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THURSDAY. JULY 12. 2007 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 11A
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Fairmount guardsman sues Holly Springs
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Citizen of the Year award
and Reemployment Rights Act
(USERRA).
A federal labor law estab
lished in 1994, USERRA was
set up to ensure that non-career
military service people do not
have to face unemployment just
because they are required to
temporarily leave their civilian
jobs for military duty. It pro
hibits workplace discrimination
against employees who serve in
the military, and may be absent
at times because of that service,
according to Marger and co
counsel Charles Fulcher.
Listing the instances of
unfair treatment, Wells said in
June 2006, he requested that his
superiors enroll him in supervi
sor training, which would quali
fy him for a promotion. He was
told by the new police chief that
he could not take the superviso
ry classes, because there was
not enough funding to send him,
Wells said.
But in August, the chief sent
another officer to the supervisor
training. That officer had been
of lower rank than Wells before
Wells was deployed to Iraq.
Later in 2006, Wells applied
for a new lieutenant’s position
that was opening in the depart
ment. After an “informal” inter
view, Wells said he was denied
the promotion, and the lower-
ranking officer was given the
job instead. Wells was reas
signed to a night shift.
In February, Wells told the
new lieutenant that he had filed
a formal grievance with the
United States Department of
Defense Employer Support of
the Guard and Reserve. He
complained to that agency that
he had been denied employment
opportunities that were granted
to other employees who had not
been absent due to military obli
gations.
Wells said after notifying the
department that he had filed the
complaint, he was ordered to
receive a psychological evalua
tion to determine his fitness for
duty. The evaluation stated he
was fit for duty.
“They're saying I'm crazy
because I want to serve the citi
zens of the United States and
the City of Holly Springs,” said
Wells.
Furthermore, in March Wells
received a 14-page “fabricated”
disciplinary report accusing him
of numerous violations of
department policy, written by
the captain and the new lieu
tenant. Wells said the report
contradicted an “outstanding”
evaluation he had been given in
December 2006.
Then, after informing the
chief that he may be ordered to
deploy for Guard duty in the
Republic of Georgia in April,
Wells said he was forced to
retire.
In their response to Wells’
lawsuit, the police department
denies all of Wells’ accusations
of unfairness, retaliation and
discrimination.
In a press release sent to the
Progress by communications
firm The Ledlie Group, the
Holly Springs Police
Department says Wells “elected
to retire from the City’s
employment. He was neither
asked nor forced to retire,”
It says the City “treated
Michael Wells in compliance
with all applicable laws.”
Furthermore, the press release
says the police department
delayed announcing the new
lieutenant’s position to allow
Wells to apply for it upon his
return, and the officer they pro
moted instead is also a military
veteran.
“Over twenty-seven percent
of the City’s workforce has
prior military service,” says the
press release.
Representatives of the City
and police department would
not comment on the lawsuit
beyond what was stated in the
press release.
Wells denies he ever had any
intent to retire from the Holly
Springs Department.
And, he says, “It’s not about
money.” Under USERRA, there
are no provisions for monetary
rewards other than back pay.
Since his employment was
terminated with the City of
Holly Springs, the Georgia
National Guard has called him
up on “special orders,” to give
him steady employment.
“The National Guard is help
ing me provide for my family,”
said Wells, who is married and
has two young children.
When asked why he chose to
serve the National Guard and
the Holly Springs Police
Department in the first place.
Wells replied, “I’m capable of
helping to defend my country,
and it’s an opportunity to serve
the citizens of Georgia, Holly
Springs, and the United States.”
While in Iraq, Wells served
as security detail for battalion
command, and assisted intelli
gence officers in tracking the
enemy.
Marger said in response to
the publicity generated by
Wells’ case, two more Georgia
National Guardsmen, who are
also police officers, have con
tacted him with similar com
plaints of discrimination by
their employers.
Nomination Requirements:
The Citizen of the Year does
not have to be a member of the
Pickens County Chamber of
Commerce.
