Moore County commissioners kissing closed sessions goodbye?

 

 

 

 

It appears that Moore County government may be on the way to setting a new standard for transparent governing.  The recent kerfluffle over closed sessions and Bojangles with the Moore County commissioners has led to a decree by board chairman Larry Caddell: NO MORE CLOSED SESSIONS.

But what about personnel matters?  According to my #1 county government mole, THIS was Chairman Caddell’s   response:

There better not be any personnel matters.  If there are, I’m going to be ABSENT!

The chairman is surely feeling a little war-weary after his recent high-profile scuffles with The Pilot and fellow commissioner Tim Lea, which led to an angry letter from the CEO of Bojangles threatening a defamation suit and canceling a proposed restaurant for Carthage.

According to my mole:

“This change surely will not make Tim Lea happy.  He has mastered the art of saying ONE THING in closed sessions, then coming out into the open session and saying something totally different.  He purposely tries to set up and embarrass his colleagues on the board.

Anyone who was in those closed sessions where the Bojangles deal was discussed, and heard those tapes that were made public, knows that Tim Lea was the one who would not shut up about Bojangles during the closed session.   But then he comes out into open session, spills the beans about the Bojangles inquiry to Mr. McSwain, and starts lambasting his fellow commissioners for violating open  meetings laws.   Cutting down, or cutting out, closed sessions will certainly make it harder for ol’ Timmy to pull off nonsense like that in the future.’’

No action was ever taken during the closed sessions, so it’s hard to substantiate any actual violations of state law.   But my mole tells me Lea continues scurrying around throwing bombs and causing trouble:

“He’s got these veterans all riled up.  I am sure he hasn’t told them that – a few years ago – he wanted to put a FOUR-STORY office building on the same property Bojangles has been looking at.  Now, since he didn’t get his office building, it’s sacred ground.

Look at the mess he’s stirred up.  Those rumors got started about Chairman Caddell having some kind of sweetheart deal with Bojangles.  Bojangles doesn’t know Larry Caddell from a hole in the ground.  They are expanding all over The Carolinas.  In fact, they have a new one going up in Lumberton.  What kind of pull does Chairman Caddell have in Lumberton?

It’s all silliness generated from within Tim Lea’s mind.  It’s really a shame that this petty political nonsense has done so much damage and distracted from some really good things going on at the county level.’’