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(Continuing the Hinton Daily News & The Weekend Leader)
Water Festival
Volume 89 No. 15
Hinton, West Virginia Tuesday Aug. 7, 1990
25 Cents
ool
+ ~By Fred Long ity for new construction is "our tax
It was another split vote but the dollars and what is mine I don't
S~mers County Board of Educe- want you telling me how to spend it.
tion, Thursday night, approved the And I don't like these crooked, dirty
building facilities plan that calls for politiciansin Charleston and Wash-
a new high school at Base Lake and ingtoncomingdownhereandtelling
the consolidation of some rural me how to spent tax payers money."
schools. Neely called the money for the $7
The plan, which calls for closing million high school a carrot on a
Forest Hill and Pipestem schools stick that is "so corrupt that it will
and the junior high schools at Tel- destroy us in the process. I don't
cott and Sandstone, had been placed want that kind of a carrot."
before the public one week ago for a Neely offered his motion and
comment period prior to sending it Mathewssecondedsayingheunder-
to the state's School Building Au- stood Neely's'feeling. I sympathize
thority(SBA)forpossiblestatefund- with him about closing pur county
ing for a new $7 million high school, schools. It would be a shame not to
Theplanalsocallsforconvertingthe allowhimtogetthisonthefioor." At
present high school building into a the same time Mathews indicated
junior high middle school after the that his second was not a signal that
new building is constructed, he agreed with the motion. Thirty
According to Board president Bill years ago had to sit in this audi-
Dillon the majority of the the corn- ence and see some plane for a beau-
ments, whichincluded severalpages tiful (high) school go dawn thedrain.
of petitions and letters, were "in l had no opportunity that night to do
favor" of the plan. anything. My hands were tied. Not
Sara Brown, the head teacher at so tonight. Regardless of how I will
Forest Hill, said in making her voteonthisiseuelwantMr.Neelyto
comment that she wished+the ele- have anopportup.iW+~toputiton the
mentary schools could stay open "it floor. I for one will vote for a plan to
would be so unfair to prevent all have a new high school in Summers
students from profiting with a new County because this time I have an
high school just so we can keep a opportunity to do something about
couple of elementary schools open ... it."
so go for our greatest need, the high Neely told the audience, after
school." getting the second, that "the only
Vicki Hinerman, head teacher at reason that I ran for this Board of
Pipestem school in making her Education" was because of what he
comment also asked that the "plan called "corrupt" county government
remain submitted as it is presently "dating back to the Dillon days."
written, q worked for the state road when
On a 4 to 1 vote, sending the the Dillon's were here," Neely said,
audience into a rousing burst of "and I was obligated to vote a demo-
applause, Board members approved
the original plan that had been
s~d~itted to the area Regional Educa-
tion Service Agency (RESA I) last
March and three weeks ago was
placed "on hold" after winning the
top position in the six county region
for state funding. But the vote didn't
cratic ticket. I was obligated to haul
voters. Every dollar that I made I
was obligated to put into a political
campaign fund. All of these obliga-
tions; but, you know something, I
kept my mouth shut and when I
went to vote I voted my conscience
and that is what I am going to do
come until after Board member :tonight.
Charles Neely delivered a strong,
and at times arrogant, speech against
the plan. "I can't go along with the
majority, he told the room full of
spectators most of them supporters
of the plan. "I know I'm going to
make enemies anyway I go, but I
would rather be your enemy than to
be my own."
When former Board president
John Lilly offered a motion that was
seconded by Bud Shanks to go for-
ward with the plan; Nsely, in a dic-
tatorial manner, interrupted Board
President Dillon just as he was bring.
ing the motion to the floor and told
Lilly that he could not make the
motion because Lilly, the most out-
spoken proponent of the plan, had
voted against placing the plan on
hold. Although Dillon said he be-
lieved Lilly could make the motion
he refused to recognize it and, after
censuring Lilly for bringing up a
point of order, permitted Dr. Bill
Mathews to place the identical mo-
tion before the members.
Lilly asked for permission to sec-
ond and after getting an okay from
Dillon made the second and the
motion passed with Neely the only
member voting against it.
But before all of this took place
Neely had offered emotion to amend
the plan to remove its consolidation
clients and submit one that called
l~r~onstruction of a new high school
only. The meeting went this way.
"Everybody in Summers County,~
Neely said, is saying"I'm opposed to
a new high school at Barksdale. This.
is a lie. I don't care whois say/ngit."
He said he is in favor of a new high
school but ~the part that I don't be-
lieve in is being bribed."
