County Legal Bills On ACLU Lawsuit Now Covered
by Rob York
posted February 21, 2003
) Photo by Rob York County Purchasing Manager Ken Blankenship conducts auction of Ten Commandments. Others shown include County Commissioner Curtis Adams, former County Commissioner Harold Coker and County Attorney Rheubin Taylor. Click to enlarge. |
Woodland Baptist, represented at the auction by former county commissioner Harold Coker, placed the highest bid at $6,000 for the first plaque, which had been erected at the County Courthouse. If in case the $6,000 was beaten out by another bidder, the church had also placed a bid for 10 percent higher than the highest offer.
The second plaque, which had been erected at the County Courts Building, was purchased by Mr. Austin with a bid of $3,000. Mr. Austin is a local businessman who participated in order to keep the Ten Commandments plaques “from gathering dust,” he said.
“I was pleased,” Mr. Austin said of his winning bid. “I did not want the Ten Commandments in a dusty basement.”
Mr. Austin said he is unsure of where the plaques will be displayed now that he has them. “I don’t know yet, maybe people will call me,” he said. “I just want to honor God and glorify Him.”
The third plaque, which had been posted in the Juvenile Court Building, went to Mrs. Griffin of Rhea County at a bid of $2,100. Upon learning that the bid in behalf of her home county had won, she said, “Praise God. Praise God.”
“It’s the glory of God,” Mrs. Griffin said. “It was right.”
Mrs. Griffin promised that the Ten Commandments would go to Rhea County and be placed in a “public building.”
Mrs. Griffin insisted that Rhea County has the right to post the Ten Commandments at a public building. “We will defend them, but it won’t be with lawyers,” she said.
County Commissioner Curtis Adams said he admired the citizens from Rhea County for buying the plaques and for trying where Hamilton County had failed. “If somebody takes them to court, and it goes before Judge Edgar again, he’ll rule the same way,” Commissioner. Adams said.
Legal bills had left Hamilton County still $4,500 in debt before Friday, but with the $11,100 gained through the auction, Commissioner Adams said that the county is “in the black” again.
Other bidders included Cleveland, Tn., businessman Allan Jones and Highland Park Baptist Church.
) Photo by Rob York Pete Austin IV was a winning bidder |
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