Who gets to serve on the Brooks County School Board —VDT

The VDT caught up with the TV stations today on the Quitman 10 story, and provided updates and context they did not.

David Rodock wrote on the front page of the VDT today, Gov. suspends `Quitman Ten' officials,

On Tuesday, Deal issued his order prior to the Brooks County Board of Education’s first meeting of 2012. Dr. Nancy Whitfield-Dennard, Elizabeth Diane Thomas and Linda Faye Troutman were notified of this suspension at approximately 4:30 p.m., according to sources.

That's a bit more context than the TV stations provided.

The VDT also says who gets to serve instead:

Following the governor's suspension this week, Brooks County school board member Brad Shealy, who is also an assistant Southern district attorney, was appointed to serve as president of the board with board member Larry Cunningham serving as vice president. Shealy served many years as the school board president prior to Whitfield-Dennard being named president last year.

That seems to be the same Brad Shealy who used to be chairman until the recent election.

The VDT adds this context:

With Whitfield-Dennard, Thomas and Troutman being black, the governor's suspension returns the Brooks County school board to a white majority.

That and returning the chairman defeated twice in the election makes for a de facto annulment of the election.

Except not quite:

Harold Eddy, an attorney with a Gainesville-based public-education law firm, said the school board remains uncertain what it will do with the three vacant seats caused by the suspension.

“They were not actually dismissed,” said Eddy. “They are temporarily suspended and, pending the proceedings, they could be found not guilty and return to the board. We just found out about this (Tuesday) afternoon and are trying to determine whether there is any type of statutory provision that would address this. If not, it would be up to the governor's office to appoint replacements.”

So when will this trial be?

“...the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed...”
—Sixth Amendment, U.S. Constitution

We're getting the public part, with the review committee and D.A. on TV. I wonder when we'll see the impartial jury part.

Here's the best part of the VDT story:

“My concern as a community activist and concerned citizen is why I have not seen their attorneys,” said George Rhynes, who has covered the case on his online blog since it started in 2010. “We have state representatives, the NAACP and (famed civil rights activist) Joseph Lowery who have came out to support the Quitman Ten, yet so many things about this case have not been published.”

The VDT finally acknowledges George Rhynes for his work on this story.

-jsq