Neely .said the money that will be
distributed throughou the state by
the state's School Building Author-
"I guess I'm going to make ene-
mies either way. I wish I could
please everbody in Summers
County," Neely continued. I'll tell
you one thing. In making you an
enemy, ifI do, in expressing my true
feelings- I was told in Charleston my
first obligation was to the education
of our children. We can not educate
children without good teachers. So
I'm obligated to teachers. We can
not pay for schools unless we are
willing to pay taxes. I'm not going to
be bribed into something.
"I will vote my conscience clear. I
have got to live with that. I have to
live with what I feel. I don't blame
this Board or anyone else. When I
came on this Board I didn't come
here with any animosity. I came
here because I feel we have some
corruption within the School Board,
not pointing my finger at no one.
But I'm going to say this. Right here
in this central office; when I filed,
and over in the Courthouse when I
filed, they done everything in the
world to defeat me. I can prove this
if it becomes necessary.
"But the people that voted for
me,'Neely went on, "over came that
and I am obligated to all the people
in Summers County and not just a
few. I represent Pipaetem; sure, I
live there, but I represent all of
Summers County. rm going to do
the best that I can for Summers
County. Not me. Not anybody up
here and not any in the school sys-
tem ."
Neely said he did not believe
"busing children for two hours is the
beet" for the children. He corn plained
that the school system did not have
the funds to purchase the property
for a new school and could not come
up with matching money if it would
be needed. "I don't know (if match-
ing money is needed) but I'm going
to find out before I stick my foot in a
hornets nest."
After speaking for several min-
utes Neely said he did not want to
take up all the time and that he
wanted "these boys (refering to the
other Board members) to have an
opportunity to speak their piece."
Bud Shanks said he believed the
new high school "is the best thing for
the future of our students. As long
as I'm on this Board Iql be in favor of
a new school.~"
Lilly and Dillon did not comment
and Mathews called for the vote.
It failed with Lilly and Shanks
voting no, Mathews and Dillon ab-
staining and Neely voting for it.
Lilly immediately offered a mo-
tion to take the facilities plan off
hold and notify RESA I that the
original plan could be forwarded to
the state's SBA for possible funding.
Shanks immediately seconded.
"Amotion,~ Dillon said, ~as been
made by John Lilly, seconded by--"
Neely interrupted, q believe you
are out of order." N ely said+be-
cause of his "understanding of par-
liarnentary procedure that motion
would have to be made by Dr.
Mathews, Bill and myself' before it
could be placed on the floor.
At that point Mathews made the
identical motion.
Dillon said the way he under-
stood parliamentary procedure it
"allowed any Board member to make
any motion, but Dr. Mathews has
made a motion to go forward with
the present plan on file--"
At that point Lilly interrupted
saying, "Mr. President, please, is
there anyone--"
"John," Dillon complained, "you
interrupted me while I was talking,
but you go right a head."
Lilly said he wanted to "raise a
*point of order. Mr. Neely says I'm
out of order. Anyone on the Board
can make that motion."
~I just stated that," Dillon told
him.
"I would like to get Mr. Nsely
cleared up before we go on," Lilly
asked.
But Neely said because the plan
had been placed on hol d by the other
members "we are on the prevailing
side. Now either one of the Bill's or
myself would have to make that
motion/
Mathews asked Lilly if it were
"essential~' to him to make the mo-
tion and Lilly said "no, but the man
saidl was out of order. I don't think
rm out of order. You show me in
parliamentary procedure where I'm
out of order."
Dillon quickly criticized Lilly for
disrupting the meeting saying "we
are here to discuss the comprehen-
sive plan not parliamentary proce-
dure!" Mathews motion would stand.
Lilly asked "would I be out of
order if I seconded it?"
Not that I know of, Dillon said,
and Lilly seconded.
No one objected to Lilly making
the second, but Neely said he could
not vote for the plan. "Am I respon-
sible to the Board?" He asked. "Am
I responsible to the people? I can't go
along with the majority because of
my conscience. I've got to live with
my conscience. I know I'm going to
make enemies anyway I go, but I
would rather be your enemy than to
be my own. I know that everybody here, but you people did and I want
right here in this Board office and ~o represent you people/
over in the Courthouse done every- Dillon said he asked for a corn-
thing that they could to defeat me. I ment period because "I personall y
don't knowifyou voted for me or not. feel no input had ever been given by
It don't make a difference to me. the public. I think when you remove
This central office didn't want me the public from public education
something is wrong." He said in
making that req uest "I was serious
about listeni ng to the public on what
they thought was right regardless of
what I personally think." The com-
ments were "eight to two in favor of
going foward with the plan," he said.
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