16 APR 07: DAYS OF JUDGMENT

On some recent Mondays, we've had to scrape a bit for updates from the Russell County town of Hurtsboro. Not so this week. With a legal judgment against the Mayor, complaints about a city park and someone with issues all over town, it's a wonder that tornado last week wasn't directed to wipe out everybody.

Let's start with the legal news, which involves Mayor Sandra Tarver. Her Jet Adult Day Care Center reached a settlement this past week with East Alabama Medical Center, for unpaid bills. The Mayor will have to pay $12,880.93. If any more city paychecks are late, some employees REALLY will ask questions.

The "consent judgment" involving Hurtsboro's Mayor was filed in Russell County Court Wednesday, on the eve of a trial. (My apologies for putting the wrong date on the case; it actually was scheduled for Thursday.) Even so, Sandra Tarver will have to pay more than 240 dollars in court costs. It's so kind of her, to help pay Judge Albert Johnson's salary....

So what about the mayor's main antagonist, Constable R.J. Schweiger? His contempt of court trial keeps getting moved back on the Russell County calendar. It's now scheduled for May 1, but a motion filed this past week would delay the case until mid-June. This only increases the chances that the Constable will forget to show up one day, and risk arrest.

Speaking of the Constable, we were quite surprised to receive e-mail from him the other day - actually an "open letter to the Mayor":

Sandra Tarver

Hurtsboro City Hall

P.O. Box 358

Hurtsboro AL. 36860

Mayor Tarver:

Thank you for addressing my concerns about theCDBG PROJECT (Park improvement) and inviting further input on my part. I intend to follow this project every step of the way!

In fact, I talked at length with Director Bill Johnson today; and he assured me that NO funds will be released without careful review.

Late this afternoon, I had a phone conference with Mr. Johnnie Streeter; who will be the overseer of the project from beginning to end. He informs that; the consultants who do the initial evaluation are largely untrained and do make positive assessments of every application. This is why you may feel that you have succeeded in your effort to date!

From now on- every draw down request, will require verification that The work is being done to specification. In your vaugely written Enviormental review there were many things left to question. And I think a reticent public has the right to definite facts and figures before we invest in a low priority need. This isn't free money - you have committed the city to $15,000.00 that we do not have!!!

Mr. Streeter broke the cost share down in the following way. $10,000.00 in cash and $5,000.00 in kind. I understand that there is no surety required - just your committment. Mr. Streeter acknowledges that he has been in this kind of situation before -But he assures me that he can get BLOOD OUT OF A TURNIP! He also said if funds are extended the committment is binding!

Mayor Tarver, Bob Corwin is not your friend! He is in it for the commission - and the commission only! For once in your life, take heed. Concentrate on public safety and health concerns. Do not mire the City further into debt on this ill conceived project.

Mr. Streeter told me that there was nothing further I could do; to stop this project. He said the only thing left to do was to say,"I told you so!" I anxiously await that opportunity!

Constable R.J. Schweiger

If you've been following this series, you may recall the Constable decided to "deliberately distance myself" (his words) from this blog two months ago [19 Feb]. Perhaps he's finally decided it's better to befriend a "buffoon" than have no friends at all.

R.J. Schweiger can correct me if I'm wrong, but this open letter seems to refer to the recent Alabama state grant for equipment at Hurtsboro's town park. The Constable appears ready to check every detail of this project - although I suspect someone will have to slam-dunk a basketball for him, to confirm the goals are ten feet high.

It's also clear from this e-mail that Constable Schweiger considers health a more important issue in Hurtsboro than an improved park. But can't the two concerns go hand in hand? Children who exercise in the park may be less likely to become obese - but of course, for safety reasons their parents will have to drive them to the park in locked cars.

The state of Alabama is providing about $125,000 in grant money for park equipment, so a $15,000 commitment from the city of Hurtsboro is small by comparison. But if Constable Schweiger is right and the city doesn't have the money - well, you won't mind restaurant ads on the basketball backboards, will you?

Bob Corwin is a new name in our Hurtsboro discussion, and I'm admittedly not sure why R.J. Schweiger is warning Mayor Shirley Tarver about him. I didn't find Corwin's name on the petitions from last year, asking for Alabama state intervention -- so maybe he's a smarter hunter than the hunters from out of town, who signed them.

But as it turns out, the "open letter" from the Constable is NOT our only e-mail concerning Hurtsboro this week. Someone else wrote us first, and at length:

Wel, It is obvious that Russell C. Ounty is none other than "CON" stable Bob Schweiger. Just a note about the City Grill......The CON is not allowed in there. Nor is he allowed in Mamies Restaurant....also would like to clarify that both black and white eat at both restaurants. And the food is better at Mamies. Also, The person you mentioned from the JET Center is none other than Mayor Sandra Tarver-Yoble (She got married). The Police Department is now down to ONE, yes that's right. The Mayor and Town Counsel got together and decided to reduce the part timers pay from $10.00 per hour to $9.00 per hour. As a result everyone left but the Chief. Now, it seems to me that the Mayor and the Counsel would being doing things to attract officers, not lose them. They have done their best the last few months to make things miserable for ALL city employees though.....they are not just descriminating against the police department. They have been known to withold paychecks for as much as a month. This Mayor and City Counsel will be the downfall of this town. They are pompus and arrogant and do not have the citizens best interrest at heart. This town has been torn to schreds on a psycholigical level because of the selfish, immature, and possibly criminal things that they have done. That is part of the reason why the CON has a little bit of a following. They do not believe in him but they like his message against the city government. It's too bad that none of the good citizens of Hurtsboro have enough backbone to stand up to the Mayor and Counsel. I'm beginning to think that the best thing for the town is for it too dissolve and turn back into country. The Mayor and Counsel are doing their best to drain it's bank accounts, and run away the good employees....they are worthless! Just turn everything over to the County and let the town become a memory to the "old timers" I want to make one thing clear before I close. I DO NOT support the CONstable in his mean spirited, hateful, hurtful tactics. There is a warm place reserved for him somewhere.....but he is an athiest, so it won't bother him as much. I digress.....Neither do I support the Mayor and her Counsel, by the way they can't get along either. I DO support the people of Hurtsboro, who deserve better, and the city employees (what's left). There are a lot of good people in Hurtsboro who would give you the shirt off of their back, even if they didn't have another. If you research the median income in the town you might find that it is well below the poverty level, yet taxes, and water is very expensive. Now that there is no grocery store people have to rely on others to drive them 30 miles away just to get groceries. The gas station has jacked their prices up since they no longer have any competition. This makes many of the people go into fight or flight mode. I predict that many will move because they simply cannot afford to pay the high price of food and transportation that has been left at their doorstep. There are no jobs in Hurtsboro unless you are one of the business owners, or their offspring. There is no reason for anyone to go to Hurtsboro unless you teach at the elementary school or head start. If you look at the building that houses the police department you can see why no one wants to bring a business to Hurtsboro. So, why all this information now? Well, I just want your readers to know that a few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch. There are a few REALLY bad apples in Hurtsboro and they have really hurt the town in ways that will last decades....and maybe centuries. Hursboro is not an oasis in the sand.....it is the Sahara Desert....and the vultures are circling.

God Bless

Oh dear - someone is challenging the identity of a "news source" to this blog. At least it's not a county commissioner, accusing Mr. Ounti of identity theft.

Could Constable R.J. Schweiger and buddy Russell C. Ounti be one and the same? Decide for yourself. We've posted handwriting samples from "snail mail" sent by both people in the last few months. I don't claim to be a handwriting expert - especially when I have trouble deciphering some of my own sermon notes from church.

We've been calling the mayor Sandra Tarver because the court filing against her adult day care center shows her name that way. There's no one named "Yoble" in the current Hurtsboro phone book - and you know, Bob Corwin isn't listed there either. AT&T must be making a pile of extra charges for unlisted numbers, from all the feuds in this town.

While this writer claims to be against Constable Schweiger, it sounds like he/she would agree on several points made here. Take the small staffing of the police department. It was the Constable who warned last year Hurtsboro was an unsafe place - although he never specifically claimed the Mayor and City Council were the prime suspects.

I hadn't heard about the city of Hurtsboro withholding paychecks for a month. A few weeks ago, WRBL heard complaints from workers who went two weeks without a check [28 Feb]. Uh-oh - Megan Bradley reported that story, and she hasn't been on the air for a few weeks....

Maybe this writer should have signed Constable Schweiger's petitions to Montgomery, requesting state intervention in Hurtsboro. Or perhaps he/she should contact the Russell County Commissioner whose district includes Hurtsboro - although that person may only show up at the local restaurants at reelection time.

(As for which restaurant is better: we do our blog dining reviews based on unannounced visits - but that might be hard in Hurtsboro. Based on what Mr. Ounti has written, the manager of at least one place may be ready to kick us out the door.)

We'll save a check of the Hurtsboro economic data for another day - but we can't forget another "snail mail" letter from "Russell C. Ounti" which came the other day. He reports the mayor prefers to be called "The Honorable Sandra Tarver." I may have quoted here before what Jesse Ventura said, when he first entered public office in Minnesota: "You win an election, and suddenly you're honorable. Yeah, right."

Mr. Ounti's latest letter introduces yet another new name in the Hurtsboro hubbub - Joan York, whose husband chairs the Hurtsboro Water Board. Judging from the last e-mail, I'm a bit surprised this town HAS running water....

Mr. Ounti claims Joan York is upset with an article Constable R.J. Schweiger wrote recently in the Union Springs Herald. That weekly paper doesn't seem to have a web site -- so we don't know what he wrote, or why she might be upset. Besides, a drive to Union Springs might mean stopping at that high-priced gas station on the way.

We appreciate all the interest in this allegedly dying town, and we'll keep the Monday updates going as they're warranted. Now let's other Sunday items from around the area:

+ An old tire dump caught fire in rural Chambers County, potentially burning more than one million tires. Fire crews decided the safest thing to do was to let the dump burn -- inviting hundreds of stock car racing fans to head to the scene, and smell the burning rubber.

+ The Columbus Museum held a "Family Fun Day," encouraging children to take an interest in art. There's a child in my neighborhood who draws very nice "chalk art" on a sidewalk - and that child has a great future marking tires for parking tickets downtown.

+ The "Car Guys" from NBC-38 visited Hummer of Union City, for what smelled strangely like an infomercial. They informed me the dealership performs a "112-point inspection" of used vehicles. I think that's more points than the Atlanta Hawks have scored in most games this season.

+ The CBS Evening News reported Atlanta is one of only two major league baseball teams with no African-American players. Isn't Hank Aaron still a front-office executive with this team? Or is he too busy running that Krispy Kreme shop on Veterans Parkway?

+ Instant Message to WEAM-AM: You're a sports radio station owned by Davis Broadcasting, right? Then why didn't you broadcast the Sunday night baseball game in Los Angeles, marking 60 years since Jackie Robinson's major league debut? Just because Tom Joyner over on an FM station can't stand baseball....

COMING SOON: Oh, you're asking if I feel better?....

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