Fields reinstated as Pikeville clerk - Wayne-Wilson News Leader, Fremont, NC

03 January 2008 — In a special session last Friday night, the Pikeville town board voted to bring town clerk Kathie Fields off of administrative leave and back into town offices.

After a brief closed session, the board opened the meeting back to the public and commissioner Vance Greeson read off a list of resolutions preceding the request to admit Mrs. Fields back to her position.

The resolutions acknowledged that the State Bureau of Investigation had told the town that it could hire Mrs. Fields back, but that it would not be prudent. It also stated that all of the documents and files in question had been turned over to the proper authorities for review.

When questioned about the statement from the SBI by a citizen, Mr. Greeson said the statement had been made before all of the records had been removed from the office. He said it was his understanding that, since the records had now been given to the proper authorities for review, the town was doing nothing but waiting, and it would be appropriate to bring Mrs. Fields back.

“We’ve got to get this ship turned up and floating again,” he said. “We need to reinstate her.”

He then made a formal motion to accept all resolutions and reinstate Mrs. Fields to her position on January 2, and Commissioner Al Greene seconded the motion. It was approved in a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Edith McClenny voting against reinstatement.

Mrs. McClenny said she felt that the board should wait until the investigation was complete before taking any action.

Mr. Greeson went on to say that he felt the board was responsible for the whole investigation.

“We didn’t have enough personnel to divide up responsibilities in town,” he said. “When this report is done, you’ll see new positions.”

Mrs. McClenny had voiced her disagreement with the town’s handling of the issue earlier in the meeting when Mayor Herb Sieger had brought up comments Mrs. McClenny made to the media.

Mayor Sieger stated that Mrs. McClenny had made comments to the media reguarding a set of meeting minutes she had not received. He told everyone present that no one was supposed to have copies of the minutes, because the meeting in question was a closed session. He said that all copies of the minutes from that meeting were locked in the town safe.

He added that he felt Mrs. McClenny’s comments were derisive toward Barbara Aycock, who had been called in from her position in Black Creek to help the town.

He said he would like to make an apology to Mrs. Aycock on behalf of the town.

Mrs. McClenny replied that she didn’t understand why the town had to be so secretive about the minutes, and that in other towns she understood that board members did not have to wait to get the minutes.

Mayor Sieger replied that it had always been town policy to seal minutes from closed session meetings, which the members would receive the weekend before the next scheduled meeting.

After the argument ceased, Mr. Greeson stated that he felt the board needed to stop arguing with each other and move forward for the sake of the town.

“I’m highly upset with the turn of events in the last few months,” he said. “But it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. If we don’t get water, sewer, and electricity in line, we ought to just flush this down the toilet. We need to get rid of the innuendo and move forward.”

The board also dealt with a few issues in open session before making the decision regarding Mrs. Fields.

At the board’s December meeting, Steve West had addressed the town about a sewer line issue that he felt was a town responsibility, but had cost him $1,100 to repair.

The board had then commissioned public works director Perry Jones to examine the issue, and the results of the examination found that the issue went back to shoddy workmanship with the contractors for the sewer rehabilitation project a few years ago.

The board resolved to reimburse Mr. West for costs, and then have the town attorney write the contractors a letter seeking reimbursement for the faulty work.

“It doesn’t hurt anything to ask,” said Mr. Greeson.

The board also discussed the problem of indebtedness to the town from utility customers, and agreed to set a date for a special session at their January meeting.

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Issue of 3 January 2008

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