Fired landfill director
to appeal his dismissal
By Terry Pope
County Editor
Brunswick County’s solid waste
director has appealed his firing and
will make his case before county
commissioners April 19.
Leo Hewett of Supply, employed
since August, 1978, was placed on a
three-day suspension by former
county manager David Clegg and
then fired by interim county man
ager John Harvey on March 17.
His firing apparently stems from
violations uncovered by the state at
the county landfill in Supply.
Hewett was the department head
in charge of landfill operations at
the 75-acre site and earned $28,534
yearly. Those duties have now been
turned over to Darry Somersett,
head of the Operation Services De
partment.
Harvey says he will not hire a re
placement for Hewett.
County commissioners voted
Monday to allocate $70,613 from
the county manager’s emergency
fund to pay for landfill improve
ments mandated by state inspectors.
They also reluctantly voted to pay a
$7,500 fi.ic in a compromise with
the N. C. Department of Environ
ment, Health and Natural
Resources’ Division of Solid Waste
Management.
"It’s not like we have a choice, is
it?" asked commissioner Wayland
Vereen.
The state issued a compliance or
der on September 24,1992, with ad
ministrative penalties for three
major violations at the Supply land
fill. In a compromise with the state,
the county agreed to submit a cor
rective action plan, to make im
provements and to pay the fine.
The county’s plan was submitted
to the state on February 22, just
three weeks before Hewett was
suspended and then fired.
"That c ) lid have been $7,500 for
each of die 60 days,” said com
missioner Don Warren.
Holden
to serve
on panel
Southport mayor Norman Holden
has been appointed to serve a two
year term on the Finance Adminis
tration and Intergovernmental Rela
tions (FAIR) Policy Committee by
the president of the N. C. League of
Municipalities.
As a member of this committee
Holden will participate in the
league’s efforts involving the areas
of finance, administration and inter
governmental relations.
"Naturally, I’m honored that I was
selected," Holden said this week.
"I’m excited and looking forward to
serving o< the committee."
The top priority of the league is to
restore tl< long-term stability of the
local revenue structure, and league
members work with legislators to
find solutions to fiscal problems
facing local governments. In partic
ular, the group is concerned about
reimbursements for repealed local
taxes and the traditional state
collected taxes.
The league opposes legislation
that would convert any of these
local-option taxes into state revenue
sources, as well as any legislation
that would interfere with established
local acts.
League president Derryl Gamer
said he was pleased and grateful that
Holden agreed to serve on the FAIR
Policy Crmmittee and contribute to
the league’s efforts.
”1 regi'J the appointment Of
municipal officials to boards, com
mittees and commissions seriously,
and I have spent some time assess
ing the considerable talent in our
cities and towns," Gamer said in a
letter to Holden. "That is why I am
delighted that you have graciously
agreed to fill this vacancy.”
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I feel that the
action taken against
me was not fair
since I was not sole
ly responsible for
all the citations
against the landfill
Leo Hewett
That would have placed penalties
at more than $450,000.
Because of its lack of compliance
at the Supply landfill, the county
now will not be eligible for grants
available for its recycling program,
said Harvey.
"It’s another of our bad-luck
stories," he added.
Terry Dover, eastern area super
visor of the Solid Waste Manage
ment Division, said the county plan
will correct problems at the landfill
and allow it to stay in compliance.
The county was cited for three
violations: 1) allowing all solid
waste entering the landfill to spread
out over a large area and not restrict
ing the site to a compact area; 2) not
covering solid waste at the end of
each operation day with a minimum
of six inches of soil; and 3) not
covering nonactive areas of the
landfill with at least a foot of inter
mediate soil coverage.
The state agreed to fine the county
$1,500 for the first offense and
$3,000 each for the other two, said
Dover, if the county made the im
provements and agreed to stay in
compliance.
"There have been checks made at
the landfill since the order was
issued," said Dover. "The most
recent thing is we were working to
gether to try to reach a settlement
agreement."
Hewett received a letter from
Clegg on March 12 telling him he
would be suspended for three days
effective March 15, the day Clegg
resigned as county manager. Harvey
then conducted an investigation be
fore firing Hewett on March 17.
In a letter to county com
missioners dated March 24, Hewett
states there are several issues he
would like to discuss at the hearing.
He had scheduled the appeal for
Monday but asked to delay it until
the April 19 meeting.
Hewett stated that he "had to make
the best of some very bad situations"
while working at the landfill.
"However, 1 feel that the action
taken against me was not fair since I
was not solely responsible for all the
citations against the landfill," he
wrote. "Those responsibilities were
shared by several other people."
Waste Industries Inc. of Wilming
ton was hired last year to collect the
county’s garbage. The county is still
responsible for operation of the
landfill.
The $7,500 fine has to be in the
state attorney general’s hands by
Thursday to avoid further action by
the state, said Harvey.
Views like this will again be possible this weekend
with the reopening of the Bald Head lighthouse on
Bald Head Island. The Old Baldy Foundation,
Photo by Jim Harper
which has provided Tor repair of walls and stairs of
the historic structure, says only six people should
climb to the top at one time.
Grand Opening
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, April 8, 9 & 10
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