Former clerk will sue for reinstatement
Alexander alleges race, politics cost her job
By Holly Edwards
County Editor
In one of the last official actions
taken by outgoing members of the
Brunswick County Board of Com
missioners, the board unanimously
agreed Thursday to ask county man
ager/attomey David Clegg to defend
three commissioners against former
clerk to the board Regina
Alexander, who is suing the com
missioners for allegedly firing her
because of her race and Democratic
party affiliation.
New board members could over
turn this decision, however, and opt
instead to reinstate Alexander or
settle out of court. The former board
turned down an offer made by
Raleigh attorney Martha Geer in
July to settle out of court.
While Alexander claims she was
fired in June, 1991, in part because
she is black, N. C. Institute of Gov
ernment assistant director Steve
Aired indicated that the Civil Rights
Act sets a 180-day limit on filing
claims alleging discrimination on
the basis of race.
"She’s out of luck," Aired said.
However, Geer said race dis
crimination is a violation of two fed
eral statutes,, as well as the U. S.
Constitution, and that there is a
three-year time limit for filing suit
under these terms.
Alexander also claimed in her suit
that commissioners chairman Kelly
Holden and fellow Republican
board members Donald Shaw and
Jerry Jones voted to eliminate fund
ing for her position because of her
party affiliation. She had served as
clerk to the board since 1980, and
her performance had been "entirely
satisfactory," the suit states.
Sales tax report
Collection of the local-option sales
and use tax in Brunswick County to
taled $631,084 during the month of
October.
The amount will be combined with
collections for November and De
cember, to be distributed to Bruns
wick county and municipal govern
ments on a quarterly basis.
Beach burglaries
A vacation home at 232-76th
Street NE was burglarized sometime
during the past several months.
Long Beach police reported this
week.
A Panasonic radio/cassette player,
its speakers and a Technic CD
player were stolen from the home
between October 25 and December
4, when the crime was reported by
the homeowner, Garland Duvall.
A burglary was attempted at 105
3rd Street SE Sunday night, major
Johnny Freeman said. When
homeowner Carla Clark awoke, the
burglar fled before gaining entry,
Freeman reported.
Investigations into both cases are
continuing.
Tree seedlings
now available
to landowners
The N. C. Division of Forest
Resources is accepting applications
for forest tree seedlings.
The seedlings are available to any
North Carolina landowner. This
year, the division’s nurseries have a
good supply of genetically improved
loblolly pine, longleaf pine, white
pine, Virginia pine and shortleaf
pine. One-year rod cedar and one
and two-year bald cypress seedlings
also are available.
In addition, the nurseries have
supplies of high-quality hardwood
seedlings, including several oaks,
green ash, yellow poplar, sweetgum,
black locust and sycamore. Fraser
fir seedlings are available from
mountain-region Christmas tree pro
ducers.
Environmental seedling packets
are available to landowners inter
ested in planting the tree species
most common to their areas of the
state. Each packet contains 100 see
dlings of several tree species. Edu
cational packets of SO loblolly pine
and 50 white pine seedlings are
available to teachers.
Seedling applications may be ob
tained from the division, die U. S.
Soil Conservation Service and the
Brunswick County Cooperative Ex
tension Service. For more informa
tion, persons may contact the county
forest ranger at 2S3-S297.
After deleting funding for
Alexander’s position, com
missioners subsequently voted to
appoint county manager David
Clegg’s secretary, Kelly Barefoot, to
a dual position as secretary to the
board and the county manager.
The suit alleges Barefoot was
hired because she is white and a
political supporter of Holden.
Holden rejected Alexander’s
claims, and said funding for her
position was deleted along with
funding for 20 other positions in or
der to balance the county’s budget.
The clerk serves at the pleasure of
the board, he said, and can be dis
missed without cause. He also
pointed out that Barefoot, like
Alexander, is a registered Democrat.
"Many counties this size do not
have a full-time clerk, and I don’t
feel we did anything wrong," said
Holden. "I always had a cordial rela
tionship with (Alexander)."
However, Geer said Alexander
was fired not only because she is a
Democrat but also because she was
not perceived as being a political
supporter of Holden. She added that
‘Many counties
this size do not have
a full-time clerk,
and I don’ tfeel we
did anything wrong.
I always had a cor
dial relationship
with (Alexander).’
Kelly Holden
Former chairman
serving at the pleasure of the board
does not give the board the right to
fire its clerk for "illegal reasons."
Alexander claims that as a result
of her dismissal she suffered "sub
stantial emotional distress that con
tributed to severe health problems"
that eventually led to her requiring
emergency surgery. She also claims
commissioners "wantonly and reck
lessly" violated her rights of free
speech, discriminated against her
because of her race and party affilia
tion and violated her right to equal
protection.
As a result, the suit alleges,
Alexander suffered embarrassment,
humiliation, anxiety and damage to
reputation, as well as monetary and
non-monetary benefits due to her as
a county employee. She was earning
an annual salary of $26,440 in her
position as clerk to the board.
She is asking for $10,000 in com
pensatory damages, punitive
damages to be determined by a jury
and reinstatement as clerk to the
board.
The suit will be formally filed in
state or federal court within the next
two weeks, said Geer.
When asked why Alexander
waited 18 months to file the suit,
Geer replied: "It’s not unusual to
wail that long. She had to find an at
torney, and then she had her health
problems to deal with. There was
also a period of investigation."
In other business discussed by the
board of commissioners Thursday:
•Commissioners unanimously
agreed to award construction of the
Shallotte Point Special Assessment
District (SAD) to Hendrix Barnhill
of Greenville, and to include Holly
Acres in the SAD project. The
county received seven bids, and ac
cepted Hendrix Barnhill’s low bid of
$738,322. The company indicated
the project would be completed in
145 work days, if there arc no inter
ruptions.
•The board approved 26 health
deparunent fee increases recom
mended by consulting firm David
M. Griffith and Associates, includ
ing increases in the cost of 11 u vac
cinations, pregnancy tests, adoption
fees for pets at the county animal
shelter and water sample analyses.
Commissioners also agreed to hire
an additional animal control officer
and an additional public health
nurse. However, the board did not
go along with a DMG recommenda
tion to do away with the residency
requirement for health department
employees.
The changes will lake effect Feb
ruary 1,1993.
•A representative of Gov. Jim
Martin presented Holden with a pla
que for his outstanding service to
die citb.ens of Brunswick County.
•Commissioners unanimously ap
proved project ordinances for the
county warehouse and library
projects in Southport, Shallotte,
Leland and Oak Island.
•The board agreed to give the
Brunswick County Airport Commis
sion $2,000 to purchase a tractor to
mow grass.
•Sunbelt Roofing and Associates
from Marion, S.C., was hired for
$85,228 to re-roof the planning and
public assembly buildings.
•Commissioners accepted
$92,990 in additional federal funds
for the county’s public housing pro
ject.
•The board approved $10,000 in
additional funding for the county
planning department. Com
missioners said the costs of develop
ing the countywide zoning or
dinance led to a shortage of funds in
the planning department.
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