July 18, 2012 McGuffin "Officially" Returns to MUC 5-2.

After getting five councilmembers, State Rep. Don Miller, and State Sen. Steve Southerland to serially reject twenty-one other people and to change state law for him, George McGuffin was re-appointed to the Morristown Utility Commission (MUC) in a 5-2 vote yesterday.

Paul LeBel made the motion. Kay Senter seconded it. Voting for McGuffin were LeBel, Senter, Garrett, Bivens, and Jinks. Voting against were Mayor Danny Thomas and Gene Brooks.

The law that was changed for McGuffin  in 2012 was an appointment process that had been approved and put in place by the vote of the people in a 2001 referendum election.

Just prior to yesterday's vote, Councilman Gene Brooks asked City/MUC Attorney Dick Jessee about the legality of political ads and signs that MUC paid for during the 2001 referendum telling Morristown residents to Vote "FOR" the MUC Private Act. Jessee repeated that MUC could provide "information" about a referendum but hesitated to answer Brooks' specific question about whether MUC could go beyond information to telling people to VOTE FOR the MUC referendum question.

July 4, 2012 21st Morristown Leader Rejected as Not Good Enough by LeBel Five

Tom Strate, longtime Morristown resident, businessman, and insurance agent, was nominated to the Morristown Utility Commission by Mayor Thomas on Tuesday. His nomination was quickly rejected in a 5-2 vote.  Strate thus joins the 20 other people who are not good enough to sit on the MUC Board. See the full list of 21 rejectees at the end of this post.

Two councilmembers supported Strate (Mayor Thomas and Gene Brooks). Five councilmembers (Paul LeBel, Bob Garrett, Kay Senter, Claude Jinks, and Chris Bivens) voted to reject Strate.

The Morristown Utility Commission, made up of Harold Nichols, Gene Jolley, Max Biery, Lynn Elkins, and Chairman George McGuffin, sent Strate's name along with two others (George McGuffin and Jay Smith) to the Mayor last week. The Mayor made his nomination of Strate from the MUC-provided list.

The last three of the 21 rejections have taken place after the new McGuffin law that was ushered through the state legislature by Sen. Steve Southerland Rep. Don Miller and ratified by five councilmembers on May 1st with LeBel, Senter, Bivens, Garrett, Jinks, Southerland, and Miller refusing to allow the people to have their voice heard on the issue in a $250 referendum.

Under the McGuffin Law a/k/a McGuffin Appointment Process, MUC will submit its next list of three nominees directly to the council.  The councilmembers who pushed to change state law for one person are positively giddy at the prospect of being able to take the next three-person MUC list, immediately throw away two of those names and then nominate that one special person, George McGuffin, at long last. 

It has been noted that the current appointment process was put in place BY THE PEOPLE (72%) as part of the 2001 MUC Referendum Question. The five councilmembers pushing the McGuffin Law were asked to have a referendum on any proposed change to the 2001 voter-approved appointment process.   They refused. 

Sen. Steve Southerland was asked to provide for a referendum and let the people vote. He refused.

Rep. Don Miller was asked to let the people decide. To quote Don Miller's one-word response to requests from citizens and state legislators to let the people of his district vote on this issue: "NO."

TWENTY-ONE REJECTEES
In 2011 and 2012, not one of the following nominees to sit on the MUC Board could get the approval of a majority of the full council.

Mike Minnich
Glenn Thompson
Carroll Fowler
Wally Long
John Allen
Mike Davidson
Bruce Sluder
Jerry Isaacs
Gene Lynch
Steve Henrikson
David Wild
Steve Isaacs
Chris Horne
Joel Hice
Jo Ervin
John Hodge
C.L. "Buddy" Jones, III
Randy Harville
Terry Brimer
Peter Cantwell
Tom Strate

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 2, 2012 Randy Harville Rejected by The Five (Councilmembers)

MUC (Morristown Utilities Commision) sent three names (Randy Harville, Peter Cantwell, and George McGuffin) to the Mayor.

Mayor Thomas submitted one name (Randy Harville of Holston Gases) to the full Council..

Five councilmembers (Paul LeBel, Bob Garrett, Kay Senter, Claude Jinks, and Chris Bivens) quickly rejected Harville at yesterday's council meeting. Mayor Thomas and Councilman Gene Brooks supported Harville's nomination.

Randy Harville thus becomes a part of Morristown political lore--joining the seventeen other people who have been nominated to the MUC Board only to be rejected by a majority of city councilmembers.

Harville is in good company--but just not good enough to sit in the MUC seat reserved by LeBel, Garrett, Senter, Jinks, and Bivens for George McGuffin.

