The Nash Administration will go out with the Bush Administration with a similar approval rating. The people of Madison County sent a resounding message to the county government complex Tuesday.
Twelve years is enough.
The end of the Nash era
Nash entered the chairman’s office in 1997, defeating long-time chairman Bill Madden. He is a charming speaker, a master of country folksiness, showing confidence and ease in front of crowds with wide smiles and a catalogue of jokes. He can win a room.
But Nash is no “aw shucks” kind of guy. He’s a cagey politician, showing a real street survival instinct during his lengthy tenure at the head of the county. Whenever it seemed like the chairman was on the ropes, his opponents seemed to fall.
While clashes with three current board of commissioners are fresh in people’s memory, Nash’s conflict with three previous commissioners — Ken Clark, Jack Fortson and Patsy Pierce — helped carve his political identity in the county.
The chairman took office and promptly refused to carry out BOC orders that he contended were fiscally irresponsible. The commissioners took him to court and won, with a judge agreeing that the chairman had to follow the instructions of the board.
But Nash’s fortunes turned after four BOC members attached a pay raise to the end of a resolution calling for a referendum on the county’s form of government. The commissioners’ secret move to double their own pay outraged many. And three recalls were ultimately launched, with open meetings violations serving as the legal reason behind the initial ouster attempt against Ken Clark.
While Clark was “on trial,” the recall hearing said much more about Nash than it did about Clark. During the five-hour hearing, Nash took the stand and incriminated himself, saying that “yes,” he broke the law by participating in an illegal meeting, a move that gave the recall effort against Clark legal legitimacy. In the process, Nash opened the door for a recall attempt against himself. But no one bit on that. And Nash’s gamble paid off for him as Clark ultimately resigned, with Fortson following and Pierce choosing not to seek re-election. The move was highly risky and truly cut-throat. It defined Nash as a political hardballer.
Around that time, people were so fed up with all the fighting and controversy that Madison County nearly abandoned its form of government in favor of a sole commissioner.
Had that narrow vote gone the other way, Madison County would have turned over complete control of the county government to Wesley Nash, who edged his other opponent at the commissioners’ table, a very distant relative, Nelson Nash, in the 2000 chairman’s election.
With four of his old opponents gone, Nash’s next four years were much quieter. If the chairman suggested something, the 2001-04 board would likely go along with it. That board was praised as harmonious by some and criticized by others as a group of “yes men.”
Nash was challenged in 2004 by assessor board chairman John Bellew amid a heated tax assessment controversy. But the chairman kept his seat. And he and his county clerk, Morris Fortson, were truly a powerful political duo as Nash entered his third term.
But Nash has relied so heavily on Fortson that he has appeared dependent on the county clerk for answers he should have had himself. Fortson has often been called a de facto county manager. And that seems appropriate considering how powerful he has been under Nash. The chairman seemed more interested in big picture matters, leaving details to Fortson, but this arrangement seemed to compromise his command of the issues at times. For instance, he often failed to attend the horribly dull, but important budget meetings, with Fortson and the board plowing through the money matters.
Later, when Fortson erred on a major budget matter, the BOC asked Nash to reprimand the clerk. He said he did. Fortson said he didn’t.
If the current BOC had any trust left in Nash, it evaporated then. The BOC consequently stripped the chairman of his personnel-decision making powers. They also moved to take his truck away, saying that he misused it.
In another episode, commissioner John Pethel pulled out a tape recorder in a BOC meeting to highlight a false statement regarding the status of county audits. Nash said the county audits were in good standing, but a couple of months later, commissioners learned that they were woefully behind schedule. Nash’s inconsistency, caught on tape, led to howls of dismay from the public.
Of course, the Pethel-Nash clash has been a subject of headlines for several years. Nash threatened to “break it off” in Pethel. And the District 2 commissioner sought to press terroristic threat charges. Pethel later initiated an ethics charge on Nash over some copies made on a county printer during the 2004 election.
Nash contended that the “power gang of three” sought to unfairly strip him of power. Meanwhile, that group said Nash just couldn’t be trusted, that he didn’t honor his word.
With all the divisiveness in recent years, the sentiment to “throw them all out” was very real in 2008. Stanley Thomas barely held on. John Pethel will face Johnny Fitzpatrick in a runoff. Wesley Jordan lost his seat to Dewitt Bond. Bruce Scogin nearly fell to Jim Escoe.
But all other county elections were overshadowed this year by the chairman’s race. While Nash got Ken Clark out of office a decade ago, it was Clark’s brother-in-law who soundly removed the chairman from office Tuesday. And Clark’s father, Louie, a former state representative and long-time fixture in the county political scene, had to be all smiles. He campaigned hard for his son-in-law. And the county gave Anthony Dove a loud shout of “Yes, you’re the man!” It was a joyous night for many at the Danielsville Masonic Lodge.
Nash will now enter an unusually long lame-duck period, considering that this race is over well before the general election. Once Nash does leave office, don’t be surprised to see the BOC give some power back to the chairman. The group had a problem with the man, not his position.
In five and a half months, the man with a genuine “aw shucks” nature will lead Madison County in 2009. He seems plain spoken, modest, eager to get along and keep things positive.
