Angry commissioner stays mum at latest board meeting
By Nick Claussen
Athens NEWS Associate Editor
May 15, 2008
The Athens County Commissioners meeting was a little more quiet — and strange — on Tuesday, because one of the commissioners was not talking to the other two for most of the session.
Upset at the other two commissioners, Commissioner Bill Theisen chose not to speak to them and also would not make or second a motion, vote, or even say he was abstaining from voting during the meeting.
Theisen was angry at Commissioners Lenny Eliason and Mark Sullivan over their position on whether a fourth employee should be hired at the Athens County Dog Shelter.
Last week, he walked out of the commissioners meeting because he was frustrated with how the dog-shelter discussion was proceeding.
During most of Tuesday’s meeting, Theisen would not respond to Sullivan or Eliason’s comments or motions, and remained tight-lipped.
When others came into the meeting, such as Athens County Department of Job and Family Services Director Jack Frech, though, Theisen was friendly and cordial.
“Jack, how ya doing?” Theisen said when Frech came to the table. He participated in discussions on several issues, but only talked with Eliason and Sullivan when the dog shelter issue came up again.
Asked during a break in the meeting (while the other two were out of the room) why he wasn’t talking, Theisen responded, “It doesn’t do any good.”
He said he has brought up the issue of adding a fourth member to the staff at the dog shelter several times, and he does not think the other commissioners are listening to him.
“The money’s there,” Theisen said. With a fourth person on staff, the county dog warden and assistant dog warden would have more time to check houses in the county to see whether dog owners have purchased their dog tags, Theisen said.
The shelter needs to do this to help pay for itself, and the fourth position would pay for itself through the increased dog-tag sales, he added.
“They’re not even willing to discuss it,” he said. Theisen added he is disappointed that at a previous meeting, neither of the other commissioners would even second his motion so that the proposal could be discussed.
Because the other commissioners would not discuss his proposal with him or listen to him, he decided he would not talk to them during the Tuesday meeting, Theisen said.
Asked if he thought it hurt county business not to talk or vote during a meeting, Theisen said he’s not concerned about that.
“Their two votes are sufficient to do business,” Theisen said.
He added that he does not think the other two commissioners were listening to him about other issues as well, such as the sheriff’s request for new cruisers.
Eliason and Sullivan (without any comments or votes from Theisen) chose to table the request from the sheriff’s office until someone from the department attended a meeting to give them more financial information.
Theisen said during the break, however, that he already presented them with all of the information they are asking for.
“I do the research and get the facts, and then I’m ignored,” Theisen said, adding that he might as well just sit and watch the other two commissioners do business.
When the dog-shelter issue came up again during the meeting as part of another discussion with shelter employees Sherry Armstrong and Les Mohney, Theisen and Eliason has a tense argument about how Mohney was hired and the need for the fourth employee. Theisen again raised the issue over how the other two commissioners would not even second his motion to discuss the matter at a previous meeting.
“If you make a proper motion, you might (get it seconded),” Eliason responded to Theisen.
Asked after the meeting about Theisen’s silence during most of the meeting, Eliason said “That’s his choice.” It was surprising to see Theisen not talking, he added.
While Theisen is ready to commit to hiring a fourth employee at the dog shelter, Eliason said he is not ready yet and wants to see the financial figures for April and May before doing so. He said he is not against the idea; he just wants to see more financial figures before making a decision and committing the money.
Sullivan said after the meeting that he also wants to move slowly in making this decision because of all of the money involved. He added that he understands Theisen’s point, but he thinks the county should wait to create this position
“I respect the hell out of Bill,” Sullivan added.
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