Several years ago, residents who lived in the city of Henderson were excluded from voting in the county’s water bond referendum because they already have municipal water. This was a good decision on the part of county leaders, since a county water system will not impact city residents one way or the other.
In the recent negotiations over the price of county water and jointly funded projects, county leaders seem to have completely reversed that wise position about city residents and county water.
How it happened, I’m not certain most commissioners can even tell you. But it just could be one of the slickest slight-of-hand tricks ever played on Vance County citizens. When the many secret meetings were over, when the smoke cleared from the back room, the county’s lead negotiator was finally identified. It was none other than Henderson special interest insider, Thomas Hester, who lives in the City of Henderson.
Allowing Mr. Hester to negotiate for the County is wrong for many, many reasons. Here are but three…
First, the other County Commissioners may not have even realized that Mr. Hester was negotiating on their behalf or that he had their proxy.
Second, both elected representatives, Michael Inscoe for the City and Thomas Hester for the County, are Henderson residents. Sharing a vested interest in the outcome, they cannot ethically negotiate as adversaries. This seriously calls into question the nature of those secret meetings. Were they negotiating sessions or were they simply implementation sessions for pre-arranged plans? After all, the incredible price $2.90 per 1000 gallons supposedly negotiated by Mr. Hester and Mr. Inscoe has been on the table for nearly a year, long before these secret negotiations began.
Third, as a city resident, Mr. Hester has no incentive to negotiate a low cost for water. To the contrary, he and other city residents will benefit from a high sale price to the county, since water revenue will fatten Henderson’s coffers. Further, he and other city residents stand to gain as well if the County assumes more and more funding of joint ventures.
County residents, if you don’t like the way you have been railroaded on these issues and the willingness of your commissioners to rubber-stamp these special interest plans, you don’t have to wait for the next election. You have the power to stop this before it gets any worse, as it most assuredly will. If you’ve paid to become a part of the county water system, call and ask for your money back. Keep relying on your well. Nature is reliable. County water is a sucker’s bet!
Rusty McMahon
Vance County
(252) 492-9935