The Benton County comptroller and, apparently, the nature of her personal relationship with Scott Stober (former head of the county’s road department who was charged last summer with felony theft of public property) today finds herself the object of scrutiny.
Sarah Wilson, whose responsibilities include managing expenditures in county departments, has never denied having a relationship with Stober.
But something curious is up to have County Judge Bob Clinard place Wilson on administrative leave last week, as Sheriff Kelley Cradduck’s office also re-evaluates its investigation into those thefts involving the road department.
Among other charges, Stober stands accused of using taxpayers’ money to purchase personal items including parts for his truck, a toolbox, paint and lumber used to build a deck on his home.
I have to assume Stober must have submitted invoices to the county for all those purchases if the county paid for them. But no one’s accused Wilson of anything.
Two other road department supervisors who worked under Stober’s direction also wound up being arrested and charged with theft of county money. That made three different employees accused of being involved in bilking the county’s treasury. One big mess.
Rather than rehash all that much-rehashed saga, I’m intrigued (as I’m sure are many taxpayers) by Wilson now being placed on administrative leave, particularly in light of her own position of public trust and this admitted relationship with Stober.
I can only surmise the questions to be resolved at this point have to include the length, depth and nature of their personal association and what, if any, impact that might have on the state’s felony case against Stober.
The sheriff says his officers are trying to “find out about some dates and times of events that may have happened and just go from there.”
Wilson contends she knows nothing, instead claiming: “I don’t know why I’m on suspension. He [Clinard] told me I was and he told me he couldn’t say why. That’s all I know.”
She also said she didn’t understand why the sheriff was taking another look. “I have no clue what he’s talking about. I have just done my job.”
Hmmm? Well, friends, the Bob Clinard I know never has had the slightest problem explaining his beliefs or actions, especially when they involve another public figure. The same holds true for the straight-shootin’ Sheriff Cradduck.
Try to imagine this kind of bizarre conversation.
Clinard: “Sorry, Sarah, but I have to place you on leave from your job as the county’s one and only comptroller.”
Wilson: “What! Why? What have I done to deserve that when I’m just doing my job?”
Clinard: “Sorry, I can’t tell you why. It’s a secret, you see.”
Naaw, sorry, Ms. (or Mrs.) comptroller, but I just can’t buy that.
Best of the best?
I’ve got to hand it to Martin Schoppmeyer of Fayetteville and the charter school known as Haas Hall Academy that he started in 2004 with 13 10th- through 12th-graders, then grew into our state’s nationally recognized top-performing open-enrollment public school now in Fayetteville.
With a maxed-out 320 students today (and understandably a waiting list of anxious parents), the school maintains a waiting list of hundreds. Some parents register their children years in advance.
At least 30 percent of Haas Hall’s students today arrive daily after a considerable commute from Benton County miles to the north. That situation has prompted Schoppmeyer to plan on hopefully opening a second Haas Hall-styled college-prep charter school in that county by 2015-16, if he can get it approved.
Part of Schoppmeyer’s success in having Haas Hall named U.S. News & World Report’s 115th best in America and top-ranked in Arkansas is maintaining an effective curriculum, a top-flight faculty and the comfortable and familiar “small school” feel.
The way I see it, Benton County can only benefit from this educator/administrator’s very good idea. Then the only question might become which of the two schools will outperform the other as best of the best. And that means there can’t possibly be any losers.
Acclaim for volunteers
Speaking of positive national recognition, my sincerest congrats to those at the Arkansas Center for Community Engagement, who organized the 1,326 volunteers at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville to complete various projects in the community.
Their remarkable achievement rightfully earned one of USA Weekend’s 14 awards during Make a Difference Day. In fact, our deserving UA students are among the projects nationally to be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie of NBC’s Today Show will co-host the annual event that highlights the nation’s most outstanding volunteer efforts from the previous year.
It’s always rewarding for me to emphasize the many good things happening across our society. My late friend, Dr. Bill Hudson of Harrison, used to openly fantasize about publishing a newspaper that focused only on all the positives occurring around us. Bill would have especially liked these last two items.
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Mike Masterson’s column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at mikemasterson10@hotmail.com. Read his blog at mikemastersonsmessenger.com.
Editorial, Pages 15 on 04/08/2014