Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 115, No. 19	May 7, 2008

Magistrates veto county code enforcement officer’s recommendation on 4-3 vote

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

Meade County is still without a code enforcement officer, following a 4-3 vote of the Meade County Fiscal Court during a special April 29 session.

Magistrates, on a 4-3 vote, vetoed the recommendation of Jack Anderson for the position, as put forth by county Judge Executive Harry Craycroft.

Members of the county Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended Joe Greer for the slot, with Anderson being their second choice.

Voting for the recommendation were Craycroft and Magistrates Tom Goddard and Steve Wardrip. These two also made the motion to appoint Anderson.

Casting dissenting votes were Magistrates Herbie Chism, Tony Staples, Randall Hardesty and Mark Hubbard.

Craycroft, in opening the meeting, applauded the Planning Commission members for taking the time to interview the candidates and narrowing the field to two candidates, with the ultimate recommendation of one.

“The one recommended was Joe Greer,” Craycroft said. “I feel that Mr. Greer is a fine person and a good fellow, but he has had 30 years of good service to Meade County and I appreciate those efforts. But it comes time when we need to change the guard. We need to change it so that everyone gets an opportunity to serve. With that in mind I would like to recommend the (Planning Commission’s) second recommendation for code enforcement officer.”

Craycroft said Anderson was very qualified for the position and had worked with firearms, had gathered evidence and handled several other matters in various capacities.

“He also is a gentlemen with no prior ties to anyone in Meade County. He will follow the code and be fair to everyone. He has no family involved whatsoever,” Craycroft said.

Chism asked if Anderson would just be the code enforcement officer for planning and zoning or the entire county. Craycroft said he was nominating Anderson to be over everything from planning and zoning to abandoned buildings.

Chism expressed displeasure with the fact Craycroft didn’t let magistrates know ahead of time whom his nominee would be. “I think it would be common courtesy to at least make us aware,” he said.

“I also remember one year and two months ago your words were the department heads knew their department the best,” Chism said. “In the

case here I think it was an individual in the road department. At that time if the department heads knew their department the best, that we would entertain their decision. I don’t see that with Planning and Zoning. I feel like the Planning and Zoning members know best what they need.”

Chism continued by saying he thought Planning and Zoning members made their recommendation based on the person’s expertise. “I understand they interviewed and they recommended Mr. Greer,” Chism continued. “I think we ought to stick with Mr. Greer.”

Craycroft thanked Chism for his comments, adding he appreciated them. He also said he was considering adding another planning commissioner to the interview panel for the vacant director and assistant positions, but had not determined the two candidates.

Staples said he had nothing against Anderson, whom wasn’t present at the meeting, but disagreed not following the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Hardesty thought Fiscal Court needed to go with the commission’s recommendation.

“I don’t have anything against Mr. Anderson. I think the people in office should have some say as to who they wanted to work with,” he said.

Hubbard echoed the comments of his fellow magistrates, adding he didn’t know Anderson but respected Craycroft’s opinion.

“We have a hard enough time filling the few board positions we have,” Hubbard said. “We have a Planning and Zoning board who put basically their life into it and we asked them for a recommendation to be brought to the Court and they brought forth Mr. Greer’s name.”

“This is possibly the reason the Planning and Zoning Department has been in such disarray. That’s because we have not supported them. It’s hard

for the magistrates if we can’t get the judge to support it also,” he said.

“It works two ways,” Craycroft said.

“As an outsider in this, I looked at the applicant and I also have knowledge of the hiring process,” Goddard said. “I feel that Planning and Zoning picked Mr. Greer and I saw the applications between Mr. Greer and Mr. Anderson and they were as different as night and day.”

Goddard said one application was very complete while he claimed the other was “half filled-out.”

”That’s all I’ve got to say on that,” he said.

“I have no problem with Joe,” Wardrip said, adding he has known him for several years. “I just think that we need some new blood.”

“You mentioned that Mr. Anderson had no ties to Meade County,” Chism said. “The past code enforcement officer also had no ties to Meade County. You didn’t decide to keep him. I just want to make people aware.”

“We did not fire him,” Wardrip said. “We gave him the option of not carrying his weapon and he resigned on his own.”

“The point is he had no ties to Meade County,” Chism said.

“It was employee policy that he could not carry a weapon,” Craycroft said. “That is why he quit.”

Magistrates explain their votes

Four of the six magistrates explained their vote on the 4-3 decision against the recommendation of hiring Jack Anderson as the county’s new code enforcement officer. Here is what they said:

• Herbie Chism: “I have nothing against Mr. Anderson, but this was not the recommendation of the Planning Commission. We have a good, solid Planning Commission and we need to back them 100 percent. That’s why I voted the way I did.”

• Mark Hubbard: “I support the Planning and Zoning Commission. I think we should go with their recommendation. I also have nothing against Mr. Anderson and I don’t even know the gentleman.”

• Tony Staples: “The Planning and Zoning made a recommendation and we didn’t follow that.”

• Randall Hardesty: “I, too, do not know Mr. Anderson, but I do know Mr. Greer and I think we ought to work with Planning and Zoning and see who they want to get.”

Magistrates Tom Goddard and Steve Wardrip joined county Judge Executive Harry Craycroft in voting yes on the motion.

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