Embattled Post 4 Commissioner Derek Good made a deal with the rest of the county commission to resign Aug. 17, ending a two-month outcry by citizens for him to step down.
Good did not attend the Aug. 17 work session, telling commissioners he was sitting out while he reconsidered his role on the board.
Good came under fire in late June after he admitted to the Ledger-News that he was not an Army Ranger and had not completed college, both of which he claimed on his campaign literature.
Good withdrew from the re-election race the same day he admitted his falsehoods, but initially had said he planned to serve out his term until the end of the year.
During an executive session of the county Board of Commissioners following the work session, Post 3 Commissioner Karen Bosch telephoned Good, offering an agreed-upon financial safety net in exchange for his immediate resignation. The offer from the county commission included two months of his commissioner’s salary and an employer match for his county medical insurance until the end of the year, which combined, total about $7,600.
Good took the offer, and Bosch read Good’s resignation at the beginning of the official meeting.
According to Bosch, Good said, “I am resigning immediately … as I no longer want to be a distraction to the important business of the Board of Commissioners.”
An open records request made several days before the meeting showed that, although fellow commissioners did not have the authority to unseat Good, three felt he should resign. Bosch initially felt the call to resign from citizens mostly was “political maneuvering” and that Good should be allowed to continue to serve.
Remaining commissioners have the ability to appoint someone to fill the seat since there is so little time left in the term. Commissioners agreed the likely appointment is Jason Nelms, who won the Post 4 primary unopposed after Good withdrew from the race. Nelms faces no opposition in the November election, and was originally slated to assume the Post 4 seat in January 2011. County Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens said filling the seat early will be discussed at the next county commission meeting Sept. 7.
Bosch said that the deal the commissioners worked out with Good is reasonable.
“I’m comfortable with it,” she said. “I proposed that, (because), when former Commissioner Ilona Sanders (left), facing drug charges, the board had worked something out with her. Regardless that what Derek did is wrong, it has not been proved a crime, and I thought we could reasonably consider doing something to help him with the transition.”
Bosch said Good was “surprised” to receive her telephone call, and expressed his concern about what the controversy was doing to the board.
Post 1 Commissioner Harry Johnston said all the commissioners agreed Good’s health insurance, which amounts to a county contribution of a little more than $600 a month, should be paid until the end of the year.
However, he said commissioners negotiated on the amount of pay, if any, Good should receive and compromised at two months of the four months left in his term, or $5,206. He will be paid salary for the remainder of August, as well, according to the agreement. County Manager Jerry Cooper also confirmed that, at age 65, Good will collect $406.67 in pension from the county each month.
“I think Good did the right thing by resigning to end the controversy and distraction,” Johnston said. “(The two months’ salary) will help him have some time to absorb the adjustment in the family budget.”
Post 2 Commissioner Jim Hubbard said he was glad the controversy was over.
“It was not a perfect solution, but it was a solution; now we have an opportunity to move on with business,” he said. “The pressure was mounting, and Karen took the lead to work out the separation agreement. She gave him a way to bow out with dignity.”
Ahrens said he would like Good’s resignation to be closure of the situation. “I think he was ready,” he said.
Ahrens said he felt offering Good severance was the right thing to do. “Several residents asked us to work something out, and it’s still costing less than if he stayed.”
Residents also have been asking commissioners, in e-mails, to tighten the county’s ethics ordinance. Both Johnston and Ahrens have said they think it is a good idea to revisit the ordinance, and Bosch said in an e-mail that she will work with the county attorney to craft an amendment to the Code of Ethics.
Linda Flory, a board member with the Cherokee Coalition for Responsible Growth (CCRG), which spearheaded a petition asking for Good’s resignation, said, “I am pleased that this is over. Hopefully future candidates watching this will think twice before they lie about their background.”
Ahrens said he will talk with Nelms and see if he is comfortable assuming the Post 4 seat before January.
Nelms told the Ledger-News Aug. 18 that he’s ready to assume the office.
“I’m ready to go to work for the people in this post,” Nelms said. “I’m doing this for the people, and I’m ready to put all this behind us and move forward. I’m excited to have this opportunity to give back to my community.”
