Garrard Magistrate Joe Leavell

Taken from the Advocate Messenger:
I wanted a chance to respond to Judge Wilson’s accusation that my vote on May 14 to not approve the first reading of the budget was in any way politically motivated.
The judge’s accusation is absolutely ridiculous. My vote to not approve the budget was based solely on the fact that $69,000 was allocated for our economic development coordinator’s salary.
After reviewing past budgets more closely, it was also discovered that Judge Wilson had repeatedly given large raises midyear to the coordinator without the court’s notification. Initially, the court was led to believe that our economic development coordinator’s $50,000 salary would be the responsibility of our county’s industrial board for the first year and be paid with grants in future years.
Since this has not occurred, I felt I had no choice but to vote against the budget in its present form.
Joe Leavell
Garrard County magistrate

Mr. Leavell, thank you for looking out for the Taxpayer. I do have a question though, how could Judge Wilson arbitrarily give a pay raise to Mr. Mick midyear without anyone knowing? Why are the Magistrates not looking at the budget closely ALL the time? Could you please reassure the Taxpayer that in the future whatever provision allowed this to happen will be amended and will not happen again? Also, will you go back and look at the budget and see if possibly any other hanky panky with the Taxpayers money could be going on?

i agree looks like someone had to sign off on this. where was the money to come from. think all the records need to be looked into. if this was approved without the magistrates appoval something needs to be done about this has to be illegal

Thanks Joe for standing up for what's right! I know it had to be hard to stand up against the Judge! When you all approved the budget, were all the salaries lumped together? Could this be the reason no one knew what he was making. Tricky!!!!

,I am a retired dairy farmer.It looks like Mr Leavell fixed the fence, after the bull got in the neighbors pasture!It is the magistrates job to READ the budget and to understand were the money came from. Secondly,Judge Wilson can't give a arbitrary pay raise without the fiscal courts approval!In 2011,the fiscal court believed Nathan Mick was worth $ 68,500. However,since he decided to run for s state rep,they changed their mind. Mr Mink lost the primary,and continues to do his job.Some of the magistrates are being very petty,and are playing political games!By the way,I didn't vote in the primary.I am a Democrat.

Help me to understand this process.
The County Judge Executive draws up a budget. The Magistrates are put in place to approve the budget and petition to get monies for their district needs, BUT THEY DON'T READ THE BUDGET?
Something is wrong with this picture.
Every Magistrate should be voted out right along with the Judge Exectutive and anyone else who has a fingerprint on these shenanigans.
While I am ticked off, I would also like to ask, why has the city not cleaned up the nasty apartments/houses on the south end of town. VIP looks nice, the new auto lube business looks nice, but the west side looks horrible. Who are the slumlords who owns these dwellings and why hasn't the Mayor and City Council not condemned them or made the owner clean them up?

Thank you Joe Leavell for standing up even though it was long time coming. For once in at least 30 years we are seeing a change. We have been a backward county too long being run by self gratifying individuals. In two years we need rid of this wilson guy and his cronies. I have always knew he was a phony. It took one incident of taking his crony's money for him to make a fool of himself. Can you believe this guy put an article in newspaper blasting the magistrates for doing their job?. They are elected to take care of taxpayer money. Heneeds to do the same. Garrard Countians are very capable of handling affairs here. I look forward in two years for judge election. This time we will have opposition to wilson. I guess he too will spend thousands for signs and billboards to win. However like Mick, it won't help.

so it appears that the judge has given raises to his buddy in the middle of the year without the fiscal court's knowledge or approval.

The fiscal court meeting is 9 AM Monday.Be there,or be square!

Mr. Wilson is a fine outstanding man and its the magistrates that you need to look at that are not doing their job. They approved these pay increases and now are trying to back down out of it by putting the blame on someone else. Evidentally the magistrates just see what they want to see and that is no good. They need to be replaced!!!!!!!!!!
1247

What transpired at the Fiscal Court meeting this morning?

Farmer Dale wrote:

,I am a retired dairy farmer.It looks like Mr Leavell fixed the fence, after the bull got in the neighbors pasture!It is the magistrates job to READ the budget and to understand were the money came from. Secondly,Judge Wilson can't give a arbitrary pay raise without the fiscal courts approval!In 2011,the fiscal court believed Nathan Mick was worth $ 68,500. However,since he decided to run for s state rep,they changed their mind. Mr Mink lost the primary,and continues to do his job.Some of the magistrates are being very petty,and are playing political games!By the way,I didn't vote in the primary.I am a Democrat.

Well Farmer Dale there is one thing you don't know about the magistrates. One of them can't Read. And it's Mr. Lane. and that's the truth. LOL

Ronnie lane is an embassment to our county and just think he represents us. He is uneducated and arrogant -thinks he knows all. What a fool. I say we continue to clean up the mess in Garrard County. He is one that needs to go.

It is not the education that makes a man. I know several successful farmers, business men who have no or very little formal education. However, it does show the character of a man when they act this way in public. To brag about having a "hot temper" while doing the publics business has no place in meetings where the elected are suppose to be overseeing and taking care of what the tax payers have contributed.
When it was made known that the powers that be didn't even take the time to read the budget, but had basically given blanket approval, it tells me all those elected are lazier than owl shit and just pass the time drawing their pay. They make a little controversy every now and for good measure, so they can brag about how they "stood up" for this or that when the next election time rolls around. I don't care if they make less that a dollar a meeting they attend, they promised and should be held accountable to uphold those promises.
I have heard "change" for years in this county from every Tom, Dick Harry and Harriet running for office and like most, I have come to the realization, it will never happen.
If there is a solution, I wish someone would tell me what that would be.

Hey Taxpayer,Yes ALL the magistrates need to read the budget! They need to understand it!That is their job.

our county is a joke everyone should thank god for joe leavell if not for him we all would be screwed

whistleblower wrote:

our county is a joke everyone should thank god for joe leavell if not for him we all would be screwed

Sounds to me like Mr. Wilson thinks no one in Garrard Cty is educated enough to run garrard Cty and has to bring in outsider to take care of their self.and Mr. Napier...

Hang in there Joe and Fred. This county is solidly behind you. It looks like one magistrate might not be able to vote for Wilson's way. This wilson guy thinks he is God. We are going to stand up to this self centered guy by getting him out of town.

Carhart man wrote:

Hang in there Joe and Fred. This county is solidly behind you. It looks like one magistrate might not be able to vote for Wilson's way. This wilson guy thinks he is God. We are going to stand up to this self centered guy by getting him out of town.

Thanks Joe!!
For looking out for the tax payers.You have more supporter than you probally realize.

Again THANKS

Yes the support is there. Horray for this county as they are finally waking up. The cronies in office are still trying to use local newspaper to gather support but everyone knows the real truth. The money hungry greedy people are out!

this county makes me sick its is ran like a 3rd world dictatorship everything here is out of control the entire county needs to be cleaned out iam ashamed of the people i trusted and have supported at the courthouse but i will not forget when the election comes