County presiding commissioner throws Hermann alderman out of Commission meeting this morning
LEFT: Presiding Commissioner Ron Jost ordering John Penning to leave the County Commission Chambers in the County Courthouse today JEFF NOEDEL PHOTOS
Gasconade County Presiding Commissioner Ron Jost angrily ordered Hermann Alderman John Penning out of the Commission chambers this morning, after Penning told Jost to "shut up." Upon hearing the words "shut up," Jost rose from his chair and ordered Penning to leave the meeting. When Penning stayed seated, Jost walked across the room, stood over Penning and shouted another order for Penning to leave, or Jost said he would have the Sheriff remove Penning from the chambers. Penning then left the room under his own power.
Penning told Jost to "shut up" apparently because Jost interrupted a demand by Penning that Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore (south district) apologize to the entire Penning family for calling Associate Commissioner Matt Penning (north district) a "son-of-a-(expletive)" during more sparring at the County Road Department last week over used tires. Alderman John Penning is the father of Commissioner Matt Penning. Lairmore offered no apologies for his comments last week.
Moments earlier, Commissioner Penning said Lairmore was "raised better than that."
For weeks, Commissioner Penning has been trying to draw attention to what he seems to consider a scandal over the way the County has handled used tires for many years. At one point, Penning criticized the County's practices going back 16 years. Penning has stated that the County has lost up to $28,000 by not selling used tire casings. Penning, on his own, sold six months worth of casings for the County and the county took-in a few hundred dollars, indicating that Penning's estimates could be significantly inflated.
Commissioner Penning also said at one point that the County Road Department bought tens of thousands of dollars in tires without bidding them and he said that taxpayers should have the money back. The next week, he denied saying those words and accused Lesa Lietzow, County Clerk, of taking poor minutes. When CNL proved the next week that, indeed, Penning uttered those words as Lietzow reported, Commissioner Penning implied CNL got it wrong and asked the County Clerk to take minutes at future road department meetings.
Today, Penning placed another large document request on Lietzow. Commissioner Penning requested that the Clerk's staff completely re-do a large document request of tire records which the Clerk's office completed about two months ago. Lietzow reminded Penning that she had produced the documents just two months ago, and that the results would be the same. She implied it would be a wasteful hardship on her office, but Penning stood by his document demand.
Jost and Lairmore have repeatedly said the tire issue is a false issue trumped-up in an attempt to weaken Jost in his reelection bid for Presiding Commissioner.
Hermann Alderman John Penning being removed from the County
Commission meeting Thursday morning by Presiding Commissioner
Ron Jost. JEFF NOEDEL PHOTO
Comments
This is just amazing
Jeff once again your presence as a reporter for the concerned but busy citizens of Gasconade County is golden. Are you the only one who records and transcribes word for word?
Yes, and thank you
Yes, I transcribe the tapes. Every 10 minutes of tape takes about 90 minutes to transcribe. Usually requires more than a dozen passes. And if there is any doubt, I write (inadible).
Thank you for your support, Susan.
Fair and Balanced Reporting?
I am not going to condone the actions of any of the folks in this story but the journalist seems to have a particular slant. That slant, in my opinion, seems to be a common thread in the stories reported from this news agency. Please correct me if I am wrong but that is my honest opinion based on how the stories are written.
I cannot speak to the intentions of the person that wrote this story but if I didn't know any better, and I don't, I would surmise that they have either an ax to grind with Commissioner Penning OR they support Presiding Commissioner Jost.
News from the AC may be slow but the reporting is fair. Maybe CNL should have taken more than 22 minutes to write this story.
Poor spelling has always plagued me...
I think I may have misspelled your name wrong Mr. Noedel. I am very sorry.
Journalistic Reporting
I live on the otherside of the planet and while I grew up in Hermann, I have kept from commenting here because I acknowledge I am not in the best position to say much about what's going on in Hermann anymore.
However, I so agree with Mr. Harris that I am compelled to add my input. Among other things, I don't get why a word for script of the meetings need to be printed along with audio/video. There is a tinge of gleefulness in this latest report that takes away from the facts and in my opinion, lowers the overall interigrity of the reporting.
The Pennings are annoyinging with their passive-agressive bullying tactics but that/they will never change. I wonder how much all of this personal coverage has played into their little drama. I suggest a moratorium on anything John or Matt Penning does or says and see how quickly this little horse and pony show of theirs fades away. In a world where there is so much REAL tragedy, suffering and pain, I find their actions as elected officials embarrassing and petty. To spend so much time covering their shenanigans is equally embarrassing and takes you and your reporting down to their level.
Mr. Nodel, I have nothing but respect for what you have achieved. I am married to a journalist and the enormous challenge of finding good stories everyday is not lost on me. Even though Hermann is small, I believe there is enough news worthy things happening that CNL doesn't have to be a sensationalistic, ambulance-chasing, vindictive rag.
Um.....if I might ask...
