BREAKING NEWS: Assistant administrator resigns
Barrow County’s assistant administrator, Michael Fischer, resigned Thursday in the wake of questions raised about the handling of pay scales for county employees over the past three years.
Fischer’s last day will be Feb. 20. He is the second top administrator in the county government to tender his resignation this week. Chief administrator Keith Lee resigned Monday, just six days after the county received a letter from a 2005 consultant stating his company never advised Lee and Fischer to raise employees’ salaries to the midpoint of their salary ranges after just one year of service, or within one year of the adoption of the new pay scales.
The aggressive implementation of the new pay scales has resulted in a nearly 50-percent jump in the amount of money Barrow County spent on salaries in three years.
Lee and Fischer denied personal responsibility for how directors and managers implemented the pay scales.
Records show that last year, Lee was paid $30,125 more than he earned in 2005, the year before most of the pay raises went into effect.
Fischer’s salary during the same period rose by more than $29,000.
The aggressive implementation of the new pay scales has resulted in a nearly 50-percent jump in the amount of money Barrow County spent on salaries in three years.
Lee and Fischer denied personal responsibility for how directors and managers implemented the pay scales.
Records show that last year, Lee was paid $30,125 more than he earned in 2005, the year before most of the pay raises went into effect.
Fischer’s salary during the same period rose by more than $29,000.
What a surprise! Just when I was getting ready to verbally blister you and 1.1 back to the Stone Age for all your kind remarks, along comes Mr. Yearwood, and does it for me in a recent BJ story! Imagine that! Doug Garrision and his BOC administration has done more to help move this county forward into the competitive ecomomic 21st Century than you can comprehend. His administration deserves your thanks, not your idle minded short sighted ridicule.
Wake up will ya? This is 2009, not 1970!!
Even Yearwood agrees we need to move on, and has said so in the story. What are you going to say to Mr. Yearwood now? Are you going to accuse him of some type of wrongdoing, because he doesn't agree with your rose colored view of the situation?
Let's see if you have the guts to blister Yearwood for his current position on the Archer Study, as quoted in the article. He does not blame Garrison, or the former BOC. Is he also a bad guy? Now let's see if you can put your money where your mouth is.......I am sure Mr.Yearwood will be very interested in what you have to say. I await your remarks and 1.1's as well............
DuWayne R. Anderson
Winder, GA
Next up - The Barrow County Board of Education needs to explain why Kerry Bryant is making $97,000 as the Cultural Arts Director and wants the Bd of Commissioners to pay 1/3 of his salary...since there's no $ to build this center, what does this man do? The Board of Ed has grown about as fast at Barrow Co government...no wonder taxes are escalating. Saunders needs to resign, not retire. Let's hope we find out who makes what at the Board of Ed next. Publish those please, Mike Buffington.
As for Norma Jean, were you one of the same ones complaining that Murray was overqualified for the job of sheriff? Can't have it both ways. What does the HR position description call for? Do you know?
Finally, as for the school system, SAT scores are up, my children are getting a great education at Apalachee HS, and you want to complain about Saunders?!?! You must not remember the days of dropout rates higher than they are now. And days past when the SAT scores were an embarrassment to the citizens of Barrow County. And you call for Saunders to resign. You don't know how good it is, compared with what it used to be.
Saunders was named Superintendant of the year a couple of years ago. Sure call for his resignation. You'll be a lonely voice though.
TURNED AND I HAVE WONDERED MYSELF FOR MANY YEARS HOW NORMA JEAN
HOLDS THE POSITION THAT SHE DOES? HOW/WHO EVEN PUT HER IN THIS
POSITION AND WHAT ARE HER QUALIFICATIONS? I THINK THAT
THE CITIZIANS SHOULD KNOW WHAT QUALIFIES HER FOR THIS
POSITION AND BY THE WAY YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK INTO HER FAMILY TREE, YOU WILL FIND THAT OUT OF THOSE 200 POSITIONS
THAT SHE AND LEE FILLED MANY,MANY OF THOSE ARE FAMILY OR FRIENDS
OF THE FAMILY AND ARE NOT
QUALIFIED. AND AS FAR AS LEE GOES.
MY HATS OFF TO YOU COMMISIONER YEARWOOD, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T
STOP HERE, KEEP TURNING THOSE STONES AND YOU WILL CLEAN UP
HALF OF THE PROBLEM THAT YOU HAVE, STARTING WITH NORMA JEAN...
being in these positions, as long as they are qualified
and as long as the salary is in the salary range it should
be in... I know that Norma Jean did not and still does not
have the qualifications for this position, along with many,
many others within the county. I know that there were some
innocent employees hit with this and maybe that is not fair,
but they were well aware when they took the positions that
it would be public knowledge.
And as far as DuWayne Anderson, you have lived in Barrow County
what,10 years??? Well, I have lived here my entire life,
longer than you have been in existance, so trying to throw
your "so called" knowledge around... you don't even know
half of what you are talking about. Maybe you should go
and look up some of this information and realize you are also
paying salaries for some of these county employees that
shouldn't be what it is. Or, are you one of the "New Friends"
to some upper middle management and trying to score points.
I thank you for your remarks. We are in difficult times, but as I indicated, many good things have happened under the Garrison administration, no matter how long you have lived in Barrow County. Again, thank you.
DuWayne R. Anderson
Winder, GA
He supported Unqualified People to be hired.
He supported the Large Raises that was given.
He make a large sum of money in his real estate transactions, while getting certain property re-zoned to his benefit.
He was paid $65,000 dollars by the county, while he was earning ???? dollars from his own business.
All of the above was at the expense of the taxpayers, and what did they receive??? NOTHING