Residents File Suit for Sunshine Law violations

[ShoeDiva]

Unionmom, I NEVER said the individuals involved were motivated by a political agenda. My EXACT words were that "this will keep the airport issue in the news and that will have an impact on the upcoming local election" and that is true. I only know of one of the opposition airport crowd that is running for office and she is not one of the individuals on the lawsuit. One thing I have heard from ALL of the candidates is that while knocking on doors, the airport is an issue they are asked about. That's why I say it will have an impact on the upcoming election.

I had also stated that there are six different individuals involved and each probably have different motivations for joining the lawsuit. But that doesn't mean their motivation is political. Two of the people involved have different reasons and I have spoken to them directly. They have no political agenda. They just want to protect their home.

And I commented on the hypothetical. No, you did not definitively state anyone's motive. I certainly did not mean to come across as though you had. I would think that reading the posts would be enough for folks to see that but ...

She didn't say that was definitively anyone's motive and I merely commented in the hypothetical.

We good? Everybody clear? lol

) I get you. :hug

I still would not waste good shoe money on an actual lawsuit. And I am not happy to have to pay to defend it. (shoe money peeps!) I am gathering they know what they did wrong, corrected it, and yet some are still taking them to court. I hope it gets dropped because it is just more money out the window. I do not see how, with a contract in place, (maybe I am wrong but that is what I have been told) that the BOC is going to back out and not fight for the airport. And I do not see the group of citizens stopping until someone runs out of money (and that could be a long time) so this added to the mix annoys me because if they were doing something (whether by accident, or on purpose) and have fixed it (I would be flabbergasted if it were to happen again) really what is this lawsuit doing besides keeping the airport issue front and center?

 

[unionmom]

Must be old age or something because, much as I don't like what I still believe to be a partial motive of using this for political/campaign purposes ... if the airport expansion and commercialization can't/won't be stopped, I can see the desire to be as sure as any people ever can be that everything is done right and proper from this point forward.

 

[lotstodo]

Unionmom, I NEVER said the individuals involved were motivated by a political agenda. My EXACT words were that "this will keep the airport issue in the news and that will have an impact on the upcoming local election" and that is true. I only know of one of the opposition airport crowd that is running for office and she is not one of the individuals on the lawsuit. One thing I have heard from ALL of the candidates is that while knocking on doors, the airport is an issue they are asked about. That's why I say it will have an impact on the upcoming election.

I had also stated that there are six different individuals involved and each probably have different motivations for joining the lawsuit. But that doesn't mean their motivation is political. Two of the people involved have different reasons and I have spoken to them directly. They have no political agenda. They just want to protect their home.

And I commented on the hypothetical. No, you did not definitively state anyone's motive. I certainly did not mean to come across as though you had. I would think that reading the posts would be enough for folks to see that but ...

She didn't say that was definitively anyone's motive and I merely commented in the hypothetical.

We good? Everybody clear? lol

) I get you. :hug

I still would not waste good shoe money on an actual lawsuit. And I am not happy to have to pay to defend it. (shoe money peeps!) I am gathering they know what they did wrong, corrected it, and yet some are still taking them to court. I hope it gets dropped because it is just more money out the window. I do not see how, with a contract in place, (maybe I am wrong but that is what I have been told) that the BOC is going to back out and not fight for the airport. And I do not see the group of citizens stopping until someone runs out of money (and that could be a long time) so this added to the mix annoys me because if they were doing something (whether by accident, or on purpose) and have fixed it (I would be flabbergasted if it were to happen again) really what is this lawsuit doing besides keeping the airport issue front and center?

Why would you be flabbergasted if it happened again? This county has a notorious history of intense back room dealing and then showjng up to public meetings and passing that crap in three minutes. Why would they suddenly stop now?

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

 

[ShoeDiva]

Unionmom, I NEVER said the individuals involved were motivated by a political agenda. My EXACT words were that "this will keep the airport issue in the news and that will have an impact on the upcoming local election" and that is true. I only know of one of the opposition airport crowd that is running for office and she is not one of the individuals on the lawsuit. One thing I have heard from ALL of the candidates is that while knocking on doors, the airport is an issue they are asked about. That's why I say it will have an impact on the upcoming election.

I had also stated that there are six different individuals involved and each probably have different motivations for joining the lawsuit. But that doesn't mean their motivation is political. Two of the people involved have different reasons and I have spoken to them directly. They have no political agenda. They just want to protect their home.

And I commented on the hypothetical. No, you did not definitively state anyone's motive. I certainly did not mean to come across as though you had. I would think that reading the posts would be enough for folks to see that but ...

