Sunday, March 25, 2012
Hey, Joe . . .
No this is not going to be about that great Jimi Hendrix song. It’s about Joe Ternus who is a Democratic candidate for the position of County Judge that was recently vacated by Ronnie McDonald.
Mr. Ternus came to Bastrop (from Austin) in 2006 to head the then ‘Development Services’ department, replacing Dee Czora who had served in that position for many, many years. His tenure lasted only a few years, until May of 2008 when he resigned/retired from his post.
If the proposed Central Texas Airport had not reared its ugly head. Mr. Ternus’ job history would be of little significance. However . . .
It was during his stint with the the county that the first applications for the Colorado Riverland Ranch Airport now known as the proposed Central Texas Airport were submitted to the FAA in 2007. That fact would also be of little significance if the following hadn’t occurred.
Mr. Ternus signed on to Carpenter’s ‘team’ as a ‘Consultant & Advisor’ for ‘Project Design, Development & Construction’ within 6 to 8 months after he resigned his post with the county. It seems that 6 months is the ‘acceptable/routine’ transition period for employees cycling between the public and private sector aka the infamous ‘revolving door’. Even that fact wouldn’t raise concerns but . . .
Then came Mr. Ternus’ recent bid for the Democratic nomination for County Judge. This is a BIG red flag that something might be afoot other than selfless public service. Perhaps he’s here to finish what was started under his watch five years ago?
Voters should be connecting the dots. We need a County Judge working for ‘we, the people’ not for developers out to make a quick buck at our expense. It remains to be seen whether the other candidates will provide a viable alternative for those of us opposed to the CTA project. Preliminary research is not encouraging . . .
