The question though really is: if Sally Bethea was removed due to legal conflicts, so be it. But what about the other DNR Board members? Do they too have pure interests in sitting on the DNR board? Why are they there, and how are they upholding the mission of the DNR?

Again, let’s look at the whole enchilda of appointments to the DNR Board:
http://www.gadnr.org/pdf/bdlist.pdf

There may be some partisan politics behind the decision, but no one is arguing that Ms. Bethea’s role is in fact a conflict of interest. They are asking why she wasn’t removed sooner.

Rather than taking the jilted lover’s side of the story as unbiased truth – we would all be far better served to hear the other side of the story or delve a little deeper before passing judgement.

OK… so we got that down. Now who else currently on the NDR board, the developers, the builders, the dentists (yes, dentists!) might also now have a “conflict of interest” with what the mission of the Dept. of Natural Resources is all about? Last time I checked, protecting “natural” resources had little to do with building stuff or drilling on teeth.

Here’s the list of current DNR Board members if anyone else wants to call ‘em and ask exactly what their interests really ARE:

http://www.gadnr.org/pdf/bdlist.pdf

And more info about the backgrounds of the current DNR board members is here:

http://spaceygreview.blogspot.com/2007/04/nothing-natural-on-dnr-board.html

Brush 2X daily, and don’t forget to floss!

Then again, I don’t know how many times she has been approved previously. Is it a yearly thing? Or are there terms? I suppose I will have to do some research.

Why now? Kinda like those pesky U.S. Attorneys…

The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper does not have sole claim to those in the Atlanta metro area that enjoy clean drinking water.

Your statement, however, goes much further than I could alone in proving my point that Sally Bethea’s conflict of interest is real and her denial is justified.

Yes, that would those in the Atlanta metro area that enjoy clean drinking water.

Also, Demonbeck, Governor Perdue DID appoint Bethea. It was Senator Williams who struck her name and the Senate that confirmed that strike ina pro forma vote.

The mission of the DNR and the Riverkeeper are not the same. The DNR manages the state’s natural resources while the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper lobbies on behalf of a group of folks with special interests in a certain area of the state. What they seek is not often congruent with the best interests of the entire community they represent.

Being on the board of one and the ED of the other is the very definition of conflict of interest.

Plus, it’s Perdue’s prerogative to appoint whoever the hell he wants to the boards of this state. If Bethea has a problem with it, then she should run for Governor and appoint whoever she wants.

What about these Board members:

Jim Walters was down at the Capitol this year lobbying for his legislation that would benefit his enterprise.

What about Bill Archer, who is a “consultant” for GA Power after retiring from GA Power?

Not to mention, a majority of the Board are businessman whose business interests are regulated by the DNR.

Bottom line is the claims being used against Ms. Bethea are not being applied universal. The Governor personally removed two of his previous appointments because they were perceievd as “too sensitive” to real natural resouces issue (i.e. they have a consciencous): Sarah Clark & Ralph Callaway; and used a technicality as the reason. He couldn’t do this one. Thus, supposedly Sen. Tommy WIlliams was notified and performed the action by striking Ms. Bethea’s name (no committee vote) so that when the Senate voted on it her name was not included.

Ms. Bethea was struck becuase she played by the rules whereas the other lobbying Board members are doing so as unregistered lobbyist.

Of course, why would expect or demand anything less!

Celine The Intern told me, in very blunt, specific terms, that her office of EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS wasn’t going to give me a list, that I had to call the Senate Majority Leader for that list. So I called them, and they told me to call the Lt. Governor’s office. At no point did anyone direct me to any website, although I’d visited the site before and not been satisfied with what I didn’t find there. Pardon me for behaving like a citizen of a democracy and, wooooo, asking a government office for information.

What do ya’ need… a permit to make phone calls to government offices nowadays??

At some point, you just gotta shut-up and blog.

Both SpaceyG and Celine have not done their jobs correctly.

Celine did not do her job by saying that the list was not public and not finding out first. Though, i have to tell you from numerous open records requestst that I have filed (under both democratic and republican control) that this answer is common. People tend to get really controlling when they get into certain positions. I do not know if it comes from some sort of feeling of ownership or what, but is very common. In these cases, it is always best to remind said person of the open records statute and then they seem to reconsider their first answer.

SpaceyG did not do her job in that all requests for information (ie public records stuff) must be made in writing. This was changed by Sonny and the Legislature I believe in ‘05. Prior to that you could just ask for information in person or phone, but that is no longer the case. (Ah, Sonny’s idea of open government.)

Also, would like to point out, that according to the statute the information on the web is in accordance with the law. The information is public, AND you can use it electronically. Is it the easiest and most efficient way? No. But it is legal. Now, if you really want to get a list in excel or something of the sort, then what you need to ask for is exactly that. I am sure the Gov’s office keeps that list in that form, and only have to provide it for you in that form if you ask directly for it.

And for all of you who have an issue with the way Spacey went about getting the info, give me a break. She did what any NORMAL citizen who has a question would do. She did not call the main switchboard at the capitol, she called the office that handles EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS. No where does Spacey say she demanded the info, I am sure she asked nicely, but so what if she did. She knew the information was supposed to be public and was being told it was not. If it had been me, I would have then demanded the information. The point is that we, as citizens of this state, should not have to jump through some arbitrary hoops to get answers to our questions or requests for information.

We still have only heard one side of the story… we are only getting “A woman named ‘Celine’ (she wouldn’t give her last name) refused to give me the list, saying it wasn’t ‘released to the public.’”.

Did Celine ask for a name and number so that she could get someone to call Spacey? Did Spacey ask to speak to Celine’s boss or did she simply cave into a teenager telling her “no”? Without these questions answered, the question of impropriety is still just hanging on a sentence in a blog.

“She can’t help if she has not been properly or correctly trained”… Again, without the questions above being answered, we have no idea if she was trained “properly or correctly” or if the policy of the Office is just flawed.

BTW… if anyone can put a hex on this linkee here:
http://www.gov.state.ga.us/exe_appts_list.shtml#arts

and have that list of appointees suddenly appear online, then have at it. Anyone from NOLA maybe? You folks were always a lot better at voodoo than us South Carolinians.

I think the point being made is that whichever “teenage intern” is taking phone calls should be capable of handling the requests of those who call and should know the rules involving public information. The entire system at the Gold Dome is being lambasted, not just the intern. She can’t help if she has not been properly or correctly trained.