County Council and Administrator

[pickenscoresident]

I pasted the wrong link, just now fixed it.

[pickenscoresident]

Sorry, I misunderstood you're question. The $148,000 was available in hardcopy on fri. They just now made the articles available online.

[closerlook]

I appreciate the previous post from Conservative. I read the article in the Greenville News and I wondered where was a snowstorm so large that this particular reporter covered, that caused him to totally miss the Pickens County news. He had to go back and use reports and quotes that other local reporters had done the research and leg work on. The only new information was about the Pickens Water Authority meeting and Greenville County's request for a water shed study? If he's through with the snowstorm and old news in Pickens County, now would be a good time for him to interview some of the locals who remember a few years ago when we were suffering from severe drought in this part of the country. Maybe he could ask them about their concern when drought stricken Atlanta focused it's thirsty eyes on Lake Keowee. I remember. I also remember the beautiful river that is no more. It's gone forever. We do have the lake. That's all that's left of the Keowee. Former administrator Delk would have no knowledge of this. I encourage everyone when they see councilman Ponder to thank him and shake his hand. He remembers and knows Greenville Water doesn't come calling for no reason. Fool us once, shame on you, fool us again? Don't think so. Thank You Councilman Ponder.

[upset]

 Do you mean DC Moody? He doesn't attend most of the meeting he reports in the newspaper. Thank you Councilman Ponder.

[closerlook]

Sorry. The reporter was Ron Barnett. He covers Pickens County for the Greenville News. The article appeared in last Sunday's G'Ville News. It was all old news previously reported on by Moody. It seemed to me the only reason for it at all was to add what had happened at the Pickens Water Authority meeting attended by Councilman Ponder and Matthew Delk. He also reported comments from Tom O'Hannlon who I think is from Liberty. Mr. Barnett seems to be implying county council is up to something because of the employee issue with Matthew Delk. As quoted by Councilman Willis in the Pickens County Courier, they received approximately 100 applications for the administrator position. It took months to come to a decision I rather doubt they had so much fun they decided they would ditch the new hire and start over again. I don't know who is stirring this pot but I still stand by my earlier that we should be glad to have councilmen and women who are not eager to sign away more of Pickens County resources. As for Conservative who posted the comment on this site, guess they didn't like my reply. Their original post has been deleted. I agree with upset about hiring a local but when I take a closer look at it, I can see where that could possibly not be a good idea.

[geraldgarrett]

Follow the trail of public funds going into private pockets of those posing as "public servants" and the Matthew Delk saga makes sense. (HINT: That trail will NOT lead to Neil Smith or Tom Ponder. And, unless I seriously misread him, it won't lead to Delk, either.)

Delk is just the latest victim in a longstanding war over water distribution in Pickens County. Should those decisions be controlled by elected officials, or by profiteers whose motives are more self-centered? I'm sure our recently departed Administrator had been warned of the minefield that's long been a part of the "Water Wars" but I don't think he had the foggiest idea when he attended that Pickens County Water Authority meeting that he was actually sitting on one of those mines.

A pity. I had high hopes for Delk, but with the taxpayers and voters of Pickens County (particularly those in the City of Liberty, who continue to pay for a long series of lies that have been twisted into policy), having been been seriously compromised by the dirty dealings of Bob Nash, the late Roy Collins and their puppet, Alan Ours, County Council, can no longer afford be undermined from within.

I gave up on this story a long time ago when I realized that fighting more than a half-century of corruption and shadow puppets can cost a man everything. Now that I'm hurtling toward death, I have nothing left, so it's a relief to see that Smith and Ponder still remember and are willing and able to fight.

A word of caution here: Beware of "anonymous" letters. There's a huge difference between a statement by a "concerned taxpayer" and a tactical public relations move by an enemy combatant. Many of you read the anonymous letter that started this investigation as at least partially negative toward Matthew Delk. I read it as a drive-by shooting aimed at Neil Smith. I've been a victim of anonymous letters myself. All I can say is that people who write them usually aren't worth the time it takes to read them.

Everything I say here, I say under my own name. If everyone else would do the same, these discussions would be so much more productive. Cowards can do a lot of damage with anonymous sniping, but they almost never win the larger battles. Here's hoping that holds true here.

By the way, The Easley Progress has its own agenda. Always has. Always will. It may change over time, but be wary. Just because it's in print doesn't make it true. Did you know their parent company (Civitas Media, formerly Heartland Publications) at one time was planning to compile a list of concealed carry permit holders in every state and publish it? (Google it.) Yeah, that's the people I want covering my back and looking out for me. NOT! But I do trust Ron Barnett to get the facts right, even if those facts don't lead to where I think they'll lead.

[pickenscoresident]

Gerald, I respect your opinion about anonymous letters. Just guessing, but I gather that you're not a fan of anonymous posting on web forums such as this.

I wish I had the luxury to post under my own name. Cowardly, perhaps. If I only had myself to worry about the decision would be simple. The truth is that I despise posting under a forum name. However, it's the only choice I have at the moment in order to participate in this forum.

