As submitted to the Courier-Tribune on January 6, 2012
By Hugh Martin
CANDOR – Nearly one month following a meeting, during which four of five police officers were fired, the Town of Candor Board of Commissioners will hold their first regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening at 7:00 pm.
The meeting Monday will be held at the Candor Town Hall at 214 South Main Street. The meeting room will comfortably hold around 50 spectators.
A special called meeting and public forum was held December 19 in the gymnasium at Candor Elementary School to allow sufficient room for a crowd of around 300 citizens to ask for answers on why the four were fired.
Those answers have yet to be given.
It is expected that citizens will again crowd the meeting room to ask for answers to their questions.
On December 12, following the swearing-in of two new commissioners, the board went into closed session to discuss personnel. Following that session the board returned to open session where newly-sworn commissioner Wayne Holyfield made the motion to fire the four officers. Newly-sworn commissioner Rob Martin seconded that motion and long-time commissioner Tim Privett supported their actions.
Commissioners Phillip Hearne and Layton Booker opposed the vote and demanded to know the reason for the mass firing, but were not given an answer.
Earlier in that meeting Holyfield, a NC Highway Patrolman, was named Police Commissioner by Mayor Richard Britt over the objections of Commissioner Phillip Hearne, who stated that such an appointment would be a conflict of interest.
At the meeting December 19, Britt announced that he had removed Holyfield as Police Commissioner and that he, Britt, would temporarily assume those duties. Several citizens called for the resignations of Martin, Holyfield and Privett.
The town has since hired some new officers, one of whom is former NC Highway Patrolman Eric Jackson. The Board of Elections lists Jackson’s address as Holyfield’s home address. At the meeting when the officers were fired Holyfield made a motion to hire Jackson immediately, but town policy would not allow a hire in that manner.
The Town of Candor has compensated the fired officers for what was due them. The $5944.63 that was paid to the officers included salary, accrued compensation time, Christmas bonus and vacation. The officers have all filed for unemployment, which could cost the town another $75,000.00 over the next twelve months. They have also retained an attorney and legal action against the town is expected.
Since the action of December 12, the citizens of the town have become bitterly divided and have taken their questions, accusations and comments to the internet. Numerous Facebook accounts have been very active with both sides of the issue taking off the gloves and fighting it out online.
The four sites have names such as Chronicles of Candor, Justice for Candor, Candor Voice and, most recently, Candor Sophisticates.
It is speculated by many citizens who oppose the firings that the reasons for the firings center on past problems between the fired officers and a Candor businessperson, Teresa Lamonds. Lamonds received a warning ticket for speeding in 2009 and later filed a complaint against one of the officers, James Pierce, who she said assaulted her at her business while out of uniform after she complained about the warning.
Board of Elections records show that the campaigns of both Martin and Holyfield were supported financially by the Lamonds family.
It has been confirmed by a spokesman for the NC Highway Patrol that Holyfield has been placed on administrative duty while an investigation is conducted into the Candor situation. He was earlier reassigned to Richmond County from road duty in Montgomery County.
A high level of law enforcement presence is expected at Monday’s meeting to keep order.
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