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 |