A Conspiracy Theory

There is a vast array of conspiracy theories. JFK, Jimmy Hoffa, UFOs, Pearl Harbor, Marilyn Monroe and AIDS are just a few of modern times. And how about 9/11 and global warming? People can be very imaginative, and manipulative, going to great extremes to prove their point with the twists and turns of a controversial subject. Validation might be in the confines of their minds but there will always be those who share in those beliefs.

Notoriety can bring small fortunes. Books. Movies. TV documentaries and way too many talk show programs highlight media coverage. Many theories are resurrected decades beyond their origination. And still speculation doesn’t resolve the issue.

Don’t rack your brains trying to come up with a conspiracy of a positive nature. Most likely, it will be a fruitless effort. Most, if not all, theories are brought about by paranoia.

I suppose I fit into that psychological profile because there are some very interesting developments of late that deserve consideration. I might be overly assumptive, but Hernando County may very well have it’s own conspiracy coming to light at a very opportune time. Let me explain.

Human Resources Director Barbara Dupre has been given a lump-sum payoff in exchange for the honorable decision to resign from a position she has held for ten years. Her escapades include such tidbits as mismanagement, nepotism, the use of email to solicit petition cards and failing to implement recommendations to bring efficiency to the department’s policies and procedures that would have benefited the county and its employees. This had gone on for eight years.

Utility Department employees have been suspended, with pay, for their part in harassing co-workers with racial slurs and innuendos. A supervisor gave his resignation rather than face disciplinary action. The seriousness of the situation is demonstrated by the involvement of the EEOC. Dupre’s ineptitude in addressing the issue is another of her supposed incompetence.

Emergency Management Department has its own problems, the full extent of which has yet to be played out. Former department secretary Stephanie Anderson gave herself overtime pay that was unwarranted, unverifiable and to the amount of nearly $10,000 worth of compensation. The involvement of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Department and the State Attorneys office shows the seriousness of her actions. Anderson’s arrest may not be the sole result of the ongoing investigation.

Emergency Management Director Tom Leto is on paid administrative leave. His oversight of the department has been put in question.

County Administrator David Hamilton is overseeing the developments of all of these situations. He has to be admired for being ambidextrous though these and other challenges that he has inherited due to the actions and inaction of previous Administrators.

Is it possible that this all began during the time period that Bonnie Dyga held the Administrator position, when Barbara Dupre was hired? Did subsequent Administrators Paul McIntosh, Richard Radacky, John Gallagher and Gary Kuhl take part in what has recently been brought to light? Perhaps each of their early departures from their positions was, in part, due to the goings on in county government. Perhaps they had reached a point whereby they could no longer turn their heads away from too many improprieties in too many departments.

Is it not something more than a coincidence that the dismissal of certain employees are occurring at a time when County Budget Hearings are to begin; at a time when the hiring of replacement employees could result in lower monetary compensation that could ease the budget crisis; at a time when unemployment is at a level whereby replacements may accept whatever pay the county offers? Will the full extent of these matters ever be realized?

And the final kicker-question, Have I become an integral part of this conspiracy?