So your solution, is to then ignore and HIDE what goes on, in real life, in ones own community?? Doesn't THAT then make the "reporter/editor" of the news a SENSOR???? Do you advocate "Sensors" choosing what you can and cannot know??
You know, Betsy, what grabs ME??? That the people there, in his district, TOLERATE this stuff!!!! Why is that? It makes THEM look small...... he's THEIR representative.... is he truly representing them by acting this way???? I sure HOPE not!
I agree
Hank, I agree with you that there needs to be some new blood in this group. But the latest coverage in my opinion, is equal to the sort of coverage I would expect to see for something like oh, the second coming of christ. I am not saying to hide or censor anything. But by sticking to the business agenda of the meeting and ignoring these non-productive outbursts you are taking the stage away from these two actresses.
It's hard, really hard to remain impartial but any journalist worth his salt has got to draw a line between reporting and editorializing. Both have their place.
Anyway, reporting at times is a thankless job and I imagine it's easy to get wrapped up in a story and lose your perspective and objectivity. Hopefully a corner has been turned. If not, the citizens would be justified in calling for some resignations if that is even an option. And that's all I got to say about that.
Why transcribe tape?
The tape was transcribed carefully because it is very hard to hear, very hard to discern the words. None of the city, county or school board meeting spaces furnish microphones at each office holder's desk. So the sound quality on anyone's tape of any of Hermann's public meetings is poor. On top of lots of echo and air conditioner noise, people were talking fast, over each other and yelling. It was hard enough to understand what was said and done in real time. The tape helps understand exactly who said what and when.
When public officials are being sloppy in public meetings...when people are staying stupid things, IT IS MY JOB to make sure the public sees it and can make its own judgments. Transcribing passages in details isn't gloating, it's a service to people to allow examination of the conduct of their elected leaders.
If you consider exact, precise, detailed coverage of a Hermann alderman being thrown out of a County Commission meeting to be "senationalistic, ambulance chasing and vindictive," that's your choice. I consider it to be important news, best not ignored or swept under a rug.
How often does a city aldermen get thrown out of a County Commission meeting? How often does ANYONE tell a chief executive to "shut up" in an official meeting? You and I have wildly different ideas of what news is, Betsy.
I strongly prefer to report good news, achievements, people doing right. There is plenty going right in Hermann, and I do my best to document as much of it as I can in my 70 hour workweeks. But there is a whole lot of ugliness going on here, too, and I will not pretend I don't see it. And I will not sweep this under the rug for fear of having my work denigrated and called ugly names. I'm used to it. You're not the first and you won't be the last.
But this is America, and I need to publish your criticisms.
Well Myron....
Lets ask you to write oh, say ten stories on Saddam Hussein, of Iraq. FACTUAL reports. I'll bet, from here, that all ten will put the former Dictator in a bad light. Right? So, would that be SLANTED reporting, or TELLING it like IT IS?????? If the truth hurts,, maybe one should seek to remove the source of the pain....... think about it. And if others, who are NOT EVEN THERE "candy coat" it... who is "slanted"????? Think about THAT.......
So, the "moral" of my comments here is simply this... If you report on a "sour" subject, and write a "sweetened" story on it....THAT report is SLANTED sir!! When you report it "just like it's happening, just like it IS"... that is truth in Journalism!
Hank
...as American as Apple Pie...
The initial headline and story were posted in 22 minutes. The rest of my day today (it's 2:00 p.m. now) has gone to carefully transcribing the tape from today's exchange.
I am very proud of my coverage of the so-called tire issue. I was the only reporter present at the meeting where Commissioner Penning denied saying something he actually said. The newspaper you admire for getting this right was absent. I have covered most County Commission meetings for the past 1-1/2 years. I've also covered about five Road Department meetings on more of a sampling basis. No other reporter has covered, in person, as many Gasconade County Commission meetings in the past 1-1/2 years as me.
Question my motives as much as you want.
If you want to trust another media's account of a public meeting and reject mine, that's as American as apple pie. You can love one news outlet and hate the other; you can look for balance between two and say both may be right, both may be wrong and the truth is in the middle. I don't care.
I stand by my reports 100 percent.
Jeff Noedel
Publisher, CountyNewsLIVE.com
Reporting the Facts
Let us not "throw out the baby with the bath water". What got reported is what happened and the tape and its transcription bear that out. The world made a horrible mistake in the 1930s by not getting the facts about what was happening in Europe. We should learn from our mistakes and not repeat them. We have a representative style of government in this country. So often, it works well enough that we don't hear about it.
A news story on a meeting that just said " the minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. There was no new business. The meeting adjourned at xx:xx" tells it as it happened. Sure, there is no sensationalism and it doesn't sound like the evening news with its list of shootings and kidnappings, but its still news. It tells everyone that things went right, as they should always do. When a portion of our government is not working, we need to know so we can do what it takes to correct it. Knowledge is power.
Hopefully, the people of Gasconade County and the City of Hermann will remember when it comes time to vote and DO THE RIGHT THING !