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Chief appraiser Linda Mayo

Mayo record focuses spotlight on county personnel policy

Posted by
Sherri Ellington
in Top Stories
Tuesday, June 23. 2009
Comments (33)
Allegations surfacing about the Lamar County assessors board hiring chief appraiser Linda Mayo before her criminal background check was done have revealed county personnel policy does not authorize background and drug tests on potential employees.

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#1 Enoc Siuol on 06/23/09 at 07:49 AM
What's the big deal? We all screw up a little in our youth and that was of 20 years ago. I am sure this lady loves that her past is being published for all to see. It's none of our bussiness.
#2 Anonymous on 06/23/09 at 08:57 AM
If someone who is responsible for any part of the finacial business of the county has been involved in deposit account fraud at any time ,it is a big deal.
#3 anon1 on 06/23/09 at 10:21 AM
Agree with #2. If it was just a dui from 23 years ago, no big deal. The deposit account fraud is a different story though. That should be scrutinized a bit closer.
#4 cats on 06/23/09 at 10:29 AM
I'm not sure what deposit account fraud is. Is that when you write a check on funds you don't have? And does it become a charge when you don't take steps to cover those charges?
While I agree that it may be irresponsible to let your bad check charge get to the deposit account fraud stage (if I'm understanding what deposit account fraud is) what interests me is that all these allegations, which are more than 2 decades old, are surfacing.
I am wondering why this is, and if this is standard procedure, should all our city and county employees undergo a background check beginning now?
#5 Andrew Odom on 06/23/09 at 10:32 AM
Deposit Account Fraud is what we used to call a "bad check" or rather, writing checks on funds that were not available.
#6 Anonymous on 06/23/09 at 10:43 AM
See that is one of the many problems with the country today, if you do screw up you have to keep paying for it the rest of your life. You can't get jobs you can do so many things all because you messed up at one point in time. I thought if you paid your debt to society then all was forgiven. I guess I was wrong
#7 Gary on 06/23/09 at 11:25 AM
Oh well then. Isn't that what the county does towards the end of the year. Allow the bank to cover them until they get new money?

In other words, is someone saying, do as I say and not as I do.

This doesn't make any sense. I'd bet this borders on libel. I don't know this lady but if her job performance is satisfactory and she is not being investigated for any present wrong doing related to her job performance, this information is nobody's business except hers and her employer.
#8 Anonymous on 06/23/09 at 12:13 PM
HEY WALTER, I GUESS YOU KNOW ALL YOUR PROPERTY VALUES JUST WENT UP!
#9 Anonymous on 06/23/09 at 12:32 PM
Hey. We are getting a new fire headquarters. And 9 fulltime firefighters stay at the station 24 hours. Congrats to the fire fighters. We are moving forward!!! Good job Commissioners!
#10 Anonymous on 06/23/09 at 02:17 PM
I am so positive that Ms. Mayo is not the only county employee (high or low ranking) to have bounced a check or driven drunk. Are we going to scrutinize every employee's remote background and plaster it all over the paper?
#11 Anonymous on 06/23/09 at 04:25 PM
Hey Walter, Just wondering do you not have anything better to do with your time then plaster someone's past all over the news. She must be doing a good job at helping make your paycheck.. Maybe you should think about sending her a bonus check.... I really think she has done a good job..
#12 wdm on 06/23/09 at 04:30 PM
This really begs the question how much transparency do we actually need in local governments. Should a hired employee's private record be open to public debate? In time, this policy will only drive away good talent because who wants every bad moment from their youth paraded on front street. There is no one alive who hasn't done something foolish in their lifetime. Especially since we now know that deposit account fraud is bad checks, posting this whole thing seems belittling. To belittle, is to be little.
#13 Sheila Tolley on 06/23/09 at 07:36 PM
The TOTALLY stupid step here is hiring a person before doing background checks. HOW STUPID IS THAT? Please make me understand the reason for this rule.
#14 lizzybegood on 06/23/09 at 07:44 PM
This is absurb. If this happened in the last 5 years, I would be alarmed. Why dig up stuff that happened over 20 years ago?

In this case shouldn't they focus on her CURRENT qualifications -- not some alleged "criminal" activity that happened over 20 years ago.
#15 whatsdmatteru on 06/24/09 at 05:49 AM
Shouldn't the Hr department be looked at since, the policy is backwards, you don't hire someone first then run a background check. Let's run there backgrounds, and see what kind of sorted past they have?
#16 Andrew Odom on 06/24/09 at 08:00 AM
I agree that things are backwards in this process. I think the concern from the hiring party is that the cost to screen before hiring would be outrageous as you would have to pay to screen all applicants.

