Sometimes a U-Turn is a Good Move

Before delving into this week’s topic I would be remiss if I failed to offer a public appreciation to the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office.

Last Saturday TCSO hosted a fundraising motorcycle ride to benefit their school teachers. Specifically, proceeds from the ride were used to purchase gift cards to help teachers pay for items needed in their classrooms. It is a shame that teachers have to pay for such needs out of their pockets and without doubt the gift cards helped.

My wife and I participated in the ride and Talbot County residents should be proud of the department for the effort TCSO put into the ride and into keeping the riders safe.

The ride staged at the new Talbot County Recreation Center in Talbotton and it is a very nice facility. The county commissioners and recreational department did an excellent job and should be proud of the facility. Talbot County residents that have not seen the new center should make a point of visiting it.

We look forward to the Cruisin’ for Classrooms Motorcycle Rally next year.

Now on to this week’s topic.

ANYONE that drives long enough will inevitably make a wrong turn. When that happens, a simple U-turn can serve to get one back on track – no muss, no fuss.

At the beginning of last week, the Harris County Commissioners were set to hire a person as the new county manager. It appeared to be a done deal, just waiting for a formal vote during an upcoming regular meeting.

In the middle of the week that all changed as social media posts made by that individual surfaced. There is insufficient column space to highlight those social media posts here, but word quickly spread around the county as people realized the individual would be unlikely to fit well in the county.

Information regarding the individual’s social media posts also reached the commissioners. It is unknown how many of the commissioners were contacted, how often they were contacted, or how many people contacted them, but it did happen. The commissioners do listen, and the more people that contact them with verifiable information and legitimate concerns – the more they listen.

It did not take long – about 24 hours – before the commissioners realized they might have made a wrong turn and quickly made a U-turn to get back on track.

IT should be noted the commissioners are not totally at fault in this. They had other people involved in the analyzing of candidates seeking the county manager position. At a minimum those people should have looked beyond applications, resumes, and references, and viewed the social media posts of the candidates because that is where one can learn about people. Apparently they either did not, or failed to see the issue. Either case represents a reprehensible failure or their part and further need for their services should be called into question.

Of course, some of the responsibility for not discovering those social media posts does fall on the commissioners but it was a simple case of trusting someone else to do a complete job without checking they did it. The result was not only embarrassing, it could have been a disaster for the county.

But let’s also give the commissioners credit because when they realized they might have taken a wrong turn, they quickly made a U-turn to get back on course.

And for that we should thank them.

That’s my opinion.

Andy Kober can be reached at andykober@hotmail.com