Lauderdale Tax Dollars at Work in Sheriff's Dept.

Who pays the salaries of Lauderdale County employees? That may sound like a needless question, but it's not something most of us think about. Yes, some of the budget is carved out of sales tax that can come from citizens of other counties or even other states, but most of these salaries come from the citizens of Lauderdale itself. Lauderdale County citizens have a right to expect the best possible employees, but that's not always what we get.

On the flip side, each department manager has a right to choose those who work for him/her and to promote those who are found to be exceptional employees. By exceptional, we don't mean those who buy the most beer for their bosses or wear the largest bra. We realize it's easy to second guess these decisions, but some hires/promotions leave the majority of us shaking our heads at either the system itself or those who actually made these dubious selections.

Recently, the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office had an opening for what is called the Midnight Shift Sergeant. This shift covers 11:00 pm to 7:00 am--the time when you expect most criminals out to be plying their trade. It would also seem to have been a popular job opening since several applied. We understand that among the applicants were:

Brett Martin - A former state trooper
Patrick Davis - Nine years experience, plus college
Randall Haddock
Randall McCreary
Richard Richey - 25 years experience
Tim Ray
Tracy Vanderford - 22 years experience
Others whose names we don't have

So, just whom was selected by Lauderdale County Sheriff Ronnie Willis? We hope you selected "None of the Above" so that you may count yourself the winner of one of today's astute reader prizes. No, it was none other than Deputy Terry Woods. You may remember Deputy Woods, one who has been on the receiving end of several lawsuits for which the taxpayers of Lauderdale County have paid dearly.

Lauderdale Deputy Terry Woods

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Ask someone why they voted in a particular way and you may get some astonishing answers. If you truly want the best for whatever county you reside in, now's the time to start looking into next year's candidates.

We would suggest the voters of any county would not want someone who campaigns to clean up an office but gives his family and friends jobs or who campaigns on family values but has been married five times. No candidate is perfect, but some are better than others.



Shoalanda