She didn't say that was definitively anyone's motive and I merely commented in the hypothetical.

We good? Everybody clear? lol

) I get you. :hug

I still would not waste good shoe money on an actual lawsuit. And I am not happy to have to pay to defend it. (shoe money peeps!) I am gathering they know what they did wrong, corrected it, and yet some are still taking them to court. I hope it gets dropped because it is just more money out the window. I do not see how, with a contract in place, (maybe I am wrong but that is what I have been told) that the BOC is going to back out and not fight for the airport. And I do not see the group of citizens stopping until someone runs out of money (and that could be a long time) so this added to the mix annoys me because if they were doing something (whether by accident, or on purpose) and have fixed it (I would be flabbergasted if it were to happen again) really what is this lawsuit doing besides keeping the airport issue front and center?

Why would you be flabbergasted if it happened again? This county has a notorious history of intense back room dealing and then showjng up to public meetings and passing that crap in three minutes. Why would they suddenly stop now?

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

They do not have a history of holding meetings without announcing them that I am aware of. Are you?

Executive meetings and coming out and passing something is different, is it not? (I am asking here)

I also do not believe we (as a county) will ever be happy with the politics. Ever. Someone is always ticked off at something and thinks the next person will be the best thing, then they become disillusioned with them and start looking for the next person that is promising what they want. :dunno
Never ever would I get into politics.

 

[lotstodo]

They have a history of making decisions outside the public eye. Is that a meeting? Name that what you will.

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

 

[naturegirl]

Georgia has no integrity and ranks 50 out of 50 states for corruption risk. They KNEW they were violating the Sunshine Laws, it was submitted as evidence in a court of law. Perhaps the fact that people think it's not that big a deal is why they continue to rank at the bottom for ethics. They spent taxpayer money at a 2 day retreat, flew people all over to see "other" airports on taxpayer dollars, we pay the salaries of 4 of the people that were involved in the deception, support the PCAA with taxpayer dollars. Blake Swafford gets TWO paychecks, one from the IBA and one from the PCAA. That is taxpayer dollars. 3 of the people that sit on the Airport Board are elected, paid with taxpayer dollars. Taxpayers supplement the Chamber through the IBA.

People are complaining about paying attorneys fees while tax dollars are wasted day in and day out? SMH They have every right to sue officials that violate the law. They think taxpayer money is theirs to do with as they wish and they don't need any input from the commoners.

http://www.stateintegrity.org/georgia

 

[ShoeDiva]

They have a history of making decisions outside the public eye. Is that a meeting? Name that what you will.

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

Do you not think some things do belong in executive sessions? Again I am really asking this, because I believe they are two different things.

 

[ShoeDiva]

Georgia has no integrity and ranks 50 out of 50 states for corruption risk. They KNEW they were violating the Sunshine Laws, it was submitted as evidence in a court of law. Perhaps the fact that people think it's not that big a deal is why they continue to rank at the bottom for ethics. They spent taxpayer money at a 2 day retreat, flew people all over to see "other" airports on taxpayer dollars, we pay the salaries of 4 of the people that were involved in the deception, support the PCAA with taxpayer dollars. Blake Swafford gets TWO paychecks, one from the IBA and one from the PCAA. That is taxpayer dollars. 3 of the people that sit on the Airport Board are elected, paid with taxpayer dollars. Taxpayers supplement the Chamber through the IBA.

People are complaining about paying attorneys fees while tax dollars are wasted day in and day out? SMH They have every right to sue officials that violate the law. They think taxpayer money is theirs to do with as they wish and they don't need any input from the commoners.

http://www.stateintegrity.org/georgia

Of course they have every right to sue and I have every right to not like paying attorney fees.

 

[naturegirl]

But do you have a problem with elected and appointed officials wasting taxpayer dollars? You know there was an attorney at the retreat, one that was also paid by taxpayer dollars.

Georgia has the worst levels of corruption risk and lack of accountability of any state in the country. The state scored a D or worse in 12 of the 14 categories. The state’s biggest problem is the absence of a strong ethics enforcement agency. Republican governor Sonny Perdue managed to get an ethics bill through the legislature, but by the time it passed, his proposals to ban gifts to state workers and clearly define appropriate campaign spending had been stripped out. According to State Integrity reporter Jim Walls, while Georgia has provisions to prevent certain kinds of corruption in campaign finance and lobbying, the state is full of unaddressed loopholes and lax enforcement. “About 2,000 Georgia officials, including one in five sitting legislators, have failed to pay penalties for filing their disclosures late, or not at all.”

