3/14/2010 6:00:00 AM
County security costs start to add up
Walker seeks OK to purchase walk-through metal detector, weapons lockers
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Courtesy
Ron Walker |
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KINGMAN - County Manager Ron Walker will ask the County Board of Supervisors Monday to consider purchasing a $43,000 walk-through metal detector from Smiths Detection and two 10-door metal weapons lockers from Tiffin Metal Products for nearly $5,000.
The county ran out of weapons lockers on March 1, when a large number of county residents turned in their weapons before attending the Board of Supervisors meeting that day.
A security officer wanding residents before they entered the meeting also missed a weapon that day.
The county has continued to increase security at the building after an incident last month where a resident was arrested after attempting to walk into the building carrying a pitchfork. The incident occurred after residents participating in a political protest against the county's policy against politicking on county property tried to move inside the building to attend a Board meeting.
Walker has said in news releases and in Board meetings that the county will do whatever it takes to protect both the public and its employees.
Both the city of Kingman and Bullhead City require residents to check their weapons shortly after entering City Hall.
The Board will also accept a check for $21,600 from a class action lawsuit settlement with Microsoft. The Daisy Mountain Fire District in Arizona filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft in November 2007. A final judgment in the case was issued in December.
The Board meets at 9:30 a.m. Monday in the County Administration Building, 700 W. Beale St.
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Posted: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Article comment by:
Please Step Up and Help with www.RecallSockwell.com
To help with RecallSockwell go to www.RecallSockwell.com or e-mail MohaveFreedom@Yahoo.com
The cause is growing stronger every day, but we still need people to circulate petitions and we need donations.
Now is the time for change and we can do it.
Posted: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Article comment by:
Never Sweat
What will it cost the county if some nut storms the Palace? The county is denying every body a means of protection. We who carry legally possess some intelligence. Those who - do not - will care less about entering a building with the intent to do great bodily harm. I am retired law enforcement and there are people in the world who would like to see me in a lot of hurt. Will the county hire pages or runners to meet me at the entrance door, and take on the chore of paying my taxes or whatever? It seems to me that a gun in a locker is somewhat out of reach.
Posted: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Article comment by:
ica rus
@Patricia Moran: Maybe you can help me out with something if someone hasn't been proven to and convicted of being a "crook" and you call them a "crook" in writing, is that Libel or Slander? Thanks in advance.
Posted: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Article comment by:
nnp nnp
@Alias...
It not free if you have to pay for it.
Posted: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Article comment by:
Patricia Moran
One more comment from the old lady (me) in Pittsburgh. (I am enjoying this...I watch it daily.) There is nothing funny about all this...seriously. But, I can't help it. The pitchfork is hilarious!! I am telling all my friends that Mohave County had to raise money to get X-rays and equipment and make a 'law' to keep people out of the county building with 'weapons i.e., a man with a pitchfork! My friends are not believing this. They are all laughing hysterically! This is SO funny. The entire bunch of crooks are actually telling the public that they have to use tax payer's money to 'protect the people.' From a pitchfork? If this man thought he was going to ''take over the county building with a pitchfork, he was mistaken...lol." Don't you guys know a protest when you see one? A symbol of freedom? My God...the more I say it,(the pitchfork) the funnier it gets. A message to Sockwell and Walker..and the others.
Why don't you ask your mamas to protect you from this mean, scary man with a pitchfork who is trying to get all of you? How scared you must be! Trembling in your boots from this man carrying a pitchfork!!! You look SO ridiculous! But, it is giving people in Pittsburgh a GOOD laugh. Thanks for that. The rest of it is not funny. You are trying to take away the rights of the people of this county. Telling them what to wear? Not to pass out voting records? Not to SPEAK at meetings? Not to carry a flag? You cannot stop Americans from exercising their rights...No matter how hard you try. You are embarrassing yourselves and must be kicked out of office.
Patricia Moran
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Article comment by:
Alias The Shadow Knows
It amazes me at how petty some people can be. Let's whine and sob over a few extra bucks of possible taxes and when I say few I mean two or three bucks ( at most ) if the county spends 100 thousand on a recall and 100 thousand on security. The way it shakes out is quite simple. The issue is free speech. What is free speech worth to you? If you smoke cigarettes one pack will cost you more than twice any possible resulting tax for security and a recall. If you go out to a nice dinner your likely to tip twice what the tax increase would cost you for a recall and extra security. So the question remains what price are you willing to pay for free speech?
Everyone writing in to the Miner whether its printed or virtual is exercising their right to free speech. When you go to the polls to vote your exercising your right to free speech. If the Board of Supervisors told you personally you may not vote or you may not express your opinion to the Daily Miner , you bet you'd be screaming bloody murder. Would it upset you? Would you feel discriminated against, maybe violated? Why is it so difficult to put yourself in Luca Zanna 's shoes. His basic fundamental right to free speech was violated. Is your mind that closed and are you that selfish? Are you thinking it's not me, so I don't care? The petty amount of possible extra tax is very small and the decision to spend the money has been the BOS, not Zanna and those who defend his right to free speech. Recall elections are a legal due process, so if you want to blame someone for exercising the legal due process, I have to question your motives. Supporting free speech is the issue. It's not about approving the oath keepers, or the minutemen or political activists, its about free speech. Whether you hate Mr. Zanna and everything you think he stands for, that does not mean he does not deserve everyone's Constitutional right to free speech. If you think it does your probably a bigot of some kind. Your probably an angry person and your vision is myopic.
