Simpsonville: Same political misfire 40 months later
It appears back that Simpsonville politics has went back to the starting point. The firing/suspension of one Keith Grounsell.
It was 40 month ago that City Council first moved to fire Grounsell as Chief of Police. This surprise firing came less than three months after he was given the position after a lengthy search to replace Charles Reece, who retired after 12 years.
It was that firing that led to the Passion of Keith Grounsell for the next year as his followers flooded City Council meetings followed by a media horde all looking for the best sound bite. And there were some great sound bites. It led to a massive overhaul of City Council in November 2013 and when that new group took office in January 2014 they quickly rectified the situation. They hired Grounsell back and then some. For example, they fired the City Administrator because he stood in the way of their power grab.
Well, not everyone was not happy with this. No siree, not in Simpsonville where there are more opinions than assholes. Most days. A group formed to oust the pro-Grounsell supporters, who by that point had to grown to a mob without a rallying point. They got what they wanted and didn’t know how to govern.
So, last November, a new City Council swept in and ousted the old group from power. They said they wanted to unite Simpsonville. Maybe . Instead, according to numerous media reports, they have started the process all over again by ousting Grounsell.
Politics aside. Grounsell appears to be one hell of a law enforcement officer and a very smart police chief. His agency is always in the local media for doing something good or supporting a cause. Part of that is because Grounsell seems to be a likable guy who does well with a microphone in his face. His profile page reads like Gone with the Wind, but hey, if you were constantly being attacked by a City Council, maybe you would put everything you did out there.
There is a meeting tonight at 4 p.m. in Simpsonville. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Comments