HOW WE SEE IT Paves Way To Future After Letdown

When things go really wrong in an organization, it’s time to rethink the way it’s doing business.

No, this isn’t another editorial about the University of Arkansas’ Advancement Division.

In this case, we’re talking about the Benton County Road Department, home to gravel,graders and greed, at least if one is to believe the accusations against three former employees. Scott Stober, the former public services administrator who ran the road departmentfor County Judge Bob Clinard, was arrested July 30 on felony theft charges. Two other supervisors, subjects of the same investigation, also face theft accusations.

All three have pleaded not guilty. They stand accused of stealing from Benton County taxpayers.

Clinard, who expressed shock at the revelations of such activities within the organization his oft ce has responsibility to operate, decided to revamp the way the Road Department does business. Wisely, in our view, he chose to seek out someone with substantial organizational and management experience to run the department, stepping away from the typical hiring of a guy with road-building experience. What the department needs is someone who can make it work eff ectively and within county policies and state laws. That takes someone who can manage projects and people, but might not necessarily be the best one to hop aboard a grader to smooth out a road’s surface.

Clinard hired Terry Nailey to handle the department’s administrative responsibilities.

Then, this week he said he and Nailey had agreed to hire Jeff Clark of Bella Vista as the No. 2 supervisor in the department. He knows paving and how to oversee the day-today projects the department is expected to complete.

Both men are expected to be working for the county by Oct. 7.

Hopefully, these new hires will pave the way for a better future for the Road Department.

The allegations of theft - such as building a deck on Stober’s house with county money and work crews - have damaged the department’s reputation. It will require a concerted eff ort to restore county residents’ faith that their road concerns - not deception - are front and center on the minds of county leaders.

Road Department employees typically work hard but with limited resources. They need professionalism and honesty not just from new supervisors, but every employee on the payroll to make the most of what they’ve got for the residents and businesses they are hired to serve Any instances of theft amount to stealing from friends and neighbors.

The political ramifi cations of this mess may very well linger. What kind of government corruption case, after all, doesn’t set off ripple effects into the next election cycle?

But if the house-cleaning has gone far enough it will be possible for the road department to get back on track.

We appreciate all the employees who have continue to operate with honesty. Unfortunately the burden of restoring the public’s trust will fall on those who had nothing to do with destroying it.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 09/25/2013

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