However, this can easily be remedied if the hiring parties would narrow down their candidates to truly qualified individuals and only pay to screen them.
#17 Sheila Tolley on 06/24/09 at 11:27 AM
Absolutely. Two always worked for me. If, for some reason both of those fail the background check. (This never happened with my interviews.) Then call your third choice back. The process is totally backwards. Leave the girl alone. Change that procedure. Carry on....
#18 Tom Rauch on 06/24/09 at 01:11 PM
What or who prompted the Herald-Gazette to sink to this low?

What a waste of ink and time.

Where were all the great investigators when Henry was running loose, judging other members of our community, and dealing with millions of dollars of taxpayer money?
#19 anonymous on 06/24/09 at 04:11 PM
probably because they knew it would give you something to bitch about on the blog!! hahaha
#20 Crime Dog on 06/24/09 at 05:27 PM
She is a hired employee and not an elected official. Her history is not a matter of public record. Her history is not releasable unless she gives consent. If whoever released this information does not have her written consent then that person can be legally sued for defamation of character. Because she is a county employee, she can sue the county too. This is an inexcusable release of information and I would hope that her supervisor or her supervisor’s supervisor will take appropriate action against the guilty party.
#21 Anonymous on 06/24/09 at 08:46 PM
MS MAYO IS NOT QUALIFIED FOR THE POSITION SHE HOLDS AND SHE HAS PROVED THAT. HOWEVER, EVEN I THINK THIS IS OVERBOARD. SHE NEEDS TO BE FIRED FOR DOING A POOR JOB. BUT TO DO THIS TO HER IS CRAZY. I GUESS THE OLD SAYING OF DON'T EVER PISS OFF SOMEONE WHO BUYS INK BY THE BARREL AND PAPER BY THE ROLL IS TRUE!

BOBBY BURNETTE AND ROBERT VETCH HIRED HER!
'NUFF SAID!
#22 Anonymous on 06/25/09 at 02:55 PM
She must have raised your taxes. Too bad she did not take time to raise your IQ or at least show you where the cap lock button is.
#23 Anonymous on 06/25/09 at 03:01 PM
Walter G and his staff owe this girl an apology if not some money. She is doing a good job, and what she did 23 years ago is no one's business.
#24 anonymous on 06/25/09 at 09:12 PM
you are wrong about that - recheck the law
#25 BriarBunnyFarm on 06/26/09 at 05:58 AM
God is Great. Beer is Good. And People are Crazy....
#26 pennygirl on 06/26/09 at 06:28 AM
Spell correctly first off. Secondly, think about your cold heart when you cross that church threshold on Sunday. 3rd, what gives you the right to ridicule anyone, can you do the job better? Are you even qualified to do the job?
#27 Anonymous on 06/26/09 at 09:27 AM
why dig up something 20 years ago? Ever hear of the BTK killer? He laid dormant for years and then resumed his activities. What's to say she would go back to her ways
#28 Sheila Tolley on 06/26/09 at 10:13 AM
Walter G owes this woman absolutely NOTHING. Nada. Zilch. He offers her the right to send her opinion to the paper. Praise our Forefathers and Military Personnel, past and future for that!
#29 anonymous on 06/26/09 at 10:34 AM
he don't need to, judge whoever you are! why don't you spell it out because you are sitting on the bench. maybe you better recheck.
#30 Anonymous on 06/26/09 at 01:49 PM
While I agree the paper has a right to publish this, it is in terrible taste to do so.

The fact Mayo bounced two checks and had a DUI 23 years ago has NOTHING to do with her current job or any risk the county assumes from hiring her. This story was a huge disappointment.

Walter owes the lady an apology. It was poor journalism because the article did not tie her past history into any present problem. The intention must have been to bash her because there was no bridge from the past to present problems.

I especially find this ironic in light of the fact we pay one female over $100,000 in salary and benefits. No one is questioning the wisdom of that or looking into who decided to cough up that amount of money and/or why.
#31 Crime Dog on 06/26/09 at 04:25 PM
"the article did not tie her past history into any present problem. The intention must have been to bash her"

Oops 16.1: That's the basic definition of defamation of character. And the way it was presented I wouldn't be suprised to find out that you and 16.1 are bothe the same.

Let me ask. What right does the paper have to publish this? There is only one peice of the puzzle that fits here. Explain and let's see if you get it right.
#32 Sheila Tolley on 06/26/09 at 07:50 PM
Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.

Author: Thomas Jefferson
#33 A'SHIRLEY on 06/28/09 at 09:06 AM
Look into it a little futher...Maybe he is questioning the crime dogs that hired her?? Wonder what kind of pasts do they have??? Please post that one......ha!!
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