Pulaski County Commissioners Vote to Support Policy Change for Deputies
The Pulaski County Council and Commissioners will consider a controversial policy change during a joint meeting next week. Deputies with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office contend they lost vacation and personal time when the county switched to calculating them by hours instead of days. That’s because they work 12-hour shifts, while most other county employees work seven hours per day. Continue reading
Pulaski County Commissioners Hire New Maintenance Supervisor
Pulaski County has a new maintenance supervisor. The commissioners voted unanimously last night to hire Winamac native Jeff Johnston, contingent on his passing a pre-employment drug screening. He will oversee maintenance and upkeep of all of the county’s buildings. Commissioner Larry Brady noted that a number of qualified individuals applied for the job and says their resumes will remain on file with the county. Johnston replaces longtime maintenance supervisor Morry DeMarco, who was fired last month by the commissioners.
Court Filing Seeks Release of Names of Kenny Becker’s Accusers
The legal battle over longtime Pulaski County Highway Superintendent Kenny Becker’s firing continues. He was reappointed by the county commissioners on January 7th, suspended with pay on January 22nd so allegations raised by a current and a former employee could be looked into and reinstated as highway manager on February 4th following an investigation by an outside consultant. Commissioner Larry Brady served as interim superintendent, and Becker was subsequently fired by the commissioners on March 4th. He’s since hired an attorney and filed a $500,000 notice of tort claim against the county commissioners for slander and defamation of character.
Pulaski County attorney Kevin Tankersley reluctantly released a copy of the consultant’s investigation report after being ordered to do so by the state Public Access Counselor’s office but redacted the names of Becker’s accusers. The new filing seeks to force the release of that information, noting “the Commissioners have failed to comply fully with the requirements of the Open Door Law.” It also states the names are necessary for possible legal action by Becker for slander and defamation of character.
Pulaski County Commissioners Name New Highway Superintendent
A veteran Pulaski County Highway Department employee is the new county highway superintendent. Commissioners voted unanimously during last night’s regularly-scheduled meeting to hire Mark Fox. He’s worked the past nine years under Kenny Becker, who was fired by the commissioners last month after his controversial paid suspension in January and subsequent reinstatement as county highway manager under the supervision of commissioner and interim highway superintendent Larry Brady. Fox was one of four applicants interviewed by the commissioners. Before voting to hire him, commissioners also voted to change the work week for county highway employees to Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Brady voted against Commissioner Terry Young’s motion, leaving president Tracey Shorter to cast the tiebreaking vote.
Pulaski County Commissioners Face Open Meetings Law Violations
Pulaski County Highway Department Manager Seeks Clarification
The recent action by Pulaski County commissioners to strip the highway superintendent of his title and make him the manager has raised questions about the chain of command for road repairs. Commissioner Larry Brady is serving as acting superintendent until lingering policy questions are resolved. Meanwhile, Kenny Becker says a couple of roads need to be repaired, including a section of 200 North between 500 and 600 West on his property where a ditch is caving in. Becker told the commissioners if work isn’t done soon, the county may lose the entire road.
Highway department saga dominates Pulaski Commissioners meeting
Information is slowly emerging about the recent suspensions with pay of longtime Pulaski County Highway Superintendent Kenny Becker and office manager Lin Morrison and subsequent investigation by the county commissioners. Both are back to work, although Becker has not been restored to the superintendent’s job. He’s handling the day-to-day duties and reporting to commissioner Larry Brady. The suspensions occurred after commissioners received reports of criminal activity, which county attorney Kevin Tankersley acknowledges were unfounded. Continue reading
Attorney anticipates filing in Pulaski County Highway saga
The attorney for two Pulaski County Highway employees who were suspended last month by the commissioners pending an investigation into unspecified complaints anticipates taking legal action against the county within days.
Former highway superintendent Kenny Becker and administrative assistant Lin Morrison have both retained Valparaiso attorney Steven Bush. He’s preparing a tort claim notice to be filed against the commissioners, county attorney and auditor for defamation of character, among other things. County officials have yet to provide any specifics about the nature of the investigation or give Becker or Morrison a copy of their findings. Bush says their stonewalling is “offensive” to his clients and to the dozens of people who packed the commissioners room and spilled over into the hallway prior to the Feb. 4 commissioners meeting. Visit https://www.contant-law.com/ to get a lawyer.
Pulaski County Commissioners Enhance Accountability Through Key Regulation
It’s all about accountability, said Pulaski County Commissioner Larry Brady, who expressed his desire to ensure county employees only have keys to the courthouse doors and their own offices. He told his fellow commissioners and the department heads in attendance that he would like all county building keys to which the commissioners have access to be stored at the county 911 center.
Pulaski County Officials Sworn In Yesterday
A number of elected Pulaski County officials were sworn into office yesterday in the commissioners meeting room in the Pulaski County Courthouse. Among those sworn in were two county commissioners: Terry Young was sworn in and will serve once again as county commissioner, and Larry Brady, who underwent his first swearing-in for his new position as county commissioner for District 2.
Three Contested Races in Pulaski County
Absentee voting is underway in Pulaski County with three local contested races: County Commissioner District One, County Commissioner District Two, and the County Council At-Large position.
Republicans Kenneth Boswell and Terry Young compete for the position of County Commissioner for District One, while Republicans Larry Brady and Michael Tiede battle for District Two. The County Council At-Large position is contested by Republicans Brian Ledley, Steven Nellans, Roger Querry, Douglas Roth, and Jerry Sullivan, Jr.
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