One MUC Board member (Lynn Elkins) showed up at yesterday's council meeting. She got to see Harville's rejection.

She also got to see five councilmembers (above) who like Elkins have been carrying water for George McGuffin take the last step in the process of changing state law for McGuffin.

Before rejecting Harville, the same five councilmembers voted to ratify/approve a new state law (the McGuffin Law) that changes the MUC appointment process that was put in place by 3,202 voters in a 2001 referendum.

The McGuffin Law, that was sponsored and ushered through the state legislature by Rep. Don Miller and Sen. Steve Southerland, overturns the current 2001 voter-approved appointment process and will soon let the five officially put 34-year Board member George McGuffin back on the MUC throne for another five years.

After all, no one else in all of Morristown can sit in the "McGuffin" seat.

April 26, 2012 Morristown Utilities Selects Three Candidates for Its EIGHTEENTH List

Yesterday, the MUC Board (George McGuffin, Harold Nichols, Gene Jolley, Max Biery, and Lynn Elkins) met at 8 AM.

They selected a list of three candidates for the MUC seat currently held by longtime (34 year) MUC member George McGuffin.

The three candidates on this EIGHTEENTH list of candidates are: George McGuffin (18th time), Peter Cantwell, and Randy Harville.

Harville is the local manager of Holston Gases.

After Max Biery makes the nominations, he asks MUC Gen. Mgr. Jody Wigington if he (Wigington) knows Harville. Wigington laughs and says, "Yes, he's a competitor."

The reason that the MUC Board is submitting its18th list is because there are five councilmembers (LeBel, Garrett, Senter, Jinks, and Bivens) who think that George McGuffin is the ONLY person in Morristown who can serve in this position.

These five think that NO ONE in Morristown--not any of the previous 17 MUC candidates that have been rejected thus far and NO ONE ELSE that might be nominated by MUC in the future--is capable and qualified to serve on the MUC Board.

At the May 1 council meeting, these five will get to approve and officially enact the "McGuffin Law."  The McGuffin Law was proposed LeBel and Associates back in November 2011 and sponsored in the state legislature in 2012 by two local legislators: State Sen. Steve Southerland and State Rep. Don Miller.

The McGuffin Law changes the current appointment process--that was put in place by the voters as part of the 2001 MUC Referendum. After the five enact the McGuffin Law, it will let them officially put McGuffin back on the MUC Board a few weeks or months down the road. 

Of course, McGuffin never really left the MUC Board. He has remained on the Board as a "holdover" from the date his term expired on July 31, 2011.

Why is a Board appointment so important that state law has to be changed to ensure that McGuffin stays in place?

Certain positions (MUC Board) and certain people (McGuffin) are key to control and power in Morristown.

The MUC Board and McGuffin are two important pieces of the appointed/unelected local power (pun-intended) structure.

To keep those pieces in place, the "McGuffin Law" was sponsored and pushed forward in the state legislature by our local State Sen. Steve Southerland and local State Rep. Don Miller. It was signed by Governor Haslam and now comes back to the "LeBel Five" for final approval.

FYI: Sen. Southerland sponsored the McGuffin Law in the State Senate but refused to vote on it! Rep. Miller was asked by local citizens and later by state legislators to allow a referendum for approval of the McGuffin Law. He refused.

These five councilmembers (LeBel, Garrett, Senter, Jinks, and Bivens) and these legislators (Sen. Southerland and Rep. Miller) asked for your vote when they ran for office, but they refused to write the McGuffin Law or to make changes to the McGuffin Law to allow the people to vote on approval or disapproval in a referendum.

Why are these seven afraid of letting the people whom they serve "vote"?

Why were the people "good enough" to elect these people and "good enough" to put the current  MUC appointment process in place as part of the 2001 MUC referendum question, but the people are not "good enough" in 2012 to vote in a referendum on whether to change that appointment process by voting to approve or disapprove the McGuffin Law? 

When politicians act in an unusual way---and refusing to allow their constituents to vote IS unusual---it typically goes back to power and fear of losing control. If you are unsure about the result of a referendum or fear that you can't totally control a referendum, then you just do what you want to do without a referendum. And you try to cover yourself by blaming others for the problem!

When crazy things are happening and politicians refuse to let the people they serve vote, follow the money/power trail.

April 16, 2012 MUC Selects Three Candidates for MUC Board as McGuffin Law Moves Forward Without Voter Input in a Referendum

Three of the five Morristown Utilities Commissioners (Harold Nichols, Lynn Elkins, and Max Biery) met last week to select three candidates for the MUC seat currently held by George McGuffin. This is the SEVENTEENTH list MUC has prepared during the last nine months.

