Tuesday, June 12, 2012

For former mayor Powers: The chickens come home to roost


Who would have imagined?... after not being able to account for thousands in missing funds by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury--former chief of police William "Bill" G. Isbell returns to Tellico Plains, sues the city for back pay he allegedly did not receive while Roger Powers was the city mayor--and after an agreed settlement, is awarded $1,328.

Some of the city council members had rejected (vetoed) the idea of appointing Isbell as Tellico Plains chief of police, perhaps to deflect any blame, in case things did not turn out well. However, Isbell's strongest supporter in the city council Harkey Yates, who many perceived as having more power than the mayor--succeeded in getting Isbell appointed, and the veto was over-ridden.

(Yates passed away last Christmas eve, his sudden death was investigated as a possible homicide.)


"The chickens come home to roost"
Meaning
Bad deeds or words return to discomfort their perpetrator
Origin
The notion of bad deeds, specifically curses, coming back to haunt their originator is long established--it dates back to 1390 when Geoffrey Chaucer used it in the The Parson's Tale:
And ofte tyme swich cursynge wrongfully retorneth agayn to hym that curseth, as a byrd that retorneth agayn to his owene nest.