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September 2, 2010
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Former board chairman Krieger dies
Published December 2, 2009
When Paul Mullins moved to Monroe in September of 1979, he brought with him a freezer full of food among other things.
The freezer shut down and all the food was beginning to thaw.
Someone mentioned a man named John Krieger had a slaughterhouse with freezers in it. Without knowing Krieger, Mullins called him up.
“He didn’t know me from any body,” Mullins said. “I just moved to town. John said, ‘Now don’t worry about this. Don’t rush out and buy the first freezer you see. Find the freezer at the best price you can.’ He just took care of it.”
It was that type of gesture that Mullins said he will remember Krieger by.
The former Walton County Board of Commissioners chairman died Sunday following a dirt bike accident at the track he owned north of Monroe.
He was 68.
Lynn Turner, of Monroe, was a friend of Krieger and his wife Judy.
“He is a decent, honest man and a God-fearing man,” Turner said. “He and his wife Judy have always been a terrific example to all who knew them.”
According to Walton County Sheriff’s Office reports, Krieger was riding with friends at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the track at 1217 Roscoe Davis Road, when one looked up and noticed Krieger had run into a fence and was thrown from his motorcycle. When emergency medical service personnel arrived, CPR was being performed on him. He was transported to Walton Regional Medical Center and later died.
Krieger took office in January 1997 and served a four-year term which ended Dec. 31, 2000. Krieger served on several boards as ex officio, including the Walton County Board of Health.
Krieger was also a member of the First United Methodist Church in Monroe, a business owner and taught Sunday school classes for adults.
Krieger was known as a “hard-driving individual” by friends and was passionate about his role in county government.
His tenure as county chairman was mired in controversy.
Early in his term, Krieger and the other members of the board battled over issues.
At one meeting, Krieger tried to prevent the reading of ordinances by attempting to talk over and gavel down Commissioner Brad Brownlow, now a municipal judge. The board then voted to remove Krieger as presiding officer of the meeting, but he refused to abide by that vote, according to court documents. As a result, commissioners voted Krieger out of order and directed he be removed from the room. When he refused to comply, he was physically removed by Walton County deputy sheriffs.
The six remaining commissioners proceeded to adopt the ordinances by unanimous vote.
The ordinances were advertised as required in The Walton Tribune and were read a second time at a subsequent board meeting, where they were adopted by a 6-1 vote, with Krieger participating but voting in opposition.
Despite his objections, five proposed ordinances were presented by Brownlow as home rule amendments to the Local Act of Walton County. The proposed amendments essentially reduced the roll of the county chairman, eliminating Krieger’s power, according to court documents.
The legal battle that followed and the emotions that surrounded them took its toll on Krieger, Mullins said.
“John was a visionary,” Mullins said. “He would think things through and people wouldn’t understand him. He would think five and 10 years out. I really admired him, because I really would have been mad. I think he kept hoping they would come back and say, ‘I’m sorry.’”
But Krieger later turned his sights to his professional life and took over managing the dirt bike track he owned.
“He went through a lot, but he and wife really were looking forward to retiring and traveling,” Mullins said.
Krieger’s funeral is set for 11 a.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church on Broad Street, Monroe. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Meadows Funeral Home in Monroe.
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