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SPORTS, 1B
Honestly Local
Marshal’s captain quit amid complaints
County looks to move forward after investigation cites mismanagement, ‘bullying’ employees
BY MEGAN REED
mreed@gainesvilletimes.com
Capt. Andre Niles, who
resigned Aug. 9 from lead
ing the Hall County Marshal’s
Office, said during an investi
gation into his behavior that
his leadership style was “not
a martini or a margarita”
but rather a “straight shot of
whiskey.”
That leadership style made
some employees feel uncom
fortable or intimidated, one
of whom filed a formal, writ
ten complaint about a hostile
work environment created by
leaders who were “bullying”
employees and treating them
unequally.
That complaint kicked off an
internal affairs investigation,
completed by the Hall County
Sheriffs Office at the request of
the county’s human resources
department and obtained in a
written report by The Times,
in which employees of the
office said Niles ran personal
errands with employees during
the workday, gave inconsistent
instructions and then berated
employees publicly, made
derogatory statements about
women’s appearances and
used derogatory nicknames
for county administration,
including “Pissy Pants” and
“Gobble, Gobble,” in front of
subordinates.
The original complaint
was filed July 4 following an
■ Please see NILES, 5A
Niles
HUNGER IN HALL
Hie tough decisions
Parents share stories of hardship in feeding a family
BY LAYNE SALIBA
lsaliba@gainesvilletimes.com
The Gills used to take their
kids to Dunkin’ as a reward
after a good week at school.
The kids would get a dough
nut or a drink and they’d all
enjoy it as they sat around
and ate. That doesn’t happen
now.
The Gills sometimes
aren’t sure of how they’re
going to afford groceries for
the coming week.
“Dunkin’ was their
reward,” said Janine, the
mother of the family. “We
don’t have no rewards for
them now. We can’t because
we don’t have the money to
give them rewards. I mean,
it’s hard.”
When things are really
hard, Janine’s husband Rob
ert said he will sometimes go
without a meal. If he doesn’t
go completely without food,
he’ll at least eat much less
than the rest of the family
just to make sure they get
their fill first.
“What I’ll do is I’ll make
enough for her and the four
kids,” Robert said. “I’ll wait
until they’re done eating and
ask if they’re done and then
I’ll finish what they eat. That
way, it’s not going to waste
and we’re all eating.”
After paying for the roof
over their head, the fam
ily often has to weigh what
in their life is second most
important — the phone bill,
car insurance, payments on
their storage locker or food.
“Do I take this $20 and put
it in the car for gas or do I go
buy food for my kids?” Rob
ert said. “I’m going to buy
food for my kids. I can walk
to work. I’ve done it before.”
■ Please see FAMILY, 6A
SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
The Gills are a hardworking family. Both Robert and Janine work to support their children,
but they still find it hard to put food on the table at times because of different circumstances.
Food insecurity
spans community
BY LAYNE SALIBA
lsaliba@gainesvilletimes.com
Monica Newton can’t help but picture each of her
patients sitting in front of her when she thinks about
food insecurity.
It’s a struggle that affects one out of every 13 peo
ple in Hall County, according to Feeding America.
At 8% in the most recent data available, Hall’s food
insecurity rate is in line with most of North Georgia’s
counties. It’s not as bad as some counties in middle
Georgia and parts of southwest Georgia, which range
anywhere from 15% to 27%.
Food insecurity is a struggle Newton said spans
“the cross section of our community.”
“It’s there, it just hasn’t reached the level of atten
tion I think it probably needs to,” said Newton, chair
of primary and urgent care for Northeast Georgia
Physicians Group and a program director for fam
ily medicine residency at Northeast Georgia Medical
Center. “I think we’ve relegated it to something that
■ Please see HUNGER, 7A
Many agencies
combating hunger
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
Private and public resources abound in Hall
County to help residents cope with food insecurity.
And as Mary Alice Swope, who runs the South
Hall Community Food Pantry in Oakwood, has dis
covered, those services often intersect.
“There’s quite a lot of paths that people take,” she
said.
Many residents learn about her center, which is
behind the city’s swimming pool
on the Oakwood First United Methodist Church
campus, through the Georgia Division of Family
and Children Services.
Hall County has dozens of such pantries. Many
are based at an organization, such as church.
Other organizations, such as the Georgia Moun
tain Food Bank, have a mobile pantry, while others
are sponsored by a group, said Beth Oropeza, direc
tor of The United Way of Hall County’s Compass
Center.
The Compass Center is a general resource center
helping people find the right services and providers.
■ Please see HELP, 4A
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