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Continued From 1A
THURSDAY. OCTOBER 26. 2023 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 11A
THE END OF AN ERA - (l-r) Public Safety Director Sloan Elrod, Talking
Rock volunteer firefighters Glenn Payne and Larry Keener, County Fire Chief
Tim Prather. The volunteer station which serves the north part of the county will
be replaced by a paid station. Payne and Keener are the last of the long-time vol
unteers but will continue alongside the paid crews.
County
When asked about the resig
nation, he said he wasn’t
going to elaborate at this
time. When asked about the
uncertainty swirling around,
Boggus agreed that was an
accurate statement.
Boggus had served on the
development authority since
the administration of Billy
Newton more than 20 years
ago and had been the chair
more than a decade.
He had been an original
member of the airport author
ity when it formed more than
10 years ago and later was
elected chair.
Following the Thursday
executive session, the board
approved an agreement with
Angie Davis of Jarrard &
Davis to be the new county
attorney.
The response to the Open
Records request includes this
statement from the county:
Chief Tax Appraiser
holds up a warning sent to
him showing he came
through the Hill City School
speed zone too fast. Dobbs
admitted to his speed as a
warning to others that the
system is in use and come
November 9th, there will be
real tickets. Dobbs ques
tioned whether the blinking
“While Pickens County dis
agrees with certain state
ments contained in Mr.
Landrum’s resignation letter
and specifically advises that
the County makes no allega
tions against Mr. Landrum,
Pickens County wishes Mr.
Landrum well in his future
endeavors. The County looks
forward to working with the
newly appointed County At
torney, Angie Davis, and her
team at Jarrard & Davis.
Pickens County has no fur
ther comment with respect to
Mr. Landrum’s resignation.”
In other business at
Thursday’s meeting:
• The county signed a se
ries of agreements to take
over fire protection for the
area served by the volunteer
department at Talking Rock.
The volunteer department
was independent of the city
government.
The county will lease the
current fire station in Talking
Rock town hall until a new
station can be constructed on
lights were working as he
didn’t recall seeing them at
the time of his infraction.
His question about the lights
will be passed along to the
state who handles the lights
on the state routes.
A full story on the
school speed zones can be
found at
PickensProgress.com.
property purchased from the
town last month.
The commission chair and
County Fire Chief Tim
Prather said they were mov
ing forward with plans for the
new station, which they hope
to have constructed and oper
ational by “this time next
year or before.”
The county stepped in
after the ISO rating increased
following a 2022 inspection
which found they did not
have enough volunteers and
insurance premiums jumped
to maximum levels.
Chief Prather said they
will begin using paid fire
fighters at the new station
and will have the ISO re-in
spected, which should lower
insurance costs for all the
homes in the area. It is up to
the ISO inspectors when they
could come back.
Prather said Talking
Rock’s volunteers had been
one of the first to form in the
county and one of the last to
switch from volunteers to
paid crews. Two of the lead
ers of the department, Chief
Larry Keener (37 years of
service) and Glenn Payne (30
years of service) were hon
ored during the meeting.
Several people com
mented this was the end of an
era - the volunteer fire de
partment.
In the recognition of
Keener and Payne, Chief
Prather said it was a disserv
ice that all volunteers hadn’t
been recognized for the years
they put in. He said they had
let a lot of hardworking men
and women slip away and
pass away without acknowl
edging the amount of hard
work and hours away from
home it took to operate as a
volunteer fire department.
Prather, who started his
career as a volunteer here,
said it is hard to imagine
what it took to get a volunteer
department started. They
took “junk,” old equipment
wherever they could find it,
retro-fitted water tanks on old
trucks and hold numerous
fundraisers for gear.
Keener, who was the chief
of the Talking Rock depart
ment, said he started 37 years
ago, when he was hired to
wire the station and they re
cruited him while there.
He said for people like he
and Payne, it “had been a
long ride.”
They were commended by
Stancil and commissioners
Josh Tatum and Josh Tippens
(who is a volunteer fire
fighter).
Volunteers were also rec
ognized by Sheriff Donnie
Craig who said in his early
days of law enforcement with
few deputies on the road,
they often called volunteer
firefighters to assist in calls.
And former Fire Marshal
Curtis Clark, another early
volunteer, said the amount of
hours put in is unbelievable.
Clark also praised the leader
ship of our county fire chief
and his predecessors to see
this county move forward
with paid departments.
• County 10 percent
below budget at end of
third quarter - Finance Di
rector Miranda McDowell
gave a positive report with
the county running overall
about 10 percent below
budget at the close of the
third quarter of the year.
• In an emotional public
hearing, the county declined
to abandon a portion of a cul-
de-sac in Hunters Ridge so
that the adjacent lot owners
could use it. The couple said
their property is unuseable
without it. There were oppos
ing opinions on how feasible
the half cul-de-sac was for
turning around large trucks.
Trick or
Treat
times
Several neighbors opposed
the abandonment saying it
was needed. Commission
Chair Kris Stancil said the
law is clear that if even one
person objects, the county
can’t abandon a road.