Two MUC commissioners (Gene Jolley and George McGuffin) did not attend.

The three nominees are Peter Cantwell, Buddy Jones III, and, of course, George McGuffin. McGuffin has held the current seat for 34 years.  McGuffin could pull his name from contention now, but he won't. Keeping this MUC position has become much like a life-and-death power struggle for McGuffin.

Keeping McGuffin in place is also vitally important to the five councilmembers (LeBel, Senter, Garrett, Bivens, and Jinks) who voted in November 2011 to change state law for McGuffin.

The Five asked our two local state legislators (Rep. Don Miller and Sen. Steve Southerland) to push a bill through the state legislature to change the current appointment process that was put in place by 3,202 people (72%) in a 2001 MUC referendum. 

BUT the five councilmembers would not agree to put their proposed MUC appointment changes on a referendum in August 2012 and LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE if a change should be made.

The two state legislators agreed to re-write the appointment process but they, too, would NOT agree to put their appointment changes to a vote OF THE PEOPLE in an August 2012 referendum.

In an incredible move, Sen. Southerland made changes to the local bill and sponsored the local bill but did NOT vote for it.

Rep. Miller took the bill to the House State and Local Government Committee and there publicly refused a request to consider an amendment to provide for a referendum to let the PEOPLE SPEAK and give direct approval or disapproval at the ballot box.

Meanwhile, McGuffin is keeping a low profile as he waits for the "McGuffin Law" to be signed by Governor Haslam and returned to city council so that the LeBel Five (Paul LeBel, Bob Garrett, Kay Senter, Chris Bivens, and Claude Jinks) can give final approval to put the McGuffin Law into effect.

Then, a short time after the McGuffin Law is in place, the FIVE who have chosen to override the 2001 referendum and WHO HAVE REFUSED TO LET THE PEOPLE SPEAK in a referendum in 2012 can officially appoint McGuffin to MUC and keep the good old boy system in place.

After all, politicians just need the people briefly at election time.  After that, the special interests and money people take over.

The McGuffin Law overturns the appointment process that MUC, headed by Chairman George McGuffin, asked the council and the voters to approve in 2001.  But when the law doesn't work for you later---even if it's a law YOU previously supported and that the PEOPLE overwhelmingly voted for--you just change it to what works FOR YOU.

What about the referendum? What about the people?

There are very few instances when a referendum is permitted in Tennessee--approval of a local Private Act is one of those instances.

What does it tell you when seven elected officials (LeBel, Senter, Garrett, Bivens, Jinks, Miller, and Southerland) unite to refuse to let the people speak through a $250 referendum?

We have reached rock bottom in the City of Morristown when seven elected officials oppose LETTING THE PEOPLE SPEAK IN A REFERENDUM.

Of course, you have to remember that four of these (LeBel, Senter, Garrett, and Bivens) also wanted to put public comments from the people at the end of city council meetings and to reduce the time allowed for public comments from three minutes to two minutes.

Thankfully, there are two elected officials--Mayor Danny Thomas and Councilman Gene Brooks--who show respect for the 2001 REFERENDUM results and who are willing to abide by the results of that referendum until proposed changes to the appointment process are submitted TO THE PEOPLE in a new REFERENDUM on whether to change the 2001 voter-approved MUC appointment process. 

April 4, 2012 Rep. Don Miller Refuses Rep. Parkinson's and Rep. L. Miller's Request To Allow a Referendum on MUC Appointment Process

Rep. Don Miller successfully ushered his changes to the local Morristown Utilities Commission  appointment process through the Tennessee Legislature's State and Local Government Committee on March 27.

The voice vote was not unanimous, but Miller's fellow legislators were obviously prepared to stand with Miller regardless of their personal concerns about Miller's refusal to let the people vote on the change to the appointment process in a referendum in August 2012.

Having come out of committee, the MUC appointment process is ready for a final vote today during the House's 9 AM session. Unless Miller decides that HE wants to hear the voice of the people in a referendum, Miller's bill will let five people (Paul LeBel, Kay Senter, Bob Garrett, Chris Bivens, and Claude Jinks) override the votes of the 3,202 people who supported all MUC changes, including the current appointment process, in 2001.

The Committee was so lined up behind Miller that it wanted to refuse to allow comments by Morristown Mayor Danny Thomas. To his credit, Rep. Miller intervened to allow Mayor Thomas to speak briefly. 

