The Liberty County Commission voted — twice — on the request for a leave of absence for Graylan Quarterman from his seat on the Liberty County Development Authority. And now Kelly Davis, county attorney, and others are trying to figure out what the votes mean.
Quarterman, a real estate specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, accepted a year-long assignment to Kosovo, and asked for a leave of absence so he could retain his seat on the LCDA ... The authority's rules make no provision for leaves and its members passed the request along to the county commission, which appoints members of the LCDA.
The commissioners seemed no more willing to make the decision than the authority and referred the matter back to the LCDA, asking for a recommendation. The authority not only declined to offer advice, but several members made remarks similar to a comment from the LCDA's Brian Smith.
"The county has never asked us for advice on anything else, including who we wanted as members of this authority, so I don't understand why they're asking us about this," Smith said.
So the leave of absence question was bounced back to the commission again.
Commission Chairman John McIver, who serves on the development authority, said he would work to get a specific statement from the authority. The response was a letter unanimously adopted by the LCDA that said, "The LCDA has not historically been responsible for its creation, nor selection or retention of its members ... Mr. Graylan Quarterman is a valued member of the LCDA team whose continued presence is appreciated under such terms and conditions as the Liberty County Commission deems appropriate."
Following this vague statement, County Commissioner Eddie Walden made a motion to deny the leave of absence. This motion drew two votes and did not pass.
Commissioner Donald Lovett then moved to approve the leave of absence. This motion also failed, putting Quarterman’s request in limbo, neither approved nor rejected.
Quarterman, a real estate specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, accepted a year-long assignment to Kosovo, and asked for a leave of absence so he could retain his seat on the LCDA ... The authority's rules make no provision for leaves and its members passed the request along to the county commission, which appoints members of the LCDA.
The commissioners seemed no more willing to make the decision than the authority and referred the matter back to the LCDA, asking for a recommendation. The authority not only declined to offer advice, but several members made remarks similar to a comment from the LCDA's Brian Smith.
"The county has never asked us for advice on anything else, including who we wanted as members of this authority, so I don't understand why they're asking us about this," Smith said.
So the leave of absence question was bounced back to the commission again.
Commission Chairman John McIver, who serves on the development authority, said he would work to get a specific statement from the authority. The response was a letter unanimously adopted by the LCDA that said, "The LCDA has not historically been responsible for its creation, nor selection or retention of its members ... Mr. Graylan Quarterman is a valued member of the LCDA team whose continued presence is appreciated under such terms and conditions as the Liberty County Commission deems appropriate."
Following this vague statement, County Commissioner Eddie Walden made a motion to deny the leave of absence. This motion drew two votes and did not pass.
Commissioner Donald Lovett then moved to approve the leave of absence. This motion also failed, putting Quarterman’s request in limbo, neither approved nor rejected.