3 Stoogies Ride Again

Chris Adams, Don Kidd and Ray Vandall Screw Amherst Counties Citizens Again

ACVDN

Following a closed session Tuesday afternoon, the Amherst County Board of Supervisors terminated the employment of County Attorney Vaden Hunt in a 3-2 vote.

Supervisors Claudia Tucker and Frank Campbell voted against the action. Kudos to these two new supervisors for exercising good judgement and respecting the tax payers of Amherst County.


“The board chose to terminate his employment due to what we felt was the best interest to all parties involved,” said chairman Chris Adams on Wednesday.    This is a standard statement that means nothing and was used by Adams when Rodney Taylor was terminated.    Adams lips are moving but his brain is on vacation.
 
Adams did not provide a specific reason for the decision, but said that board members had no “ill feelings toward Hunt.”    Chris Adams never provides reasons for the actions he takes and if he alludes to a reason that reason changes on a daily basis.    His account of the actions in the Rodney Taylor termination changed each time he he got trapped into adressing the issue. Imagine for a moment what they would have done to Hunt if they harbored ill feelings.
 

Hunt, who has been county attorney since December 2007, said Wednesday that he was terminated without receiving a performance evaluation or any indication that the board was displeased with his job performance.    The employeement of Hunt saved the citizens of Amherst County over a hundred thousand dollars a year over what was being charged when services were contracted from local attorney Tom Shrader.    The arrangement with Shrader had lasted for five years and ending it with the employeement of Hunt and was one of the improvements that Rodney Taylor instituted to save the county money.    When Adams, Kidd and Vandall terminated Taylor it cost the County an additional $34,000 to replace him.    How much will this latest action by the three Stoogies cost the citizens of Amherst?    It has become clear that Adams has some personality disorder that precludes him getting along with others.

“I don’t believe it’s justified in any way,” Hunt said during the meeting, according to an audio recording provided by the county. “You took a 3-2 vote to terminate me for, in my opinion, no reason.”

 

Hunt also questioned why the board would terminate his employment without first offering him a change to resign or a transitional period before the termination. These board members are thugs and don't adhere to any of the standard practices of business.

“It pains me to see a board not act like gentlemen,” Hunt said at the meeting.    “I’ve never come close to anything in my career like this.”    Chris Adams, Don Kidd and Ray Vandall make a lasting impression on another unsuspecting employee of Amherst County.    Hopefully the voters will shake off their apathy and replace these three at the earliest possible opportunity.

 

Following Hunt’s comments, the board voted to provide him with a termination allowance and approved his employment through a transition period, though the length of this period was not specified. Since these members operate with No Code Of Ethics Hunt was lucky to embarris them into an act of standard courtesy.

Tucker, who opposed the move, said Wednesday she was caught off guard by the vote and did not agree with the outcome.   “I think that with everything that we’ve got going on in the county right now, the idea that we are asking for our county attorney’s resignation is pretty irresponsible,” she said.    Tucker is spot on with her assesement.   “I was embarrassed by the board’s vote last night.”    When you are forced to hang out with the three stoogies you will be embarrasssed.    My apoligies to Tucker and Canpbell. The voters of Amherst County owe you a better set of supervisors to work with and hopelly they will deliver soon.

She and Supervisor Frank Campbell, said they were not given enough time to evaluate Hunt’s performance.    “The reason I voted no is because on my time on the job he’s always done what he’s been asked to do,”  Campbell said.    “I don’t know why he was asked to resign.”     Campbell and Tucker said that Adams had assured them in previous discussion about Hunt that they would have six months to consider his job performance before a vote.    It appears Adams had planned this move for quite some time by having that conversation with Campbell and Tucker.

 

Hunt has worked for the county since December 2007, when the board unanimously voted to hire him on as staff attorney.    His original salary was $60,000, according to former County Administrator Rodney Taylor.   Before hiring Hunt, the county contracted legal services from local attorney Tom Shrader for five years.

 

Adams and Supervisor Don Kidd were both supervisors-elect when Hunt was hired and publicly stated they opposed the move.    Adams and Kidd liked contracting the work to Tom Shrader and objected to Hunts hire.    Ray Vandall seems to have jumped in bed with these two around the time of the Taylor termination.    Adams, Kidd and Supervisor Ray Vandall voted for Hunt’s termination.

 

Adams said the county would most likely fill the staff position, rather than enter into an outside contract for legal services.    They have terminated Hunt against whom they bore no ill will (or so they say) and will not contract out the work (this was not a move to get Tom Schrader back in the mix) but rather hire a replacement for Hunt (Someone to do the same thing at a higher salary).    Who does Chris Adams think he is fooling?    Are these three bozo crazy?

The board will instruct County Administrator Lee Lintecum to go about advertising for the position in an upcoming meeting, Adams said.

The Board is spending your tax money and acting on your behalf.     Maby You would like to attend a meeting every now and then, Maby Not.
Amherst County Virginia Democratic News