But NOooo!!! At the November 12, 2019 BoT meeting, the Closed Session was to discuss a settlement of the Ginger Bullock lawsuit against the BoTs. In this instance, I was very pleased that BoT member Dennis Bailey very correctly made the proper motion to the letter of the law to go into closed session. But things immediately went to “Hell in a Handbasket” after that.
That November 12, 2019 was one of the first, maybe THE first, BoT Meeting held in the brand-new Board of Trustee “Board Room.” Maybe the first meeting chaired by Rev. Littlejohn. Right across from the President’s office. With an attached large room for their catered meals. No expenses for this “Board Room” was spared. Closed Circuit TV Screens all around. Microphones for everybody and the mike on the Public Speaker’s podium was equipped with a “kill-switch” that will be activated by Chairman Littlejohn when your three minutes expire. To the very second. Synchronized with an on-screen three-minute timer. I can vouch for that. I was probably the first public speaker in this new and lavish “Board Room” and I was cut off at exactly three minutes. So much for encouraging Public Participation as State law requires.
Anyway, after BoT member Dennis Bailey made the motion to go into Closed Session to discuss a settlement (an admission of guilt on the CCC Board of Trustee’s part) was seconded and approved. Myself and others were sent out of the meeting room. With NO instructions on how we would know when the closed session was going to transform back to an OPEN session as required by state law. As there were two doors into that Board Room and each door had a very small window, I paced back and forth between those two doors waiting for the doors to be opened. And, when they were opened, I walked in to find that the BoTs were going into their catered dinner room and the meeting was over. In a total, flagrant and planned violation of state law.
I immediately complained to Chairman Littlejohn and other BoTs that they had just committed an illegal act. I also stated to the BoT’s Attorney that he had not done his job in NOT informing the BoTs of their legal obligations to follow state law. I was told that the door had been unlocked and that was all they were required to do. A big lie. I knew it was a lie and so did they. The BoT’s thought the whole planned scheme episode was funny. They never stated whether or not any action was taken on the Ginger Bullock lawsuit against them as they were required to do in Open Session with ME present as I was the only member of the general public that was present.
January 10, 2020:
Then the January 10, 2020 Emergency Called meeting of the CCC Board of trustees was announced to again discuss a “legal matter” and a “personnel matter.” None of which appears to be a sufficient reason for a special emergency meeting that was called for in the morning of January 10th on very short notice. My conclusion was the BoT’s had had to settle Ginger Bullock’s lawsuit by paying big bucks and firing somebody. Which would have been totally appropriate as I had attended BoT meetings when Ginger Bullock spoke to the BoTs about her complaint and the BoTs just ignored her and everybody else. Treated their former employees like Pieces of Shit and turning up their noses at that. Arrogant bastards-all of them back at that time.
Two lawsuits later and the Bots are not so arrogant. The Willie Green Lawsuit against Shelby City Manager Rick Howell, in his individual capacity got their attention loud and clear when the judge is about to remove Rick Howell’s “immunity” because of criminal or malicious intent. The BoTs are not so arrogant now, but they are just as sneaky as ever. Read on.
I arrived a few minutes early to the Jan 10th BoT meeting and informed Chairman Littlejohn that I expected him to follow the law and inform me of the open session after the closed session and allow me back into the meeting room as is required by state law. I was NOT asking for anything extra. I was just a citizen, resident and taxpayer in Cleveland County and I expected to be treated as state law required that I be treated. I was not begging; I was demanding that state law be followed. To the “T.”
Littlejohn retorted that the door was opened at the end of the November 12, 2019 BoT meeting closed session and I “was down the hall.” That was a bold-faced lie right to my face. My reply to Littlejohn was “I know where I was.” Littlejohn stated that I would be notified.
However, now that I knew such a big lie cover-story was being circulated by the BoTs, I would certainly keep my eyes wide open to every detail of this meeting. I had read the state laws regarding public meetings and probably knew those laws better that most, or all, of the BoT’s themselves. Only to find out later that my knowledge of the law would serve me well. Again, Read on! The plot thickens. Perhaps I should say, the plot “sickens” as that would be a better description.
And Littlejohn himself appeared to be rattled over the entirety of the situation. A board, caught up by a catastrophic lawsuit of their own making; that they were now certain they were going to lose. And me examining every corrupt cover-up move they were making. Chairman Littlejohn called for a public participation speaker after the agenda was adopted without public participation being on the agenda or anybody signing up. I would have signed up but I had already noticed that there was no public participation item on the agenda.
Also, when Dennis Bailey made the motion to go into closed session and Chairman Littlejohn momentarily forgot to call for a second, former BoT Chairman Wes Westmoreland quickly seconded the motion to cover-up for Littlejohn who appeared confused and startled. But then quickly called for a second after the second had already been made. Lots of simple things like that, that often are ignored without a thought. But I was paying very close attention to detail of everything this crowd was doing. Looking for any signs of any “Freudian slips” that would expose their sneaky schemes. It was surprisingly easy to do.
