I realize those are strong words, but the more one reads about Brenda Jones Fox, that’s pretty much the conclusion one forms.

The Rhino has done an incredible job of exposing Fox in recent weeks. First there was the secret deal with a High Point real estate agent; now her role in ‘negotiations’ between the county and the City of Greensboro on tax collections has come to light. And it isn’t pretty.

The city and the county have reached an agreement on collecting taxes after the city walked away from negotiations last week. The city will pay the county more than double what it was paying, but it’s still less than the $1.5 million the county initially wanted.

It would be one thing if Fox simply were standing up for the county, which is facing a tough budget year. But John Hammer reported last week that Fox “has simply been rude in her dealings with City Manager Rashad Young. She has been rude to him personally and rude to him by mail.”

In this week’s Rhino, Scott Yost has more:

What makes the entire scenario even more startling is that Guilford County Commissioner Billy Yow said, “Brenda called me and said the City Council was in agreement with this.” He said that when Fox assured him that the City Council had agreed to the original proposal without one penny being cut from the $1.1 million increase for tax collection, he said that if it was OK with them, then it was OK with him.

Yow said he later found out from talking to city councilmembers that the City Council was not in agreement at all, so at that point he said he called the commissioners’ office and changed his vote. Yow said that Commissioner Paul Gibson knew the city councilmembers had not agreed to the deal, but the rest of the commissioners just voted the way they were told to vote and didn’t seem interested in whether the City Council had agreed to the fees or not.

When told that Yow said he had been told by Fox that the City Council had agreed to the county proposal, Young said, “Never, never, no way. She didn’t get that from me.” He added, “I don’t know where she would get that.”

Yost concludes “it is impossible to believe much of what Fox is saying these days.” Expected from politicians, but inexcusable for a non-elected public official drawing a salary on the taxpayers’ dime. The question becomes whether or not are the six commissioners needed to get rid of her are wising up.