Charter Commission back on
Mayor’s veto overridden
The Anderson County Charter Commission is back.
Forced back, it seems, by a lawsuit alleging the Charter Commission is not fulfilling its obligation.
Last month Anderson County Commission approved extending the Charter Commission.
That approval was vetoed by Mayor Terry Frank, leaving the body with no legal means to reconvene.
Monday night County Commission voted to override the mayor’s veto … So it can fight the lawsuit.
And here’s where it gets tricky: County Law Director Jay Yeager told County Commission that if the Charter Commission could not meet, could not face the lawsuit, who knows what could happen.
The plaintiffs, led by Mark DeVol, could win the suit and the county may be required to go through the whole process of electing another Charter Commission, or even be required by a judge’s order to draw up paperwork to begin the process of forming a charter government.
“I just don’t know,” Yeager told Commission. “That would be up to the court.”
With the suit saying the Charter Commission allegedly has not fulfilled its duty there were some harsh words bandied around.
Most notably from Commissioner Jerry White. “We met for 12 months … Twelve meetings and at every meeting V.L. (Chairman of the Charter Commission V.L. Stonecipher) had open mike night and nobody, not one person, came forward and said anything.”
The Commission passed the motion to override the mayor’s veto 14-2, with White and Robert McKamey voting no.