WOW! Job wasn't posted and their were no requirements other than 'strong customer service skills'? Sad to know the good ol' boy network is still alive in this county.

i am certain that mr. martin is a nice man, but WORD OF MOUTH?

i predict an unmitigated disaster.

The more I read about our commissioners and dealings like this, the less I like them. There are a lot more people in this town that have a lot more experience than working at a parts store that could have done just as good but most likely a better job than Mr. Martin. I haven't seen any of the Commssioners at any meetings in the Southside since they asked for our votes. Now that they are in office, they seem to have forgotten who helped elect them. My other issue with them is about the fairgrounds. The southside / stockyards area has been the center of agriculture in Buchanan county since the 1890's, so why build an Ag center in northeast Buchanan County. Yeah I know we own land up there but you can always sell it to buy additional land. Politicians seem to forget that the same people that got them elected can get them un-elected as well.

southside_citizen, what meetings in the Southside are you attending? One of the commissioners is a dedicated member of the Southside Rotary club and attends virtually all major events in the Southside. I was also at a meeting of the Southside Sertoma club a couple months ago where two of the commissioners presented their plan for the Ag Expo Center. Doesn't it make sense to have a convention center near other major businesses, restaurants, and hotels. Not to mention, the area is near a major highway interchange which will make it accessible to other counties which also plan to host events there. Also, Ron Martin has 30 plus years of business experience. He also currently runs a food store, which has to comply with the same regulations that he is enforcing. We need more officials in this county that practice commonsense and business acumen rather than keep referencing the fact that have a college degree.

"The county announced the job mostly through word-of-mouth"

Hmmm???

Plain and simple all that needs to be said is that Mr Martin is under qualified and it is the good ole boys club in our community hard at work.

Peak,

Why must everything be put out in the northeast part of the county? The Southside needs to have a draw as well. We have access to highways. We have restaurants. We have over a hundred years of Ag history. Why not build on it? We have a diamond in the rough in the Stockyard Exchange building. If we could build around it and rehab the Exchange building, what a draw that would be. Perhaps use a TIF for its intended purpose and use it to rehab the Exchange and the area around it, it definetly is more "blighted" than the East Hills Mall was. Just visualize a rehabed Exchange building with new shops and restaurants inside looking out over a newly built modern Expo center across the street. There is more than enough land around the Exchange where the cattle pens used to be. The tax rate is the same to all county residents yet it seems little to nothing is ever done down here. I cannot remember any projects done down here of merit. The only major project that is going on is Scott Ganns on s. 22nd. And that is privately funded. As far as the meetings, they need to include ALL of the groups and associations in the Southside, not just the ones they are members of. I can think of several groups right now down here right off the top of my head. The Lions, Sertoma, Rotary, Progressive Association, Southside Business Women. Better yet, perhaps the Commissioners can start having their own version of Town Hall meetings like the city does. That would include all residents.

In another article in today's NP, Commissioner Hook implied a health inspection, that found four critical violations in a restaurant he co-owns, was possibly retaliatory for the county pulling its food inspection contract from the city.
Mr. Hook went on to say that instead of noting the violations (which will end up in the NP and "affect where people eat, so we want to control this in the county"), the inspector should educate the staff. Really?? I'm not sure how this would be possible with an "inspector" who has never been trained in food safety, or inspected anything food related in his life.

It sounds like Commissioner Hook found someone that he can keep quiet...

rjw. where is that article on hook's restauRANT? missed it.

the commission is treading on thin ice with this.

southside citizen. maybe of the major reasons why the ag center is going out to the belt is the failed tuscany?

i LOVE your idea on the venerable stock exchange.

southside, i hope that you will attend( and bring with you others ) at the meeting for discussion on the school levy being re-introduced in november.
july 7 tuesday, two times 10-11 am and 6-7 pm at the mitchell park plaza ( mead bldg).

Heritage,

Perhaps you might want to re-read my previous post on the school levy. I might not be the best one for this forumn.

Sarah - its in the Midland section (print) or
http://stjoenews.net/news/2009/jul/04/commissioner-questions-inspection/

As nice as it would be to see the Stockyards restored, the distance from I-29 and the lack of hotels in the area make that location unrealistic.

the county should give st joe the county tax money and let the city spend it on roads, rather than spending county collected money from st joe people in the county roads. the people in st joe pay for roads in rural areas of the county. this martin guy has no knowledge, one class on sewers don't give you knowledge.

worst of all is the stray dogs running around just because it is not against the law does not mean it is not inhumane. farmers find out no animal control they will shoot the strays and that is sad. DUMB HOOK AND TURNER.

RJW,

To quote a good movie "If you build it, they will come"!

i have read your posts, and want to tell you that this group has Nothing to do with the TaskForce. we are asking the district to hold off introducing any levy until after the election of the two new board members. let all the city speak in an open election which reaches beyond targeting the loyal few left.

we are the Alliance for Community Excellence, (ACE )trying to speak to the Entire Community.

Besides the southside is only two exits off 29. Take 229 North exit then the 752 exit. Pretty simple. Nothing two signs on the side of the road can't explain.

