To: City of Shelby:
Please consider this communication as a re-statement or the requests for records and information as requested by Rev. Dante Murphy as provided below and for additional information and records that I am requesting as also provided below.
The reason for this restatement is to make public requests directly to the City of Shelby-no matter who the attorney Shelby may chose to use to provide the requested records. The Contract Shelby entered into with Attorney Martha Thompson’s law firm is a limited service contract that seems do NOT include advice and other legal functions related to fulfilling the legal obligation the City of Shelby has to provide Public Records for public inspection. It certainly appears that the City of Shelby has hired Attorney Martha Thompson only represent Mayor Stan Anthony, City Manager Rick Howell and Council Member Violet Dukes in their individual capacity-leaving all other legal services necessary for the City of Shelby to be handled by another lawyer from a different law firm.
The following communication was made by Rev. Dante Murphy directly to Attorney Martha Thompson. I am resubmitting that same request, except submitted directly to the City of Shelby, who is the holder of these records and has the legal responsibility to provide those records to the public.
To: City of Shelby (and Attorney Martha Thompson if applicable):
Under North Carolina Public Records Law please provide the following in your capacity as legal counsel for the City of Shelby:
1. A definition of “rhetorical hyperbole” as it will be defined and used by elected officials and staff for the City of Shelby. Our research indicates that you and Rick Howell have used this term in the past.
2. The total amount of money paid to you or the law firm you (Martha Thompson) work directly related to any lawsuits filed by Willie Green.
3. Indicate whether you (Martha Thompson) will continue representing pending lawsuits against the City of Shelby. (Rick Howell, Stan Anthony and Violet Dukes)
Please note that I have added other attorneys on this email who are defending wrongdoing of government officials. Murphy v. New Hanover County and Murphy v. New Hanover County Schools are two that I am currently involved in. The most despicable crimes involve minor children being molested by teachers.
We will continue to seek justice in the courts as long as attorneys continue to manipulate the justice system and defend the wrongdoing.
Rev. Dante’ Murphy (and Robert A. Williams)
From: Robert A. Williams-Additional public Records Submittals:
To: The City of Shelby
Public Records request submittals:
Under the Freedom of Information Act as well as NC Public Records laws Please provide the following documents, records and information for my inspection:
1. All Minutes of Meetings, notes, emails, contracts, etc. related to and prior to the May 4th, 2020 Shelby City Council’s decision to replace Attorney Bob Yelton as the Shelby City Attorney.
2. All Minutes of Meetings, notes, emails, legal opinions, discussions, contracts, grants, etc. related to the Shelby City Council’s decision to award and grant or contract to the Cleveland County Arts Council while Council Member Violet Dukes was on the Shelby City Council and worked at the CC Arts Council as Marketing Director and Over Events. I am particularly interested in how the Shelby City Council reconciled the fact that certain of those Grants to the CC Arts Council were specifically intended to fund the CC Arts Council’s “Marketing and Events” when “Marketing and Events” are specifically and exactly Violet Dukes stated functions at the CC Arts Council. And Shelby City funding to the CC Arts Council would certainly be a direct and indirect monetary benefit to Violet Dukes.
3. All records, documents, emails, discussions, etc. where City Manager Rick Howell has discussed issues and items with individual or small groups of Shelby City Council members, obviously as a ruse to violate North Carolina Open Meeting laws, to discuss and form a consensus on any and all issues in order to conceal Council’s discussions from public scrutiny.
4. All Shelby Policies and procedural processes that allow Rick Howell’s methods as described in paragraph 3 above.
Thank you in advance for your speedy provision of the documents, records, etc. that are requested in this communication.
Robert A. Williams
