Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 9, 1993 TAG: 9312090106
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PEARISBURG LENGTH: Medium
Board members were reluctant to discuss the reasons behind the decision, but Supervisor Ted Timberlake said it came down to Martin's inability to pass the Certified Building Official Examination by a Nov. 20, 1993, deadline.
"If you haven't passed the exam, you aren't qualified officially," said Timberlake, who supported Martin, but said he was disappointed in him. "That leaves the county in kind of a bad situation. We've had a problem for a long time."
Martin was hired by the county in 1987, and in May of 1991 was given the deadline to pass the test, County Administrator Janet Tuckwiller said.
Martin said he had taken the test three times, passing the administrative and technical sections, but failing on the legal portion. He was awaiting test results from an exam he had taken Nov. 6.
Martin, 45, was suspended for three weeks last summer for "incompetence or inefficiency in the performance of his duties," the supervisors said then. Martin said it was for allowing a builder to begin work on a house without first obtaining a permit, although he said he was justified in his decision.
"I don't think I'm incompetent," Martin said in June.
Tuckwiller said that suspension also affected the board's decision Wednesday. She said the board would be looking into hiring a replacement soon.
Martin said he was not overly upset at being fired Wednesday.
"It's like taking off a 100-pound backpack . . . that I've been carrying around," he said. "I've taken off the weight. The Board of Supervisors was always looking over my shoulder."
Still, on Wednesday he admitted some bitterness, and said he was disappointed in being fired from a job for the first time in his life.
"Everyone knows the track record of the Board of Supervisors," said Martin, who served on the board from 1984 to 1987. "These people are messing with my livelihood, and they don't know what they're doing.
"I have worked so hard for the county."
Martin said he was "a one-man shop," but claims he was never actually given the title of "building official," a position that carries more weight than a building inspector and requires passing the official exam. Tuckwiller said his authority was like that of a building official, and included enforcing zoning guidelines and conducting building inspections. Martin also was zoning administrator for the county.
The state allows localities to give building officials up to three years to gain certification while on the job, said Roxanna Rickman, program manager with the Department of Housing and Community Development.
Martin said he was offered the chance to resign Wednesday morning, but upon advice from a lawyer decided to take the termination.
by CNB