Commissioner Lee Hearn was lambasted by the citizens at the last Board of Commissioners meeting for appointing a relative to the Board of Elections. People are saying, call it a real probability or a conspiracy theory, that Commissioner Hearn is working on fixing his re-election campaign for next year.
Here is what we know to be fact. The previous Board of Commissioners had an illegal meeting at a local restaurant in Fayetteville on how they could rein in control of the county’s Board of Elections. Keep in mind the Board of Elections is supposed to have a high degree of autonomy to ensure we have fair elections.
The outcome of the dishonest meeting was a new proposed law giving the Board of Commissioners total control over all members selected for the Board of Elections instead of letting the Democrat and Republican parties chose their own representatives without censor.
The point to make here is why did they want to make those changes? Neither Former Chairman Jack Smith, current Chairman Herb Frady, Commissioner Lee Hearn nor Commissioner Robert Horgan has given a reasonable explanation for why the Board of Elections selection process needed to be changed.
Also keep in mind that you don’t hold illegal meetings to justify and promote worthy causes. Let me also tell you that former Commissioner Eric Maxwell did not go along with the others’ scheme and cited a list of legal reasons for his stance.
The new commissioners, Steve Brown and Allen McCarty, blew enough holes in the dishonest legislation that it resembled a piece of Swiss cheese. Frady, Horgan and Hearn ran for the hills and withdrew their proposed changes for the Board of Elections.
I guess the next best way to control elections, if you can’t rule over the Board of Elections, is to put your kin folks on the board to look after you. In this manner, Commissioner Hearn gave a glowing appointment speech on behalf of a local man he said was a friend of his from church. As you now know, the guy was more than a friend.
You must also appreciate the total absence of comments from Chairman Frady and Commissioner Horgan once Commissioner Brown exposed the nondisclosure of a relative being appointed. You can assume it’s a safe bet their silence is proof they already knew the appointment was a relative of their political ally Commissioner Hearn.
Let’s review. You have an illegal meeting and then the appointment of a relative without any disclosure (some would say lying). What do you think, conspiracy theory or real probability that Chairman Frady, Commissioner Horgan and Commissioner Hearn are trying to control local elections?
As a Christian myself, I couldn’t have been more disappointed when Commissioner Hearn started saying the only one he was accountable to was God. Using God as a deflection shield for bad decision-making is deplorable. That tactic didn’t work for Jimmy Swaggart or Jim Bakker and their bad decisions and it won’t work for Commissioner Hearn.
By the way, as an elected official, Commissioner Hearn is accountable to the citizens of Fayette County. Commissioner Hearn swore an oath to the citizens of this county.
Here is what he said three years ago, “I, Lee Hearn, do swear that I will well and truly discharge the duties of Commissioner for Fayette County, in all matters which require my official action, to the best of my knowledge and skill, and I will so act as in my judgment will be most conducive to the welfare and best interests of the entire county.”
Let the reader decide if his judgment is most conductive to the welfare and best interest of the entire county or whether he is engaged in crony politics.
David Barlow
Tyrone, Ga.