So I conclude would you pay a max of 3 bucks to keep your free speech? That is less than the cost of one gallon of gas which you would use to drive to town to pick up your 6 pack or cigar or cigarettes. On Nov.13th a violation of free speech took place. Let it go , fight for the individuals who took the right away on that day, and before you know it your personal right to free speech and expression will be denigrated little by little by those who would rather rule by dictatorship than by democracy. Stop falling for the diversionary tactics of the BOS. Don't give then the satisfaction and security to know you a that stupid. They are laughing at you. They are thinking they can do what ever they want, any time they want and the citizens are so gullible they going to buy anything they say or do, they always have and always will.
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Article comment by:
DV S
Patricia Moran- hope you have read "County Employee". A few of us have been aware of the feeling of these employees for quite awhile. Hopefully the BOS will be recalled one by one. To bad it will take a while...I was involved during this whole last year with a very large group trying to get the BOS attention on the total waste of water for the upcoming Solar Plants.... We were totally ignored. Maybe we should have had a pitchfork to get their full attention.... Anyway Kingman and Kingman people are really great. Don't go by what the BOS is doing. We are trying to change that...
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Article comment by:
Jeff Cummins
My mistake. My bad.
It is $5000.00 for TWO 10 door lockers.
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Article comment by:
US Citizen
RECALL!
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Article comment by:
JIM L
We all know this is such a waste of money period. Ok, if Walker wants this crap installed so bad why dont we just withhold about $50,000 out of his salary and pay for it. Of course, it will cost us regardless. Oh yes, it is real nice to spend someone elses money you don't think anything about it! We are fools if we let him get away with this one.
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Article comment by:
The Watcher
Walker is lucky he isn't still in the Navy on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. If he was and acted the way he is now, he would have accidently fallen overboard never to be seen again. Many a sailor has disappeared from ships steaming the oceans.
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Article comment by:
Patricia Moran
One more comment. The pitchfork guy should not have tried to enter the county building with this pitchfork. That was stupid. I don't agree with that. I DO agree, however, that Luca Zanna had EVERY right to pass out McCain's voting record and this is what this is REALLY about.
they are using "pitchfork guy" as an excuse to get at Luca Zanna...let's face it. Walker, Stockwell, and the rest of them are saying they have to do this to 'protect the public." Against a PITCHFORK??? How embarrassing! This guy was not going to gore Walker or Sockwell with his pitchfork for God's sake. It was a protest...a simple protest. Stupid, I agree...but harmless. So the country is going to spend $43,000 so they won't be killed by a pitchfork? Oh, my God, this is almost funny. By the way, I am the 80-year-old woman in Pittsburgh who is following this story daily. And, telling all my friends. We are all enjoying this and hoping justice will be done and these buffoons will be removed from office.
The pitchfork story is hilarious. GROWN men afraid of a pitchfork. Funny!!! Really funny. I can almost see Walker hiding behind a door when he saw the pitchfork arriving at the county building. This is hysterical! A public figure trying to con us into believing he is 'saving the public' from a pitchfork...what a joke.
Patricia Moran.
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Article comment by:
Jeff Cummins
My post should have read
(A) member of the sheriff department can be arrested on an actual violence charge and all deputies keep their firearms.
(A) guy with a pitchfork is arrested on a charge unrelated to anything violent, and all other citizens must now be disarmed?
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Article comment by:
kingman wisdom
Im a long time Gun advocate an owner...I dont want anyone takin my guns....BUT for the love of pete...ONLY a complete KNUCKLEHEAD shows up at ANY government building with a weapon...ANYWHERE...
Its like this place is overrun with people that just plain dont have the sence to come in out of the rain...didnt mommy an daddy teach them ANYTHING..except to be paranoid of everything.
Posted: Monday, March 15, 2010
Article comment by:
County Employee
I work for the county, and no matter what all the people say that are standing up for the BOS & King Walker, things stink in this administration. Now, I like my job, I am not a disgruntled ex-employee, I am not part of the tea party, the minutemen, or any other organization. I can tell you that many county employees feel the same way I do.
The new security measures are in no way to be blamed on the pitchfork incident. The security measures are because Walker recieved several death threats and now he is scared. It's funny, but over the years, there have been many incidents where county employees have been threatened with guns, but the BOS and Walker have never worried about our welfare when people have been threatened. I guess us peons are easy to replace, there's a line of people waiting to take our jobs. These security measures have been needed for a long time, but employees are mad that it's happening now, in this economy, and only because Walker is scared.
The new position that has been created, the Security Coordinator/Investigator, was opened to the public, but it's just a farce. It has been heard through the grapevine that the brother of the head of risk management needs a job, so the job is going to him, his uniform has already been ordered. Sounds like a conflict of interest to have your brother working for you.
We have been working now for 3 years, with our pay frozen, positions cannot be filled when people leave, and many people are filling 2 or more positions. The workload has become unmanageable for some. But we all put up with it because we know that there is no where else to go right now. And the BOS & Walker know it too, so we are afraid to speak up, they know people are afraid for their jobs.
They are spending money that would be better spent somewhere else. Fill some positions that have been vacant for some time now, For what you are going to pay for this new security position, you could fill 2 vacant positions.
We urge Walker to take a cut in pay, he does not need $170,000 a year. He rearranged people under him because he felt overworked, so there were people that got substantial raises to take on some of his work. What about the common employee that has taken on more work to make up for the vacant positions? They get nothing extra except some stress & headaches.
As for Buster Johnson, why is he carrying a gun in a county vehicle on county time, bringing it to the BOS meetings? If I or any other county employee was caught carrying a weapon on county time, we would be reprimanded, probably fired, it's in our merit rules. But elected officials don't have to follow the same rules as we do, they are above them. But they should lead by example, and hold themselves to the same standards they hold us common people to.
Many county employees are now embarrassed to admit to working for the county. We feel that the BOS & Walker should have handled this situation tactfully. Instead they put letters in the paper that degraded people and made themselves look like the fools that they are.
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