Here's another clear example of Political Posturing for you.
(Before proceeding please know the content of this blog post is about a Political Smoke Screen recently created by both Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Chairperson Jennifer Roberts and Charlotte Observer staff writers to deflect attention away from Charlotte-Meck. DSS' Fraud Probe.)
Charlotte Democrats have finally proven once and for all they will sacrifice ANYONE probably even their own parents if it means saving political careers.
Now its seems Charlotte Dems are trying to sacrifice Republican Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James over a insensitive statement he made to fellow Commissioner Vilma Leake (Dem) about her deceased, gay son.
Here is the statement in question: "Your son was a homo, really?"
Do I believe James should apologize to Mrs. Leake for having made such an ugly statement? ("Your son was a homo, really?")
Certainly!
However...
For Chairperson Jennifer Roberts to threaten James with Formal Disciplinary Action when she did NOTHING of the same to County Manager Harry Jones for much worse behavior, is just another demonstration of her HYPOCRISY and why she does NOT need to remain in her seat come 2012.
Harry Jones was hired as County Manager in 2002.
Under his tutelage there appears to have been blatant constant disregard for appropriate spending of Federal/ Public Funds because a lot of it (more recently $162,000.) was wasted versus being used effectively to help Charlotte's hurting Middle Class or Low Income citizens.
The majority of this waste (by County employees) has occurred within DSS, another organization managed by Harry Jones.
In fact DSS is now being investigated by a Federal Grand Jury for such waste/ embezzlement of Federal/ Public Funding.
Yet....
Jennifer Roberts never demanded an Apology from Jones in addition, she recently granted him a $38,000 Bonus before the Grand Jury's Investigation was completed.
Thus I along with many, many other Charlotte Voters have lost ALL Respect for Roberts and no longer see her as a Capable, Responsible, Trust Worthy Leader.
The only reason why she agreed to extend County Benefits to Charlotte's Gay Community County Employees or Domestic Partners is because Jennifer Roberts thinks it will buy her votes in 2012.
Jennifer, Charlotte's Constituents including Gay Constituents are NOT Stupid!
Straight Ticket Voting from Low Income citizens or attempting to buy votes from Charlotte's Gay community will NOT save your Political career come 2012.
We will NOT overlook how you mishandled the Char-Meck. DSS Fraud/ Foster Care Children situation this year.
"We" includes White Voters, Wealthy Voters, Middle Class Voters, Black Voters, Low Income Voters, Hispanic Voters, Asian Voters, Straight Voters, Gay Voters, Young Voters, Democrats, Independents, Republicans, Conservatives, Moderates, etc.,
Jennifer "We" hope your little "joyride" with Harry Jones was worth it because in 2012 "We" (Voters) will NOT forget how YOU mishandled and screwed up the Charlotte-Mecklenburg DSS Fraud/ Foster Care Children situation.
What's that you say?
Perhaps Pres. Obama's run for re-election will be able to save your Political Career?
Even if Pres. Obama does run again, this time he won't be able to save you Jennifer.
Just consider this your last term in Political Office.
What's that you say?
You will just run for a seat in the NC House or NC Senate?
Ha, ha, ha!
Don't count on it.
North Carolina already has enough Public Corruption and crooked Politicians to deal with.
Notwithstanding Commissioner Bill James should still apologize to fellow Commissioner Vilma Leake.
NOTE:
To substantiate my commentary please check out the articles below.
Commission Chairwoman: Bill James Should Apologize
Mecklenburg County commissioners Chair Jennifer Roberts said Wednesday that colleague Bill James should apologize for using a slur during an exchange with another board member, and said she may ask commissioners whether to take any further action.
The incident occurred Tuesday during a meeting in which a majority of commissioners agreed to offer domestic-partner benefits to county workers in same-sex relationships starting in 2011.
Toward the end of an emotional, two-hour debate on the topic, James leaned over to commissioner Vilma Leake and asked: "Your son was a homo, really?"
Leake responded: "You're going to make me hurt you. Don't do that to me. Don't talk about my son."
Leake had just finished speaking about her personal connection to the debate, including mentioning her son's 1993 death from AIDS. "To be insensitive to that is completely inappropriate," Roberts said Wednesday. "I think he does owe her an apology."
But James said he won't apologize, and said he was only asking Leake to clarify an earlier comment she made about her son's death and his lifestyle. He said he wasn't making a derogatory comment, and used a slang word used when he was growing up.
"People can believe whatever they want, they can believe in the tooth fairy and legend of Atlantis," James said. "I don't determine what I do based on what people think. I determine it based on what I did and what I did was I asked a question and that question doesn't deserve or require an apology."
Leake did not return calls seeking comment. But she told Qcitymetro.com she thinks the board should censure James.
"I'm not waiting or holding my breath to receive an apology from Bill James," Leake told the news Web site. "I'm not sure he understands what it means, because his values are so different from the rest of society."
James has come under fire before, including a 2004 email in which he wrote that urban blacks "live in a moral sewer."