Mayor Thomas, unlike Miller, supports conducting a $250 referendum to see if the PEOPLE want to change the MUC appointment process that was part of a group of changes requested by MUC in 2001, approved by council in 2001, passed by the state legislature in 2001, and then approved by 72% of the people in a May 2001 referendum.

During the debate on HB 3860, Rep. Antonio Parkinson and Rep. Tommie Brown spoke passionately about respecting the votes of the people and the results of the 2001 referendum.

Rep. Tommie Brown then asked Rep. Miller if he would accept a friendly amendment to provide for a local referendum for approval of the MUC appointment changes. [See below for two updates]

[Update: On March 27, both Rep. Tommie Brown and Rep. Antonio Parkinson wanted to allow the Morristown voters to decide whether to change the appointment process. It was Rep. Antonio Parkinson who asked Rep. Miller if he would accept a friendly amendment to pass the bill with the provision that it return to Morristown voters as a referendum.]

Rep. Miller refused and stated that he considered an amendment for a referendum, letting the people
vote, as a "hostile" amendment.

[Update: In a previous committee hearing, Rep. Larry Miller had also asked Rep. Don Miller if he would permit a referendum. Rep. Don Miller at that time said "no."]

Miller opposes an August 2 referendum. Instead, Miller wants approval of the MUC appointment changes to come back to city council where FIVE votes are all that is needed to override and change the appointment process that 3,202 people put in place in the 2001 MUC Referendum. Miller knows that the five votes are currently in place (LeBel, Senter, Garrett, Bivens, Jinks). Miller is not sure what would happen if the people were allowed to speak in a referendum.

And that is the amazing situation we are in today.

Our local state representative is asked to allow a $250 referendum to let the people speak on proposed changes to the MUC appointment process and he says "no." Why?

Why does Miller oppose a referendum to let the people express their opinion but turns around and says he wants people to express their opinions directly to him by responding to a questionnaire?

If Rep. Miller REALLY wants the people's opinion on the appointment process and wants that opinion to be binding and expressed in the privacy of a voting booth, a referendum is the answer--just as it was in 2001.

Sen. Steve Southerland, who sponsored the same changes to the appointment process in the state senate, also opposed amending the bill to provide for a referendum.  In perhaps the most bizarre action of all, Southerland refused to vote for his bill on March 8.

Why is our local senator sponsoring a bill but not voting for it? The statement that he doesn't want to appear "biased" is ridiculous. When you write a bill that affects your local government and you sponsor it, you own it. If you aren't willing to vote for a "local" act that you sponsored, you shouldn't carry the bill and ask other senators across the state---who aren't affected by it and whose constituents are not affected by it---to vote for it.

When a local senator opposes letting the people speak in a referendum, rewrites a bill, "sponsors" it, and then refuses to vote for it, who is behind this?

When a local representative rewrites a bill, "sponsors" it, says he wants the people to express their opinion to him but he does NOT want the voters' opinion in a referendum, who is behind this?

When five city councilmembers want to change a local law that was put in place by the people in a referendum but oppose letting the people speak again in a referendum, who is behind this?

It's not rocket science. It's George McGuffin.

It's McGuffin keeping control of MUC for another five years. It's McGuffin refusing to let anyone else be appointed to the MUC Board.  It's changing the law for one person.

It's raw power and politics. It's money and McGuffin.

March 11, 2012 Sen. Steve Southerland and Rep. Don Miller Re-write the McGuffin Law But Still Shut the People Out--No REFERENDUM

The "news"paper reported that the McGuffin Law was introduced in the state legislature, but I haven't seen an article on the changes made by Sen. Steve Southerland and Rep. Don Miller.

The local "McGuffin Law" (SB 3787/Sen. Steve Southerland and HB 3860/Rep. Don Miller) was sent to the state legislature by the LeBel Five: Paul LeBel, Kay Senter, Bob Garrett, Claude Jinks, and Chris Bivens. The LeBel Five's appointment process (Nov 2011) had all MUC appointments bypassing the Mayor and coming directly to city council. 

Southerland and Miller had state attorneys re-write the "McGuffin Law" so it would provide that the Mayor gets three chances to please the LeBel Five by appointing the person the Five want and then, if the Mayor doesn't please the Five with any of his three appointments, the next MUC appointment comes directly to council and the LeBel Five can finally appoint McGuffin this year and any person they want in future years.

HB 3860 is here.

