One more thing: Augusta commissioners need to outsource City Administrator Fred Russell’s decision-making.
Eugene C. Jones
Hephzibah
It’s a disgusting disgrace that top officials of the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department will have an opportunity to retire and draw their county pensions amid an investigation of county policies being violated. These leaders should be suspended with pay pending the completion of the investigation, and if they are found guilty of gross violations of county policies, they should be fired.
One more thing: Augusta commissioners need to outsource City Administrator Fred Russell’s decision-making.
Eugene C. Jones
Hephzibah
Sounds good, but pensions are governed by rules. If the regulations allow it, I agree.
Sounds simple, but its does work that way. If they have been in the system long enough to qualify for retirement, there is not much that can be done despite the allegations.
No acts can take away the time they served Augusta citzens. They earned pensions. It is not welfare given. They earned the pensions. Can you imagine how many companies would find a reason to deny people who earned pensions. Put your comments in prospective of yourself and reality. These guys are not evill or bad. They are reflection of,Augusta and each one there backgrounds, location, and cohorts also known as "EXPIERENCE" Augusta leadership promoted then without educational requirements. So Augusta should take the bullet. Fred Russell is doing what any City/County Manager would do in this situation. The moral of the story is: don't give your car keys to your 8 year old and expect him or her to drive you far. You get what you pay for. And they deserved the pensions they earned. If you are so mad be down there when Augusta Commission and Mayor hire department heads based on expierence or talk about not upholding educational requirements. After the fact is too late. Expierences repeat what you learned. Education sometimes corrects bad learned behaviors and lead you into new directions.
They earned the pension....why don't we take away congress pension---the one they voted for themselves....pretty nice one.
"It’s a disgusting disgrace that top officials of the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department will have an opportunity to retire and draw their county pensions amid an investigation"
That's the government for you.
It was discussed yesterday on another thread about the responsibilities of the FD to secure the home. The FD has no responsibility to secure the home or clean up. The FD is there for public safety, i.e. put out the fire. They throw everything out the window from the burnt rooms.
Securing the home is the responsibility of the Augusta PD and the homeowners.
As for drawing pensions, what is the difference between them doing that and the military letting a member "retire gracefully" amid scandal?
These are the rules that helped to get us into this mess.