Retired Recorder/Treasurer Says Information Is False
By David Divelbiss  TOPIX

In a May 14, 2008 Loudon County News-Herald article the following statement appeared in the 10th paragraph:
Both Mayor Matt Brookshire and City Administrator Dale Hurst said previous City Recorder/Treasurer Debbie Cook favored having the clerk be an appointed position before her retirement in April 2007. "She spoke in favor of this," Hurst said.
The person Mr Hurst was speaking of, retired Treasurer/Recorder Debbie Cook, was contacted by me. Mrs Cook made two things very plain:
1. If Mr Hurst did say this, he spoke falsely;
2. The voters of the city will know this information is false when they meet her campaigning against the charter amendment.
 

Dale Hurst did not clearly explain how I felt about the Charter change for the appointment rather than electing a city recorder-treasurer. He only took bits and pieces from our conversation. I clearly told him that if qualifications were inserted into the Charter change that a person should be a person with a degree in accounting or business and have previous experience with municipal accounting and management, then I thought an appointment would work. Without those measures, and the mayor and city judge getting to appoint those positions, it could lead to some very disastrous actions in the most important office in our city. I have never given my blessings to change the Charter to allow appointment of a city recorder-treasurer-city court clerk unless qualifications were included. It is a sad day when they have to quote untruths about my feelings concerning their appointments to these very important jobs. After feeling the effects of their ways to force the changes in the office of City Recorder-Treasurer, I can truly testify that the city judge and mayor merely want to control this office for reasons that could not bring any improvement to this munincipal office. I will now publicly say that I am against the mayor and city judge being able to appoint these important positions and I will let this be known by helping to defeat this action on the first Tuesday in November, 2008.

Debbie Cook

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6/2/08