As published April 13, 2012 in the Courier-Tribune
by Hugh Martin
CANDOR — Once again, citizens turned out in force for Monday’s meeting of the Candor Board of Commissioners to discuss the firings of the town’s police officers.
Since Commissioner Wayne Holyfield called for and received the firing of four of the town’s five police officers at the Dec. 12, 2011, meeting, citizens have demanded to know why the firings took place and have received no official response.
During the public forum at the April meeting, Rebecca Shepherd of Candor addressed her comments directly to Holyfield and Commissioner Rob Martin, who was also elected in November and sworn in on Dec. 12.
“You boys have been commissioners now for four months and have yet to represent our town in a positive light. The citizens here want to know, once again, if you will resign, because then you would bring our town together,” Shepherd said.
Martin spoke first: “Mrs. Shepherd, I will not resign.”
Holyfield said, “I will not resign.”
On Jan. 5, Holyfield was placed on administrative duty by the N.C. Highway Patrol pending an internal investigation. A spokesman at NCHP said the investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation that led to Holyfield’s felony charge of unlawfully accessing a government computer is separate from the NCHP investigation.
Holyfield, who is free on a $3,000 secured bond, is still employed by the N.C. Highway Patrol and is still an elected commissioner on the Candor Board.
Former Candor Mayor Becky Williams encouraged the board to change the town’s charter and update the Code of Ethics.
Williams said she believes in due process.
“With Mr. Holyfield’s felony charges against him, due process will work, and he will have his day in court,” Williams said, and noted that the action to fire four Candor police officers did not allow for due process. “I just want to remind the board of the difference.”
Candor resident George Myers scolded the board for “sitting there like knots on a log,” and promised that citizens would not give up their protests of the firing of the four police officers.
Myers said, “Maybe we’ll get some answers through the court system. Hopefully, the court system will be able to do something for us that you guys won’t do.”
After several items of business, Mayor Richard Britt asked for commissioner reports. Holyfield initiated an exchange between himself, Director of Public Works Brice Hollis and Commissioner Phillip Hearne.
In an apparent continuation of an earlier private conversation with Hollis, Holyfield asked if a lock had been changed, but did not indicate which lock. Hollis said no.
Following a previous board meeting, Holyfield had attempted to exit the building through a back door, but that door cannot be opened without a key.
Hollis said two other doors were designated exits, but the door Holyfield was referring to could only be reached by going through several other rooms with multiple turns that would make it difficult for anyone not familiar with the building to be able to leave via that route.
“That door’s not an exit,” Hollis said.
Holyfield said it needed to be made an exit and the lock needed to be changed.
Commissioner Hearne disagreed.
“I think it’s a waste of money. The only person I know of going out the back door is you,” he said to Holyfield.
The meeting room erupted in laughter, cheers and applause.
“If we can start having meetings where we can all walk out that front door, that’s the meetings we need to have. We need to be working together and going out that front door. We don’t need to be worrying about that back door,” Hearne said.
An exchange between Holyfield and Hearne was interrupted by an unidentified man who began shouting at Holyfield and was escorted out by Candor police officers.
Holyfield said other staff members use that door “and I guarantee you that it should be against OSHA, with a deadbolt lock that nobody can get out unless they’ve got a key.”
Looking at Hearne, Holyfield said, “And you want to make a big deal out of it.”
Hearne replied, “I’m not making a big deal out of it. I’m just saying that we need to start having meetings where we can work together here, to get something productive done, and we’re sitting here worrying about a back door on the building. I feel that we need to have things more constructive to worry about.”
