As the publisher of Ridgeview, I’ve been taking a step back on a couple of different stories I’ve been working on. I too, like most of our community have grown weary of the negative backlash from the people involved, insinuating that any one of us who have been working on getting the truth out was getting any personal joy out of the misery of it all. But over the past few weeks, truths have been revealed by the characters in this continual dialogue. The fact that we’ve kept saying “something doesn’t smell right in our local government, both City and County,” has not been said without cause, or evidence of the fact.
In a shocking turn of events, the facts just got stranger than the fiction we were accused of spreading as truth seekers.
Within the last week, three very brave new council members (Jess Metz, Chasity Bell and Tanya Cunningham) attempted to begin the process of getting a forensic audit done by the book by requesting the matter be put before the Town Council at the August 4th, 2025 Town Council meeting. Their request was denied by the refusal to place the matter on the Agenda.
Another council member has been reported to have accepted the return of $2,500.00 from former Mayor Robert Petrovsky, who allegedly said and wrote a statement that he had discovered he was overpaid as Mayor of the Town of Grantsville. Monday’s counsel meeting will have many questions and the newly sworn counsel will need to stand firm on the their oath’s that were taken when they accepted the responsibility of a Governing office. Now is the time for the City to return to good and transparent accounting practices. We are talking about public money, not a private business. A clean slate should be given to the current administration.
In speaking with another source of this matter I made the statement that I felt like we were a “City of Ostriches” with our heads stuck in the sand refusing to face the truth that our community is being governed by a crooked generation. I believe that with my whole heart. A heart that is broken for the people who have lived with attitudes of indifference and lost hope that it could ever change.
Both City and County Governments affect you, the citizens of Calhoun County. People traveling to the area view their representation as whether or not we are an area worthy of investment. I am proud of our community and I want my children and grandchildren to know this community is worth fighting for. I want any potential business to know, this is a community of passionately working people, who believe the Bible and are willing to stand up for the truth.
This is only the beginning. I have no doubt that there will be an investigation now. What will be revealed? I don’t know. But let’s not pretend that we were not warned and take this lesson from it: “Refusing to believe the truth and evidence, doesn’t change the story, it only adds to future generations of victims.”
My prayers are with Mayor John Villines, the Recorder and the Counsel who have been placed in a very difficult position. I pray that they stand firm for the truth, whatever it is, and I’m believing they’ll get our City on a track to a better future.