[Since the Mayor hasn't been able to please the LeBel Five with his past FOURTEEN nominations, the changes by Southerland and Miller will have little practical effect]

Southerland and Miller re-wrote the "McGuffin Law," but they are not willing to put their new and improved "McGuffin Law" to a vote of the people in a REFERENDUM--which is how the current appointment process was enacted in 2001. 

The LeBel Five don't want a $250 CITY REFERENDUM on the "McGuffin Law" on August 2, 2012, in conjunction with the county election----or at any time---and Southerland and Miller are leaving it where the LeBel Five don't have to worry about a referendum. The LeBel Five get the final say on approval of the "McGuffin Law." 

It's way too risky to let the people vote again, so the LeBel Five will use their FIVE votes to change what 3,202 people voted for in the 2001 REFERENDUM. No REFERENDUM in 2012 as in 2001. Just shut the people out this time.

The irony here is that there have been many votes at the state level to prevent voter fraud, such as the requirement that voters present a Picture ID before voting---and I absolutely agree with the Photo ID law.

But who protects the votes and the integrity of a referendum election after it has taken place? 

It appears that the integrity of the 2001 REFERENDUM and the votes of 3,202 PEOPLE don't count when politicians and George McGuffin are scrambling to ensure that McGuffin continues on the Morristown Utilities Commission.

Why have local officials decided that having one particular person--and no one else--on the MUC Board is so important that:

(1) They have to go to the State to get the MUC Private Act changed;
(2) They are willing to overturn an appointment process that was approved by 72% of the voters (3,202 people) in a referendum; and
(3) They are acting like it would be the end of the world if the McGuffin Law didn't pass?

And why has George McGuffin decided that his power and position on the MUC Board are worth creating appointment gridlock for eight months, having his name submitted fourteen times, and going to the state to get local officials to overturn the current MUC appointment process that was overwhelmingly approved in the 2001 REFERENDUM?

February 3, 2012 CFA Site Has Channel 8 (WVLT) Report on Five Councilmembers Trying to Change the Voter-Approved MUC Appointment Process

Citizens for Accountability has posted the video of a Ch 8 segment that aired on WVLT-TV on Wednesday evening.

The newscast discusses the local controversy generated by five councilmembers (Paul LeBel, Kay Senter, Bob Garrett, Chris Bivens, and Claude Jinks) who have aligned to reject not one, not two, but ELEVEN different mayoral appointees to the Morristown Utilities Commission (MUC) Board.

[Jinks, whose daughter-in-law works for MUC, cast a vote for the mayor's first appointment and then joined firmly with The Five in supporting current MUC Chair George McGuffin and rejecting everyone else]

Click here for the CFA post.

Click here for the original WVLT video and text of its report.

HISTORY:

The current appointment process for MUC Board members was submitted to the PEOPLE, along with other MUC changes, for approval or disapproval in a 2001 referendum.   The MUC referendum, including the current appointment process, was approved overwhelmingly by 3,202 voters in 2001 (72% FOR 28% AGAINST).

As a result of the referendum, recommendation of candidates for MUC Board membership comes straight from the MUC Board which is chaired by 34-year member George McGuffin who wants to stay on the Board for another five years.

A list of MUC-candidates is sent to the Mayor, who then submits the name of one of the MUC-provided candidates to the full council for approval of disapproval. So far, ELEVEN MUC-provided candidates have been submitted to council by the Mayor, and all ELEVEN have failed to be approved.

So, MUC keeps sending lists of more MUC-approved candidates to the Mayor, and The Five keep rejecting every mayoral nominee.

MUC Chair McGuffin will not step aside and let someone else be appointed. McGuffin pretends to sit on the sidelines as a spectator while he actually backs and encourages The Five councilmembers to keep on shooting down the very people who have been recommended for an MUC Board seat by the MUC Board that McGuffin chairs.

How do The Five propose to get McGuffin back on? Change the law.  The integrity of the 2001 Referendum means nothing to the Five, so they have asked our local state representatives (Rep. Don Miller and Sen. Steve Southerland) to get the state legislature to help change the local law/MUC Private Act to alter the voter-approved appointment process without holding a referendum to see if the PEOPLE want to change what the PEOPLE voted for.

Why are McGuffin and The Five and their associates willing to go so far as to attack and overturn a referendum in order to keep McGuffin in place?  Well, it appears to be either a raw power grab by McGuffin and Company and/or part of a political vendetta against Mayor Thomas. 

From here on, you can only laugh when these officials publicly encourage people to vote and talk about the integrity of elections and preventing voter-fraud. Those nice little public statements are nothing but garbage when these officials are making a mockery of a local referendum as they try to overturn the MUC-appointment process that was approved by 3,202 voters---72% of all votes cast---as part of a series of 2001 changes to MUC.

