You know what I am sick and tired of? Bee-Ess Butler County politics. There are so many false characterizations and distortions in this letter from Commissioner Carpenter that I actually had to think twice about publishing it here.
Cindy Carpenter is stuck in high school. She thinks everybody is out to get her. Personally. And that she has never made a mistake or done anything improperly. Ever. Just ask her.
I have yet to see a single remark from Mary Swain OR Roger Reynolds that wasn't professional and focused on good government policy.
Cindy's letter talks about the Carpenter Five like they are extensions of herself. And they are... But that doesn't mean that those folks should have kept their jobs. Cindy gave up that right to decide that when she ran for Commissioner. If she wanted to keep the Carpenter Five employed, regardless of who was paying their salaries from whichever bucket, she should have either taken them with her or stayed in the Clerk's office.
I have not been convinced -- either by this letter or the in-person conversation I had with the commissioner at Lincoln Day -- that the concerns brought to light by Swain and Reynolds have been addressed. They make an excellent counter-point to Carpenter's sampling argument and it is entirely possible that the issue has NEVER been seen by the state auditor's office. That is why a review of the policy is the right move. Of course, you can't second guess the great Cindy Carpenter. She knows all and sees all. It doesn't matter what she does, it is the right move. Even if that means paying people 100% from the title fund.
Who is right? Who is wrong? I don't honestly know. That is why Mary and Roger have asked Dave Yost to figure it out. But the truth is that Cindy carpenter opened up the county to a liability to the state and now we are going to find out just how much the price of employing the Carpenter Five really is...
