Dear Editor,
On June 3rd, I emailed my District #4 commissioner, Jeff Wooten, about allocating SPLOST #10 funds. I proposed that a small portion of these funds be dedicated to enhancing the audio and visual systems in the commissioners’ meeting room and enabling Zoom and Facebook Live for all BOC meetings.
This is not just a suggestion; it’s a crucial need.
Many taxpayers, who may not reside here full-time, are directly affected by the BOC's decisions. With an upgraded system, they could participate remotely via Zoom, stay informed, and even sign up for three minutes to speak on a topic of their choice.
Jeff Wooten never replied. I addressed this at the June 7 meeting. I stated then that Jeff Wooten had no official duty to reply to my email, at least not one explicitly outlined in the County Commissioners’ Roles and Responsibilities. Mr. Wooten is paid by tax dollars and spends tax dollars; it would seem a fundamental role of a commissioner would be to answer to the taxpayers providing those dollars.
Mr. Sharp, as the chairperson, should implement local rules regarding communication with constituents, as we deserve more. Even after calling this out at the meeting, Mr. Wooten did not reach out to me or reply.
It has been over three weeks, and Mr. Wooten has yet to respond. I know others who have expressed their emails have been ignored, so I am not unique in that respect. In the Letter to the Editor column on June 13, Don Sadler noted that he wrote his commissioner, Daniel Brown, but did not receive a reply.
It is a scary time when you have rogue representatives who do not represent you or have the courtesy to reply to communications received from constituents.
Please remember this when they ask you to re-elect them to these positions.
On a positive note, Dr. Hersey (commissioner for District 3) has responded to all my communications. While he is not my commissioner, he truly advocates for all taxpayers.
Sincerely, Jennifer Ray, Putnam County