If The Five want to make changes to the MUC appointment process and protect the integrity of the 2001 MUC Referendum,  it's really quite simple to do. Put the proposed changes on the ballot for a vote of the people. 

Maybe the people want to change the MUC appointment process that they voted for in 2001. Maybe the people do not want to change the MUC appointment process that they voted for in 2001. 

The council included the current appointment process as part of the MUC ballot question in a 2001 referendum, and 72% of the voters said YES.  Why are Five Councilmembers so afraid of putting their proposed changes on the ballot again to see if the VOTERS want to change what the voters approved in 2001?

December 19, 2011 Morristown Utilities Commission Delays Nomination Process

In the continuing Morristown Utilities Commission (MUC) saga, MUC has chosen to wait until 4:00 PM on Tuesday, December 20, [one hour before the City Council meets on that same day] to meet and come up with a TENTH list of three names for a seat on the MUC Commission. 

MUC's TENTH list will then go to Mayor Thomas who selects one name and presents that name to the full council for approval or disapproval. On NINE previous occasions, Mayor Thomas' selection has been quickly rejected/ disapproved by council.

Since MUC knows full well that the City Council meets at 5 PM on December 20th, the date and time of the MUC meeting is no accident. Morristown Utility Commissioners know that if they vote on a list of three candidates at 4 PM, it may be hard to get the list typed up and to Mayor Thomas before council's 5 PM meeting on that same day. 

It looks like MUC is hoping that their last-minute vote on a list of three candidates for the MUC Board will make it difficult or impossible for the Mayor to make a nomination on December 20th--thus sparing a TENTH person from quick and automatic rejection/disapproval by the McGuffin-or-Bust group (Paul LeBel, Bob Garrett, Kay Senter, Claude Jinks, and Chris Bivens) at least until January's council meeting.

Just to make sure that no one else gets the "McGuffin" seat, the McGuffin-or-Bust group are planning to change the MUC appointment procedures and have asked local Rep. Don Miller and local Sen. Steve Southerland for help in getting the state legislature to make it where a vote of these FIVE councilmembers can change the current appointment process that was set up by the people in a 2001 REFERENDUM.  

It appears that Miller and Southerland have agreed to help the McGuffin-or-Bust group circumvent and cancel out the votes of the 3,202 people (72% of those casting ballots) who put the current appointment process in place with their votes FOR changes to the MUC Private Act in the 2001 referendum.

What's going on? 
Who is standing up TODAY for the 3,202 voters (72% of ballots) who cast their ballots for changes at MUC, including the current appointment process, in the 2001 MUC REFERENDUM?
 
Who is standing up TODAY to preserve the integrity of the 2001 MUC REFERENDUM and to make sure that any change to what the overwhelming majority of voters approved in 2001 is only made by a REFERENDUM in 2012?
 
You often hear people say my one vote doesn't count. Others say it doesn't matter what/who I vote for, they (politicians) are going to do whatever they want to do.

The McGuffin-or-Bust group and George McGuffin have no regard or respect for the 3,202 individuals who voted FOR changes to the MUC Private Act in 2001, including the current MUC appointment process.



The McGuffin-or-Bust group and George McGuffin are willing to cancel not just one vote but 3,202 votes to keep McGuffin in control of MUC.

The McGuffin-or-Bust group and George McGuffin are clearly going to do whatever it takes to keep George McGuffin in control at MUC.

Why doesn't Council just let changes go to a referendum like they did in 2001 and let this be handled the right way--by the people?

November 30, 2011 MUC: Ninth List of Commissioner Candidates--George McGuffin, Steve Henrikson, Gene Lynch

The Morristown Utility Commission (MUC) met yesterday and came up with its NINTH list of candidates for the MUC commission seat currently held by George McGuffin.

McGuffin is absolutely, positively determined to get re-appointed--even if it means asking the state legislature to overturn the 2001 CITY REFERENDUM in which the VOTERS approved the current appointment process as part of changes made to the MUC Private Act.

It is McGuffin's quest to retain his seat for another five years that recently prompted the LeBel Five (Councilmembers Paul LeBel, Kay Senter, Bob Garrett, Chris Bivens, and Claude Jinks) to try an end-run around the 2001 REFERENDUM. 

The LeBel Five voted on November 15 to ask State Representative Don Miller and State Senator Steve Southerland to carry legislation changing the MUC appointment process that was put in place by the VOTERS in the 2001 REFERENDUM.

In the video, McGuffin is chairing the MUC meeting and is at the head of the table.

