Macon County Commissioners 12-02-2010 Special Meeting With Planning Board Live Twitter Coverage at 6pm

**8.14pm** I've just returned from the meeting and report that was nothing decided tonight. Long story short is that Chairman Ronnie Beale has suggested that the next Board of Commissioners add two extra seats to the Planning Board and give one of them to Al Slagle. 

I will work on getting the videos of the meeting processed as soon as I can. 


**12-03-2010** See the video and notes from this meeting. [link]

This is from the official notice of the meeting:


The Macon County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting on Thursday, December 2, 2010, at 6pm in the Commissioners Board Room on the third floor of the Macon County Courthouse. The purpose of the meeting is to meet jointly with the Macon County Planning Board to discuss items of mutual interest and possible action concerning appointments to the Planning Board.


Here is a video of the appointment that has caused such an uproar:











Watch the 1st two minutes of the above video where the appointment takes place. I'm thinking that there will be an attempt to either remove Jimmy Goodman or pack the Planning Board by adding an extra seat and appointing Al Slagle to it...we'll have to see what develops tonight.


The Macon County News and Shopping Guide has a story on the incident, but they do not mention that the same method was used three years ago to remove Jimmy Goodman from the Planning Board as was used to get Al Slagle off this time. In fact, Brian McClellan voiced the same concerns then as Chairman Ronnie Beale has. It's funny how the wheel turns in these things, isn't it?


Here is an excerpt of the minutes from the meeting where Al Slagle was chosen to replace Jimmy Goodman without advance notice:




APPOINTMENTS: Board of Adjustments - Upon motion by Commissioner McClellan, seconded by Commissioner Davis the Board unanimously voted to appoint Gary Drake to fill the vacant unexpired term on the Board of Adjustments. Term will expire April 23, 2009. 


Planning Board – Commissioner Beale, Planning Board liaison, presented Al Slagle’s resume and made a motion to appoint him to fill the vacancy on the Planning Board. The motion was seconded by Chairman Leatherman. The motion passed three to two with Commissioners Davis and McClellan opposing. Commissioner Davis stated he had been previously contacted by Jimmy Goodman whose term is expiring and had committed his support to him. Commissioner McClellan stated since he had been on the Board they have never failed to reappoint someone who was eligible and willing to continue serving. Mr. Slagle’s term will expire November 1, 2010.


You may read the entire minutes from that meeting by clicking here.



I'll be covering this special meeting live via Twitter and using the hashtag #MaconGov


Here is the twitter widget you can follow the meeting on if you don't have a twitter client: 






In short, what has happened is that Jimmy Goodman has been re-appointed to the board in the same manner that Al Slagle was two years ago.


Here is an excerpt of a  letter sent out by the POA (I don't have permission to run the whole thing, so I can only excerpt part of it: [link to POA website]


Here is an excerpt from a letter sent out by the Property Owners Association regarding this situation:


As usual, there are all kinds of rumors going around and a healthy dose of “misinformation”. So, we at the POA did some research using the minutes from the past Commission meetings and thought we’d do a little historical educating before this thing really takes another ugly turn for the worse. Be sure to note comments made by McCellan and Davis when they supported Goodman below. Consider:


NOVEMBER 3, 2003 MINUTES MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Goodman appointed to Planning Board
Upon a motion by Commissioner Leatherman and seconded by
Commissioner Shepherd Jimmy Goodman was appointed for a one year term.


DECEMBER 6, 2004 MINUTES MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Goodman - Reappointed
Planning Board – Commissioner Leatherman made a motion to reappoint
Jimmy Goodman to the Planning Board. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Davis
and all favored. Term will expire November 1, 2007.


NOVEMBER 13, 2007 MINUTES MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Slagle put on Planning Board – Goodman voted off…
Planning Board – Commissioner Beale, Planning Board liaison, presented Al Slagle’s resume and made a motion to appoint him to fill the vacancy on the Planning Board. The motion was seconded by Chairman Leatherman. The motion passed three to two with Commissioners Davis and McClellan opposing. Commissioner Davis stated he had been previously contacted by Jimmy Goodman whose term is expiring and had committed his support to him. Commissioner McClellan stated since he had been on the Board they have never failed to reappoint someone who was eligible and willing to continue serving. Mr. Slagle’s term will expire November 1, 2010.


We find it amusing that 3 years ago (11/13/07) Goodman was voted off the Planning Board and Slagle was put on all at the same meeting and with no outcry at all. Now the EXACT same thing happens again but this time in reverse - Slagle off, Goodman on. OMG!!! You’d think that the dean’s and teachers had been locked in the bathroom, the school yard has turned into a free-for-all, spit-balls are flying and the Franklin Press is writing HUGE stories making all but a mockery of the entire process not to mention our Commissioners.