Forsyth OKs office shuffle

Charles Laughinghouse will be packing up his things to move into a smaller office by Nov. 15.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners decided with a 3-2 vote that the current commission chairman should relinquish his current office to the county manager position. The current county manager's office would become that of the deputy county manager.

Commisssioner Jim Harrell and Laughinghouse voted against.

Commissioner David Richard made the initial motion which was seconded by Linda Ledbetter.

"I believe the full time employees should have the bigger offices," Richard said. "I think they will do their job better and be more effective."

But Laughinghouse said he wanted to know the motive behind the move.

"I'm getting fed up with a lame duck board making decisions affecting the entire county," he said.

Both Richard and Ledbetter will be leaving office at the first of the year. Laughinghouse said he wanted to know why this "petty" decision should be made now.

"Why not wait until January to allow the new board to make this decision?" he asked.

Richard said the new board could make any decision it desires.

"If the new board wants to change that," he said, "so be it."

Ledbetter said it makes sense for commissioners to have the smaller offices since they are technically part time employees.

"And I resent you saying we are a lame duck this or that," she said. "I do agree part time employees should not have the best offices. A chairman of the board does not spend a lot of time here. We should have the part time employees in smaller offices."

Laughinghouse disagreed and said serving as a commissioner is not a part time job.

"You all speak for yourselves," he said. "I spend a lot of time working here."

Commissioner Jim Harrell made the motion to postpone the decision to February to avoid "shuffling around offices" since the board will vote on the chairman position at the first of the year. The motion failed to pass.

"I think it's silly to throw out the chairman with a month and a half left," he said. "This is the most small-minded petty thing I've ever seen done by a board. I'm very disappointed in you guys."

Laughinghouse's office must be vacated by Nov. 15. At that time, the interim county manager could move into the office now designated as the county manager's.

Former county manager Rhonda Poston-O'Connor was fired by the commissioners in September. Deputy County Manager Doug Derrer was named interim county manager immediately following Poston-O'Connor's dismissal.
- www.northfulton.com

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