Read more: America’s Most Corrupt States - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/special-report/2012/03/22/americas-most-corrupt-states/#ixzz2yXbLi6rl

 

[stradial]

Georgia has no integrity and ranks 50 out of 50 states for corruption risk. They KNEW they were violating the Sunshine Laws, it was submitted as evidence in a court of law. Perhaps the fact that people think it's not that big a deal is why they continue to rank at the bottom for ethics. They spent taxpayer money at a 2 day retreat, flew people all over to see "other" airports on taxpayer dollars, we pay the salaries of 4 of the people that were involved in the deception, support the PCAA with taxpayer dollars. Blake Swafford gets TWO paychecks, one from the IBA and one from the PCAA. That is taxpayer dollars. 3 of the people that sit on the Airport Board are elected, paid with taxpayer dollars. Taxpayers supplement the Chamber through the IBA.

People are complaining about paying attorneys fees while tax dollars are wasted day in and day out? SMH They have every right to sue officials that violate the law. They think taxpayer money is theirs to do with as they wish and they don't need any input from the commoners.

http://www.stateintegrity.org/georgia

I have heard this somewhere before.
I just wish someone had a chart to explain it.
)

 

[mei lan]

Georgia has no integrity and ranks 50 out of 50 states for corruption risk. They KNEW they were violating the Sunshine Laws, it was submitted as evidence in a court of law. Perhaps the fact that people think it's not that big a deal is why they continue to rank at the bottom for ethics. They spent taxpayer money at a 2 day retreat, flew people all over to see "other" airports kon taxpayer dollars, we pay the salaries of 4 of the people that were involved in the deception, support the PCAA with taxpayer dollars. Blake Swafford gets TWO paychecks, one from the IBA and one from the PCAA. That is taxpayer dollars. 3 of the people that sit on the Airport Board are elected, paid with taxpayer dollars. Taxpayers supplement the Chamber through the IBA.

People are complaining about paying attorneys fees while tax dollars are wasted day in and day out? SMH They have every right to sue officials that violate the law. They think taxpayer money is theirs to do with as they wish and they don't need any input from the commoners.

http://www.stateintegrity.org/georgia

I have heard this somewhere before.
I just wish someone had a chart to explain it.
)

From 2007, preferably. .

However, I do agree heartily with NG.

 

[naturegirl]

Georgia has no integrity and ranks 50 out of 50 states for corruption risk. They KNEW they were violating the Sunshine Laws, it was submitted as evidence in a court of law. Perhaps the fact that people think it's not that big a deal is why they continue to rank at the bottom for ethics. They spent taxpayer money at a 2 day retreat, flew people all over to see "other" airports kon taxpayer dollars, we pay the salaries of 4 of the people that were involved in the deception, support the PCAA with taxpayer dollars. Blake Swafford gets TWO paychecks, one from the IBA and one from the PCAA. That is taxpayer dollars. 3 of the people that sit on the Airport Board are elected, paid with taxpayer dollars. Taxpayers supplement the Chamber through the IBA.

People are complaining about paying attorneys fees while tax dollars are wasted day in and day out? SMH They have every right to sue officials that violate the law. They think taxpayer money is theirs to do with as they wish and they don't need any input from the commoners.

http://www.stateintegrity.org/georgia

I have heard this somewhere before.
I just wish someone had a chart to explain it.
)

From 2007, preferably. .

However, I do agree heartily with NG.

Hey the chart is in the link, but sorry to say...............
















it's from 2013. :laugh

 

[ShoeDiva]

But do you have a problem with elected and appointed officials wasting taxpayer dollars? You know there was an attorney at the retreat, one that was also paid by taxpayer dollars.

Georgia has the worst levels of corruption risk and lack of accountability of any state in the country. The state scored a D or worse in 12 of the 14 categories. The state’s biggest problem is the absence of a strong ethics enforcement agency. Republican governor Sonny Perdue managed to get an ethics bill through the legislature, but by the time it passed, his proposals to ban gifts to state workers and clearly define appropriate campaign spending had been stripped out. According to State Integrity reporter Jim Walls, while Georgia has provisions to prevent certain kinds of corruption in campaign finance and lobbying, the state is full of unaddressed loopholes and lax enforcement. “About 2,000 Georgia officials, including one in five sitting legislators, have failed to pay penalties for filing their disclosures late, or not at all.”

Read more: America’s Most Corrupt States - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/special-report/2012/03/22/americas-most-corrupt-states/#ixzz2yXbLi6rl

I do not like that the retreat was not properly announced, that was either an error or maybe on purpose, I do not know, but that they had a retreat? No I do not have issue with that, many places hold retreats or conferences. I would assume that all were paid for their time. Do you find retreats, conferences, or whatever they want to call them a waste of money? I have always found that when people get together in these situations they try to find solutions to problems or come up with ideas to better the company/county.

