Opinion : Letter to the Editor: Concerns of loyalty to taxpayers

Dear Editor,

Wow, Mr. Primmer. I have kept quiet for long enough. Wake up and start putting Benton County first. As an elected local official, I expect you to be above all the collusion and bull**** that occurs in federal and state government.

1. Yet you pulled the bull**** in the hiring of the weed commissioner by getting the job for your grandson. Then you jump parties to back Thompson. Hmmm. Wasn't he on the hiring committee along with the HR director that you hired?

Didn't you also hire the head of the conservation department that sat on your grandson's hiring committee? I guess the employee handbook published on the HR website means nothing.

2. Publicly you said your former HR director helped you "dodge the bullet" on Mr. Atkinson's Veteran Preference complaint. I spoke to him, and he said he didn't want the job any longer because he did not want to report to the board, that he had filed the complaint on.

If you ask me she loaded the gun along with the help of the former county attorney. If you had simply provided the documentation requested instead of stalling and pulling the CYA (cover your a**) move... I firmly believe he would have won his complaint against the county which would have been expensive for taxpayers. He told me he just asked for the documentation that disqualified him.

I believe the board stated they don't do the hiring they follow the recommendation of the hiring committee. This leads to the next point.

3. You fight the new County Attorney, Ray Lough on the hiring of his people. Even when he didn't interview them. Lough had allowed his staff to perform the interviews and decide who they wanted.

But where were you when your grandson was hired? You could have voted no but you abstained. With no smart-a** comments. Then you abstain on some weed commission votes and vote on others with a smart-a** comment. Your handbook is clear on nepotism. Oh, wait was that created by the former county attorney? Then was it updated by your HR director? But hey, you said you would not be involved in the weed commission. So nepotism doesn't exist. Then you handed the whole ball of wax to Mr. Seeman. Or did you really?

4. The final straw was on June 27th with your answers to Ann Jorgensen. WTF? For a guy not overseeing the weed commission, you did all the talking. "George did this… George's plan was this… George and his crew did…" I thought you were not overseeing your grandson.

5. In your questioning of the agreement between Bremer County and Benton County for collections, were you asking on behalf of Benton County or your buddy the former County Attorney Dave who is working for Bremer County?

6. You may also want to check with your employees and understand how your unions work. The managers are not part of the union, they represent the county.

7. Please, I beg of you, get rid of your agenda and represent the county's interest. I have respected you for years and defended your views. But for the last two years, you have chosen to abandon those of us who voted for you.

Disappointed voter.

Francis Thomas