There are some serious political struggles within the county at the moment. After the GOP meeting, I trust the local politicians even less. It seems that they'll do whatever it takes to promote their agenda. All the more reason for some to remain anonymous.

I am not always a fan of the news media, but I believe in checks and balances. These optionally anonymous forums and news outlets are all we have other than the voting booth. But without information, we couldn't make an informed vote.

Speaking of news outlets. I've read your conversation with Alex about your previous newspaper employment. You've probably have read the courier article about the County exploring a potential lawsuit of Civitas media? Does this happen very often where a gov agency sues over the release of foia docs? I couldn't find very many examples through Google.

[geraldgarrett]

No, Pickensresident, I don't think screen names used on a forum like this are a big problem, usually, nor are they always cowardly except for the "flamers." A lot of people like you prefer to post anonymously to avoid retribution against family members and friends. It's only when the tactic is used for what I call "ambush journalism" - a deliberate, targeted attack on a known person by an unknown critic that it lacks credibility without further investigation. That's what's happening now.

I knew someone will misinterpret what I said. There a fine line between covering the news objectively, commenting on the news and manipulating the news. The first two don't necessarily require the identity of the writer. In the third case - manipulating the news - the identity of the manipulator is the only thing that provides any credibility. It is a conscious act that requires a motive, and the motive cannot be determined without the identity of the poster.

Reporters rely on "anonymous" sources all the time. But I've NEVER used an "anonymous" source whose identity I personally, as a reporter, didn't know. If I'm going to throw a bomb on somebody else's behalf, I need to know why. And I've thrown bombs.

Keep posting, anonymously or under your own name here, Pickensresident. But do me a favor. Do everybody a favor. If you read anything posted anonymously and take it as truth simply because it tracks with your own agenda, that does NOT make you an "informed" voter. It's the kind of voter politicians spend billions of dollars courting every election cycle: The voter who can be won over the a 30-second soundbite using clever, field-tested buzzwords that have little or no substance. They're the voters who tipped the scales for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. I fear they might be the ones on the Republican side who give us a Rand Paul or a Ted Cruz as our candidate in 2016.

Yes, there is a struggle within the GOP. I'm often called a "RINO" by some of the same posters who think Larry Martin and Davey Hiott are "liberals." Ronald Reagan's "big tent" Republican Party has been reduced by the extremists of our party to a much smaller size in the past quarter century. If people like Phillip Bowers have their way, it'll ultimately serve as a funeral tent for the party, at least as far as the White House is concerned.

I'm not familiar with any county intent to sue Civitas Media, but that's not a direction I would take. I personally have no respect for Civitas. When I had the grounds to sue them a few years ago, I passed. The Borg has grown too big to stop, and the public's appetite for knowing everything about everybody has grown insatiable. It's a pity so many good people have been, and will be, chewed up and spit out for sport by political correctness on both sides of every issue, but such is life in the 21st Century.

[geraldgarrett]

Back to my post from yesterday.

I think I identified at least part of the reason Matthew Delk is no longer County Administrator: He was yet another victim of the longstanding "water wars" in Pickens County.

Does anybody want to dispute that, or add some insights to it? Or will we, as everybody has done for decades every time it comes up, sweep it under the rug and pretend it's not there?

Somebody earlier said that Greenville Water doesn't come calling without a reason. I could give a long history of their reasons and their double-dealings over the decades, but it'd bore you to tears. Let's just say GWS does NOT have the best interests of Pickens County taxpayers and residents in mind when they do something. Want proof? They take water from the Keowee Basin and pump it into the Saluda River Basin - an act that, by law, requires the approval of the governing body of the county through which it passes.

Those of you who love the FOIA, ask Greenville Water for a list of their wholesale rates to their customers in Greenville County. Then ask Liberty, Six Mile and Pikens how they pay wholesale per thousand gallons, not counting debt service and the monthly bribe to the Pickens County Water Authority. Why the difference? Why does Liberty keep getting the shaft?

Who's been sleeping with whom over the decades?

Does anybody besides Smith and Ponder (who still have some say in the issue) really care? The City of Liberty doesn't. To my knowledge, they haven't discussed how they're being overcharged by Greenville Water, the Pickens County Water Authority AND the Pickens County Public Service Commission (Eighteen Mile Creek Wastewater) in quite some time.

Ah, well, I guess I shouldn't worry about it either, but I can't help it. Nothing ever changes in Pickens County other than cosmetic improvements, and every short-term victory for the taxpayers eventually gets turned into a loss by quasi-government agencies that almost nobody pays any attention to until it's too late.

[upset]

www.yourpickenscounty.com/county-weighing-taking-legal-action-against-reporter-newspaper-group/

www.theeasleyprogress.com/news/news/153084100/County-considers-legal-action-against-reporter

 Yes, they are considering legal action against that rage once called a newspaper. At least before they did it within journalism standards. 

[pickenscoresident]

Thx for the clarification Gerald!

By the way, I believe someone else said this previously, but I truly enjoy reading your posts.

