I am not sure of how to handle our current situation. Many of you are my friends and my family, but all of you are my neighbors, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

In May 2008 I was asked to join the board of the Pope/Courtland Water Association. I accepted the challenge and the discounted water bill ($12/month). In doing so I knew there would be neighbors calling me when they had issues with their water or bill. What I did not know is why I am writing this letter to the editor!

Since coming on the board my eyes have been opened, or might even say they have denied access to important things. The first issue I will address is our monthly board meeting. Monthly meeting should be just that, a meeting held every month. If we do not meet in January it will have been four months since our last meeting, if that has changed I would appreciate notification.

The second issue I am bringing to light is the “Good-Ole-Boy” mentality. What is good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander! Many of you have legitimate needs and wants. If you are the right person it will be handled if not then, “our rules won’t allow that.”

The board in my opinion uses the rules when rules are needed, but only when they are needed! If you are wondering how to get on the “Good Ole Boy” list, I will let you know when I figure it out. This letter is my first attempt. No, not really.

The third and final issue I will address here in this letter is the financials of our association. In a time when we are all a little tighter at the end of the month than we want to be, and everywhere we look families are struggling, every dollar we spend as an association should have an explanation attached to it.

I have requested to see the financials on our association but have routinely been denied. I did get to look at records from 2005 in 2009, but what good did that do? As a member of the association and a board member I urge you to take a deeper look and together we can fix these minor issues before they affect us all in a major way!

I have taken it upon myself to contact the Rural Water Department in Jackson. Their response from me was to fix it at the local level. I am asking for accountability and transparency, out of our association, its leaders and board members. Please assist me in this effort. The current Board members are listed below:

Nehemiah Martin — VP

George Mask — secretary and treasurer

Mike Darby — board member

John Henry Ford — board member

Thank you and proud to serve.

Sincerely
/s/ John Henry Ford