The chairman pro tem of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners does not plan to push the issue of anger management classes for Chairman Danny Yearwood.
Commissioner Ben Hendrix told the Barrow Journal this week that the chairman knows what Cartersville attorney David Archer recommended following a three-month investigation into alleged employee law violations, and he knows the board accepted Archer’s report and recommendation that the county chairman take both anger management and government management classes.
“So to officially notify him is not necessary,” Hendrix said.
Yearwood told the newspaper last week that he does not plan to take anger management classes because he never yells. He indicated that any elevation in his voice level during conversations is due to a hearing problem.
Hendrix: ‘I can’t make him go’
Hendrix said he had read the news account of the chairman’s remarks, but he said Yearwood has not officially notified the county commissioners that he is not going to take the classes.
“He is an elected official, so as a body, we don’t have any power over him per se,” Hendrix said. “I’d say at this point that is between him and the people, because the people are ultimately his boss. At the end of the day, it is up to him to decide what he is going to do about that.”
Hendrix noted, on the other hand, that if a consultant were to recommend that he take training, he would take the advice seriously.
“If the shoe were on the other foot – if I was told I needed to attend a specific type of training – I would have to take a real hard look at that,” Hendrix said. “I would have to look at why I was told I had to do the training and have to make an assessment as to do I do that or not. I think there was a conclusion drawn by the investigator based on something.”
Hendrix added: “I guess nobody likes discipline. Even as a child, most children don’t like to be disciplined. But sometimes it’s necessary.
“Bottom line: If I was told I needed to go to anger management or take training based on an investigation conducted at the request of the board of commissioners, I’d have to take a look at that. But it’s up to the chairman to decide what he’s going to do. I can’t make him go.”
The commissioners on Feb. 9 directed Hendrix to take all disciplinary actions stemming from the investigation into Human Resources Director Norma Jean Brown’s allegations of race and gender violations by Yearwood and department director Lyn Clement.
Archer told the board that he could find no corroboration for claims that the two had violated federal or state laws, but he did conclude that they broke county policies prohibiting conduct offensive to employees.
Hendrix on Feb. 10 issued a letter of reprimand to Clement, requiring him to take a board-approved management course.
Hendrix also issued a reprimand to Brown for not notifying the commissioners that she had had her staff place in her personnel file a written rebuttal to an earlier reprimand over her actions at a community event in early 2009.
Some commissioners have alleged that Brown’s action against Yearwood and Clement were a diversion to deflect attention from the board’s discovery of the rebuttal days before she filed her complaint with the BOC.
However, Brown has flatly denied that the two matters were related.
“He is an elected official, so as a body, we don’t have any power over him per se,” Hendrix said. “I’d say at this point that is between him and the people, because the people are ultimately his boss. At the end of the day, it is up to him to decide what he is going to do about that.”
Hendrix noted, on the other hand, that if a consultant were to recommend that he take training, he would take the advice seriously.
“If the shoe were on the other foot – if I was told I needed to attend a specific type of training – I would have to take a real hard look at that,” Hendrix said. “I would have to look at why I was told I had to do the training and have to make an assessment as to do I do that or not. I think there was a conclusion drawn by the investigator based on something.”
Hendrix added: “I guess nobody likes discipline. Even as a child, most children don’t like to be disciplined. But sometimes it’s necessary.
“Bottom line: If I was told I needed to go to anger management or take training based on an investigation conducted at the request of the board of commissioners, I’d have to take a look at that. But it’s up to the chairman to decide what he’s going to do. I can’t make him go.”
The commissioners on Feb. 9 directed Hendrix to take all disciplinary actions stemming from the investigation into Human Resources Director Norma Jean Brown’s allegations of race and gender violations by Yearwood and department director Lyn Clement.
Archer told the board that he could find no corroboration for claims that the two had violated federal or state laws, but he did conclude that they broke county policies prohibiting conduct offensive to employees.
Hendrix on Feb. 10 issued a letter of reprimand to Clement, requiring him to take a board-approved management course.
Hendrix also issued a reprimand to Brown for not notifying the commissioners that she had had her staff place in her personnel file a written rebuttal to an earlier reprimand over her actions at a community event in early 2009.
Some commissioners have alleged that Brown’s action against Yearwood and Clement were a diversion to deflect attention from the board’s discovery of the rebuttal days before she filed her complaint with the BOC.
However, Brown has flatly denied that the two matters were related.
You, the citizens of Barrow are just simple little fools. You rant, you rave, but that's all you can do. You can't make me do anything I don't want too. Remember I have an attorney that you, the citizens, PAY for to defend my actions AND I have unlimited funds to spend on her.
Signed
Your king,
Danny Yearwood
Face it-the voters have the only power to reign him in and that is by recall.
Mr. Yearwood, Thank you for ending wasteful spending. You have done a jam up job on that front. You are almost as good at this job as you have been every other job you have ever had... Wait, YOU'VE NEVER HAD A REAL JOB BEFORE... My bad.
Your failures as a government official, business man, and all round human being must be very difficult for those close to you to handle. I know it has no affect on you, because if it did, you would resign and demonstrate humility. That concept is foreign to you and we are the ones with egg on our collective faces.
This week college students all around the state have been protesting about proposed budget cuts to higher education. Let's learn from them. Enough is enough. The Chairman's behavior is only self-serving. Remember his campaign promise as "Chairman for the People".