You Got Served!

      What are the chances of the AIM covering this? I know they've pulled in their horns on coverage of County political issues lately (for some reason that's beyond my comprehension), but this story deserves a headline.
       Speaking of which, did I just overlook it, or did they miss last night's Council fiasco? They're covering Oconee County's little soap opera like a glove the past couple of weeks using a freelance writer, but they're covering Anderson County's tragicomedy like an NBC sitcom. What's up with that?
        I'm not being critical of the AIM, by the way. I'm sure they have good reasons behind their editorial judgments, but some of them just haven't made sense lately in my most humble opinion. I really would prefer to get my news from the local newspaper most of the time, not from talk radio and ATZ. (Although it is nice when we occasionally get the jump on both of them.)

      What are the chances of the AIM covering this? I know they've pulled in their horns on coverage of County political issues lately (for some reason that's beyond my comprehension), but this story deserves a headlie.
        Speaking of which, did I just overlook it, or did they miss last night's Council fiasco? They're covering Oconee County's little soap opera like a glove the past couple of weeks using a freelance writer, but they're covering Anderson County's tragicomedy like an NBC sitcom. What's up with that?

-jdtippett

Take a closer look JD. The AIM has become ... ummm ... very bland when it comes to covering local politics. If they touch something political in Anderson County, it's well after the heat has cooled from it.

Nice to know a tube of Fixodent has more bite than the editorial staff at AIM.

Don't get me wrong. I do like the stories I read, but they are all weak ... e.g., things I read in the Sunday Paper, but 7 days a week now.

Look for a PM - I can explain in greater detail.

- SSHM

Sonny & Cher said it best:  "....and the beat goes on and on and on and ON!

I SAID before, THIS AINT OVER YET.  I AM DELIGHTED THE FIRST OF MANY numerous lawsuits ARE IN THE PIPELINE by employees and those erred against.

As far as AIM....it's pretty bad when back-alley Welch has more interesting things to say than AIM does.

I for one am glad that Mr. Cunningham is going to take this to court. He did nothing wrong. Even the 5 council members who fired him said he was great at his job....

Good for Michael Cunningham. I hope he gets a significant settlement.

The 5 council members who voted to dismiss him seem to hang their hats on the position that "he didn't have a valid contract."  OK, then why did they twice, by their own admissions, try to amend that contract? Why would anyone amend an invalid document? It was obviously just a part of their plan to get rid of anyone with ties to Joey Preston.

Those 5 should have lived up to their statement at the first meeting in January that they were not looking to fire Mr. Cunningham. He should have been left in place to do his job.

Go Michael!

Was there a payout?
JK

Was there a payout?JK

-centrist-view

Not YET!

 Hold on Toto I feel a storm a brewing  The story has broke on the AIM website. What I find funny is that Waldrep & Moore refused to comment... You would think they would have something to say, after all they had no problems running their mouths any other time....

Mike Ellis, of the Independent Mail, has just published the paper’s side of the story “Cunningham Sue County”. Click here http://www.independentmail.com/news/2009/apr/22/cunningham-sues-county/.

Art,

How can you link a story and leave all the good parts out, hmmm?

Here, for the click-fobic among us:

The legal paperwork, filed Wednesday, also alleges serious ethical violations by council members.


The lawsuit, filed by Greenville attorney Brian Murphy, says that prior to taking office council chairman Eddie Moore asked Cunningham if he would fire a list of employees if Moore presented him with a list.


The list has not been made public and Moore said it does not exist. The list has been mentioned in two other legal cases.


Investigative accountant Bob Daniel refused to answer questions about the list during a March 20 deposition. A pending Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the county and Moore also seeks the disputed list.


That is not the only allegation of improper behavior by council members in Cunningham’s lawsuit.
The filing indicates that council member Bob Waldrep, the head of the committee that recommended firing Cunningham, told Cunningham he would need to do exactly what council members told him to do in order to remain employed.


