It was a shot heard ‘round Barrow County’s tumultuous political world.
But in the end, the email sent last week by Barrow County Board of Commissioners Chairman Danny Yearwood appeared to wound only his own political hide.
The result was a very public political isolation of the chairman by his own supporters and it raised the question of his ability to influence future big decisions by the BOC.
Earlier last week, commissioner Steve Worley had offered a budget that eliminated seven full-time positions and one part-time position and called for a one-mill tax hike as a way to balance the county’s FY2011 budget. The county’s CFO Rose Kisaalita called the plan “very realistic.”
In response last Wednesday, Yearwood fired off an email to Kisaalita in bright red letters that praised the idea, but also called for her to submit a budget that would close one fire station and cut the sheriff’s spending by 10 percent on top of earlier cuts.
“Rose this is great work,” Yearwood’s memo read. “I believe this could be accomplished just by cutting sheriff 10% & closing one fire station. With the cuts commissioner Worley put forth the only thing that would have to be implemented is the lay off of the employees. There would be no need to raise taxes.”
But the result of that memo was a fierce backlash from firefighters, the sheriff and others that left the chairman as the only voice for additional cuts.
One by one, each member of the BOC said Monday night that they didn’t support Yearwood’s plan to cut public safety staffing, a stinging rebuke from the chairman’s own supporters among that group.
BACKLASH
Over the weekend, county fire officials launched a vigorous “Save Your Station” campaign to undermine Yearwood’s bid to close one fire station in the county. As a prelude to that, interim emergency services chief John Skinner sent out a scathing memo about the idea.
Just weeks earlier, Skinner said he and deputy chief Bryan Bullock had met with Yearwood and been assured there would not be any fire station closures.
He said he knew nothing about Yearwood’s new plan until shown a copy of the chairman’s email.
In addition, an angry Sheriff Jud Smith met Yearwood’s challenge head on at Monday’s meeting.
In a prepared statement, Smith bitterly complained that Yearwood had come up with his last-minute proposal without input from either him or the fire department’s management.
For more on this story, see the August 11 edition of the Barrow Journal or click here to read the full story online when you subscribe to our new e-edition. 
But our public safety remains intact. The EMS saved my Mom's life. She had a heart attack and literally mere seconds saved her.
Public safety is top priority. I want to thank all firefighters, EMS and police that compromise their own personal safety to serve and protect. Remember who the heroes were in 9/11. Please support them and their families.