The Shadow
Welcome back, Shadowers! The Covington City Council held its regular meeting last Tuesday night to address various community matters, including appointing a new representative to the Alleghany-Covington Department of Social Services (ACDSS) board. Two candidates were being considered, Kim Jefferson and Corey Bowles.
Prep the operating room, we’re going to need surgery.
We asked both candidates for their resumes, and only Bowles responded. However, our research found a short biography on the web for Jefferson which states: “Kim Jefferson works at Covington High School and has held that position for sixteen years as an Administrative Assistant. She also serves as a Junior Varsity & Varsity Cheerleading coach in which she has been at that position for sixteen years. Kim is a graduate of the class of 1986 Covington High School and later graduated from The National Business College in Roanoke, Virginia, where she received her Associate’s Degree in Fashion Merchandising.”
Corey Bowles’s resume shows that she has ten years of experience as a foster parent for Allegheny-Covington DSS, as well as working with foster children in Rockbridge and Botetourt counties. Additionally, Bowles has two Bachelor of Science degrees in Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, with over 20 years of experience in public education as a Health Sciences Teacher, Trainer, Interim Athletic Director, and Behavioralist. She is a Crisis Prevention and De-Escalation Instructor. She has extensive training in trauma and crisis from the University of Maryland.
Both women are well-liked by their peers and have long-standing trust from the community. And if you were just making the decision based purely on resumes and related experience, it is clear that Bowles is the more qualified candidate. But, lo and behold, the Covington City Council voted unanimously for Kim Jefferson to fill the board seat.
Wait… What?
Let’s start with the Council meeting. After Bowles presented her highly qualified experience to the Council, Patrice Jefferson, a current member of the ACDSS board, endorsed Kim Jefferson and spoke for her as Kim was sick that evening. Patrice stated that Kim has the trust of the kids, the parents, the community and that she could help talk people through foster care, food stamps and snap.
Wait a minute, those aren’t functions of a board member, those are functions of a case worker. But the larger issue here is, did you realize ACDSS board member Patrice Jefferson is also the sister-in-law of Kim Jefferson?
Nepotism?
If you think that it sounds a little too cozy, let’s add more wood to our cozy little fire. Patrice Jefferson is Kim’s Sister-in-Law. Covington City Council member Lance Carson, whose wife also happens to be on the ACDSS board, made the motion to approve Kim. And the Vice Mayor, David Crosier, who is the Chairman of the Board for the ACDSS, also voted for Jefferson.
Railroaded Favoritism? What happened to the word “recuse?”
Whoooweee… There are now a lot of extremely upset citizens over this one. Did we just see the old nepotism and favoritism trick the current City administration likes to keep up its sleeve performed right in front of our eyes? Did they just hire someone without any proper qualifications and experience to an expert-level position so they can easily coerce that person into doing their bidding without fear of accountability?
Let’s see… Something sounds familiar…
Oh yes, now I remember. The Covington Building Department was in exactly this same situation earlier this year. The current administration hired a completely inexperienced and unqualified person as their Building Official, and then allegedly coerced him to issue illegal certificates and permits to their friends. (Seems the previous Building Official resigned for this very reason.) In one glaring situation this year, the uncertified Building Official issued several illegal certificates for the 410 Main St. building which was eventually shut down by the State Fire Marshal for being a fire trap. The Fire Marshal also shut down the Building Department as well to stop the uncertified Building Official from issuing invalid permits and certificates.
And we citizens are okay with this behavior?
Now you might say, oh shucks, you don’t need experience and related education to be on the board of the local Department of Social Services! Even a secretary can do it. This was the argument that Sister-in-Law Patrice Jefferson stated to the Council on why Kim Jefferson was the better candidate. Patrice said, “You don’t have to have all the education to be on the board, it just takes common sense, and time to listen and understand.” This statement, while well-intended, minimizes the complex nature of social services work, which demands not only common sense but also specialized knowledge, education, and experience.
This is like saying that a secretary can be an effective brain surgeon with only common sense and the ability to listen and understand. But don’t just my word for it… let’s look at the cold, hard facts to see just how effective the current ACDSS board members are with little to no apparent education or experience in Social Services.
The Alleghany-Covington Department of Social Services, is currently embroiled in a $5 million whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former employee against the ACDSS director, Tammy Wilson, and the department itself. Former employee DeAnna Ratliff claims that Wilson routinely violated state regulations by directing untrained and uncertified employees to perform tasks that required specific certifications, such as child protective services (CPS) and adult protective services (APS) duties. Wilson allegedly instructed Ratliff, who was not trained or certified in CPS/APS work, to perform these tasks and to assign other unqualified employees to handle sensitive cases, putting both the employees and the children they served at risk. Ratliff’s objections to these unlawful practices reportedly led to her retaliatory termination.
Not once, but twice.
In addition, the lawsuit accuses Wilson of fostering a hostile work environment, where she engaged in aggressive behavior and punished employees who did not comply with her directives. Ratliff states that Wilson manipulated records, ignored established policies, and even spread false accusations against law enforcement agencies. Ratliff’s objections to Wilson’s reckless behavior, including the mishandling of critical case files and false accusations, culminated in her wrongful termination, which she claims was in retaliation for her whistleblowing.
Now, let’s dig a little deeper into that retaliation rabbit hole. Not only is Ratliff claiming retaliation, but it seems Corey Bowles is also included on that hit list. Corey Bowles and her husband have fostered over two dozen children across the three counties since August 2014, so it is safe to say she completely understands how it works. After Wilson was hired as the new ACDSS director, Bowles raised concerns to the board after 12 Social Services employees resigned in a short period, questioning the quality of care for children. Bowles believes this prompted ACDSS Director Tammy Wilson to close down her foster care home.
So where is our ACDSS Board with good common sense in all this? Why are they allegedly allowing this kind of dysfunctional behavior that is greatly impacting our children, our at-risk youth and adults who need help the most?
It’s all happening right under your watch.
Isn’t there any board member with enough common sense, guts and concern for our children who will step up and stop this madness? Perhaps the board is too paralyzed to do anything for fear of retaliation to themselves, or just looking the other way while they let their Director allegedly rip the ACDSS apart and potentially cost the taxpayers millions. Multiple sources have stated that Wilson allegedly said she would resign if Corey Bowles was elected, so maybe they’re now just hostages to their own ignorance?
Maybe they just can’t comprehend what’s really going on because, without any real experience and education, all they can do is look blankly at a patient dying on the operating table with his skull open, ready for their common sense to fix it?
Will you step up, Kim Jefferson?
I’m out of time, out of coffee, but want to remind you we are 21 days away from election day. Maybe it’s time to remove some leaders who can’t figure out whether they are winding their butts or scratching their watch.
