As a somewhat successful businessman in the county over the last 32 years it is clear that the Spalding BOC would not be successful at running a small lemonade stand, using the model they use to run the county.
First you have two open positions, one for county manager and one for assistant/deputy county manager. It seems the correct order of hiring would be to hire a county manager first. By hiring the manager first, this would allow him to have input on the team or person he will be working so close with. The only reasonable reason you would hire the assistant/deputy first would seem to be the BOC thought the new manager would not go along with the person they had already decided would get the job.
If you follow the hiring over the last few months it seems that the BOC appointed an interim deputy county manager and fell in love with the job she was doing. This may be a good thing. If this is true, then why not hire her to be the county manager? Instead the BOC takes over half of the responsibilities of the county manager and gives them to the new deputy manager.
Mrs. Beams said her position as deputy county manager will entail the supervision of approximately half of all the county departments. She will also serve as the litigation manager, risk manager, records manager and public information officer. To the average citizen it seems that the new county manager will now have a lot less responsibilities. I wonder if the BOC lowered the qualification for the soon-to-be-hired county manager (and we all know who this will be)? I bet not.
It seems that the BOC would have liked to have hired Mrs. Beams to be the county manager but that she may have not met the qualifications they had set for the job.
Mrs. Beams also stated that she was “pleased that the process is completed.” I ask what process?
Mrs. Beams was allowed to right her own ticket, she wrote the job description deciding which departments she would head and what her responsibilities would be. Then set her own salary and I would assume any other benefits she will receive. Mrs. Beams also stated, “I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve the county.” I am not sure serve would be the right word to describe a job where you will make five times the income of the average county citizen, more than double the county median income.
In a county that has grown very little in the past 20 years, the government has grown to become the largest employer in the county. In the last election the people in America spoke loudly and said stop the out-of-control government spending. Spalding County did not get the message.
GENE BETSILL
Griffin resident
Now I will quote Ms.Beams letter in the paper maybe she did not write but it was credited to her “asked me to look at the job descriptions for the other positions and tell them what the responsibilities were. I did so, and noticed that the areas of responsibility for the deputy did not make a great deal of sense.
For example, under the existing description, the deputy supervised the Public Works department but the manager supervised the Water Department, and the deputy had daily supervision over nearly two-thirds of all county employees. I discussed these issues with the chair, vice chair and interim county manager Tim Whalen. They asked that I make suggestions for realigning the supervisory areas for deputy and manager, which I did. They all reviewed those ideas and asked me to make specific changes, which I did. I did not take any action with regard to the job descriptions that I was not asked to take by one of these three people. If you read this you have to see why people in the county get the idea of funny business going on
Now please understand I do not know Ms. Beams I am sure she is a great person and a asset to the county, my problems are with the BOC who have no idea how to stop spending money.
The county's pay scale, including the recommended pay for the deputy county manager position, existed before Ms. Beams went to work there. Even if the salary was "recomemed" by an outside firm(your spelling, bbetsill), that firm was probably chosen by the human resources department.
Also, Ms. Beams is a lawyer, which means she holds a JD (juris doctorate) degree. While lawyers who practice full time don't use the title "doctor" like someone with a doctorate of philosophy (PhD), it is an equivalent degree. She certainly has the degree or she could not have taken and passed the bar exam.
But let’s get back to the process that you seem to be a part of why wait who wrote the job description and set the salary? If the salary was RECOMEMED by a outside firm who chose the firm? Just one last question what is “equivalant of a doctrate degree”( your spelling not mine) doctorate, equivalent for future reference. You either have the degree are you do not. But that statement is spoken like a true politician are someone who works in the government.
I would also think the point Mr. Betsill is making is that when income in the county is down there has been no growth in the county in the last 20 years to keep growing the government makes very little if any business senses.
You seem to be shooting from the hip on what Mrs. Beams was allowed to do and not to do. As someone who supported her through the proccess and I assure you thier was a proccess. A very long and tedious one.
I don't remember you being any part of that proccess so where do you get your information? Parking lot politics??? A gossip column?
As you will soon see Mrs. Beams was not allowed to write her own job discription or set her own salary.
Why it is true that she is above the salary median
of the county I would ask,"Do those people have the equivalant of a doctrate degree as Mrs. Beams does?" Would you expect anyone who paid to be as educated to settle for 20K per year. That is nuts.
As a business man myself and a degree in finance as well as preparing to sit for the CPA, I would say this. Most successful business people can verify their information with facts and documentation. You sir seem to be lacking in that area.