POPLARVILLE — What’s behind Donna Knezevich’s strong effort, or drive, to present her group’s views to supervisors on what’s been termed a county budget crisis. Supervisors in early June said their cash balance was dwindling and they began making drastic cuts, including clamping furloughs on county employees. The furloughs were lifted on Monday, however.

Is she, as some of her detractors say, a “wild-eyed radical bent on abolishing all taxes and government,” or, is she, as she claims, just a mild-mannered grandma concerned with what kind of government and country she will turn over to her grandchildren? She says she has decided to do something about it.

She has been closely associated with and active in the Tea Party movement, and ran as a Libertarian candidate against incumbent GOP state representative Herb Firerson (R-Poplarville), but Frierson easily defeated her. Her husband, Joe, ran unsuccessfully for supervisor. They are both retired and live on a farm near Poplarville. Both worked as engineers in the private sector. They both attend supervisors’ meetings regularly, Knezevich balancing her grandchild on her knee and trying to squeeze in a comment during the debates.

When budget woes began to surface, Knezevich (pronounced “key-neez-a-vitch”) formed a small group that began compiling areas where they said they wanted to see cuts and pointing out areas in which they said they didn’t want any government services. She said the group numbered about 15, from all beats and represent both parties, Democrat and Republican, and blacks and whites.

For instance, she said that there was a difference in her group concerning the library system and the Senior Center. The libraries here have been supported for decades by tax levies and subsidies from the general fund. She said she personnally believes it should be supported by local fees, charitable contributions and fundraisers, but others saw the need for some tax help. She said her group feels only Raine Street center should be supported by taxes, and the Picayune Senior Center and one at St. Matthews should be supported by charitable donations. She said her group supports tax funding for the Picayune animal shelter, run by the SPCA.

Just how close the library system came to closing its doors was not known by most officials and residents, many of whom use the library services, especially its internet connections. County library system director Linda Tufaro told Poplarville aldermen on Tuesday night that if supervisors had not restored $25,000 of her $50,000 fourth-quarter funding that was cut, she was facing closing the doors by the end of September.

She already, because of the cuts stretching back over two years, had terminated five employees and cut operations to 2 days per week in Poplarville and 3 days per week Picayune.

After Knezevich’s group had hammered out their recommendations, she approached County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin, Jr., and asked to be put on the Aug. 6 agenda so she could present the group’s recommendations to supervisors. Her request was denied and Lumpkin gave her no reason.

“We are only a group of private citizens. We have no ax to grind. We are not anti-supervisor. We do want smaller government and lower taxes. But when we are blocked from talking to our local representatives and sharing our views. I mean, what is this; what kind of government is that; so we took to the streets,” she said. “You might not agree with our views but we have a basic right to express them to our elected officials, peacefully. Have you ever read the Declaration of Independence?”

An estimated 30 protesters picketed the Chancery Court Annex on Julia Street right behind the historic old main courthouse at 8 Monday morning. When supervisor and board president J. Patrick Lee arrived for the 9 a.m. meeting on Monday, he pulled Knezevich aside and told her she would be given a chance during the morning session to present her views and recommendations.

The demonstration continued, though, with WLOX tv cameras rolling and reporter Al Showers interviewing some of the participants.

So what does Knezevich and her followers want? What were her recommendations? Supervisor Anthony Hales, Sr., who’s served on the board for 16 years, sat in his special seat, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He charged after the presentation that Knezevich’s presentation was full of “untruths” and was “propaganda,” bringing an audible moan from the audience. He charged later that Knezevich wants to abolish all taxes and government.

After Knezevich’s presentation, Lee said he was for trimming, but he said a certain level of funding has to be maintained in order to present a positive view of the county to prospective industrial prospects. He said he was not in favor of taking what he termed a “meat-ax to programs that people have depended on for years.” He added, “The only way we will get out of this is to grow our way out of it.”

Knezevich admitted she was partially guilty of Hales’ charge. “We don’t want to abolish all of government but a big part of it. We believe in small, unobtrusive government and low taxes. Leave the people alone and let them go about their business undisturbed. There is a place for government in the areas where the private sector can’t do the jobs, like roads and bridges,” she added.”

She said her group had identified $6 million in cuts that could be implemented in the county’s $16 million budget. She recommended closing the Millard prison and subbing out incarceration of county prisoners to nearby prison facilities. She said county employees had increased from 129 to 240 since 2004 and that number needed trimming. She pointed to what she termed an overabundance of county-owned vehicles, 129 for 240 employees, or one vehicle for every two employees.

She said the number of cell phones should be cut back drastically and only officials truly in need of them should be issued one. She said the county’s phone bill is astronomical. She called for closing Chimney Square, which is the county office and court room facilities for the county court system, on Goodyear Boulevard in Picayune. She maintained there was plenty of courtroom space in Poplarville that could be refurbished and used. She said the cost of operating the facility and ancillary services in Picayune, including 15 employees, approached $800,000 a year.

Knezevich admits that some of her and her group’s ideas seem far-fetched, but she says that is because most people have become dependent and used to intrusive government. “I know some people think we are nuts,” she said while picketing outside the annex on Monday morning. “But how are we going to get change if people just sit back and do nothing, and let things go on the way they are. One of the reasons we are in the condition we are in, locally and nationally, is because of political apathy on the part of our citizens. We are not active like our forefathers were. I have determined, for my grandchildren, to try and change things. If people think I am nuts, so be it.”