Local Radar

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County Offices dispute County Administrator's claims in official release

web posted July 20, 2006

COUNTY – Edgefield County Administrator Wayne Adams issued two Letters to the Editor on behalf of the Edgefield County Council to The Citizen News and The Edgefield Advertiser published on July 19, 2006. In his letters he, on behalf of the County of Edgefield and the Edgefield County Council,  provided inaccurate information to the general public on behalf of the county.

The letter by Edgefield County Administrator Adams published on Wednesday states the disconnection of the Probate Court computers from the network could have been avoided if Judge Peeler had allowed the county contracted IT service provider access to his computer. Mr. Adams further states, “On that same day, the Eleventh Circuit Court readily complied with our request to fix this same problem on a computer in its office.” Mr. Adams made similar, and more specific statement at the Edgefield County Council meeting on July 11, saying the county’s IT technician removed the viruses from the Judge Keesley’s computer and Judge Keesley’s Office had “no problem allowing us to clean viruses off the machine”.

According to Eleventh Circuit Court Judge Keesley’s Office that is “not true”. The Pronet technician, “came in and sat down at the computer and said there was a virus on it and he needed access. I called the state help desk and they refused to allow him to do anything,” Nancy Turner, Judge Keesley’s secretary said. Mrs. Turner went on to say that she spent over two hours the following day working with the state to correct the problem. “They did most of it on their end but there were things I had to do here,” she said.

In Administrator Adams’ letter, he states the State Election Commission demanded he discontinue internet service to the infected computer, justifying disconnection of all of the Probate Court computers, including uninfected computers, on May 16, 2006.

However, The Citizen News reported the letter advising Mr. Adams of the situation did not come until July 10, 2006. “Edgefield County Administrator Wayne Adams was notified July 10 by the State Election Commission that a ‘harmful virus’ had been detected in the Edgefield network,” the story stated. That virus, the headline read, was directed as a “Virus found in election computer”, not that of the Probate Court, according to the page 3 story of The Citizen News.

Mr. Adams’ statement is that he was ordered in May to disconnect the computers of the Probate Court.

Administrator Adams also proved his own statement in the July 11 County Council meeting to be conflicting when he said that Judge Peeler was the administrator of the computer at the meeting. In the letter, Mr. Adams stated, “my emphasis on state and county policies that establish the county as owner of our computer and internet systems, and as the entity governing the responsible use of these systems,” proved he was the administrator of the computers. In the County Council meeting Administrator Adams stated, “Every other department head in this county, elected or appointed, including Judge Keesley, has no problem allowing us to clean off viruses off (inaudible) machine or provide updates.”

According to statements of department heads and officials, that is also not true.

Edgefield County Sheriff’s Adell Dobey, both a department head and an elected official, stated Mr. Adams has no involvement in the computers or the function of his office. The Sheriff, Judge Keesley, and Judge Peeler are all Constitutional Officers in the county. Sheriff Dobey said, “He (Administrator Adams) has nothing to do with my office or our computers. I am over (the computer systems) and the funding is provided under my budget.”

The statements where Edgefield County Administrator Wayne Adams alluded to EdgefieldDaily.com and its owner will be dealt with accordingly and will not be addressed here.

Mr. Adams would do well to at least try to be factual and honest when he signs his name, and that of the county, to letters he issues on behalf of his position and the County of Edgefield.

It is not EdgefieldDaily.com that is producing false information as Mr. Adams claims. I, as owner and Editor of EdgefieldDaily.com, will stand behind any story written by EdgefieldDaily.com.

The question remains, will the Edgefield County Council stand behind theirs and those of Administrator Wayne Adams?

EdgefieldDaily.com is a member of the
Edgefield County
Chamber of Commerce

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