The NINTH slate of candidates for the Mayor's consideration are: George McGuffin, Steve Henrikson, and Gene Lynch.

From the list submitted by MUC, Mayor Thomas will select one name to present to the City Council for approval or disapproval on December 6. Councilmembers Paul LeBel, Kay Senter, Bob Garrett, and Chris Bivens have thus far rejected all EIGHT of the Mayor's previous nominees.

Councilmember Claude Jinks voted for the Mayor's first recommendation (Mike Minnich) and then quickly joined with the LeBel group to reject the next seven people. Claude's daughter-in-law Jackie Jinks works at MUC. Councilmember Bob Garrett worked at MUC for decades.

The individuals who have been disapproved by LeBel and Company: Mike Minnich, Glenn Thompson, Carroll Fowler, Wally Long, John Allen, Mike Davidson, Bruce Sluder, and Jerry Isaacs.

LeBel and Company have declared that it doesn't matter whose name is submitted by the Mayor---only George McGuffin will get their vote of approval.

Over the past several months, George could have graciously stepped aside at any time so a new commissioner could be appointed. Instead, George has kept pushing and allowing his name to be included on each MUC list.

Now, the LeBel Five have decided that THEY know what appointment process is best. The LeBel Five have decided that the current process that was put in place BY THE VOTERS should be overturned BY THE LEBEL FIVE with the assistance of Miller and Southerland. Why? So George McGuffin can continue his reign on the MUC Board.

NOTE: Jack Kennerly, who was on the previous list presented to the Mayor by MUC, was not included this time. Councilman Gene Brooks questioned Jerry Isaacs' and Kennerly's eligibility at the Nov. 15 council meeting, noting that Isaacs already serves on the Board of the Morristown Housing Authority and that Kennerly serves on the Morristown Planning Commission. City Attorney Dick Jessee responded that in his opinion joint service on the Morristown Housing Authority and MUC does not violate the MUC Private Act but joint service on the Morristown Planning Commission and MUC would be a "closer call."  Click here for the post and video segment on the Nov. 15 meeting. Jessee is also the MUC attorney. Apparently, Jessee put on his MUC attorney hat before yesterday's MUC meeting and advised the MUC Commissioners, including brother-in-law George McGuffin, that Kennerly is ineligible to serve on the MUC Board and, thus, shouldn't have been nominated by MUC the first time and shouldn't be put back on the new list. 

Click here for the exchange between Brooks and Jessee as Brooks asks whether Jessee is wearing his "City Attorney" hat or his "MUC Attorney" hat when Jessee offers opinions on Isaacs and Kennerly and actions taken by his client MUC.

October 2, 2011 MUS Commissioners Nominate Three, Including Their Own George McGuffin, for a 5-year Term on the MUS Board

The MUS Board of Commissioners (George McGuffin, Harold Nichols, Gene Jolley, Lynn Elkins, Max Biery) met on September 29, 2011. The Board wasted no time in nominating three individuals for the seat currently held by longtime MUS Board member George McGuffin.

The three persons nominated by the MUS Board are: George McGuffin, Mike Davidson, and John Allen.

Max Biery made the motion, and in less than two minutes the three were selected by acclamation. Click on the video. [MUS  has rescinded its previous "no-taping" edict, unofficially allowing its 9/20/11 meeting to be taped and voting "officially" at its 9/29/11 meeting to allow taping of its meetings with a few restrictions.] 

At City Council's October 4 meeting, Mayor Danny Thomas will submit one of the three names to City Council for Council's approval or disapproval--just as Thomas has done on FOUR previous occasions. 

Thus far, the LeBel/McGuffin group has rejected all FOUR of the Mayor's previous selections.

With several councilmembers in his pocket or in the pocket of his friends, McGuffin has successfully blocked the appointment thus far of mayoral nominees Mike Minnich, Glenn Thompson, Carroll Fowler, and Wally Long.

Based on the track record of the LeBel Five (Paul LeBel, Claude Jinks, Bob Garrett, Kay Senter, and Chris Bivens), the Mayor's nomination of anyone except George McGuffin at the October 4 meeting of the City Council will be shot down quickly with the LeBel Five insisting that no one within the city limits can take George's place on the MUS Board.

Paul LeBel, who is also a county commissioner, supported  George McGuffin's son Frank in Frank's race against Mayor Danny Thomas in May 2011.  LeBel has never gotten over Danny Thomas's  convincing victory over Frank McGuffin, dislikes Mayor Thomas, and has voted FOUR times to reject all FOUR of Mayor Thomas's previous nominees. 