“Waldrep also threatened (Cunningham) with essentially a war of attrition over litigation fees, stating that, if (Cunningham) sued and won, the county would continue to appeal the matter to such an extent that (Cunningham) and his family would not be able to financially sustain the case,” the lawsuit says.

Rut-ro!!!

- SSHM

I'm telling ya, this is gonna get FUN in the next few weeks! 
Mr. Daniel fubar'd himself by refusing to answer, and now he'll be prosecuton witness #3.  That list from LAST YEAR is showing how the membership had it out for employees. 
Michael Cunningham gave them over a dozen attempts to rectify their error before this came to a civil case.  All rebuffed, and thats good enough for me to decide the next course of action.
 The current council is doing more harm than good, and the filings of lawsuits has not even hit it's stride.  Moore, Waldrep and Dunn are going to be named on more suits than Armani.  The best course of action is to distance themselves from their allegience with Driver and those quackers in the audience and get back to basics.

This case is easy to try and a no-brainer as a payout plus damages.  The minutes speak for themselves. "we have no intentions on firing you sir".

 As I said before, contracts with Anderson County ain't worth the paper they're written on, unless you hire a lawyer!

Art,
How can you link a story and leave all the good parts out, hmmm?

-sshm

SSHM,

Good Job and good lead!

SSHM,
Good Job and good lead!

-art-kaldas

I agree, you know that old saying " the truth will always come out" I think that is now happening. Well at least one can pray, I would love for this county to get back to real business instead of this monkey business that has been going on for the past 4 months.

Some additional information obtained from the legal paper work filed by Mr. Michael Cunningham against Anderson County includes the following:

·         Individual members of council also began attempting to instruct Plaintiff directly to carry out instructions that were contrary to actions authorized by Council, directly contrary to the settled principle that Council only acts as a body and that no individual council member has authority to instruct the County Administrator.

·         The New Council has been seeking to circumvent the Council-Administrator form of government and impose a de facto council form of government that was not chosen by the people of Anderson County and that does not act as a body.

·         Mr. Eddie Moore provided Plaintiff with a written letter to provide ‘notice to you of the reasons for your removal.” Moore makes numerous allegations that do not involve any wrongdoing on the part of the plaintiff. Nowhere in the written notice does Moore allege that “cause” exists under Section 3(A) of the Master Employment Agreement or that Plaintiff ever refused to perform his duties.

·         Plaintiff requests trial by jury on his claim of termination in violation of public policy and that he be granted all available relief including, but not limited to, an award of lost wages, lost fringe benefits, front pay, punitive damages, and attorney fees.
Some have estimated the above requests to exceed $700,000.

Our next million dollar man, courtesy of this council!

Sonny & Cher said it best:  "....and the beat goes on and on and on and ON!
I SAID before, THIS AINT OVER YET.  I AM DELIGHTED THE FIRST OF MANY numerous lawsuits ARE IN THE PIPELINE by employees and those erred against.
As far as AIM....it's pretty bad when back-alley Welch has more interesting things to say than AIM does.

-wyatt1sc

You know, Wyatt, you have a point.  I do think that the AIM should seriously consider hiring Stan Welch.  It would be a real gall for them to do so but he DOES get readers.  Note the statistically significant (see, I have to put in them high dollar words now and then!) increase in subscriptions in the Williamston Journal since Mr. Welch has been there.  He makes a lot of us mad a lot - but we do READ the stuff he puts in the paper.

Butch -- are you reading this and considering saving the paper?  Get a reporter who will pull in subscribers!

That is a great idea Queen!

I know I would NEVER EVER purchase AIM again if that ever happened. I have had the paper delivered to my home since I moved here. Why would I want to pay for a paper that he writes in,after all I already buy enough toilet paper.

Who wants to bet which lawyer Cunningham DOESN"T use? Discovery will be soooo much fun! Joey, can you say subpoena? Wyatt, it is amusing in the extreme to watch you get excited about legal proceedings. If you ever actually win one, you'll pee your pants.