Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 17, 1993 TAG: 9308170494
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
David Sligh of Bradshaw Road conceded it was fair for Hodge to defend the county with a rebuttal letter to the editor last month.
But Sligh said Hodge crossed the line of professionalism by sending a copy of the letter to Sligh's boss.
"The only plausible reason for sending the letter to my boss, in my view, was to try to intimidate me and silence my criticism," Sligh said in a letter released Monday.
In an interview, Hodge said there was nothing wrong with contacting Sligh's boss at the state Department of Environmental Quality.
Hodge acknowledged that Sligh's duties as an environmental engineer are unrelated to county zoning decisions and landfill erosion problems that Sligh cited in his letter, published July 22 in the Roanoke Times & World-News.
But Hodge contended that Sligh, as a state employee, is privy to information about Smith Gap Landfill from other state agencies.
"He is using his job to get access to the facts," Hodge said.
In an interview, Sligh said a state Department of Conservation report detailing erosion problems at the landfill is available to the public.
"None of it is related in any way to my job," he said.
Sligh said his boss, Neil Obenshain, supports his right to speak out on issues not related to his job.
Obenshain agreed that it was inappropriate for Hodge to send him a copy of the letter to the editor.
Hodge said he was frustrated that Sligh leveled criticism at Roanoke County without talking with county officials.
Hodge claimed that Sligh "intentionally misled the public" about the county's comprehensive land-use plan and its relation to a controversial rezoning request on Cotton Hill Road near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
"As a state employee, he has a higher standard [to get his facts right], just as I do," Hodge said.
Sligh insisted that his job has nothing to do with his interpretation of the comprehensive plan, which he maintains is correct.
"I have at no time represented myself as anything other than an interested citizen and taxpayer. It is my right to speak out on issues of concern to me and I will continue to do so."
On Aug. 24, Sligh said, he will ask the Board of Supervisors to discipline Hodge and repudiate tactics that have a chilling effect on the public's willingness to speak out.
At least one board member said Monday that he stands behind Hodge.
"I don't appreciate someone working on the state payroll coming out with this misinformation," Hollins District Supervisor Bob Johnson said.
by CNB