The longest day of the year supposedly is today, June 21, the summer solstice. So says the calendar, but I know the truth of it.
The longest day happened last week at Leader World Headquarters, when I pored through the Leader’s story morgue, trying to figure out who did what to whom in the feud between Jefferson County Executive Ken Waller and most of the County Council, and who is more at fault. I scrutinized political posturing, maneuvering, manipulation and falsehoods.
Conclusion: There are no white hats in this debacle of dysfunction, and fault lies with everyone in county government who has participated in the war or hasn’t tried to stop it.
Immersing myself in the tawdry details felt like being back in junior high, stuck in an eternal loop that never led to ninth grade.
Like being strapped in a dentist chair and discovering – too late – that the Novocain wasn’t working.
Like being locked in a room with 10 fiendish sixth-graders running their fingernails endlessly up and down a chalkboard.
Eeek! Yes, I do get paid for this job. But not enough.
The feud has wasted time and taxpayer dollars, damaged credibility and possibly caused an ulcer or three on the part of officials who can’t stop their pummeling while blaming others for punching first and harder. Isn’t everybody sick to death of this?
Congratulations to those Leader readers who have digested all the stories stalwart county government reporter Steve Taylor has written about the battle royale. Keeping up has been hard work.
Research in hand, I’ll try to shed some light on who dun wut. But cherry-picking is required; there’s been too much poisonous water over the bridge to tell it all.
■ In December 2016, the County Council voted 5-0 against Waller’s reappointment of then-council member Jim Kasten to the county Port Authority. Kasten, who had served on the authority for eight years, was incensed, and so was Waller.
Often a strident critic of other council members’ actions, Kasten said his ouster was political payback.
Not so, his colleagues claimed, and cited Kasten’s status as Herculaneum city administrator as a conflict of interest since that town is central to the port plan. No examples, of course, of how Kasten’s day job had ever caused a problem.
Kasten eventually resigned from the council, saying his service there was giving him a stomach ache. Oh, and after a foe asked the state Attorney General’s Office whether Kasten’s multiple roles (on the council, school and water boards, plus his city job) created a conflict. The AG said yes, and Kasten said, Buh-bye, I was quitting anyway.
On Kasten’s way out, then-County Council chairwoman Renee Reuter remarked, “It’s been a pleasure to work with him.”
Doubting you meant that, Renee.
■ In July 2017, six months after Waller appointed Reuter to serve with him on the East-West Gateway Council of Governments Board of Directors, he pulled her off. Waller said it was one of his toughest decisions ever (not so sure about that), but noted they didn’t get along (truth).
Reuter called Waller’s action “unfortunate,” but said she was happy to have more time for her day job as an attorney and County Council service. (Happy? Don’t think so.)
■ Since March 2017, Waller, Reuter and company have been squabbling over – drum roll – who could remove chronic absentee members from zoning boards.
Now, this is going to get complicated.
-- Waller wanted that power, and sued the council, spending $6,000 of taxpayer money. Reuter reportedly hired a legal firm without proper permission from the council, then got the council to backdate her action to square it with the county charter.
-- Waller’s suit was dismissed, and the firm Reuter hired sent a bill to the county for $77,610.56.
On advice from county counselor Tony Dorsett, Waller and county Auditor Richard Carter III refused to pay the bill, because of the backdating.
-- The County Council took its revenge by forcing an amendment onto the county budget to strip a job each from Carter’s and Dorsett’s offices (and also filed a pending ethics complaint against Dorsett).
Waller accused Reuter and friends of punishing Carter and Dorsett, but she denies it.
“We were just trying to amend the budget. That’s all,” she told Taylor.
-- In the background, someone (identity undisclosed) alleged to the AG that Reuter illegally directed the destruction of emails rather than turn over invoices on legal bills tied to the dispute. The AG filed suit against her and the council. Pending.
-- County Councilman Jim Terry went overboard while trying to get administrative assistant Pat Schlette to turn over council member emails about the whole thing, and Waller signed off on a request for a court order of protection against the council on Schlette’s behalf. A few weeks later, Waller said, oh, never mind, an executive order would work just as well, and pulled back the court order request.
-- Carter and Dorsett resigned and Waller threatened a shutdown of county government over clerical discrepancies in the budget.
Waller is running later this year for county clerk, having decided to opt out of seeking a third term as executive. Did he say something about the job giving him a stomach ache? Lots of others should leave the ring, too.
Kudos to councilmen Dan Stallman and newbie Dan Darian, who voted against the budget amendment that clearly had Carter and Dorsett in its crosshairs. Darian aptly called the shenanigans “ridiculous.”
Imagine if we could start fresh with some new county leaders who are more dedicated to serving their constituents than constantly trying to jab their adversaries in the eye. Imagine how much useless effort has gone into ploy, counter-ploy and counter-counter-ploy.
We deserve better than this and have a place to say so.
The polls.
