| Are there any concentrated animal feeding operations in Greene County? Not one. How many CAFOs are there in Webster County? One. Is there a town in Greene or Webster counties that has odor problems as disturbing as Carthage in Jasper County or Neosho in Newton County? Not that we know about. Are there streams in Greene or Webster counties that are continuously polluted the way they are near the northwest Arkansas and southeast Oklahoma borders? Tell us. We assume not. Greene County does not have CAFOs; Webster County has one.
What credentials do Dave Woolery of Branson and Carrie Smith of Marshfield have to serve in the newly created posts of ombudsmen for Southwest Missouri?
What is an ombudsman? MDNR Director Doyle Childers says the ombudsman will serve as a link between his department and the community. What doesn't he say?
"Some have criticized the use of former legislators, but there are very few individuals who better understand the importance of communicating with different stakeholders and their region than those who have been elected repeatedly by those same citizens," Childers said. "It is not a prerequisite for an ombudsman to have served in some elected capacity, but it obviously is a valued credential."
Excuse us, so where's our ex-elected official-ombudsman who understands our needs, Mr. Childers?
Woolery owns an auction company in Branson after working for 30 years for Southwestern Bell. He currently serves as chairman of the Taney County Airport Board after, according to a DNR press release, having held several paid and appointed positions there. Smith lives even further east from us. She was director of the Secretary of State's southwest region office in Springfield.
We're also told that these two will "assist in issue development"..."to remove some time-consuming responsibilities from the regional directors and free up more of their time to address additional professional, technical and leadership responsibilities...sort of like bypassing government officials in favor of an appointed public information officer.
An article in the Joplin Globe, "DNR to meet with residents" tells us that two ombudsmen are being dispatched next week to meet with Neosho residents concerning the expansion of MoArk's Hathaway Farm. Why? Is there something that those opposed to MoARk expansion haven't already told the DNR?
By the way, other ombudsmen include Jim Froelker of Gerard at the Rolla DNR satellite, Don Summers of Unionville for the northeast region, and Bill Foster of Popular Bluff for the southeast region. The governor plans to announce candidates for the St. Louis and Kansas City areas. The ex-director of the DNR's now defunct Water Protection and Soil Conservation Division has been chosen to oversee the ombudsman's program. Reportedly, full time ombudsmen are paid $60,000 per year and part-time officials half of that. Apparently, nobody was chosen to represent a northwest Missouri region.
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There's a postscript to this comedy...commentary
"MDNR ombudsmen don't have a clue, we told you so" is our new title. Mark Adams, the voice of opposition to the MoArk expansion, told us this morning (Sept. 26, 2005) that he had spoken by phone to Woolery. Adams asked him when he was coming to Neosho, how he had planned on setting up meetings with residents, what he knew about the issue. His response was a big "duh." Apparently, he hadn't been apprised of the whole situation. He kept mentioning how he was attending a "planning session" today. He did mumble something about coming to town to get new information, coming to town to see MoArk officials. (We interpret that to mean that he's coming to ask them how the heck they got themselves into such a stew with the live chickens and how the state can help them get out of it.) Adams said Woolery asked him how he got his telephone number. Why it was published in the Joplin Globe, Adams replied. (He didn't mean that.) Smith could not be reached by phone. Go Back | 
