Like those of us wondering when this long winter will end and the spring begin, Madison County Supervisor Tim Johnson must be wondering if the storm clouds will ever pass. In a span of less than two weeks the District 2 Supervisor and Board President has been hit with an increasingly widening fracture in the county's populace. The unrest has the residents of the southeastern and more populated region pitted against the rest of the county.
Since mid February, Johnson has faced allegations of wasteful spending and mismanagement of county money. Persistent questions remain over fees paid to engineer Rudy Warnock and $4.7 million the county spent on Reunion Parkway interchange, which is no longer going to be built. This week, a resolution from one of the largest muncipalities in the county was passed calling for Johnson to resign.
Back in January, allegations of private deals and "quid pro quo's" arose from a meeting that resulted in Northern District Transportation Commissioner Bill Minor and Southern District Transportation Commissioner Wayne Brown being found guilty of violating the Open Meetings Act. That meeting between the two Commisioners with Johnson at a Jackson restaurant to discuss funding for the Reunion interchange also included Warnock.
Now comes a ruling that Johnson accepted illegal payment from a charity for lobbying efforts.
It's been a tough few months for the part-time Elvis impersonator. And, he may be looking for an entourage to help him get out of the building. At the very least, he should resign his leadership position and let another Supervisor step in to try to bring peace to the county's proceedings.
New leadership could start fresh with everyone involved and maybe, just maybe, facilitate a "coming together" to get Madison County refocused.
The sooner Johnson's "long cold winter" of leadership is over, the better. Only then can Madison County residents look forward to some much needed "sunshine."
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