Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
County Manager Shannon Metty once again finds herself in the crosshairs of critics, her contract at stake.
Listed on the agenda for the coming Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, is an item calling for a discussion of the county manager contract. The item was placed on the agenda at the request of Commissioner Gene Hall.
In recent weeks there have been a multitude of letters sent to the newspaper, along with a string of emails and exchanged comments on social media both criticizing and supporting Metty.
It’s not the first time that Metty has been the subject of criticism and requests for her ouster as a county manager. In July of last year, she narrowly survived a 3-2 vote by the board to terminate her position without cause.
The issues then involved Metty’s alleged mishandling of several issues, including a legal advertisement placed in the newspaper without board authorization, the long-delayed submission of the county’s revised comprehensive plan to the state, and a pro-developer bias on her part, from the point of view of some of her critics.
This time around the criticisms again largely center on her performance, with critics blaming her in large part for the county’s failure to secure any of nearly $170 million in grants that the state recently distributed to rural communities across the state.
Whatever the outcome of the discussion, it will likely be long and contentious. The commission meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m. in the courthouse annex at 435 W. Walnut St. The meeting can also be viewed online.