Published: November 12, 2009 11:32 pm      

Stakem speaks out on county police issue

CUMBERLAND — Jim Stakem broke character — and his silence — on the still controversial issue of having two police agencies in one of the least populated, most economically stressed jurisdictions in the state.

Stakem used his seat on the Allegany County Board of Commissioners during its public meeting Thursday to address a number of issues regarding the sheriff’s office and Bureau of Police, which Stakem and Commissioners Bob Hutcheson and Dale Lewis expanded more than 14 months ago and took over road patrol duties from Sheriff David Goad.

As he’s traveled around the county in recent months and even at Veterans Day ceremonies on Wednesday, he has heard that “people are really tired of hearing about this.”

Stakem said Goad — in violation of a court order — and supporters have been spreading “propaganda” through letters that have included a number of misstatements.

“I could easily dispute almost anything” in those letters and newspaper advertisements, Stakem said.

The accusation of violating a court order is the most serious — and the most public — any county official has made to date. In that February court order with the county commissioners, Goad and fellow plaintiffs, including current sheriff’s deputies and county commissioner candidate Bill Valentine, agreed not to pursue a referendum on the issue or legislation through the District 1 delegation to Annapolis. Stakem said Thursday that Goad and others party to the suit have blatantly taken such steps.

A Nov. 4 letter signed by Frostburg resident Mike Wade urges Allegany County residents to attend Tuesday’s meeting at Allegany College of Maryland. The annual meeting between the public and the District 1 delegation is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

At the top edge of the letter is the business name of Carl Valentine & Son Inc., owned by Valentine. The heading is a similar type and font of a fax being sent from that place of business.

“It’s obvious,” Stakem said after Thursday’s meeting. “They have not stopped since the ink’s dried.”

“That’s correct,” said Commissioner Bob Hutcheson.

Though not party to the lawsuit, Stakem said Delegate Kevin Kelly, who has voiced his opposition to the commissioners’ August 2008 actions, is “a maverick” who has divided many people in the county on this single issue.

Kelly is “beating a dead horse here,” Stakem said. “This needs to stop.”

Stakem said the county is reluctant to engage in additional litigation and hopes the push for a referendum or legislation quiets down on its own.

“We don’t know yet” when, or if, the county will return to court on the issue, Stakem said.

Stakem said his comments were “personal” and not representative of the board as a whole.

The commission president said he was upset at the mudslinging and that the reputations of County Finance Director Jerry Frantz, and Pamela Smith, accountant, were being questioned. Smith was designated as financial adviser to the sheriff’s office up until August 2008, when the split occurred.

“In 2008, Goad was $322,226 over budget,” Stakem said. “In eight years, he went over nearly $1 million. If I hear he was not given enough money one more time, I’m gonna scream. What really is disturbing is that Goad would not meet with the county commissioners” during the budget cycle in the spring of 2008 as other agency chiefs, including Dr. Sue Raver of the Allegany County Health Department and Circuit Court Judge Gary Leasure, did.

Stakem said three subsequent attempts to have Goad attend a meeting were not successful.

“Bottom line, there was no cooperation,” said Stakem, adding “the final straw” was when Goad refused to follow the county’s newly adopted take-home vehicle policy. A month prior, Goad had implemented his own policy for deputies and staff which permitted out-of-state use but limited the mileage of each employee’s commute. There was never a study to compare which policy would save the county more money.

“We finally threw our hands up,” Stakem said. “Any responsible commissioner would have said, ‘Enough’s enough.’”

Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.