Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

This is in response to the editorial entitled “Supervisors are party poopers.”

It seems to imply that I and five other supervisors don’t fully appreciate our sheriff’s department, and only one supervisor “got it right.”

In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth. I would ask you to consider the following.

Law enforcement puts their lives on the line for us and they are truly appreciated. What about the hours teachers put in above what they are compensated for? How about the gut-wrenching jobs of our social workers? How about the many hours of volunteer firemen and women? Volunteers who also risk their lives to rescue us and save our property in a fire and get no compensation? So many others who work hard for county departments to make our lives better. All of them are appreciated and all certainly deserve a gift and dinner at retirement. But can we afford to spend tax dollars to do that?

We are a struggling county financially. In my opinion, years of spending that maybe made political sense, but not sound business sense, got us here.

Some examples?

Lunches before supervisors’ meetings. Cost was about $100 a month. Supervisors agreed more back then. Meetings were about 30-40 minutes of smooth sailing. Our county now has a $14,000,000 courthouse that will be just as costly to operate as it was to build. The judges didn’t make us spend $14 million nor did historic preservationists. Nope….only supervisors voted to spend that amount of money and build something that fancy.

Remember the BBQ party that I uncovered in looking at receipts for which no business purpose was listed?

How about the receipts for other dinners at restaurants that had no business purpose or list of attendees?

How about the receipt that clearly showed alcoholic drinks were purchased?

By not having oversight on expenses we have landed in a hole. And some would have our limited tax dollars pay for more parties?

I resent that anyone would say I don’t appreciate the people who work in the sheriff’s department. Of course, I do. In January 2019 the BOS was presented with a need for new communications equipment for sheriff, schools, rescue and fire. It was for $5.7 million dollars to lease equipment. I spent hundreds of hours making sure we got the very best communication equipment we could for them; while looking out for the taxpayers who will pay for it. The result is we are purchasing a P25 Motorola system for much less money.

Go back and search the recordings. Which supervisor voted against this needed system yet presented as in favor of the $5.7 million lease system? Did he did it right?

Yes, I greatly appreciate law enforcement, ALL county employees and volunteers. But we can’t spend tax dollars for parties. However, as I have mentioned in many forums, I am glad to personally contribute to any such private efforts to show my appreciation.

Kay Pierantoni represents the Wylliesburg/Red Oak District on the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors. Her email address is kmpierantoni@gmail.com.