Published by
Dick Schaefer, Unpaid, Part-time Contributing Writer and Amateur Investigative Reporter
"Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." ~ Sir Walter Scott
NOTE: THIS IS A PRELIMINARY REPORT. MORE TO COME AFTER WE REVIEW AVAILABLE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDINGS.
Two eyewitness sources called this morning to inform
Hermann Hearsay that Presiding Commissioner
Ron Jost angrily lashed out at Hermann Alderman
John Penning, one of the attendees at this morning's Gasconade County Commission Meeting at the Courthouse.
Jost is reported to have jumped up from behind his desk as he then came out into the public seating area where the elderly
John Penning was seated.
Jost towered over the seated
Penning in an angry, threatening way. At that point,
Jost demanded that
John Penning leave the meeting or he (
Jost) would ask that the Sheriff have him removed.
Jost then declared the public portion of the meeting closed and cleared the meeting room of all attendees which included other citizens and members of the press. At that point, the Commission went into a planned closed session meeting to receive a preliminary report from the state auditors.
(Photo insert above right courtesy of Anna Wiegenstein at HermannNEWS.com.)
Hermann Hearsay will be purchasing a copy of the video tape recorded by
Charlie Brown today so that we can review the angry exchange between
Ron Jost and
John Penning. We will also be reviewing an audio recording of the meeting made available to us by one of the meeting attendees. We will report more details to you later this evening or tomorrow just as soon as we can sort through "who said what".
Note:
Jeff Noedel of
CountyNewsLIVE.com posted an article on his "news" website just 22 minutes after the Commission Meeting abruptly ended. In his article,
Noedel "spins" the story to his own personal suiting.
Noedel published his "preliminary teaser report" in such a way as to make it appear that both
John Penning and
Matt Penning were the villains in this morning's meeting.
Noedel has thus far not reported very much about what led to this incident which was something that occurred at last Thursday's Road Department meeting. We will be monitoring
CNL's "reporting" on this story. The question is ... Will it be another one of those secret hidden postings available to paid subscribers only? Or will
Noedel publish his report for all the world to see?
Anyone in Hermann who has cable TV should make plans to watch or record the video tape broadcast of this morning's County Commission Meeting which will be aired tomorrow (Friday) on the City of Hermann's public channel. This morning's County Commission meeting was apparently very exciting, but it was also extremely disfunctional ..... just as so many of them have previously been !
Once again, we have further undeniable, graphic, video-recorded proof that
Ron Jost is neither intellectually nor tempermentally fit to lead this county. And with the latest reporting by
Jeff Noedel, we see that no matter what the substance of the wrong-doing or unprofessional conduct by
Jerry Lairmore or
Ron Jost, the reporting by
CNL is always spun so that the blame is cast upon someone else. This morning, it just happened to be the elderly father of
Matt Penning who got "thrown under the bus" so
Lairmore and
Jost could be protected.
During this morning's meeting,
John Penning, a Hermann Alderman, confronted
Jerry Lairmore about calling his son a "lieing son-of-a-bitch" at last Thursday's Road Department meeting in the presence of Presiding Commissioner
Jost (who did absolutely nothing to stop it) and three county employees. Amazingly,
Noedel has found a way to make the story about
John Penning telling
Jost to "shut up" and
Matt Penning's efforts to bring the county' tire purchasing problems to light rather than to make the story about the gross unprofessionalism of
Jerry Lairmore and the failure by
Ron Jost to maintain decorum at the County's Road Department Meetings.
Ain't it interesting that Presiding Commissioner
Ron Jost managed to find the intestinal fortitude to confront citizen
John Penning for "being out of line" during this morning's meeting but could not find that same intestinal fortitude to confront Southern District Associate Commissioner
Jerry Lairmore exactly one week ago for "being out of line" for badgering, brow-beating and calling his colleague a "lieing son-of-a-bitch"? Double standard, Mr.
Jost?
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