To the editor:

Answer to Mrs. Renee McDermott’s letter to TDB Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014

Mrs. McDermott wrote: “Because they’d finally shut down citizen comments.” The truth is public comment has not been shut down. It has been moved to the first of the agenda like 90 percent of N.C. counties have done since county governments were formed in N.C.

Mrs. McDermott wrote: “each citizen’s comments are limited to just three minutes.”  The truth is that when the Democrats were in the majority and Commissioner Ray Gasperson was chairman, his Board limited speakers to three minutes. When the Republicans became the majority in 2012 and under the chairmanship of Commissioner Gage the Board allowed unlimited time for citizen‘s comment until it became a pattern of abuse with Mrs. McDermott speaking sometimes for 15+ minutes.

Mrs. McDermott wrote: “It all wound up as usual, with the majority granting their pal a great big pay raise over what the two previous directors were paid, as recently as a month or two ago.” “An immediate 30 percent raise for their pal, over what his predecessors were paid.”  The truth is:

Director Kipp McIntyre –FY 10- Avg. monthly pay- $5,314.37

Director Libbie Johnson-FY13-Avg. monthly pay-$5,202.36

Director Robert Williamson- current- Avg. monthly pay-$5,416.67

To summarize: According to the way they taught math in 1950’s at Tryon school and at Mill Spring school, the percent raise that Director Williamson got over Director McIntire was 2 percent and over Director Johnston was 4percent not 30 percent that Mrs. McDermott wrote.

(By-the-way salary numbers are verifiable at the county finance office.)

That is the real truth!

 

-Ted B. Owens 

Columbus