Public reaction to James' comment was mixed Wednesday, with some people praising what he said and others saying he shouldn't have spoken ill of another colleague's son.
Tuesday's brief exchange wasn't clearly audible in the room, and happened as Roberts was talking. Some commissioners said they couldn't even hear what James had said from their seats. Leake and James often banter with each other during meetings, but some commissioners said they didn't realize anything was off until hearing Leake's response.
Leake left her seat briefly after the benefits vote, and Roberts said county staff described her as "visibly upset."
Contacted Wednesday, some board members also said they found the comment insensitive and inappropriate.
Dan Murrey he hopes James understands how the comment could be hurtful, and that he would apologize to Leake. "I think that a lot of how the commission responds may depend on what Mr. James decides to do," Murrey said. "We need to be able to have respectful dialogue on the board, and if we can't get beyond these sorts of comments, then we're not going to be able to do that."
Commissioner Neil Cooksey said he would have apologized had he said the remark. But he and Karen Bentley said the issue should be addressed between Leake and James.
Some commissioners also said they worried the attention focused on the brief exchange was overshadowing the larger policy decision made by the board.
With Tuesday's vote, Mecklenburg will become the seventh local government in North Carolina to offer benefits to same-sex domestic partners of its employees. Democrats who supported the plan said they believe it could help recruit or retain employees, and said it is important be fair in offering benefits to employees, regardless of their sexual orientation.
But the board's three Republicans said they didn't believe there was a large demand for the same-sex partner benefits, and said the county could be breaking the law by offering them.
The county would only offer the benefits to same-sex couples; some other local governments and private companies also extend the benefits to unmarried, heterosexual couples.
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx said he expects the City Council to discuss early next year adding sexual orientation to its anti-discrimination policy, as well as providing benefits for domestic partners of city workers in same-sex relationships.
The council debated the issue in 2003, but city Attorney Mac McCarley said state law doesn't give clear approval for the benefits.
But a new report from the UNC School of Government wrote that state law appears to give local governments authority to offer the benefits, though it hasn't been tested in court.
The County’s Domestic Partner Benefits Mess
Here’s what I know: In a county with 12 percent unemployment, there is absolutely no demonstrated need to increase the size and scope of Mecklenburg County’s employee benefits package. For any reason.
Now for the comedy. Poor Jennifer Roberts seems to think the policy the county adopted is limited to same-sex couples only. That was clearly her intent given Roberts’ constant “fairness” rap. But if the county tries to limit the policy, it will get sued. And spend lotsa money in the process. That the commissioners cannot even agree on what it is they approved, you tell me how settled the law might be.
As we’ve said all year, local government seems free to offer these benefits if they want to risk getting sued in the process. Because of this risk, I figure it is about #687,993 on the list of things county government should be spending its time on right now. But Roberts basically promised the policy change and had to deliver. Next up, the city of Charlotte.
Be sure to enjoy City Attorney Mac McCarley trying to square what the county just did with his previous tortured reasoning that the city did not have the authority to offer such benefits. McCarley had his legs taken out from underneath him by his buddies at the UNC School of Government, who told the county that it was free to adopt any policy it wanted. In fact, without that opinion Roberts does not move so quickly and maybe does not get six votes to approve the policy.
Special bonus ineffectiveness to Charlotte’s religious community. Guys and gals, you don’t get to pick and choose your issues — not if you are going to stand on principle. Showing up to decry this particular growth in local government and this wasteful, reckless spending is too little, too late. Or is it that you really do not believe growing government is immoral?
Whatever the case, pop some popcorn, this is going to be amusing as hell.
Jennifer Roberts, Part of the Problem
I think I’m done cutting Roberts any slack on this DSS mess. For her to obstruct and slam the attempts of other commissioners to find out what is going on with county’s massive, $200m. DSS operation is too much. And for Roberts to suggest that a closed session airing of DSS’s dirty laundry is not her preferred way to go is an insult to the intelligence of all Mecklenburg County taxpayers.
The only reason Commissioner Bill James and the other GOPers are suggesting the closed session route is in response the “disclosure” stonewall County Manager Harry Jones has erected around the investigation — a construction effort aided and abetted by Jennifer Roberts. Fine. Let’s hear DSS chief Mary Wilson answer questions in open session. Super. Next.
It will also be interesting to see if Commissioner George Dunlap’s confirmation that a federal grand jury probe is underway of DSS shakes anything new loose. Why it took a full month for the probe’s existence to be reported remains a mystery, but at least everyone in town has caught up to the story.
However, it would be wrong to assume that the probe will result in any indictments, both as a matter of fairness and institutional inertia. Prosecutors are political animals and will require some slam-dunk, smoking gun type evidence of wrongdoing for them to move on a DSS devoid, until very recently, of adult supervision of its funds.
On the third hand, not all gross mismanagement rises to the level of criminality. This is why the county commission must itself reestablish public trust in one of its largest ongoing budget expenses. Jennifer Roberts needs to help that process or get out of the way.
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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, The Meck Deck Blog, John Locke Foundation, Q Notes, Charmeck.org, WBTV, Google Maps
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