Such an award will be deter
mined primarily based on servic
es and benefits rendered to other
people, to other objectives, and
to the community as a whole,
over and beyond excellence in
one’s own profession, business,
service or enterprise, and will
extend over a period of two or
more years.
The candidate must be stable,
well-known and respected in his
or her community. The nominee
must have been a resident of the
community long enough for
other community members to
judge him or her fairly.
The candidate should actively
participate in several communi
ty-oriented projects, which are
beneficial to the community as a
whole. The welfare of the com
munity should be of primary
importance to the candidate.
Accomplishments over the
candidate’s entire lifetime may
be considered, but emphasis
should be given to those
achieved within the past few
years. Candidates should be at
least 40 years old.
Wealth or social position
should not be a criterion, only
achievement which has affected
the betterment of the communi
ty-
The candidate should have a
fairly consistent “track record”
for accomplishments, rather than
being honored for a single brief
act of merit. There could be
exceptions for accomplishments
which are truly outstanding.
The most important consider
ation should take into account
what the individual has done to
make our community a better
place in which to live, and for
what he or she has done to aid us
all in living and working togeth
er with understanding and har
mony.
Influencing students and
young people to become respon
sible citizens is an important
accomplishment.
Nominations may be submit
ted by any person having knowl
edge of an individual’s contribu
tion to the community.
Nominations should be in
writing and include information
to support the nomination. They
must be signed by the person
that is making the nomination,
and include the nominator’s
address and phone number.
Nominations shall also
include the address and phone
number of the person being
nominated, in case the Selection
Committee needs to make con
tact for further information.
Previous Citizen of the Year
recipients are not eligible.
The intent of this entire pro
gram is to give recognition to
those citizens who have ren
dered outstanding and dedicated
service to the general progress
and betterment of this communi
ty, and to encourage others to so
participate and became a com
munity leader.
Nomination deadline:
Nominations must be post
marked no later than August 1,
2007
Submit nominations by mail
to: 500 Stegall Drive - Jasper
GA 30143
&
315 North Main Street
Suite 102
Jasper, GA 30143
SCHOOL
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Citizen of the Year
Nomination Form
Nominators name:
Address: Phone:
Full Name of Nominee:
Address: Phone:
1. How long has nominee resided in Pickens County?
2. Is the nominee at least 40 years old?
3. List local community-oriented projects and organizations nominee has been involved with (give
details).
4. Describe local accomplishments of nominee.
5. How has the nominee made our community a better place to live?
6. Please include any other information that supports this nomination.
Nominator Signature Date
“Treatment Strategies and Services
for Cancer Needs”
Dessert and Discussion with the Doctor
with medical oncologist, Salahattin M. Sanal, M.D.
According to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts & Figures 2007,
in the United States nearly 1.5 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed
in 2007, and there will be an estimated 500,000 deaths as a result of cancer.
In Georgia alone, an estimated 35,000 new cases will be diagnosed.
Cancer treatment varies depending upon your type of cancer,
stage of cancer and overall condition.
About Salahattin M. Sanal, M.D.
Dr. Sanal is a new member of
the Piedmont Mountainside
Hospital medical staff. He
Increasingly, it is common to use several treatment modalities concurrently
or in sequence with the goal of preventing recurrence. This is referred to as
multi-modality treatment of the cancer. loin us as Dr. Sanal discusses the
treatment strategies and services for cancer needs.
completed his medical degree
and internship at the University
of Ankara, School of Medicine in
Turkey. He fulfilled his second
Thursday, July 19
6:30 p.m.
Education Room
Piedmont Mountainside Hospital
Registration is limited.
Call toll free 1-866-900-4321 for reservations.
internship at Edgewater Hospital
and his residency at Cook
County Hospital, both in
Chicago. His fellowship was
completed at the University of
Utah, College of Medicine, and
Michigan State University.
Dr. Sanal is certified by the
American Board of Internal
Medicine with a sub-specialty in
medical oncology.
PIEDMONT
MOUNTAINSIDE
HOSPITAL
1266 Highway 515 South I jasper, Georgia 30143 I www.piedmontmountainsidehospital.org