Rife Is Named Chairman; Lindsay Named Vice Chair

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor

      Buchanan County Republicans gained control of the board of supervisors Monday when South Grundy Supervisor Roger Rife was named chairman in a split vote during the reorganization meeting of the board.
       Prater Supervisor Eddie Lindsay, who originally had sought the Democrat nomination -- and lost it -- and then ran-- and won -- as an independent in the November 2003 election sided with two Republicans and Democrat Pat Justus in the vote to give Rife the chairmanship over North Grundy Democrat Supervisor Joe Keene. Keene had been serving as chairman of the board.
       In a separate vote Monday, Lindsay was named vice chairman of the board.
     County Administrator W.J. Caudill opened the meeting, asking for nominations for both the chairman and vice chairman.
     Rocklick Supervisor David Ratliff made the motion and Hurricane Supervisor William P. Harris made the second to nominate Keene as chairman and Rife as vice chairman.
       Knox Supervisor Pat Justus made the motion and Garden Supervisor Buddy Fuller made the second to nominate Rife as chairman.
        Board members then voted by calling out the name of the candidate they supported with Justus, Rife, Lindsay and Fuller voting for Rife and Ratliff, Harris and Keene voting for Keene. With four votes, Rife was named the chairman.
      Fuller then nominated Lindsay as vice chairman and Ratliff nominated Keene as vice chairman.
        That vote again saw the Republicans, Lindsay and Justus stick together to give Lindsay the vice chairmanship with four votes to the three votes for Keene.
        Rife thanked board members for naming him chairman and he thanked Keene for having served as chairman in the past.
         “You did a good job,” Rife said.
         Several appointments were also made and saw most of the Democrats shut out.
         Fuller, Justus and Lindsay were named to the personnel committee on a 6-1 vote with Harris casting the lone vote of dissent.
          Lindsay and Rife were named to the insurance committee on a 6-1 vote with Harris again being the only supervisor to vote “no.”

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  For more information on how to subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.

 Ordinance on Cats, Dogs Is Tabled
Board Defers Decision After Public Comment

by Cathy St. Clair
News Editor

      A standing room only crowd appeared Monday at the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors meeting mainly to state their opposition to a proposed ordinance requiring cat and dog owners to keep their pets from running at large.
        In the end, the board took no action on the proposed ordinance other than to table it for two years until January 2008 when the next elected board of supervisors will take office.
       The proposed ordinance, if passed, would have made it illegal for dogs and cats to run at large.
       Violations under the ordinance, would be punishable by a civil penalty of $150 per violation.
       Kenneth Rife, a resident in the audience, opened the hearing summing up the thoughts of many others in the room when he said, “I’m against it.”
        Rife went on to explain that where he lived, there were at least 25 coyotes in the hollow and he said if he had to tie up his dogs and cats, the coyotes would be in the yard killing the cats and dogs he had tied up.
        “If people’s dogs destroy property, there is a law for that, just like if a youngun does it,” Rife said.
        Jimmy Goff suggested the first thing the board needed to do to address any problem with dogs and cats running loose would be to pick up the stray animals which roam in the county.
        Rife said he would like to see someone try to catch a cat and he suggested that if the ordinance was passed, the county would need to build a bigger animal shelter.
          Delbert Hurley asked who would pay the fine proposed for violations of the ordinance when it came to strays. There was no answer given.
          Donald Franklin was one of two speakers stepping forward in support of the ordinance.
          “I’d like to see it passed,” Franklin said. “I put up with my neighbors dogs. They use the bathroom on the porch and I’m tired of it. I can’t kill a dog,
because it’s illegal if I do, and I can’t put my dog on my front porch for the neighbors dog to try to kill it. I’m not against nobody’s dog, but I don’t want a dog interfering with mine.”
          Terry Colley, who said he was a member of a local beagle club, expressed concerns about the ordinance and any impact it might have on hunting dogs; however, it was quickly pointed out that hunting dogs were not impacted by the ordinance so long as they were under the custody and control of the owner while they were hunting.

For more of the story, see the print edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.  For more information on how to subscribe to the Mountaineer, call 276-935-2123 today.