SCIOTO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO ISSUE STATEMENT OF
SUPPORT FOR SUPERINTENDENT JOHN OAKLEY

Will the statement be from all three Commissioners and will Commissioners resign if allegations against Oakley are proven true?

By Doug Deepe

(Posted 8:45 a.m., Monday, July 28, 2003)

Workers at Scioto County MRDD are furious at the possibility that the Scioto County Commissioners are going to make a public show of support for MRDD Superintendent John Oakley.

An employee at MRDD stated to the Sentinel, "How can Riffe and Reisner (notice Spears was omitted) support him (Oakley) when these men only come to the Verne Riffe School for photo ops? This person went on to say, "Skip Riffe better rethink his position about giving Oakley a vote of confidence because this issue will take him out of office, even with the name of Riffe. He (Riffe) has ridden his fathers coattails for years and maybe people in this area realize he’s not his father and vote him out."

This anger seemed to bubble over during conversations about the Scioto County Commissioners. Another MRDD employee stated, "The Commissioners only come up to the school (Verne Riffe School) whenever there is something that they believe could help them get a few votes in the next election. I don’t know of Reisner ever being at the Verne Riffe School since he took office. If he has been there it’s been for a party or something, not to ask questions about problems at MRDD."

A third employee stated, "The only time we felt like attention was being paid at MRDD was when the Scioto County Commissioners had two Republicans, Spears and Knauff. Opal tried to put people on the MRDD Board to get Oakley to follow the laws and change the way things were operated behind the walls at MRDD."

So it will be interesting to see how the Scioto County Commissioners issue their statement. Will Republican Commissioner Spears join forces with the Democrats Riffe and Riesner, to give full support behind Superintendent John Oakley.

Maybe if the Commissioners feel so confident in their man running MRDD they will be willing to place their own job on the line.

With that vote of support are you Commissioners willing to place your jobs on the line?

Why not add a line in your statement that reads as follows:  If the allegations against Superintendent John Oakley are proven to be true, we will resign as commissioners."

The reason you won’t say this is because none of you know what has been going on at the Verne Riffe School even though it was your responsibility to have that knowledge.

Putting it bluntly, a vote of support for a situation that you have no knowledge about makes you as trustworthy as former President Bill Clinton saying he didn’t inhale marijuana, or have sex with Monica Lewinsky.

Once the Commissioners go on the record supporting Superintendent Oakley the voters should consider a petition to recall the commissioners who vote to support John Oakley.

As a last resort the people of Scioto County should seek a vote to stop funding Verne Riffe School if Superintendent Oakley is allowed to stay.

People, it’s all about the money. Don’t forget that.