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I am one member of a five person board. The opinions I express on this forum are mine only, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Escambia County Staff, Administrators, Employees, or anyone else associated with Escambia County Florida. I am interested in establishing this blog as a means of additional transparency to the public, outreach to the community, and information dissemination to all who choose to look. Feedback is welcome, but because public participation is equally encouraged, appropriate language and decorum is mandatory. Although this is not my campaign site for re-election--sometimes campaign related information will be discussed, therefore in an abundance of caution I add the following : Political Advertisement Paid for and Approved by Jeff Bergosh, Republican, for Escambia County Commissioner District 1








Saturday, January 11, 2020

ISSUES That Never Go Away Part I: The Coroner Pay Dispute Files.....

In a horror picture, sometimes you never really fully dispatch the monster.  They just keep coming back.  Some issues we deal with (Issues, not people) are eerily reminiscent of this trope...

Sometimes the toughest, most complex issues with which we contend are the toughest ones to fix.

These issues never go away.

Like a fire that you think is out but that keeps flaring up.....

Like legal bills that keep arriving in the mail months and months after the case is settled.....

Like the Horror Show trope where the monster is never dead, no matter how many times it should be, no matter how many times it is "dispatched" -----it just keeps coming back to life.  (this is simply a metaphor---I'm talking issues not people)

So here is the new issue that won't go away.

The four counties of the first Judicial Circuit recently navigated a tricky replacement of this area's Coroner.  There were a number of alleged issues associated with our previous coroner's performance and fees and payments and exorbitant salaries, public money put into private companies, etc. etc. etc.   Then there were lawsuits.  It all blew up a few summers ago, but again--- it was resolved this past October 1 with the placement of a new Coroner. It was ugly.  But we fixed it and it went away.

So we thought.

But the new coroner, apparently, (according to our old coroner's lawyer) is making more than the previous on was---that is AFTER some pay adjustments were made. (Prior to the adjustments, this previous  coroner's compensation approached $700K yearly--not a bad government wage)

(Read all about that sordid history here.)

So now that our previous coroner has relocated and settled in at a different part of the state, a federal lawsuit has been filed against the three of the four counties of the first judicial circuit by the former coroner.

The crux of it appears to be that the new coroner, a man, is making MORE than the previous coroner, a woman, was making.

Some issues never go away.

Press "Read More," below on the left, to read the compete 7-page complaint.
















Unbelievable.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting the truth and links. Your transparency is stellar. People need to understand that others abuse the judicial system for their own gain.

Do people know the current medical director Edler has posted a demand letter that the county pay her legal fees for suing a citizen asking for at least 100K for that?

She is the plaintiff. How much do you think it has cost the citizen?

Do they know Edler has now filed a harassment claim for you looking into what has gone on, simply asking for due process in public at the meeting with the other commissioners?

Informed unaffected citizens are afraid to discuss issues surrounding this and it allows the people like ECW and Doug Underhill and PNJ to attempt control the message because it seems they are backing and using this person for their own means. The demand letter is posted on Escambia Public Facebook.

Please get to the bottom of this. They are using it to attack you and many see straight through it, Many do not. Owens must be a part of this also, like a silent partner. Disgusting.

Lawsuits are a cancer on our system of government on so many level. It stops public participation and thwarts the true meaning of our government in many cases.
People in the public trust must take heed and not let things get to this.

Fulfill public records and comply with laws and the bears would not be filing the lawsuit toward Underhill and the board.

Thank you for doing your duty Commissioner Bergosh.

Political Advertisement Paid For and Approved by Jeff Bergosh, Republican for Escambia Commission D1