Thursday, May 07, 2009
Metro columnist Dan Casey: Nepotism can spark talk of intrigue
Dan Casey is The Roanoke Times' metro columnist.
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Dan Casey
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Before we jump to conclusions about Ashley Hunt's curious employment with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, it might be wise to step back and give her and her dad, Sheriff Ewell Hunt, the benefit of the doubt.
As you most likely read in Tuesday's article by reporters Mike Allen, Amanda Codispoti and Janelle Rucker, police are investigating whether Ashley Hunt, 18, a college student at Concord University in Princeton, W.Va, filled out sheriff's department time sheets and submitted them for hours that she did not work.
Certainly this sounds hinky. But there's a lot we don't know, and it's important to keep in mind that neither Ewell Hunt nor Ashley Hunt has been charged with any crime.
There could be all kinds of innocent explanations for many of the peculiar issues the story raises.
One is the statement in a sworn court document that Ashley Hunt went on undercover drug buys and conducted surveillance.
At first, that struck me as weird and potentially dangerous -- what father would allow his daughter to do something like that? But it's possible the former North Cross student knows far more about drugs than the average Franklin County officer.
Another is the question, unanswered so far, as to whether Ashley Hunt got paid working as an administrative assistant for the sheriff's office while attending college in West Virginia.
If she did, this one is easy. Telecommuting has been growing by leaps and bounds for the past 20 years. Franklin County residents might take comfort in knowing their law enforcement department is on the cutting edge of employment and technology.
Of course, another obvious question is the one of nepotism. On that issue, there are many examples to go around.
Ewell Hunt's predecessor as Franklin County Sheriff, W.Q. "Quint" Overton, hired his son, Billy Overton, to work for him then promoted him to captain. (Hunt beat out Billy Overton for the top spot in the 2007 elections.)
Roanoke Sheriff Octavia Johnson hired her poetess sister, Patricia, as spokeswoman for the agency a few months after Sheriff Johnson assumed her job in 2006.
University of Virginia head football coach Al Groh hired his son, Mike Groh, as offensive coordinator in 2006. (That didn't work out too well, though.)
And then there are other eyebrow-raising government hires that don't exactly rate as nepotism but are interesting nonetheless:
In 2006, Forest I. Jones was appointed assistant principal at Andrew Lewis Middle School (where he had taught for many years) while his father, Forest G. Jones was still Salem city manager.
The Roanoke city school system hired Darlene Burcham's daughter in December 1999, less than two months after the city council hired Burcham as city manager.
I'm sure there are other examples. So, you see, there's no shortage of relational hires among governments in the Roanoke region.
That doesn't mean any of the above was unsuitable for the post they landed.
And who knows? Ashley Hunt just might have been the most qualified Franklin County teenager for the job.