It’s surely hard to reach the chairman’s podium, but perhaps harder to stand there when the political storms kick up, which they always do.
Time will tell how Dove will fly as a politician.
But for now he and his supporters can celebrate.
Zach Mitcham is editor of The Madison County Journal.
But Nash is no “aw shucks” kind of guy. He’s a cagey politician, showing a real street survival instinct during his lengthy tenure at the head of the county. Whenever it seemed like the chairman was on the ropes, his opponents seemed to fall.
While clashes with three current board of commissioners are fresh in people’s memory, Nash’s conflict with three previous commissioners — Ken Clark, Jack Fortson and Patsy Pierce — helped carve his political identity in the county.
The chairman took office and promptly refused to carry out BOC orders that he contended were fiscally irresponsible. The commissioners took him to court and won, with a judge agreeing that the chairman had to follow the instructions of the board.
But Nash’s fortunes turned after four BOC members attached a pay raise to the end of a resolution calling for a referendum on the county’s form of government. The commissioners’ secret move to double their own pay outraged many. And three recalls were ultimately launched, with open meetings violations serving as the legal reason behind the initial ouster attempt against Ken Clark.
While Clark was “on trial,” the recall hearing said much more about Nash than it did about Clark. During the five-hour hearing, Nash took the stand and incriminated himself, saying that “yes,” he broke the law by participating in an illegal meeting, a move that gave the recall effort against Clark legal legitimacy. In the process, Nash opened the door for a recall attempt against himself. But no one bit on that. And Nash’s gamble paid off for him as Clark ultimately resigned, with Fortson following and Pierce choosing not to seek re-election. The move was highly risky and truly cut-throat. It defined Nash as a political hardballer.
Around that time, people were so fed up with all the fighting and controversy that Madison County nearly abandoned its form of government in favor of a sole commissioner.
Had that narrow vote gone the other way, Madison County would have turned over complete control of the county government to Wesley Nash, who edged his other opponent at the commissioners’ table, a very distant relative, Nelson Nash, in the 2000 chairman’s election.
With four of his old opponents gone, Nash’s next four years were much quieter. If the chairman suggested something, the 2001-04 board would likely go along with it. That board was praised as harmonious by some and criticized by others as a group of “yes men.”
Nash was challenged in 2004 by assessor board chairman John Bellew amid a heated tax assessment controversy. But the chairman kept his seat. And he and his county clerk, Morris Fortson, were truly a powerful political duo as Nash entered his third term.
But Nash has relied so heavily on Fortson that he has appeared dependent on the county clerk for answers he should have had himself. Fortson has often been called a de facto county manager. And that seems appropriate considering how powerful he has been under Nash. The chairman seemed more interested in big picture matters, leaving details to Fortson, but this arrangement seemed to compromise his command of the issues at times. For instance, he often failed to attend the horribly dull, but important budget meetings, with Fortson and the board plowing through the money matters.
Later, when Fortson erred on a major budget matter, the BOC asked Nash to reprimand the clerk. He said he did. Fortson said he didn’t.
If the current BOC had any trust left in Nash, it evaporated then. The BOC consequently stripped the chairman of his personnel-decision making powers. They also moved to take his truck away, saying that he misused it.
In another episode, commissioner John Pethel pulled out a tape recorder in a BOC meeting to highlight a false statement regarding the status of county audits. Nash said the county audits were in good standing, but a couple of months later, commissioners learned that they were woefully behind schedule. Nash’s inconsistency, caught on tape, led to howls of dismay from the public.
Of course, the Pethel-Nash clash has been a subject of headlines for several years. Nash threatened to “break it off” in Pethel. And the District 2 commissioner sought to press terroristic threat charges. Pethel later initiated an ethics charge on Nash over some copies made on a county printer during the 2004 election.
Nash contended that the “power gang of three” sought to unfairly strip him of power. Meanwhile, that group said Nash just couldn’t be trusted, that he didn’t honor his word.
With all the divisiveness in recent years, the sentiment to “throw them all out” was very real in 2008. Stanley Thomas barely held on. John Pethel will face Johnny Fitzpatrick in a runoff. Wesley Jordan lost his seat to Dewitt Bond. Bruce Scogin nearly fell to Jim Escoe.
But all other county elections were overshadowed this year by the chairman’s race. While Nash got Ken Clark out of office a decade ago, it was Clark’s brother-in-law who soundly removed the chairman from office Tuesday. And Clark’s father, Louie, a former state representative and long-time fixture in the county political scene, had to be all smiles. He campaigned hard for his son-in-law. And the county gave Anthony Dove a loud shout of “Yes, you’re the man!” It was a joyous night for many at the Danielsville Masonic Lodge.
Nash will now enter an unusually long lame-duck period, considering that this race is over well before the general election. Once Nash does leave office, don’t be surprised to see the BOC give some power back to the chairman. The group had a problem with the man, not his position.
In five and a half months, the man with a genuine “aw shucks” nature will lead Madison County in 2009. He seems plain spoken, modest, eager to get along and keep things positive.
It’s surely hard to reach the chairman’s podium, but perhaps harder to stand there when the political storms kick up, which they always do.
Time will tell how Dove will fly as a politician.
But for now he and his supporters can celebrate.
Zach Mitcham is editor of The Madison County Journal.
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