Hackers do exist, now if we could only get Heir Mudd fired...

Tookie,

Mr. Shelton realized what he was doing on the taxpayer's dime...whatever it was he did, as I'm not so sure from this stuff....and HE QUIT.

So no matter happens...he left.
Gone.
Accountability, you ask for?

Yep...that kinda went with him, too.

So it doesn't matter anyway.

HE QUIT.

BYE

BYE

Its time the public knows the truth about these "investigations". While real pornography (graphic photos)may have been the issue with the first employees who were dismissed, what has ensued is a witch hunt. Employees with 20 year careers are now being fired over cartoons. A CARTOON! I agree passing cartoons in a county email is not approriate but being fired for it is absolutle lunacy. These employees should be disciplined but not fired. As for the County Spokesperson he is either lying or unaware that 2 more senior employees have been terminated for cartoons, so we are up to at least 4 employees with over 15 years experience in Public Utilities. The county will be sued, and I for one can't wait. The tax payers will pay the price as experienced employees are fired, lawsuits abound, and the public utilities department is left in shambles. Meanwhile, current County employees have received NO updates, guidance, leadership, or information from Mudd. Instead we have all been left in the dark to wonder what will happen next and who will be their next victim so they can reduce the budget. I'm all for reducing the budget, but do it like a man. Come on NDN we need your help. There is a big story here. Why don't you use the government in the sunshine law and find out the truth. The public deserves the truth, not just the little snipits the county spokesperson releases to you. While you're at it why don't you have a look at the commissioners' emails, Mudd's, the administrators', and Human resources. Find the TRUTH!

Tookie,

You missed my point totally.

TOTALLY.

I'm not condemning the guy for anything..he quit..smart move...whatever reason he did leave...it was a good one.

If he wants to keep his state and county taxpayer funded FRS pension, he will leave quietly and peacefully.

There's trimming going on...budget wise...YES...but to waste time on a taxpayer funded computer sending the stuff they were sending...is PATHETIC.

They WILL NOT WIN A LAWSUIT from sending PORN on a TAXPAYER funded computer. Doesn't matter how many years they have in the County...they will loose the case. PORN and GOVERNMENT don't mix...with the exception of Clinton who went too far with a cigar..and he was caught, too.

Will not happen. They would be stupid to push the point any further either.

Mudd is cleaning up an ugly mess, and he will find someone who cares more to run the show. It may take a while to build up experience, but they will not be surfing, instead of working.

He's a good guy. The county in on a witch hunt to save some $$$$$$$$$$$$$

Good guy quit.

He saved a lot of money for taxpayers for whatever reason.

Well so much for last hired, first fired.... It now appears as if anyone with longevity has a big fat bullseye on thier back. Firing seems too severe to me. However, I do believe in some sort of disciplinary action proportionate to the extent and content of the emails.
I am sure the email policy has been in place for as long as they have had computers but NOW they decide to check things out? Seems more like a resourceful way to cut the budget without looking like the bad guy.

Lets just clear some things up beetlejuice:

1. These are not Taxpayer funded computers, Public Utilities generates it's own income and does not use tax dollars. They charge their customers for water/sewer/irrigation based on usage just like any other utility (FPL, Embarq, Comcast, etc) Would you care if this article was about a FPL employee?

2. The article clearly states that Steve Shelton was fired "Another Collier employee fired for inappropriate e-mails", the keyword being FIRED. When the article states that Shelton left a month ago I believe they are stating that he has been gone from the county for a month now (probably because he was fired), call the County and ask if you are curious....it is public record.

3. Nowhere in the article does it say that Shelton was fired for sending PORNO as you put it, but "inappropriate e-mails". Call the county and ask for a definition of inappropiate and I am sure that you will get a different answer from each person you speak to. Inappropiate is a personally opinion of something, like families in Texas finding it inappropiate that a group of Muslims were leaving Korans on peoples doorsteps as "gifts".

Forget the evening news, or the paper, if you are personally interested in whats going on in YOUR County Government, just ask. It is your right as a citizen, and it is all public record. And while you are at it, see if the bloggers info above about 2 other supervisors being fired is true, if it is then why wouldn't the County rep disclose that info, or even worse....why wouldn't he know? ("Wednesday, county spokesman John Torre said there were no other firings or suspensions to report.")

Hell, look up this guy Shelton's phone number and ask him yourself.....I am sure that he has nothing to fear in discussing this matter now.....What is the county going to do, fire him?

I am not defending the guy or anything, but I do like to look at the facts, and I don't take everything that I read in this paper at face value, especially when they are now reporting something that most likely occured over a month ago.

Just food for thought, or a fan for the flames...you decide!

HiddenTruth Rocks! Thank you for your great post. You have renewed my faith in the fact that people with brains actually contribute here.

Can you say Witch Hunt! It time for Mudd to
stop wasting money on this silly witch hunt and
get back to mismanaging the county.

The investigation has not made it to the files of Jim Mudd or Jim Schmidt. These two have known for years that code enforcement department was sending inter office emails with sexual content. Both FAILED to make a formal investigation. Lets request a formal investigation and have both Jim Mudd and Joe Schmidt fired for failure to properly lead. What a joke to start hammering these employees for emails when everyone knows that leadership has turned a blind eye to the ever frequent daily chore.
An outside agency needs to make an investigation into the picking and choosing of who gets fired and who gets the cover up.

Tookie_Willams:

Don't walk into/or call any County office and ask general questions, do it the right way and request specific information from the Communications/Customer Relations Department. They will ensure that you get what you have asked for; if they elude your request, a violation of the law has occurred.and that is not what that office wants.

The Commissioners/County Manager walk to the beat of a different drum by design. Many of the Counties policies and procedures do not apply to employees elected or under contract. The county manager is a contracted position, and most of the actual policies and procedure specifically indicate that they do not apply to the county manager’s office, most likely due to the fact that they are approved by that office. That would be a clear conflict of interest I suppose.

I assure you that you can get any information that you want from the county if requested from the proper place. Note: requests for personnel info is handled by the Human Resources Dept....you can actually review any employees personnel record if you wanted to, it is allowed, and is your right.

Citizens of Collier County have been left to speculate as to the contents of these emails, if you want to see them for yourself, call the Customer Relations Dept and request them, they will hand them over without question. I have seen some of them, and you would be really surprised what people are getting 10 day suspensions for let alone terminations.

Don’t always believe what you are told, seek the truth yourself.....that is if you are really interested in the truth.

Political correctness and Oversensitivity will undermine the familiar and friendly workplace to the point where everyone becomes so defensive and distrustful they will never be able to cohesively work as efficiently as they should.