Small but Vocal Group Wins Grass Driveway

The small but vocal self-appointed group comprised mainly of PK Pettus and Kathy Liston won a victory in the new Charlotte County Courthouse saga. In the August meeting Charlotte’s board voted 4 to 3 to close the road between the Bank of Charlotte County and the Charlotte County Clerk’s Office to the public.

Although the previous unanimously approved plan used roads on both sides of the Clerk’s Office and although the “plan allegedly agreed upon in the informal meeting also included two roads with one from Highway 40 and the other from LeGrande Avenue,” the change was approved.

A letter was presented to the board from the Charlotte County Sheriff to P.K. Pettus stating, “I firmly believe that one drive in and the same drive out is the most secure.”

The   approved plan consists of keeping the road between the Bank and Clerk’s office but covering it with “grass matting.” The road/grass strip will be closed to all but emergency traffic.

It is unclear how this plan will prevent the potential criminals fleeing from the courthouse from escaping but after much discussion it was approved.  Chairman Haywood Hamlet stated, “If there was a shootout or something, if I was trying to get out of there I’d probably drive the other way instead of driving across the grass, but that’s just me.”

Following the vote both Liston and Pettus were granted extra time in the public comment period by the chairman to complement those voting for the change and castigate those voting against it.

Although it appears to be obvious that routing all traffic to the road between the Clerk’s office and the Historic Courthouse will create traffic problems and that widening the road will cut into the existing yard of the courthouse, Liston et al are currently happy.  Apparently that and the potentially escaping criminal sometime in the future are all that mattered.

Also in the public comment period Kay Pierantoni of Wylliesburg addressed the board. Pierantoni is concerned that a previous board “hired an expensive lawyer” during the 2004 Special Grand Jury Investigation.

That investigation was the second Special Grand Jury Investigation in 10 years.  Both spent months investigating the board and the Sheriff’s Office in detail. Neither Jury resulted in a single misdemeanor charge against anyone.

I also asked Pierantoni for a copy of the petition that another newspaper and Channel 13 reported was presented to the board. I was told that a copy wasn’t actually given to the board for privacy reasons and that “because I have connections with the board” I couldn’t see it either.

The fact that Courthouse Supervisor Gary Walker married my sister doesn’t make an anonymous petition valid.

As a point of fact stating, “we have a petition signed by (almost or over) 800 Charlotte County taxpayers” but not presenting it to the board is NOT presenting a petition to the board. I was also told “citizens are afraid to publically sign because they have family working for the county, etc.”

In my opinion, an anonymous petition is nothing- just as the anonymous letters we receive are not valid. In addition, my wife’s second cousin in Georgia received an email asking him to sign the petition. This man is not a Charlotte County resident, has never been a Charlotte County resident and is not a Charlotte County taxpayer. We have also received complaints that several people circulating the alleged petition attempted to bully them into signing.

If a group of people have a valid petition with verifiable names they should present it to the board.

If you believe in open and honest government as I do, you should also support open and honest community input.