Maybe all this shifting explains why last year:
(1) the Juvenile Court 2004 inventory report didn't show any vehicle at all (even though Juvenile Court did have a vehicle at the time); and
(2) Finance Director Nicole Epps in 2004 asked for and provided mileage information for all county vehicles except all those listed in the Sheriff's inventory.
As I mentioned in Tuesday's post (Sept. 13), the 2005 inventory is also interesting for the pieces of equipment and other items that have apparently been left off of certain department lists. I'll have more on what appears to have been left off the 2005 inventory sometime after Commission's September 22 meeting--after I check on a few things and try to talk with the County Mayor and Finance Director about the inventory.
It appears that the same thing (leaving items off) happened with the 2004 inventory as well. Lots of equipment, computers, and even the Juvenile Court vehicle--items that were purchased many years ago and that actually should have been included on the 2004 inventory report-- were left off the 2004 report.
We need to be very careful with our inventory. Several hundreds of thousands of county taxpayer dollars have been spent on computers, phones, vehicles, tractors, and other equipment. We need to know that everything is accounted for and is where it should be.
Have a good weekend!
Most county officials are very co-operative in providing information about county (taxpayer) cars, trucks, and equipment.
Barry Poole and his staff (Bob Gouge, Jeff Wisevarver, Rex Epps, and Melody Roxburgh) at the Highway Department and Garbage Department are among those who are always co-operative and helpful. They sent in mileage/condition reports on the trucks, tractors, and equipment for the Highway and Garbage Departments. I received the reports today.
After I sent out e-mails requesting this information on Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 13), the responses have come quickly.
In fact, I need to mention that Frank Parker, director at Cherokee Park, actually handed me the mileage/condition information for the Cherokee Park vehicles and equipment at the September 12 Finance Committee meeting--right after I asked. I didn't send Frank an e-mail request because he was at the Committee meeting and responded on the spot.
Right now, I think only two small departments--workhouse and county maintenance--and one large department--the Sheriff's Department-- haven't responded yet. It really shouldn't take long for the workhouse and county maintenance to work up mileage reports since they only have a small number of vehicles.
Sheriff Otto Purkey has a lot of vehicles in his inventory, so I'm guessing it may take one or two more days for him to list the mileage and condition of each. Strangely enough, County Mayor David Purkey's vehicle is run through his brother's (Sheriff Otto Purkey's) Department instead of being listed in the County Mayor's Office/Department.
Even more strange to those who tend to think that each department or official should include the cars that he or his employees drive in that department's budget and inventory, it appears that County Mayor David Purkey's vehicle, the one that is listed in Sheriff Otto Purkey's inventory, was actually paid for and purchased with funds out of the Juvenile Court budget.
It may be that Mayor D. Purkey gave an old car to Juvenile Court and then let Juvenile Court pay for the Mayor's new car...and then Mayor Purkey's new car, the one that was paid for out of the Juvenile budget, was put into Sheriff Otto Purkey's inventory, leaving Sheriff Purkey to pay for his brother's gas, maintenance, etc. out of the Sheriff's budget instead of out of the Mayor's budget. Are we confused yet?
Maybe all this shifting explains why last year:
(1) the Juvenile Court 2004 inventory report didn't show any vehicle at all (even though Juvenile Court did have a vehicle at the time); and
(2) Finance Director Nicole Epps in 2004 asked for and provided mileage information for all county vehicles except all those listed in the Sheriff's inventory.
As I mentioned in Tuesday's post (Sept. 13), the 2005 inventory is also interesting for the pieces of equipment and other items that have apparently been left off of certain department lists. I'll have more on what appears to have been left off the 2005 inventory sometime after Commission's September 22 meeting--after I check on a few things and try to talk with the County Mayor and Finance Director about the inventory.
It appears that the same thing (leaving items off) happened with the 2004 inventory as well. Lots of equipment, computers, and even the Juvenile Court vehicle--items that were purchased many years ago and that actually should have been included on the 2004 inventory report-- were left off the 2004 report.
We need to be very careful with our inventory. Several hundreds of thousands of county taxpayer dollars have been spent on computers, phones, vehicles, tractors, and other equipment. We need to know that everything is accounted for and is where it should be.
Have a good weekend!
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