Total frustration. That describes my experiences with the Springfield mayor and council.

For one year I have asked for a simple computer CD of the town ordinances. For those who are not familiar with computer terms, the space on a standard, 4.5-inch CD is about 700 MB. The town ordinances require less than 2 MB of space, which is less than the space required for one high-resolution photograph. (I have one CD with the entire 11th edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary on it).

CDs can be purchased in packs of 25 or less, and the price is generally less than 30 cents each. They can frequently be purchased in packs of 100 for less than $15. Therefore, as one can see, one CD can actually cost less than four letter-size copies.

The town ordinances were assembled by former Town Administrator Mike Burkhold, who was paid $55 per hour for his services. However, the ordinances were never put on the town’s computer, and neither was a CD provided for the town.

After my continual quest for a copy of the town ordinances on a CD, Mr. Burkhold did send a CD to town hall, along with an invoice for $1,800. It was determined by Town Clerk Tammy Lee and Councilperson Lydia Lackey that the CD was blank.

Finally, an agreement between Mr. Burkhold and Mayor McCormick was reached, and Mayor McCormick wrote Mr. Burkhold a check for $900; even though the work had been done by Mr. Burkhold during the time the town was paying him $55 per hour for his services.

Mr. Burkhold then e-mailed the ordinances to Councilperson Lackey, and she in turn e-mailed them to me. However, my copy has “DRAFT” written on the title pages.

Again, I brought this matter up in council and asked when I would receive an official copy. No answers from the mayor were given. However, former Mayor Rusty Fogle, now a member of the Springfield Town Council, made the comment to me that the town was not required by law to provide me with a CD of the town ordinances!

Possibly that is true, but I doubt it. Of course, Councilman Fogle should know something about the Freedom of Information Act, because when he was mayor it took several weeks before he bowed to my demands that a copy of the council meeting agenda be posted 24 hours prior to each meeting.

In addition, then-Mayor Fogle pushed the newly revised ordinances through on the date he resigned as mayor. Citizens just recently learned that the new ordinances require elected town officials to serve four-year terms instead of the previous two-year terms.

The town ordinances are nothing more than the laws that citizens must abide by. So, why does Mayor McCormick wish to make it so difficult for citizens to obtain a copy of the laws they are required to live by? She continually says that citizens can read them in town hall -- under the watchful eyes of an employee. Is there a reason a citizen should not read them in the privacy of his or her home on a personal computer? If so, please give us a valid reason.

Mayor McCormick, when will this ludicrous conduct end? Even though you had a significant part in writing them, the town ordinances are not your personal property. You continually suggest that you provide open government, but you continually do not provide adequate information in a timely manner -- if at all. It is a fact that citizens are given time to speak and ask questions at council meetings, but frequently no answers are forthcoming.

As an example: On Monday, Sept. 8, there was a first reading to allow Orangeburg County to come into Springfield and clean up some areas at the expense of the owners. However, Mayor McCormick, you read only the numbers assigned to the ordinances, not the text. What will actually happen? Who will select the areas to be cleaned? Who will you exempt from the cleanup? How much will the county charge an owner? There are a lot of questions; but again, no answers. This seems to be following the path of how the four-year terms were enacted into law in September 2007.

Citizens of Springfield, please be advised, your rights are being trampled on, and you had better attend the next council meeting and demand that the cleanup ordinances be read and explained, not just alluded to by numbers.

In another matter, Councilperson Lackey made a motion that a study be made to determine the feasibility and cost of a Web site for Springfield that would bring us into the 21st century and on par with other Orangeburg County towns. The matter was received coolly by the mayor and other council members. Why? I believe it is because a Web site will provide more information than town hall wishes to be dispersed. If the town of Springfield can afford to write a $900 check for work that had already been paid for, then a Web site should be considered with much interest.

Springfield is owned by the citizens, not by a few elected officials. Citizens have the right, indeed the duty, to attend all council and public meetings and ask questions. The mayor and council, by law, are obligated to answer your questions promptly, concisely, courteously and in a timely manner.

− John W. Baxley, Springfield

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