Even BoT Dennis Bailey, after making the motion to go into closed session and the motion passed, asked the BoT’s Attorney if they were doing everything (procedurally) correct. But I knew as soon as Bailey asked that question, that Bailey was covering his own behind from a situation like Shelby City Manager Rick Howell had gotten himself into in the Willie Green Lawsuit. A criminal or malicious intent would remove the BoT’s “immunity” from any litigation against them, unless they first asked for legal guidance beforehand. And then followed the legal advice of the lawyer. And why not? Bailey himself was NOT a CCC BoT when the makings of this lawsuit had taken place. THAT was Bailey’s “immunity” and he certainly did NOT want to lose it now.
So, the BoTs go into Closed Session and I am outside that sound-proofed “Board Room,” occasionally looking through the small window in that heavy and expensive door to see that the BoTs were not again adjourning the meeting without going through the proper and state law mandated procedure I described above. I was determined to NOT allow that dirty trick to be played on me again.
But things were about to go from bad to worse.
On one of my “looking’s” through that small window (about four inches wide and eight inches high) in that big door, such a window being in all the such doors in the building-probably a Building Safety Code Requirement, I noticed the BoT attorney had taken a chair in front of the BoTs and was very animated-waving his arms around like a wild-man, shaking his head back and forth. The lawyer apparently finally saw me at the door and said something to the BoTs. Several of them with their backs to me looked around at me and I waved to them.
In short order the Board Secretary, CCC President Dr. Jason Hurst, apparently under Littlejohn’s instructions jerked the door open and stepped up to me as if he was coming through for some unknown reason. I stepped back a step to allow him to pass by. Hurst did not pass by. He stepped up to me again and ordered me to move far away. I stated “I don’t think so” and did not move another inch. Hurst became red-faced when I did not follow his direct order and it appeared that he was going to assault me in some manner. A move that would have immediately resulted in a criminal charge against him. I suggested that Hurst call the Police and he said “I will.” And he did.
Hurst chased down the Shelby Police Department Officer that had also been in the Open Session meeting and told the officer that “People in the Hall were talking and distracting the BoT Meeting.” Another big lie, but the officer maybe didn’t know it.
The Officer requested that everybody in the public hall move on down from the BoT Meeting room door. As they were all CCC employees they moved along quickly. I did not move an inch. I knew I had the legal right to stand exactly where I was standing. I told the officer that I had not spoken a word to anybody and that I intended to stay exactly where I was until the Closed Session was over. The Officer correctly walked away and left me standing exactly where it was my legal right to stand-All in front of Hurst and the BoTs through the still open door.
Suddenly, the door closed and somebody, probably Hurst, went through an internal door to the room next door, removed a black sheet of construction paper that blocked that door’s window and taped that black paper over the door window of the Board Room door. I realized just then that the proposed “protest” of county agency corruption had just officially began. This time with me alone. With much more “protesting” to come. Folks, Keep reading! You ain’t heard nothing yet.
As I stood before that Board Room door, unmolested for about an hour-much of the time leaning against the wall on the other side of the Corridor, I would occasionally her loud but not understandable voices, apparently yelling, from the Bots inside. Loud yelling that would ebb and flow through the Board Room soundproofing, more than the soundproofing could completely block out. I could only conclude that the new BoT members that were NOT on the BoT during the making of the lawsuit were not happy they were drug in on something they were not originally involved with-but now were. Perhaps the “old” BoTs were yelling at the new BoTs-demanding that they stick with their phony story that was beginning to be blown apart in Court. Perhaps some of the more sensible BoT members were mad about such an unnecessary scene with the police being called on me-that would certainly fill me with the resolve to get to the bottom of this matter. Sooner or later-no matter. Either way, I figured something was about to give. And it was NOT going to be me. What I had done was legal and entirely appropriate for the circumstances. Dealing with elitist, condescending and self-important BoTs and knowing that I intended to continue in like manner.
Soon after the turmoil inside the BoT Board Room died down and their plans were made, BoT member Allen Langley came out of the Board Room back door and informed me and the others that the meeting was coming back into open session. I tried the Board Room front door where I was standing and it was locked. So, I walked around to the back door, left it open, walked half way back up into the Board Room and took a front seat. The BoTs waited until I was seated. Then Dennis Bailey made the motion to adjourn the meeting. Intentionally leaving out the required statement of what happened in the Closed Session or whether a vote had been made.
So much for the January 10th 2020 Emergency Meeting. A slight improvement at the end. But only a very slight improvement. But the stage was set for the January 14, 2020 BoT Meeting when the BoTs inadvertently revealed to me the REAL Problem at Cleveland Community College. Read on, folks. Sometimes the Truth hurts. In this case, the truth will hurt a lot.