CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Bradley County Road Superintendent Sandra Knight Collins has called for "a little more respect" for her department after critical remarks by a Bradley County commissioner about worker's compensation claims filed by the road department.
On Monday, Commissioner Thomas Crye took the department to task in meetings with safety officials and the county commission, citing a high compensation claim rate that exceeded that of every other county department in the 15-month period between July 2014 and September 2015. During that time, the road department, which employs 60 people, filed 53 claims.
"The numbers speak for themselves," said Crye between the meetings.
The road department accounted for nearly 40 percent of the 134 worker's compensation claims filed by all Bradley County departments during that time. From a broader perspective, that means that one in five of the county's 600 employees filed worker's compensation claims over that period, Crye said.
However, it was Crye's use of the word "stupid" when he described road department actions in relation to its claim numbers that ignited a heated discussion during the Bradley County Commission meeting.
"We don't appreciate the remarks," Collins said. "Our people are very dedicated. They are very loyal. They are voters and they provide for the safety of the public."
Crye said he was not using the word "stupid" to describe road department personnel.
"It's stupid if you know what the damn rules are and don't comply with it," said Crye, who criticized road department safety processes that did not prevent more injury claims.
Commission Vice Chairman Jeff Yarber, along with other commissioners, expressed a need for an apology and voiced concern that the controversy would be construed as a conflict between the road department and the entire commission.
Commissioner Bill Winters invited Collins to open a new dialogue with the Bradley County Commission as a whole by means of periodic reports and presentations before that body.
Tom Collins, Sandra's husband and her long-serving predecessor as road department superintendent, told commissioners that the latest conflict is just part of a larger ongoing pattern of attack against his wife.
"I guess I'm here today to plead with you to treat Sandra with the same equality that I was," he said. "I feel like she's really been roughed up the first year or so that's she's been there."
Key concerns cited by the former superintendent included last year's county commission vote to transfer a litter grant from the road department to the Bradley County Sheriff's Office "without much discussion" and a moratorium placed on the road department's use of inmate labor.
According to statements by Sheriff Eric Watson in June 2015, his office suspended road department use of inmates after a couple of inmates tested positive for drugs following service on road crews.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.