Recently one of Liberty Dispatch’s contributors called our attention to a trend among a handful of voters who seem to want change in our local government, but are concerned about how “Christian” it is to cast votes that send the incumbents out looking for jobs. After hearing that same reasoning several times, we have decided to look at an example or two of what happens when elected officials leave office.
Besides the fact that our Founding Fathers never set up our system of government to create permanent or long term elected positions, Liberty County officials have their own excellent retirement plans or I guess we could say a mini-version of golden parachutes.
Let’s look at one area in the courthouse or what for years would have been the elected officials in the east end of the third floor of the courthouse (before expanding to other buildings in the last few years). Since before the turn of the century Liberty County has had either Zeke Zbranek or his brother-in-law Rusty Hight running the 75th District Court and Melody Gilmore in the District clerk’s office. During their time in office they were paid a good salary and they had excellent benefits. County employees like these are vested in just eight years and they are then eligible for the retirement that accumulated from their own contribution of 7% of their salary while taxpayers have contributed almost double that to their retirement plans. That is right; we contribute DOUBLE what they contribute to their retirement fund! Coincidentally, Democrats during the same period Gilmore, Hight, and Zbranek held office and have voted the largest pay increases for elected officials in the history of the county. So these people were paid a great deal better than their predecessors and they will also get social security, a great retirement from the county, and if they are like most people they will have some retirement from their work before and after they were elected.
Moving this discussion away from the people we elect and pay in our courthouse here, let’s consider briefly about the elected officials we send to Austin. In another branch of the Zbranek’s/Hight’s attempt to create a political dynasty, let’s use Zeb Zbranek’s tenure as State Representative as an example. When discussing how well government officials can do after serving for only eight years, Zeb is a an example of why no tears should be shed when they are no longer in office. This Zbranek served eight years and taxpayers could potentially pay six to seven figures if he lives long enough. High pay for a job that is just a small portion of one year and then State Reps take off the next year. Of course Zeb practiced law the majority of his eight years in that office too.
We are informing those voters who don’t know, and reminding those who do, that Liberty County’s elected officials are rewarded for their time served. They are paid a fair amount and they have good benefits and an excellent retirement plan.
Its election time and Liberty Dispatch wants the people who think we need change and need to stop the Obama team to vote for new people and we want those who like the status quo to vote for the incumbents. We don’t want people to change their vote because they don’t know the facts.
5 comments:
Melody has been working in the District Clerk's office for almost EIGHTEEN years. She is 55 years old. Rather than worrying about her having money, you might want to ask for a loan from her.
I had no idea there was another Zbranek around or that he lived in Liberty County, but there is no way I would put two close family members in positions of power in a courthouse that already is scandal ridden.
Zeb Zbranek should pay us for "the work" he did in Austin.
You know what the biggest thing I have against all of the people that have had their names on politial signs for years and won is? They have sat on their hands through the years and watched as Melvin Hunt and Lee Groce gave themself and them nice fat raises while the lowest paid people in the courthouse got little or nothing. That has affected my family and I will never forget it.
How I vote on two of the three people you used as examples will purely and simply be because of the way I have been treated by them. People that work for the city or the county should be nice to us. They are not kings or Queens. They can put smiling pictures up, but I remember how they were to me when it wasn't election time.
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