By Linda Dean Cooper
Open Letter to Levy County Commissioners
You are not trained nor qualified to perform human resource duties nor is it in your job description!
The Levy Supervisor of Election website lists the duties of elected officials and states the following:
The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative and policy-making body of County Government. The Board establishes policies through the enactment of ordinances and adoption of resolutions. The Board adopts the budget and makes all budget decisions with regard to appropriation of funds to county departments, divisions, and some Constitutional Officers in accordance with State Statutes.
The Board of County Commissioners normally holds meetings twice a month. The five members of the Board of County Commissioners are elected countywide. The Board appoints the County Administrator and the County Attorney and CONFIRMS the appointment of department heads.
On Tuesday afternoon, January 16, after interviewing five candidates for the newly created Public Information Officer position, you selected Mary Ellen Harper of Trenton. That same night the Town of Bronson’s selected Harper as their new fire chief out of seventeen candidates. She cannot serve two masters, especially in emergencies which is a main component of a PIO and fire chief job description, and specifically cannot serve two independent government agencies.
This appointment did not go through the proper process for selecting the PIO. Your job as a commissioner, as I understand it, is to confirm the selection of human resources and county coordinator choice which they have selected through their proper process and vetting procedures.
I read the resumes of the five candidates and as you know I sat in during the interviews. I ranked Harper 4th out of the five candidates. In my opinion, she was not even close to the other three candidates in experience or qualifications.
Harper is the daughter-in-law of Tommy Harper, a prominent Chiefland farmer who sits on the Planning Commission. In my opinion, this selection by both government entities is clearly motivated by their hope of political gain, not the best interest of Levy County. Brooks and the Meeks’ cousins are playing politics and only have their best interest at heart, not the taxpayers!
Very, Very, Very, Sincerely,
Linda Dean Cooper
Williston, FL
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Posted January 22, 2024
