Rev. Dante Murphy writes to Shelby–Public Records Request:
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION & NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC RECORDS LAW REQUEST
Bernadette Parduski,
Under the Freedom of Information Act and North Carolina Public Records Law I am making the following request for all communications, records, and documents noted in this email. The public documents request made for, but not limited to, “a copy of all meeting notes, memorandums, summary of such meetings that are not otherwise protected as confidential information, as set within 132-1.1 and 132-1.2 of the North Carolina General Statutes, whether such records are in paper and/or electronic format.” In addition, please include information expressed verbally-formally or informally.
In lieu of the public documents having to be produced in paper format, I am requesting that such documents be delivered to me in Portable Document Format (“PDF”). This method of production shall eliminate the “actual cost” of production.1. The termination and reason for Mayor Stan Anthony asking Attorney Bob Yelton to resign on May 1, 2020. Please be advised that Attorney Bob Yelton was a contract worker and the terms of his working relationship with the City of Shelby is public information.
2. According to a Shelby Star Article dated August 27, 2020 Mayor Stan Anthony informed the Shelby Star that “council made a decision in the spring to go in another direction with legal services.” Please indicate the validity of such statements and all meeting notes, whether formal or informal, written or expressed, regarding the council’s decision. Since the council made this decision, then there should be a record of the meeting or meetings.
3. According to a Shelby Star Article dated August 27, 2020 you stated that Attorney Bob Yelton “resigned on May 1” and was compensated through June 30, 2020. Please indicate whether Attorney Bob Yelton resigned or “Mayor Anthony requested that I resign as city attorney.” Please provide any and all work performed by Attorney Bob Yelton through June 30, 2020.
4. The August 27, 2020 article indicates that you refused to go into detail regarding “which direction council had decided to go in” details surrounding Yelton’s resignation. You also indicated that you spoke for “all” council members. Please provide all information as noted in this email.
5. The August 27, 2020 Shelby Star article quotes you as saying that Attorney Bob Yelton is a “truly fine lawyer”–please clarify and provide any information as stipulated in this email why such an attorney was asked to resign.
6. Please provide the amount of money paid to date to Attorney Martha Thompson or the law firm that she is associated with.
7. Please clarify if Walt Sharer is entitled to attorney-client privilege since he is not a party in any lawsuit. If not, please indicate if any part of affidavits submitted and filed by Attorney Martha Thompson were forged in part or in whole.
It is apparent that the article recently posted in the Shelby Star is an attempt to further cover up misdeeds by the City of Shelby and discredit Attorney Bob Yelton. As indicated in previous emails Mayor Stan Anthony, with the assistance of Attorney Martha Thompson, have vigorously sought to intimidate citizens and infringe on the rights of free speech.
Please be advised that a response to this request is expected within five working days and a production of the information within ten working days.
Rev. Dante’ Murphy
Willie Green Writes to Bob Yelton:
The City’s 2017 Economic Development Strategic Plan says that the Mayor and the current leadership is not effective and that his administration has no ability welcome new ideas and diversity.
Mayor Anthony needs to resign immediately.
The Mayor also lied to Rev. Charles Webber, Pastor Wade Wallace, Pastor Ray Lockhart, Pastor Billy Houze and Eddie Holbrook in a meeting about me and when confronted with documents of the truth. Mayor Anthony refused to give an apology for his lies against me.
In a city that has over 40% of its population that is black. But only 8% of black businesses owners, shows just how much the Mayor is about welcoming diversity.
Willie A. Green, Sr.
Rev. Dante Murphy writes to Interim Shelby City Attorney Martha Thompson
NORTH CAROLINA BAR COMPLAINT AGAINST ATTORNEY MARTHA THOMPSON
Attorney Martha Thompson,
The purpose of this email is to give you an opportunity to refute or explain any of the information that will be sent to the North Carolina State Bar pertaining to suspicious and possibly illegal activity conducted under your supervision as an attorney for the City of Shelby, NC. The information that will be submitted is as follows:
1. Under your supervision a document was filed with the courts containing false and misleading information. Admissions since that time indicate that the false information was submitted due to a computer hacking attack on the City of Shelby’s computer system. In addition, there are other documents that exist to show other discrepancies in the initial affidavit produced under your supervision. Despite computers being hacked the information is easily accessible through the city’s attorney who was terminated in May.
2. Under your supervision an addendum to the first affidavit was filed in the courts that has such reckless and egregious errors that the document appears to be forged. Three signatures are associated with the second filing and yet there are significant errors in the authentication of this second and updated affidavit. This is highly improbable outside of the document being forged. At the least, your intent to file legitimate documents with the courts should have motivated you to catch these errors.
3. Under your supervision you allowed an elected official, namely Mayor Stan Anthony, to file a public document with the courts seeking to intimidate citizens and infringe on their right to free speech. There is no reason that the names of citizens should have been mentioned in the initial false affidavit filed with the courts. The maliciousness in the document filed is seen in the use of such language as “cohorts.”
4. It is evident that you as an attorney were aware of the potential falsehoods and errors in the filed documents as indicated by your conscious decision to stipulate your signature on the documents. Namely, you uncharacteristically inserted a stipulation with your signature separating yourself from all information contained in the filings except for “objections” only.
Please be advised that citizens have a right to criticize, question, and voice concerns with government practices and the use of public dollars. I find it despicable that you have jeopardized and abused the trust of citizens. It is my intent to forward this complaint to the North Carolina State Bar by 5:00pm on August 28, 2020.
Please feel free to contact me if necessary.
Rev. Dante’ A. Murphy
Editor’s Note: Shelby Attorney Martha Thompson has not, to date, responded to this communication.