Grand Jury Report on Walton Planning Department

[Misty]

No I think she was trying to break the cycle. But I admit I don't know all the facts and will wait to see more come to light. I'm not going to defend her or condemn her until I know what happened. Let's get the facts straight without all the innuendo and negativity.

I understand sometimes it's better to hire someone who is smart and capable, loyal and trustworthy, over someone more experienced who is cozy to developers and the old guard.

Nepotism? Did she hire or try to have hired a member of her family?

Nepotism isn't limited to just family.

nep·o·tism
ˈnepəˌtizəm/
noun

1. the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.

There was no innuendo or negativity either. You copy/pasted the article which clearly states;

In particular one person with connections to Meadows was hired with “little input” from the department supervisor. Despite having no experience for this position the employee was hired at a higher salary than others already working in an identical position.

 

[Misty]

Dawn also wrote;

No I think she was trying to break the cycle.

That might be the very excuse Cecilia Jones would have used if she had been cited by the Grand Jury. LOL!

Also, if you are going to hire friends/family to "break the cycle" shouldn't they at least have some experience in the position they were hired for???

 

[Misty]

I don't know what really happened but I can guess. Meadows got tired of beating her head against the wall and tried to do an end around to get someone in the planning department to clean up the mess. Someone who's not part of the ole boy network or owned by developers. A last resort to try and get things on track. Improper? Probably. Nefarious? I doubt it.

At any rate, the truth will emerge.

By your own admission you don't know what really happened yet, you're quoting the article from WZEP where the County actually ISSUED the statement that tells us what really happened which, is probably the absolute first truth they have ever told when something of this magnitude has happened yet, you're going to wait on the truth? Really Dawn?

If hiring someone with little or no experience in planning is your idea of "cleaning up the mess" then it probably won't come as a shock to you if the County does as the Grand Jury has recommended and conducts an operational/forensic audit that finds there is more than $800,000 missing huh?

I sincerely hope you don't have many of these "ostrich moments" Dawn...I'm not sure how many more of them the taxpayers can afford!!

 

[Patriot Games]

Let's get some facts straight.
Somebody has already gotten the personnel file on the person Mrs. Meadows "Got" the job for. Many others were also requested and I understand some of those have been turned over to some tax payers association members to be reviewed. There are lots of questions on many people, I will be interested to hear what bob hudson has to say about it.

The facts on the "Meadows" applicant resume
1. The person works in code enforcement not the planning department.
2. The employee has their Bachelors degree.
3. Has about 10 years of employment with the county and state
4. Worked for years with the Walton County Sheriffs Dept under Ralph Johnson and Mike Adkinson handling public relations and the crimestoppers program.
5. Worked in the front office of state representative Brad Drakes handling citizen issues for several years.
6. Handled citizen issues in Meadows office for several years prior to the code enforcement job.

Since code enforcement is primarily about handling citizen complaints and checking to ensure ordinances are being enforced, It appears the employee wasn't woefully unqualified for the job. I've never worked in code enforcement but this sounds like a good resume to get hired as a code enforcement officer 1.(entry Level on county pay scale)

I do find it interesting that the supervisor who said they "stepped away" from the hiring process was none other the cecilia Jones old aide who she got a job in code enforcement. If he was qualified based on working in cecilia's office, isn't Meadows aide equally qualified? Just Saying...........

Misty, I'm thinking this whole deal was a showdown between Cecilia and Cindy. I wonder if the facts on the employee's resume was presented to the grand jury? Sounds like a lot of employee's have ties to certain commissioners. I have also heard that Hal Laird got his job in the planning dept from Scott Brannon. apparently he and Hal were high school buds. Looks like your childhood buddies can hook you up in Walton County. Have you read the emails between Mike Adkinson and Scott Brannon? Big Buddies again. Throw in Mikes uncle clayton and his cousin clay and you've got a interesting "stew". Oh yeah, the Adkinsons (all of them) and Cecilia cant stand Meadows. Dang Mr. Eddins, It appears we need another grand jury to get ALL the facts out. (Maybe Mr. Eddins can consult with Jerry on how to proceed!!!!!)

We'll have to start a new thread and address how Stan Sunday became the #2 man in the county.

Some of this has to be true, because nobody could make this crap up!

 

[Misty]

I do find it interesting that the supervisor who said they "stepped away" from the hiring process was none other the cecilia Jones old aide who she got a job in code enforcement. If he was qualified based on working in cecilia's office, isn't Meadows aide equally qualified? Just Saying...........

Misty, I'm thinking this whole deal was a showdown between Cecilia and Cindy. I wonder if the facts on the employee's resume was presented to the grand jury? Sounds like a lot of employee's have ties to certain commissioners. I have also heard that Hal Laird got his job in the planning dept from Scott Brannon. apparently he and Hal were high school buds. Looks like your childhood buddies can hook you up in Walton County. Have you read the emails between Mike Adkinson and Scott Brannon? Big Buddies again. Throw in Mikes uncle clayton and his cousin clay and you've got a interesting "stew". Oh yeah, the Adkinsons (all of them) and Cecilia cant stand Meadows. Dang Mr. Eddins, It appears we need another grand jury to get ALL the facts out. (Maybe Mr. Eddins can consult with Jerry on how to proceed!!!!!)

