Misappropriation of Funds

Dear Editor:

Who can take your cash?

Make it vanish in a flash?

Spend it on some candy.

Thinks it fine and dandy

Oh, the Candy Man can

The Candy Man can cuz

He thinks the cash is free

And don’t belong to you and me!

Seriously fellow taxpayers, a note of thanks is due to Commissioner Williams in regard to the candy caper. Commissioner Traylor used Dead Lakes camping fees, taxpayer dollars to purchase candy for the Wewahitchka and Port St. Joe Christmas parades. An act that Commissioner McLemore seems to condone.

In his comment about keeping Mr. Williams to his right so that he can keep an eye on him maybe he should avert his scope of vision to take in Mr. Traylor.

Taxpayers, in plain and simple terms this is a misappropriation of funds, a felony in most circles, Mr. Sheriff, but not for a Commission that overlooks the disappearance of building materials from county supplies and joyriding in our mosquito truck and who knows what else?

To Mr. Traylor’s credit, he states, “I would do it again if it meant picking up the tab myself.” Very commendable.

So do the right thing and pony up the $800 to the taxpayers. It should not be a problem to a commissioner who does not bear the burden of the millage increases he helps impose on the stressed out property owners of this county.

While we are in the pony up mode, let’s have the hundred big ones from each commissioner for the extra cost of ($500 so far this month) for placing public service ads in the News Herald rather than The Star.

By the way, who pays for these plaques that these guys bestow on each other for their exemplary service? Anotehr misappropriation of taxpayer dollars? And chairman McLemore is concerned about property taxes?  Yikes! Let’s start with the basics of fiscal responsibility.

Maybe this plaque bestowed on Mr. Peters by Mr. McLemore is a leftover from a few years back when Mr. McLemore orchestrated the ouster of Mr. Peters from his chairman’s seat, only to do a typical commission flip flop and orchestrate to giving the seat back.

The answer, until se can vote for all the commissioners and school board members who are responsible for spending our dollars, fighting county-wide voting and school consolidation to eliminate the top heavy administrative costs?

It ain’t gonna change fellow pony-uppers. Just dip into that empty candy jar and write a check.

Respectfully,

Tom Knoche

Port St. Joe