"Me thinks thou doest protest too loudly!"
That was my take-away from this morning's Gasconade County Commission Meeting when Sheriff Randy Esphorst came before the County Commission meeting in regular session to protest being audited. Sheriff Esphorst complained about having to subject his department to a financial audit by a private firm contracted to do these audits by the Missouri State Auditor's Office. Audits of Gasconade County offices are conducted every four (4) years by state law.. The last two audits of the county were performed during 2002 and 2006.
Commiserating together with Sheriff Esphorst and also loudly protesting about the state's auditing process were Presiding Commissioner Ron Jost, Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore and County Clerk Lesa Lietzow. The ONLY other elected county official present at this morning's County Commission meeting was Northern District Associate Commissioner Matt Penning. Notably Commissioner Penning DID NOT PROTEST. A careful observer would have concluded that Penning's silence and unwillingness to loudly protest the financial auditing of county offices spoke volumes!
In his article dated 6/24, Jeff Noedel, Publisher of CNL reported as follows:
"Associate County Commissioner Jerry Lairmore (south district) objects to the auditors' meeting with each of the county's three commissioners individually, in private. Lairmore said in today's meeting that the auditors ought to interview the commissioners together, in open meeting."
Noedel made no comment about Lairmore's protestation on the matter of meeting with the auditors individually and in private. I must say, however, that I found it at least curious that Lairmore would protest so loudly to meeting with the auditors individually and in private. Again, Commissioner Penning DID NOT PROTEST. Evidently Commissioner Penning has no reservations about meeting with the auditors individually and in private.
Seated from left to right: Jeff Noedel, Jerry Lairmore, Ron Jost and Matt Penning.
Wait a minute! Has Jeff been elected to the County Commission? Aren't members of the press supposed to sit out in the public seating area? (I apologize for the poor quality of this photo. It was taken with my Nokia cellphone. You see, here at Hermann Hearsay, we just can't afford a nice $3,000 digital camera!)
There were, of course, numerous other matters discussed during the meeting, but I will leave it to the other reporters attending the meeting to report to you everything else that was discussed. All Hermann news organizations were represented at this morning's meeting: CountyNewsLIVE.com (Jeff Noedel), HermannNews.com (Anna Wiegenstein), The Hermann Advertiser-Courier (Don Kruse) and Hermann Hearsay (Dick Schaefer). I am proud to say that a nice photo of Larry Miskel, Mike Jacquin and me discussing a matter of interest during one of the many lulls in a typical Jost-led meeting appeared on CNL. (Next time I'll wear a clean, crisp white shirt and one of our classy HH silk neckties!)
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Looked like a picture of the three stooges to me.
ReplyDeleteDick you have to help me on this one, If you are voted in to an office to serve the people why wouldn't you welcome an audit to make sure everything you do is right? I've talked to a few people about this and everyone is just dumbfounded, Am I missing something? Are these people that stupid to say this in an open meeting? Martin
ReplyDeleteGood to see Larry Miskell at the meeting! This should give him a clear picture of the way these guys operate! Clyde
ReplyDeleteWell said, Martin!
ReplyDeleteDick Schaefer
Why is Jeff Noedel so "cozy" with Jost, Lairmore and Lietzow? I hear that he meets with them back in the Clerk's office after the public portion of the commission meeting is adjourned. I don't believe Don Kruse, Anna Wiegenstein or Dick Schaefer participate in these little "group hug" sessions!
ReplyDeleteBarry