 

[ShoeDiva]

Chart? Why have I missed that you all are laughing? (See StRadial..I am lost a lot too! ) )

 

[lotstodo]

They have a history of making decisions outside the public eye. Is that a meeting? Name that what you will.

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

Do you not think some things do belong in executive sessions? Again I am really asking this, because I believe they are two different things.

The state of Ga clearly defines what can be discussed in exacutive session and airports, courthouses, budgets, bond issues, zoning, business incenrives, sewer projects, infrastructure projects for individual businesses...etc and on ad infinatum doesn't make that list.

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

 

[naturegirl]

But do you have a problem with elected and appointed officials wasting taxpayer dollars? You know there was an attorney at the retreat, one that was also paid by taxpayer dollars.

Georgia has the worst levels of corruption risk and lack of accountability of any state in the country. The state scored a D or worse in 12 of the 14 categories. The state’s biggest problem is the absence of a strong ethics enforcement agency. Republican governor Sonny Perdue managed to get an ethics bill through the legislature, but by the time it passed, his proposals to ban gifts to state workers and clearly define appropriate campaign spending had been stripped out. According to State Integrity reporter Jim Walls, while Georgia has provisions to prevent certain kinds of corruption in campaign finance and lobbying, the state is full of unaddressed loopholes and lax enforcement. “About 2,000 Georgia officials, including one in five sitting legislators, have failed to pay penalties for filing their disclosures late, or not at all.”

Read more: America’s Most Corrupt States - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/special-report/2012/03/22/americas-most-corrupt-states/#ixzz2yXbLi6rl

I do not like that the retreat was not properly announced, that was either an error or maybe on purpose, I do not know, but that they had a retreat? No I do not have issue with that, many places hold retreats or conferences. I would assume that all were paid for their time. Do you find retreats, conferences, or whatever they want to call them a waste of money? I have always found that when people get together in these situations they try to find solutions to problems or come up with ideas to better the company/county.

I have no problem with retreats, I've been on a couple of them myself. The "time" they were paid for, including the attorney that was there, will rival the cost of the law suit. The fines are minimal.

I'm pretty confident the fines and attorney fees won't be 3.9 million dollars that the FAA may or may not reimburse the taxpayers.

 

[ShoeDiva]

They have a history of making decisions outside the public eye. Is that a meeting? Name that what you will.

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

Do you not think some things do belong in executive sessions? Again I am really asking this, because I believe they are two different things.

The state of Ga clearly defines what can be discussed in exacutive session and airports, courthouses, budgets, bond issues, zoning, business incenrives, sewer projects, infrastructure projects for individual businesses...etc and on ad infinatum doesn't make that list.

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

So you are saying that they have a history of making decisions that they are NOT allowed to out of the public eye?

 

[ShoeDiva]

I have no problem with retreats, I've been on a couple of them myself. They "time" they were paid for, including the attorney that was there, will rival the cost of the law suit. The fines are minimal.

I'm pretty confident the fines and attorney fees won't be 3.9 million dollars that the FAA may or may not reimburse the taxpayers.

:thumbsup Gotcha. I just hate all the lawsuits and issues that have truly divided this county. Half sit on one side, half the other, a few of us really see both sides, and no one is happy. Again, I just do not see what would make this town happy because no one can please everyone.

 

[lotstodo]

They have a history of making decisions outside the public eye. Is that a meeting? Name that what you will.

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

Do you not think some things do belong in executive sessions? Again I am really asking this, because I believe they are two different things.

The state of Ga clearly defines what can be discussed in exacutive session and airports, courthouses, budgets, bond issues, zoning, business incenrives, sewer projects, infrastructure projects for individual businesses...etc and on ad infinatum doesn't make that list.

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

So you are saying that they have a history of making decisions that they are NOT allowed to out of the public eye?

Absolutely. Unless they share dreams or are proficient in the Vulcan mind meld.

Sent from a small screen using fat thumbs.

 

[stradial]

Let's be honest, while I am willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt about something, you can tell a lot about the motives behind something by the way they react when it comes to light.
If they just made a mistake in judgement or in not understanding the rules, they would have come clean at the start and not tried to keep it quiet and denying things until they were forced to admit them.
That says a lot to me about their motives from the start.

While they still could have no negative motives and handled the aftermath badly, that still says a lot about character.
In this case, while I wouldn't be the one to sue, I am sorta glad someone is.

But Diva's comment about being divided and no one happy is a good one and I wish the powers that be felt the same as her.