[diamonddave]

Gerald Garrett said;
"Somebody earlier said that Greenville Water doesn't come calling without a reason. I could give a long history of their reasons and their double-dealings over the decades, but it'd bore you to tears. Let's just say GWS does NOT have the best interests of Pickens C6younty taxpayers and residents in mind when they do something. Want proof? They take water from the Keowee Basin and pump it into the Saluda River Basin - an act that, by law, requires the approval of the governing body of the county through which it passes."

If memory serves me right, this water line was built around 1980, so it' s been about 35 years. Since whoever was on county council at the time sat back and did nothing to stop its construction, I would think that would constitute approval. After all, it crosses the ridge that divides Savannah and Santee drainage along its route and they were fully aware of that fact. And by the way, the towns of Pickens and Liberty took their sweet time about tapping in, didn' t they? And another thing, Greenville water, economic development, transportation, or for that matter Greenville anything has never done anything that amounted to a small favor at best to Pickens County folks that didn't come at a big price. And if it was a matter that screwed Pickens County over, it came at a huge price.
Another thing. This might please some, and surprise others, but you are not really annonymous with anything you post on an online forum. I use a pseudonym because I like the idea, and if you find out my real name, I have no problem with that. But for now, I choose not to just give it away.

[russo]

I am seeking information, I have recently heard that the new fire stations built by the County are un-manned. If this is true we were sold out by the Council. A fire station without a human being present to drive the truck to the fire is almost useless. The system in place before these stations were built had city fire departments contracted to answer calls. It worked pretty good in my opinion, I can't understand why this arrangement was changed to an inferior one. If not for being charged with a crime I would report a fire just to check their response. Does anyone have any relevant information?

[conservative]

Read today's Greenville news. Informative story about the politics of fire stations. Who will step up to the plate and match the responsibility Pickens County has asked for, promised and delivered. This is a pocketbook issue that many, maybe most don't feel the need to know about. Changes made several years ago are now coming to the forefront for many (how many?) taxpayers in the form of steep increases for fire insurance in the rural areas. Who can or will measure the burden on County residents depending fire station location and capability ratings against the Counties' recent additional management responsibilities?

The G'ville News reveals just how much politics and overlapping concerns adds complexity to this issue after slow progress since the City of Pickens was separated from County fire protection service. Many questions need to be considered and answered. The silver lining could be that at least our County has accumulated taxpayer funds available if their commitment and responsibility level is known and understood. To my simple mind, it seems more fire stations, better equipped and rated, in the right places is the answer. The sooner the better. If there are impediments for that not yet solved then let's get them known by everybody.

[diamonddave]

With the way things have been done in Pickens lately, this shouldn't come as such a surprise. It could be that they figure that since the office of County Administrator is unmanned and folks can't tell the difference, why not try that with a fire station.

[pickensmatters]

Pickens County residents, YOU SHOULD BE OUTRAGED! OUR County Council has passed a "fire tax" on open land in the new budget. This was done as a line item in the budget and NOT BY COUNTY ORDINANCE, This money is going to the County, not the fire departments, and the forestry service takes care of open land fires. More underhanded governance. You'll see it on your tax notice 10/1/15. The next County Council meeting is 10/19/15 at 6:30 p.m. YOU SHOULD SHOW UP & EXPRESS YOUR OPINION!

[upset]

 How do you know this is true. I have not read it anywhere. 

[conservative]

Pickensmatters, What is "open land"? If it's on our tax bill, is it private property? If it's private property, shouldn't the owner be responsible for fire service cost, either out-of-pocket or insurance? How much is the new tax?

[geraldgarrett]

Maybe it's aimed at the people who buy a few acres, split a half-acre or so out to build their house, then plant a tree and have the rest of that acreage classified "agricultural" to beat the system. How much "agricultural property" can there be in downtown Easley or downtown Clemson?

I'm with Upset here. I haven't heard a thing about this. Maybe it's some sort of distorted propaganda being passed on as fact by the Taxpayers' Association? They've been known to make a small tax adjustment sound like the Hindenburg disaster. Personally, I'll wait for the facts and review the reasoning behind any additional fees or taxes before jumping to conclusions. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it "something" but a justified "something." Maybe we actually will have people jumping from a flaming ship.

Just out of curiosity, though, why is anybody talking about revenue adjustments three months into the budget year? Seems to me that if this new "tax" (fee, whatever) is in place, it would have been discussed months ago as part of the current year's budget. The time for politicking over if that's the case. If it's not in place already, the hand-wringing may be premature and misguided.

There are three readings before any new budget goes into effect, along with numerous work sessions and committee meetings - all, to my knowledge, open to the public. Nothing gets slipped in there without the taxpayers having a say. Either that Hindenburg has already departed, and we're all just along for the ride, or it'll start boarding next spring for a July 1, 2016 departure and there's plenty of time to cancel those reservations.

Take my opinion for what it's worth. I've been out of the loop for a long time. Is it my ignorance, or my apathy? I don't know, and I don't care.

[pickenscoresident]

Just checked my tax bill online. There is an additional $20 fire fee that wasn't there last year.