Trick or Treating will be held through
out Jasper from 5-7 p.m. on Hal
loween, Tuesday, October 31 st.
Main Street will be
closed down begin
ning at 4 p.m. for
Trick or Treaters.
School Zone
Speed Warning
Resignation letter from Phil Landrum
Jarrard & Davis .LLP
222 Webb Street
Cumming, Georgia 30040
Angela E. Davis
Partner
ADAVIS@JARRARD-DAVIS.COM
Phone: 678-455-7150
Fax: 678-455-7149
WWjARRARD-DAVIS.COM
VIA EMAIL ONLY
October 24,2023
Dan Pool
Pickens County Progress
dpool@, pickensprogress.com
Re: Open Records Act Request dated October 23, 2023
Dear Mr. Pool:
This office and the undersigned represent Pickens County, Georgia. The County received
your Open Records Act request dated October 23, 2023. In accord with O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, et
seq., Pickens County hereby responds to your requests within three business days of receipt.
Your request seeks the following: ".. I would like the resignation letterfrom former County
Attorney Phil Landrum submitted to the county as well as any written response from the county. ”
Please find attached the only record responsive to your request, which has been redacted
for attorney-client privileged information pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(40). Due to the de
minimis number of responsive pages and time required to compile same, there is no charge for
providing these records.
By way of further response, Pickens County asked me to share with you the following
statement of the County:
While Pickens County disagrees with certain statements contained in Mr.
Landrum’s resignation letter and specifically advises that the County makes no
allegations against Mr. Landrum, Pickens County wishes Mr. Landrum well in his
future endeavors. The County looks forward to working with the newly appointed
County Attorney, Angie Davis, and her team at Jarrard & Davis. Pickens County
has no further comment with respect to Mr. Landrum’s resignation.
Kindest regards.
JARRARD & DAVIS, LLP
Page 2 of2
Sincerely,
JARRARD & DAVIS, LLP
/s/Angela E. Davis
Angela E. Davis
AED/bpt
end.
Landrum & Landrum
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
95 STEGALL DRIVE
POST OFFICE BOX 400
Piiii,m. Landrum, III JASPER, GEORGIA 30143 Pun. M. Landrum, Jr.
(706) 692-6464 EMERITUS
(706) 692-6656 (Facsimi le) pmi, M. Landrum, Sr.
1907 - 1990
Susan Landrum
1944 - 2001
October 19, 2023
Kris Stancil, County Commission Chairman
Josh Tippens, County Commissioner Post 1
Josh Tatum, County Commissioner Post 2
1266 East Church Street, Suite 188
Jasper, Georgia 30143
via hand-delivery
Commissioners:
Chairman Stancil informed me Monday that he had a chance to discuss things with you in
Savannah at the ACCG meeting, and the three of you reached a consensus to relieve me of my
duties as county attorney. Subject to the promise that he and Commissioner Tippens had made,
tiie Chairman said that I would be allowed to address you at my final meeting; however, he did
tell me that the decision had been made. On Monday, as I am sure you are aware, he relieved me
of my duties, and he said that the three of you wanted my immediate resignation.
I do not want to make an argument for employment with those that have determined that they do
not want to work with me. Therefore, 1 resign as the three of you have requested. The three of
you have determined that I am not a worthy expenditure of taxpayer money, and you were elected
to make the determination as to how to best spend the money of taxpayers.
However, in addition to that determination, you have accused me of incompetency and unethical
conduct. These allegations are not true; therefore, they must be refuted.
These allegations are apparently based upon a transcript of an interview where I agreed to help
county
I'fhat transcript was the product of a cross-examination of me by attorneys you had hired.
Letter to Commissioners
October 19,2023
Page 4
Letter to Commissioners
October 19,2023
Page 3
I have always approached my service to the county with the mindset that I have a responsibility
to provide constructive solutions in a manner that minimizes taxpayer liability. I approached the
interview with your attorneys with that same mindset, and it blinded me as to its infeirogative
purpose.
Although I don’t understand why it is required, that cross-examination should give you the
opportunity to twist my answers into the false narrative that is, apparently, desired. Your
attorneys did very well. Based upon my expectations of the intervie w created by your Chairman,
I was very unprepared for the questions asked.
Letter to Commissioners
October 19,2023
Page 2
1 am not unethical, and I am not incompetent. The transcript is not an
accurate representation of my competence. It is an accurate representation of an incompetent
response to an ambush.
Letter to Commissioners
October 19,2023
Page 5
I hesitated about writing this letter. I know you wanted a two-word letter that said “1 resign” with
my signature. In fact, that was within the threat conveyed to me on Monday. It is also what my
attorneys have advised me to do and what I would have advised anyone else to do. However, as I
stated above, because of the serious and false allegations you have made, 1 am required to create
this record.
The experience of having a client hire other attorneys to cross-examine me was surreal; l wonder
that I justified the trouble. In tire coming days, I am sure I’ll also experience the agenda you have
set in play.
This community was very good to my family, and I felt an obligation to repay that goodness to
this community. Apparently, some of you thought I was wasting my time.
Phil M. Landrum, III