The county had the opportunity to settle out of court but refused. This trial could cost the county, which is already financially broke, millions of dollars it doesn't have.
And to think, Vernon Jones was in office for 8 years.
Click here for AJC article
Monday, March 22, 2010
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6 comments:
I work here, but I hope they bleed the County! They deserve it.
Well Brent Wilson, it's wholly conceivable that a few token whites in key positions were a necessary evil for Vermin to hide what he was really doing. That's a pretty sorry-ass defense, but then again, you're a lawyer, and obligated to pull out all the stops to win.
Racism - in any form - on any level - is just wrong.
I really hate platitudes, cliches, all that crap.......but 2 wrongs don't make a right.
One day, maybe this is how it will be - we judge situations based on their merit and people based on BEHAVIOR, and let appropriate consequences be the result.
Vernon Jones was an EVIL MAN and now the citizens of De Kalb County pay for his new leadership.
Just think Joe Stone the Director of the Merit System is just as RACIST as Vernon. Wait until the tapes are made public again, and listen to him and Morris in conversation.
I want to hear Graham and Flemister again.
Those two taping themselves and commenting on how the officer must think they are idiots is priceless.
The AJC has an article on Jones testifying at his trial. Good 'ole Vern talks a good game, but we know better
"I wanted the best and the brightest," Jones testified in a race discrimination and hostile work environment case brought by former county parks and recreation employees."
In that case Mr. Jones why did you and the BOC institute cutbacks in yearly performance raises and refuse to perform the once-a decade salary study needed to maintain competitive employee salaries with other local governments? Why did you recieve a whopping 50 percent raise and the BOC a 100 percent during the same time period? Why do I work with consultants making a hell of a lot more with less experience and knowledge because our county salaries are so fracken' low that we can't hire competent employees?
"According to testimony, there were 33 black and 61 white upper-level managers in DeKalb when Jones took office on Jan. 1, 2001; by August 2005, there were 60 black and 57 white upper-level county managers."
This is interesting evidence on several levels. There was indeed a concerted drive to place blacks in upper-level management, white managers went from 2/3's majority to less than 50 percent in a four years, the upper-level management positions grew by 25 percent while rank 'n file employees only grew by about 5 percent, indicating management is bloated by at least 15 percent. County demographic employment statistics are no longer released or available to the public. They are easily available with the automated payroll system but the county refuses to publish them. Why are the employee demographics confidential?
"During the call, Stone appears to tell Williams he was angry that the county's new fire chief, David Foster, wanted to promote four white firemen to the rank of battalion chief." and "Stone and Williams testified that the conversation was taken out of context. They said a former high-ranking Fire Department official, Michael Peer, not Foster, had proposed the battalion chief promotions and they opposed them because they wanted to preserve Foster's right as the new chief to make his own promotions.
Foster, however, had already been on the job as chief for two months. According to evidence, he had already asked that a white fireman be promoted to battalion chief and that request was rescinded. Peer is now deceased."
Damn! Can you say perjury? If Stone and Williams cannot tell the truth in a court room, how can we trust 'em out of court?
"During a courtroom break Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Bill Duffey expressed frustration and said he found it hard to accept the defendants' explanation they had just become aware of the letters' existence. "It's very hard to understand," he said."
This is going to cost the county big time, mates! The price tag will likely be 10-20 million after the county loses. Thanks a million, Vern! The county will have to lay-off 500 employees to pay for your arrogance!
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