TO:
B. Beatty, Secretary NC Dept of Crime Control Public Safety
bbeatty@nccrimecontrol.org
R. Hoffman, NC Crime Control rhoffman@nccrimecontrol.org
Mike Easley, Governor, NC governor@state.nc.us
Attorney General, NC Dept of Justice, Open Meetings Law agjus@mail.jus.state.nc.us
Senator Robert Carpenter robertc@ms.ncga.state.nc.us
Representative R. Phillip Haire philliph@ms.ncga.state.nc.us
Representative Liston Ramsey listonr@ms.ncga.state.nc.us
The Honorable Charles Taylor repchastaylor@mail.house.gov
Sheriff Steve Odom, Graham County sheriffg1@hotmail.com
Graham County Commissioners
Sirs:
The Graham County Commissioners have again jeopardized the safety
of Graham County residents.
In violation of the State Sunshine Law, this week the Commissioners
went from open session to closed session, to return shortly and
announce they were reducing the Sheriff's deputy force by two,
and his administrative assistant.
The Sheriff's department now has eight deputies to protect the
citizens of Graham County 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52
weeks a year. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the
Sheriff's department is already short-handed. His administrative
assistant is the only one licensed for hand gun, concealed weapon,
permits, etc.
Previously, the Commissioners, as a cost savings measure, decided
the deputies could no longer take a patrol car home; thus a deputy
responding to a call after hours would drive to the Court House,
change his gear and vehicle and then respond to the call; possibly
allowing an hour or more to elapse in response time.
However, at the cost of taxpayer's money in legal fees (an increase
of over $9700 in the year 2000), the Commissioners have carried
out a vendetta against the Sheriff, who has been completely exonerated
by the SBI and the D.A. At the March 8th Criminal Justice Commission
meeting, the guest speaker, District Attorney Hipps, stated that
his office and the SBI, would no longer accept calls from the
County Commissioners to investigate the Sheriff, unless there
was substantial evidence, as it has been too costly in time and
money.
The $9700 would have bought a lot of gas for the patrol cars.
The County is in financial difficulty, but the place to cut costs
is in non-essential personnel and non-essential services, not
an already short-handed police force.
Before disaster strikes, we need the State to protect us from
the ill-conceived actions of the Graham County Commissioners.
Barbara Sanders
************************************
Fri, 6 Apr 2001
Two days ago the County Commissioners, in closed session, decided to discharge two deputies and an administrative assistant as a cost saving measure.
As the closed session was in violation of the Sunshine Law, the Commissioners scheduled a second meeting today, with the agenda to include the budget and the discharging of the deputies and the administrative assistant to the Sheriff, effective at 4 pm today.
The administrative assistant called the Commissioner/County Manager this morning and requested to be put on the agenda. The Commissioner denied her request to be put on the agenda and denied her request to speak at the meeting.
Can they do this?
The meeting was cancelled as two of the three commissioners were no-shows; the meeting will be rescheduled.
The Assistant again wishes to define her position to the Commissioners - as she is the only one in the Sheriff's department who is licensed to handle matters of licensing handguns, concealed weapons permits, sexual abuser registrants, etc.
Barbara Sanders
*********************************
APRIL 11, 2001
When it's in Graham County.
Today the County Commissioners reached a new high in showing their contempt for the residents of Graham County.
A scheduled open meeting was held today - which lasted approximately one minute. Eight people jammed the county manager's office where the meeting was held; eight more were packed in the adjacent clerk's office; and twenty more stood outside, unable to get in.
Despite telling a constituent, prior to the meeting, that the meeting would be moved upstairs to the Court Room, as they have done in the past, if enough (people) showed up, the Commissioners then refused to move the meeting, saying they (the people outside) could come in if they wanted to. The Commissioners did not say how they could pack thirty more people in a room already jammed with eight.
The meeting opened. Commissioner Gibson read a prepared statement in the form of a motion that two deputies and the administrative assistant in the Sheriff's Department, be discharged, in an effort to cut back expenses and save money. Without discussion the motion was passed. The meeting was concluded.
There was no discussion at any time between the commissioners and there was no discussion permitted from the floor.
The commissioners totally ignored the published agenda (see below). There was no reading of the minutes from the previous meeting, despite a request from the floor, and consequently no approval of the minutes. There was no effort to follow Roberts Rules of Order or the General Statutes.
It would seem that a prudent commissioner would see that non-essential personnel and non-essential services should be cut back before essential services that can mean the difference between life and death of a citizen.
The following is a verbatim agenda for the commissioners meeting:
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF THE GRAHAM COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
April 6, 2001
Please take notice that there will be a Special Meeting of the Graham County Commissioners on Tuesday, April 10 at 4:00 o'clock, p.m., in the Office the Graham County Manager located in the Graham County Courthouse at 12 North Main Street, Robbinsville, North Carolina 28771.
The purposes of such Special Meeting shall include:
A. For the Graham County Commissioners to meet and discuss the County's current budget and the County's performance and the various County Departments' performance thereunder;
B. For the Graham County Commissioners to meet and discuss the sources and amounts of revenue for the county and revenue shortfalls that exist and which are projected under the current County Budget;
C. For the Graham County Commissioners to meet and discuss possibly amending the current Graham County Budget to take into consideration revenue shortfalls, projected revenue shortfalls and expenditures and projected expenditures and amend the current Graham County Budget;
D. For the Graham County Commissioners to meet and discuss and whether personnel cutbacks and/or layoffs will be necessary or proper in order for various County Departments to meet their respective budgets under the current County Departments and take such action as may be deemed proper in connection with making personnel cutbacks and/or layoffs; and
E. Such other matters and business as may come before the Graham County Commissioners.
This the 6th day of April, 2001.
/s/ Lynn Cody Chairman, Graham County Commissioners
Please refer to www.grahamsheriff.com, link on Graham County Criminal Justice page, then link on letters, for more details on the Commissioners jeopardizing public safety by not providing enough funds to the Sheriff's Department to provide adequate protection, reducing the mobility of the deputies, and discharging deputies to the point where we only have six deputies covering the entire county 24 hours a day.
We are asking for your help in ensuring that our county commissioners follow the Open Meetings Law, including the closed sessions; that they properly prioritize funding and not put the lives of the citizens in jeopardy, and properly fulfill their duties as elected officials of Graham County.
Barbara Sanders
H. E. Sanders
600 Sam Cove
Robbinsville, NC 28771
828-479-3783