I have a stinking suspicion you are probably right. I did refer to the connections between Hal Laird and Brannon, Cecilia Jones, Bill Eddins and the Adkinsons in this thread. I know who most of the political connections and/or allies are in this county but admit I didn't know about the strong connection with Ceclia Jones and Eddins.

This has the putrid, regurgitated stench of Cecilia Jones written all over it and is just the kind of political back-stabbing I warned this board about when she ran for office this last go round. So many people defended her here....because she canvassed their neighborhoods and knocked on their doors begging for votes. No one listened to Alan Osborne when he told people how Cecilia Jones husband threatened him (probably because he had cried wolf so many times) but I knew it was true. I've walked a mile in those shoes.

I've alluded to Cecilia's presence in this in more than one post and I haven't even seen the documents. It reeks of the kind of person she is.

P.S. Did I mention I despise Cecilia Jones and her husband?

 

[Patriot Games]

I didn't know all the connections like you did, but have learned a ton reading sowal and talking to a couple of my neighbors, one worked for the county almost 30 years. Jerry and Cecilia came to my door the last election and he was scary looking. My neighbor says jerry has threatened many people over the years in and out of the county. They know people that live in Jerry's neighborhood and said after Meadows beat Cecilia in the election, cecilia cried for days and Jerry promised her meadows would get hers. Guess he made good on his promise.
I am constantly amazed at what people who lived her their whole life know and are willing to tell you.
Cecila and Jerry were behind Catalano's run for the school board, so I guess we're stuck with the Jones having input to the school board and the county government.
Wake up people, we deserve better...

 

[Misty]

I didn't know all the connections like you did, but have learned a ton reading sowal and talking to a couple of my neighbors, one worked for the county almost 30 years. Jerry and Cecilia came to my door the last election and he was scary looking. My neighbor says jerry has threatened many people over the years in and out of the county. They know people that live in Jerry's neighborhood and said after Meadows beat Cecilia in the election, cecilia cried for days and Jerry promised her meadows would get hers. Guess he made good on his promise.
I am constantly amazed at what people who lived her their whole life know and are willing to tell you.
Cecila and Jerry were behind Catalano's run for the school board, so I guess we're stuck with the Jones having input to the school board and the county government.
Wake up people, we deserve better...

If you don't work for the County in some capacity it is easier to speak out when you have lived here for any length of time because the "powers that be" have a much harder time intimidating you. I knew about Catalano. Tried to disuade people from voting for him too. Cecilia and Jerry were also instrumental in getting Bill Eddins son, Bill Eddins Jr. elected to the school board so, they actually have 2 people on the board to do their bidding. Jerry has never gotten over not being re-elected to the School Board and he was going to "pay me back" for that one by "punching me in the mouth". Wouldn't have done a damn bit of good to take that one to the State Attorney's office either, given who his friends are.

 

[Patriot Games]

Looks like Larry Jones and Cindy Meadows "stepped in it" when they crossed the Brannon, the Adkinson family and the Jones. I predict cindy and larry will go by the way of Jim Bagby and the Brannons, Adkinsons and the Jones will remain in power.
Guess the retired postman will have to save us from them. (Sarcasm intended) I heard sara has testified she was scared of Jerry. He looked like a skinny farmer with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth when he was waiting on Cecilia when they came door to door.

 

[Patriot Games]

Didn't know about Bill Eddins JR. or make they connection. Please continue to share and connect the dots.

County Commissioner and School Board don't pay much, why the power grab Misty?

 

[Misty]

Didn't know about Bill Eddins JR. or make they connection. Please continue to share and connect the dots.

County Commissioner and School Board don't pay much, why the power grab Misty?

It's all political. If they control the decision making process in how taxpayer funds are spent or control where they aren't spent they can control what does or doesn't get done, built or not built....special advantages if you will. They can also influence government policy to further their own agendas, at least on a local level.

The Jones family is under the impression that the "boy's with the most toy's win I guess.

I'm not so sure Larry Jones is squeaky clean either. He was a sitting Commissioner back when the $800,000 went missing and it was "rumored" for many years that he amassed a great deal of land on a Commissioner's salary. He does own quite a bit of land acquired during his tenure. I do however think he is being "scapegoated".

Imfeld came to Walton County as a former FBI "guy" and as a certified CPA when that money went missing...not sure how that money escaped his credentials either.

Sara and I have never talked about J. Jones but I can see where anyone might be intimidated by him. J. Jones is an imposing figure especially when you get him "riled". I admit he scared the crap outta me when he threatened to punch me in the mouth. Punching a defenseless woman in the mouth is a real "MANLY THING" to do. (Sarcasm intended) I will also admit to owning a gun back in those days.

I don't feel like looking it up but there was also a lawsuit filed against Cecilia Jones and her hubby by the son (his attorney at the time was Clayton Adkinson) of the late Laverne Camacho over her estate/money that every Judge in this County recused themselves from and it was moved to another County...Santa Rosa I think. Not sure what the final outcome was but basically the son accused them of taking money intended for his care. Oh course Cecilia said it was "political" an "attempt to discredit" (no help needed there, she wasn't re-elected ) and frivolous. Of course once it was moved to another County and the stink died down she got herself re-elected in 2014. I do seriously doubt that Camacho's lawsuit had anything to do with politics or Cecilia's political aspirations because 1.) he didn't have the political clout to hurt her and 2.) the lawsuit had nothing to do with her position as a Commissioner.

Wow, this has been a real trip down memory lane....