I don't know Paul Martin, but I certainly hope he has masses of enthusiasm and energy for the enormous task he
is taking on-the work of several people. Personally I will
do my best to spend my time within the city limits of St Joe
and definitely eat no meals outside of it. If he is going to do his job correctly, he will be working non stop every work day and some non work day.
Just picking up the strays
would have been a full time job and it is a cruel disgrace to just abandon these animals to their fate. I know times
are tough, but this makes us no better than the people that
abandoned their unwanted pets in the first place.

Mr. Peak1978,

I’m not sure what to make of you.

Sometimes you can read an article and go away with the wrong idea. This ain’t one of those times. What seems to be the case is exactly what happened. After 30 years of patronage, Mr. Martin needed a job and by golly, he found one.

So you say one of our County Commissioners is a big-time Southsider? From what I’m told Mr. Martin comes from an old-time Southside family with a little juice. I’m also told Mr. Martin’s appointment was not unanimous but Mr. Southside Commissioner made it happen. I’m certainly not against the Good Old Boys putting in the fix. I’m a GOB myself. What disappoints me is the fact the Commission is trying to dress up the pig. What they should say is “Mr. Martin has slopped the political trough for 30 years. He needed a job and we made it happen.” Mr. Martin is completely unqualified for this position. When you try to justify his selection based on his business experience or the fact he is running a convenience store, well, it makes you look partisan or silly. I’ve got $20 that says you are both.

Mr. Martin’s appointment is not a referendum on common sense vs. a college degree, or any of that foolishness. I have three degrees, and I still can’t cheat an honest man. Mr. Martin’s appointment is a victory for political patronage!! Revel in it!! Thank God we still live in a world where a regular guy can buy a political job. Pay your dues for 30 years and maybe you can get a county job too.

What was so wrong with the system that the City of St. Joesph had in place that Buchanan County HAD been happy to utilize for many years? The City has many COMPLETELY TRAINED inspectors that cover ALL areas of environmental health, with 30+ years of combined EXPERIENCE. Do your homework Buchanan County! This position was advertised personally by Mr. Hook on a Friday newscast (KQ2) at 6pm & 10pm. Oddly enough, Mr. Martin started his new position the following Monday at 8am. That must have been one quick application submission, interview, background check, and drug screening process- 48 hour turn around must be a new county record for a new hiring process! Throwing someone into the deep end of the pool and hoping they can swim isn't necessarily the best solution for our environmental services- maybe not even a solution at all... I don't know about everyone else, but last time I applied for a job I actually had to meet qualifications and have experience relevant to he position. Ron Martin may be a nice guy, so I am sure when I end up with food poisoning, a surfacing sewage issue, unsanitary lodging conditions, or strays running around he will be very nice over the phone, but I doubt he will come to my rescue. As far as the "good old boy" system is concerned, Mr. Hook and Mr. Martin may be getting old, but good, I'm not so sure! Saving money how? Will his necessary extensive training and setting up a completely new inspection process, etc, etc, etc, be free? Pay attention voters, you will utimately pay for the hasty indiscretions of a select few...

This whole deal reminds me of the position that was created for Tom Mann when he was ousted from the Commssion. Do you all remember that one. He was to become the "part time" evidence clerk at the sherrifs office but with full benefits. Remember, that one didn't pass the smell test either and then the position was deleted.

I wish Mr. Martin all the luck in the world.

It sounds like this move saves the citizens a lot of money, and may even end a lot of waste.

Could even improve sevices in the long run, you never know how this may develop.

Stray animals, a shame, but I do not want to pay for them.

I welcome volunteers to step up and handle it, as many other parts of the country have done.

Or, they might make a tasty, low cost addition for the local buffet's or as filler in Ball Park Franks!

;)

Seriously, good luck Mr. Martin, you're underpaid for the task at hand (from what I understand, you do not need the money anyway) - keep it honest and faithful to those you serve, those of Buchanan County!

How many septic tanks are going in every day in the county? It sounds like Mr. Martin is going to get paid to do a whole lot of sitting around.

The article didn't say how many vicious dogs and cruelty complaints they had last year, but I'm guessing it was far less than the stray complaints. But let's say there are as many vicious and cruelty complaints as there are strays. That is still less than one per day. Fourteen food places to inspect (8 convenenience stores and 6 restaurants). How long can fourteen places take to inspect?

It seems to be that the waste is hiring somebody full time to just be there because on "any given day they might respond". I'm curious, who is going to respond to these obviously critical complaints (as shown by the need to hire a single individual who can respond on any given day) when Mr. Martin has a day off?

"Stray animals, a shame, but I do not want to pay for them."

Oh, StJoeMO, you will pay for them--the cost of stray animals allowed to roam is much higher than that of keeping them contained. Do you know what stray dogs do when they are left to fend for themselves? They go wild and pack--and packs of untended animals--especially when hungry--are dangerous to people and to livestock. How many farmers losing cattle will it take before Ron Hook's boytoy gets the hook?

We wonder why St. Joseph and Buchanan County never get anywhere and everyone is moving to South Missouri. Backward, ignorant, good ole boy thinkin' and cypherin' like Ron Hook brings to the office of Commissioner is part of our problem.

Good luck, boys! I hope the weekly Commissioner meetings don't become your bonding time with the new county inspector for all occasions.

And another thing--Dan, R.T., you boys seriously need to keep Ron Hook from speaking to the press. He's an embarrassment to the office. And that is saying a LOT!