Something rotten in Denmark?

Back in the day, Whiteoak High School English teacher Joe Himes insisted that we familiarize ourselves with the writings of Shakespeare. Perhaps a few of us did, but certainly not all of us.

(Frankly, I was more familiar with the great Gene Schoor biographies of men like Jim Thorpe, Roy Campanella, Stan Musial and others, than I was with the Bard of Avon.)

However, I do seem to recall Mr. Himes offering, after reading one of my essays, that "There's something rotten in the state of Denmark."

Where'd ol' Joe get that, anyway? Hamlet?

Never mind.

There may or may not be something rotten in the state of county affairs regarding the Veterans Service Commission.

After speaking with the Ohio Department of Veterans Services today, here's what I know to be true.

• The Ohio Revised Code 5901.11 and the Ohio Supreme Court (Lynch, et al, Gallia County Veterans Services vs. Gallia County Commissioners) mandate that Ohio county Veterans Services offices are funded at .5 mills of the county's millage.

• When I spoke with the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, I was told the county commissioners have no other option but to approve the local VSC budget according to the .5 mills statute. In all fairness, the state also stressed that it is best for the county commissioners and VSC to "work together" on the budget. But the law is what it is.

From what I've ascertained, in Highland County, past practices have been to appropriate an initially high number for the VSC budget, with a mutual "understanding" that VSC will spend much less during the fiscal year. As long as all parties are in agreement, the practice has seemed to work – in practice.

(You can do your own polling with Highland County's 4,000 veterans as to how this has worked – in reality.)

The obvious and appropriate question is this: Has the funding arrangement worked for the local veterans?

Just prior to submitting his letter of resignation, Richard Kisamore, the former president of the Highland County Veterans Service Commission, requested to the Highland County Board of Commissioners and the Highland County prosecutor that a special legal counsel be appointed and a hearing be scheduled regarding an alleged "budget dispute."

Mr. Kisamore had served on the Veterans Service Commission for 20 years.

Despite traditional practice, the Highland County Board of Commissioners did not list Mr. Kisamore's May 24 letter on its recent meeting agenda. When I first became aware of the letter and requested a copy, my request was answered with a measure of obfuscation.

Eventually, county government complied with my public records request. On May 30, I asked Commission President Shane Wilkin why the letter was not on the agenda. (I've personally written the commissioners in the past, and my correspondence has made the agenda, as it should.)

Commissioner Wilkin said the office was busy and behind schedule. While I believe in his sincerity, I must question his precision. I can type the words "Letter from Richard Kisamore" in less than five minutes. I can hand write them in less than five seconds.

Somewhere along the line, it appears to me that a conscientious decision was made to keep Mr. Kisamore's letter from the commissioners' agenda. That may be smart politics, but it is not good government.

In the May 24 letter to the board of commissioners, Mr. Kisamore wrote:

"The budget in question was a lawful, appropriated budget. The Ohio Department of Veterans Service, as well as Gov. (John) Kasich have publicly commented that county Veterans Service Commissions need to utilize all available resources to improve the delivery of benefits and services to veterans as mandated by R.C. Chapter 5901.

"The (Highland) county commissioners have taken a position which places that office squarely adverse to the position, as well as the philosophy, of the Veterans Service Commission – which is that there is not enough being done to assist Highland County veterans.

"Because the Highland County Veterans Service Commission has an adverse interest with the Highland County Commissioners' Office, which requires separate counsel for the purposes of providing representation in the matter of this budget dispute, I hereby request on behalf of the Highland County Veterans Commission that you initiate the statutory procedure with the court of common pleas to apply for an appointment of an outside attorney as special counsel."

Kisamore suggest that attorney Michael Moses of Columbus be appointed as special counsel to represent the commission, stating he (Moses) has experience in matters regarding veterans service commissions.

Highland County Commission President Shane Wilkin said he was surprised by Mr. Kisamore's letter, particularly so because the county commissioners have not begun the 2013 budget process in earnest. Fair enough.

However, I later received a message that Commissioner Jeremy Shaffer supposedly posted on his Facebook page. (Will public officials ever learn that posting poorly written and ill-advised comments on Facebook are not the wisest of ideas?)

Mr. Shaffer posted:

"I support Veterans, and Mr. Kisamore upsets me with his letter and involvment (sic) of the press."

To be clear, Mr. Kisamore did not openly involve the press. He has not contacted us in any fashion. I simply made a public records request for his letter.

Mr. Shaffer continues:

"There has never been the first budget discussion with the Commission. Specifically because I, as a Commissioner have never spoke (sic) with him and have been available. There has been only one official correspondents (sic) from the Bureaucratic (sic) Veterans Commission and that was there (sic) Budget request which was given to Me (sic) last week, when the new director Robin was in the Commission Office. There have been Zero Budget discussions with any county office yet, because the preliminary Budget request are just now due."

The commissioner went on to state that the veterans relief allowance was decreased to "only a mere $5,000."

He later retracted that statement.

He also later remembered a recent meeting with Veterans Services Director Robin Brown.

As Director Brown said: Commissioner Shaffer's quote of a "mere $5,000" in the 2013 Veterans Service Commission budget request for financial assistance is incorrect. The budget request submitted for financial assistance was for $55,000. The VSC also added an additional line item of $5,000 to include funds for indigent burials of our veterans whose families cannot afford to pay for the funeral of their fallen warrior. So, in short, it's $60,000 (not $5,000) for relief.

Director Brown also points out: "How quickly Mr. Shaffer has forgotten that he sat with not only me, but our Service Officer Brian Fox, for almost two hours on Thursday, May 17, discussing the budget and other pertinent issues regarding financial processes. That meeting must have slipped Commissioner Shaffer’s mind, along with his numerous comments regarding his fellow commissioners. Fortunately, Commissioner Shaffer, I am a U.S. Marine, not a Bureaucrat (there's a big difference), with particularly high standards and I would never throw one of my own fellow warriors under the bus in conversation without them being able to defend themselves."

Mr. Shaffer has stated in a guest column that he "cannot and will not agree" with the VSC budget.

Is the commissioner stating he will stand in opposition to the Ohio Revised Code and the most recent Ohio Supreme Court decision?

Commissioner Shaffer also said: "I have been listening to local veterans and I care very much about all of our veterans here in Highland County. It’s time that we all get this right, from the Highland County Commissioners Office and across the street at the Veterans Service Commission Board Office."

On this point, we are in agreement.

The past practices, whether through mutual agreement or a wink and a nod, of not funding Veterans Services as specified by state law, must end.

Should there be some common ground between the 2011 expenditures and the 2013 requests? Absolutely. Should both sides sit down – in an open meeting – and discuss what's best for local veterans? Yes.

But don't do this behind closed doors. Let's iron out the wrinkles and let the sun shine in.

The Veterans Services director is relatively new in all of this. She's trying to follow the law as it is written and upheld by the High Court. For that, she is receiving undue criticism from a public office.

Let's stop the name-calling, stop the Facebook postings, and sit down and work together. If the county commissioners cannot agree to that, the Veterans Services Commission can always cite the Gallia County litigation.

As of this morning, the state of Ohio says it's gospel.

Rory Ryan is publisher of The Highland County Press.