PENDER COUNTY — The North Carolina Republican Party has voted to uphold Beth Burns’ appointment to the Pender County Board of Commissioners in the wake of multiple challenges. While the Pender County GOP expected Burns to be sworn in Monday evening to fill the District 1 seat, the board of commissioners failed to hold a quorum, as two of its four members didn’t show up to the Sept. 21 meeting.
Chair Randy Burton and commissioner Jerry Groves were absent. Though Burns’ appointment wasn’t on the agenda, Commissioner Jimmy Tate, in attendance with Vice Chair Brent Springer, said he was prepared to suspend the rules and put forward a motion to vote Burns onto the board.
“I think we’re doing an injustice tonight to the citizens,” Tate said, believing the absence of two of his colleagues was intentional. “You all need to hold your elected officials accountable. We’re an embarrassment to the county of Pender.”
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Burns’ appointment delay has been ever-evolving, after three separate challenges were submitted to the state GOP regarding the vote for who would fill the vacancy on the Pender County Board of Commissioners. District 1 has been without representation since former Commissioner Brad George resigned from his seat at the beginning of August.
Burton and Groves did not respond to Port City Daily Monday afternoon about adding an agenda item regarding Burns’ appointment, nor did Burton respond on why he decided to skip the meeting.
Groves told Port City Daily he did not to attend due to security reasons.
“I was afraid for my safety with all the media outlets’ posts,” Groves said. “One commissioner has been threatened and the county is not safe at this time for board members.”
He was referring to social media comments made in recent weeks targeting commissioners. One led to a criminal summons filed by Tate on Sept. 15, against an Onslow County man for cyberstalking and threatening to hang him. Tate had security at the meeting Monday, he said.
Springer shared Monday night that Burton did not attend due to scheduling conflicts.
Forty-five minutes before the meeting, the vice chair told Port City Daily he did not know if the board planned on swearing in Burns’. At the dais Monday, he said he learned the meeting would not fulfill a quorum 15 minutes before the 6 p.m. start time.
Tate said the county had become a laughingstock due to the delays to Burns’ appointment.
Springer responded: “Well, it may have something to do with the theatrics.”
Tate apologized to residents who traveled to attend the meeting and speak. Numerous action items were on the agenda, including a resolution to preserve postal service in Maple Hill and a $1.2-million contract for a well-filtration project providing clean water to county residents. Additionally, four public hearings were scheduled for the evening.
Community members in attendance were not pleased either. One resident shouted “coward” when Springer attempted to adjourn a failed meeting, while another said not appointing Burns was “being sexist.”
Pender County GOP Party Chair Joshua Smith told Port City Daily he was very disappointed by Monday’s actions. More so, he agreed with Tate it wasn’t normal for commissioners to not have a quorum to conduct county business.
“This evening was a bad look for Pender County politics,” Smith said. “At a minimum, very poor communication by the board, resulting in unnecessary cost to the county due to increased security from the Pender County Sheriff’s Office.”
Though Burns told Port City Daily she was not given a date for her swearing-in, she was hopeful it would happen Monday, Sept. 21. After the meeting, she said she was saddened by the extended delay.
“It reflects poorly that this appointment has not been handled already, as I’ve already been asked by constituents to help with several issues,” Burns said, adding she cannot help District 1 until she is sworn in. “For now, I will continue to serve the people of District 2 on the board of education. With the redistricting for the new school, there’s a lot of work ahead.”
Burns and District 1 candidate Shayne Frey — who won the primary in March and is the Republican candidate for the seat in November — nominated themselves for the interim commissioner spot upon George’s exit. Almost three weeks after stepping down, the Pender County Republican Party Executive Committee voted on the replacement; Burns won by one vote.
Her appointment was initially scheduled to be solidified by the Pender County commissioners on Sept. 8 but was tabled as a result of Chair Burton’s first challenge. Burton is a member of the Pender County GOP Executive Committee, which votes on appointment replacements when a Republican commissioner retires early from the seat.
He appealed Burns’ appointment twice — first to the state GOP due to claims of voting rules not being followed. Burton asked the state on Aug. 28 if a spouse is barred from voting for their partner during the appointment process. Burns’ husband, Jim, is one of the 29 members of the Pender County GOP Executive Committee.
However, the North Carolina Republican Party sustained the vote and stood by Burns’ appointment on Aug. 30, indicating the committee followed appropriate rules and procedures outlined in the North Carolina Republican Party Plan of Organization. The governing document dictates voting procedure, meetings and vacancies.
However, less than a week after the state’s decision, Burton challenged it again.
The vote on his first appeal was made by the chair of the Plan of Organization Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party and the Party General Counsel. When they ruled Burns’ appointment would stand, Burton then asked for the appeal to be reviewed by the full North Carolina GOP Plan of Organization Committee.
In addition to Burton’s appeal, another was filed on Sept. 10 by Andy Pettigrew, who also serves on the GOP executive committee and owns the Pender-Topsail Post and Voice. Pettigrew questioned if the county GOP appropriately followed the state Plan of Organization documents during the Aug. 20 vote — specifically the section on fairness to candidates.
Though the document does not specify what fairness would look like, Pettigrew asked the state Republican Party to review the executive committee participation and vote of Phil Cordeiro — also a former Pender County school board member. Pettigrew alleged Cordeiro was involved in Frey’s campaign and therefore the vote wasn’t just.
Pettigrew previously told Port City Daily he received emails from an anonymous source between Cordeiro and Frey, indicating Cordeiro writes social media posts for the candidate and tells him how to file campaign contributions. Pettigrew declined to share the emails but stated they were sent to the state GOP.
The North Carolina Republican Party Plan of Organization Committee gave its final opinion on Burns’ appointment on Sept. 19, nearly one month after the Pender County GOP Executive Committee first voted to appoint her. Smith told Port City Daily the decision also covers Pettigrew’s complaint. The state says nothing was found indicating the Aug. 20 meeting was not conducted in a manner reasonably calculated to be inequitable to the candidates.
Burns told Port City Daily earlier Monday she appreciates the decision and is grateful to the county party for its confidence in her.
“It’s now time to get to work and get District 1 the representation those folks deserve,” Burns said.
Before exiting Monday evening, Tate and Springer went into recess to consult with the attorney on possible next steps and the county manager. Upon returning, Tate asked for Burns’ appointment to put on the agenda for the next commissioners’ meeting, Oct. 5.
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