I don't really know if I am more mad about that outrageous healthcare bill or mad at Tunica County. There's a good chance it's a bit of both. Let's take the later first.
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of the current Director of Tunica County Parks and Recreation. And that is an understatement.
I recently learned the Director of the Tunica County Parks and Recreation (P&R) is going to be the new Alderman from Ward #5 in the Town of Tunica. To be clear the Director job is full-time, pays $96,000 plus benefits and P&R is the second largest department in our County government.
It is my opinion, backed up with many hours of research, that P&R does not meet the needs of all of the citizens of our County. There is much work to be done at P&R and we don't need our Director's attention to be elsewhere.
A study conducted by and paid for by the County (Sennis 2012) found that the director position at P&R is being over paid by approximately $23,000.
More than a few times, I have written reports and presented to the Tunica County Board of Supervisors ideas and requests for a more robust Senior Citizen's program that would include activities that would be of interest to white Seniors in our County. I have written about male/female discrimination; pay inequities; safe drains and programs. To name just a few. These reports date all the way back to 5 May 2005. That's 12 years ago today. I've been at it a long time.
So, when I heard the news that the P&R Director was taking a part-time job, it really made me mad on so many levels.
1. The Tunica County Employee Handbook contains a Moonlighting clause. The clause requires pre-approval by the Board of Supervisors before employees take an outside job. Did the BOS pre-approve this outside job for the Director of P&R? If they did, they have set a terrible president.
2. Who in P&R is going to be taking up the slack while the Director is away working his part-time job? How can that possibly be fair to employees at P&R?
3. Amid all of the congratulations on FB for the Director of P&R, I raised my concern. Of course there was push back. There is always push back. Push back doesn't bother me. If it did, why would I bother writing this blog? What bothers me is the lack of critical thinking about how this situation would work.
Among those pushing back was the Supervisor from Beat 4. Now, correct me if I am mis-characterizing what you said Sonny, but you said you hoped the new Ward #5 Alderman would help you resolve some of your personal issues with the Town. I said you are wrong. Why are you wrong? Because it would mean that an employee of the Tunica County Board of Supervisors would be using a County Employee for his own personal benefit. I really hate it when I have to stand-up against you Sonny but there it is. What are you going to do if he doesn't accomplish your goals? Fire him?
4. Has the suit between the Town and the County been resolved? If not, this is a huge problem. Or as 45 would say, "A YUGE PROBLEM". 45 is such an embarrassment to our nation. Anyway...
As I see it, the biggest problem in Tunica County is ego. Isn't the reason we have so many facilities with bonds on their backs because of ego? The Supervisors who were responsible thought they were too smart to do any feasibility studies. To me that's ego. What about those three manufacturing plants? It was a good thing for one of their friends to sell some land but was it a good idea to forgive taxes for people and companies who have no loyalty to us? Ego. And what about that airport? BIG EGO!!
So, what's this part-time job about anyway? I say it's all about ego. It isn't about people. It's about ego.
Wouldn't it be better to find an up and coming young person to fill the Ward #5 Alderman position? Shouldn't we be about growing people rather than consolidating power? Will Tunica ever learn from their past mistakes?
Maybe I'll get to the outrageous Republican healthcare bill later. Talk about ego!!! YUGE EGO!!! Right now it's time to drink some coffee and do a little knitting.
Anybody want to buy a house?
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