Gov. Deal suspended 3 Brooks Co. School Board members

The two local TV stations have an update on the Quitman 10: the governor has suspended the three who were elected to the Brooks County School Board. If the VDT has covered this, I must have missed it. (OK, I should look at today’s paper….) There’s also nothing about this on the Brooks County School Board website.

Jade Bulecza wrote for WALB yesterday, Governor orders Brooks Co. School Bd. suspensions

Superintendent Debra Folsom got the governor’s order Tuesday suspending the three board members.

“This is all new territory for us,” said Folsom. “We’re consulting our attorney to see what the next steps we will take to fill the positions.”

December 20 a review commission made up of the attorney general and two school board members from across Georgia were appointed by the governor to review the case.

“They heard evidence from the prosecution and from the accused and the conclusion of that they made a determination and forwarded that to the governor’s office whether to suspend or not to suspend the three school board members,” said South Georgia District Attorney Joe Mulholland.

December 30, the review panel unanimously made their decision.

That would be the same Joe Mulholland who’s been on TV saying things like “It’s pretty clear there was fraud here.”

Gabrielle Sarann, Jacquie Slater, and Matt Galka wrote for WCTV yesterday, Gov. Deal Suspends 3 Brooks Co. School Board Members

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal issued an executive order on Tuesday, Jan. 10th., suspending three Brooks County school board members.

School Superintendent Debbie Folsom says she received the order around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday suspending Nancy Dennard, Elizabeth Thomas, and Linda Troutman.

You may wonder how Nancy Dennard’s name got in there. WCTV had an update 28 November 2011:
District Attorney Joe Mulholland, a special prosecutor, says Brenda Monds and Debra Dennard have now been indicted. The other 10 were charged last December on charges related to the July 2010 primary.
So I guess it’s now the Quitman 12.

The WALB story also says:

They’re all still awaiting trial.
Interesting how the state couldn’t organize a trial within a year, yet it could organize a review commission to recommend suspending the school board members.

-jsq