LeBel is determined to oppose almost any idea, suggestion, or innovation by the man (Danny Thomas) who defeated LeBel's personal choice for mayor (Frank McGuffin).  

LeBel has even resorted to sending out letters to councilmembers --outside of a public meeting--to get councilmembers to sign on to Paul's two-prong plan (1) to take away the City Mayor's cell phone and (2) to "timeshare" the City Mayor's office, purportedly so Paul and buddies can talk with their "constituents" in the Mayor's office at the City Center instead of in the nearby conference room or in council chambers.  

NOTE: LeBel managed a 24-vote victory over Charles Cook in the May 2011 four-man race for the at-large city council seat. LeBel is also a county commissioner, having been first elected to the county commission in a close race in 2006. During the past 5 years on county commission, LeBel has NEVER tried to "timeshare" any county office, has NEVER asked to use any space at the courthouse to meet with constituents, and has NEVER attempted to take away the County Mayor's cell phone.

Claude Jinks, whose daughter-in-law Jackie Jinks works at MUS, has voted three times to reject the mayor's nomination of anyone "other than George."

Bob Garrett, who worked at MUS for over 40 years and supported George's son Frank in Frank's unsuccessful May 2011 mayoral race against Danny Thomas, has voted four times to reject each of  Mayor Thomas's four previous nominees.  Garrett is in his first term on council with a term that expires in May 2013.

Kay Senter is another who has voted four times to reject Mayor Thomas's nominee.  Senter, who has been on council for years and years, will be up for re-election in May 2013 if she chooses to run again.

Chris Bivens, who rode the anti-incumbent tide to a victory over longtime councilmember William "Doc" Rooney, abstained once and then joined the LeBel Five, voting three times to reject the Mayor's nominee.

These are the five councilmembers who have banded together to let everyone in Morristown and across the state know that there is no one in the city limits of Morristown who can serve the next five-year term on the MUS Board of Commissioners except George McGuffin.

The LeBel Five are being encouraged to hold firm and keep rejecting anyone other than George until January 2012 at which time the LeBel Five/George McGuffin intend to ask State Senator Steve Southerland and State Representative Don Miller to change the law so that the LeBel Five can officially put George McGuffin back on the MUS Board instead of simply blocking the Mayor's nomination of CPAs, business owners, and plant managers.

MUS is just another board where one appointment turns into another and another--until for all practical purposes it is a lifetime appointment with no one else getting a chance to serve until the appointed/anointed one steps aside or passes on.

September 16, 2011 Attorney General Opines that McGuffin Is a Holdover

State Senator Steve Southerland recently requested an opinion from State Attorney General Robert Cooper as to the status of George McGuffin on the Morristown Utility Board of Commissioners.

Cooper's opinion is that McGuffin, who has served on the Board for over 34 years and whose most recent five-year term has already expired, remains on the Board, acting as a "holdover," until a successor is approved by the Morristown City Council.

The full opinion is here.

Thus far three individuals have been nominated by the Mayor to succeed McGuffin. A core group of councilmembers who think George McGuffin (pictured below) is the ONLY person who can serve in this position has blocked all three of the Mayor's nominees from serving on the Utility Board. 

To keep anyone from taking "the McGuffin seat," councilmembers did not approve Mike Minnich and voted to disapprove Glenn Thompson and Carroll Fowler as noted here, here, and here.

At this point, most of the "only George" councilmembers have indicated that they will continue to block the appointment of anyone except McGuffin to the Morristown Utility Commission until January 2012 when the state legislature goes back into session.

In January 2012, they would ask State Sen. Steve Southerland and Rep. Don Miller to change the Private Act governing the MUC so that they can "officially" put George back in instead of blocking the nomination of anyone and everyone else.

George is not the manager of the utility. Jody Wigington is.

Why are certain councilmembers, led by King Paul LeBel along with Prince Bob Garrett and Princess Kay Senter, going berserk and crying that the "sky is falling" at the thought of someone other than McGuffin  serving as a utility commissioner? 

Is George McGuffin, one of five Utility Commissioners, indispensable or just powerful and power-hungry?

Is the management and staff of the Morristown Utility System--the people who run the place--so weak that George McGuffin must be on the Board in order to keep the utility going? No. 

What happens when McGuffin, at some point, is unable to serve or resigns? Does the utility collapse? No.

Why won't George step aside, let someone else serve, and contribute to the community outside of this particular Board?  Does McGuffin think he is indispensable?

What is the real reason that McGuffin is so desperate to hang on to this position?

Follow the money/power trail...Wheels within wheels.