In first meeting on Board, new chair Jeff Smart condemns cities’ lawsuits

ROCKINGHAM — Newly-elected Chair of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners Jeff Smart issued a strong rebuke of the recent legal challenges from the county’s municipalities in his first meeting as a commissioner.

On Friday, the City of Hamlet and the Town of Dobbins Heights, along with Chad and Lisa Gardner and Lonnie and Hope Norton, filed a complaint in Superior Court seeking to render Richmond County’s recent rezoning of a property on Marks Creek Church Road to Heavy Industrial invalid. Hamlet and Rockingham also triggered a mediation process with the county over the summer alleging that the county violated the terms of a contract signed between the parties regarding the new 9-1-1 Center.

At the end of Monday’s meeting, Smart addressed the public, thanking them for electing him and effectively informally introducing himself as an official who will seek to serve residents of the county and municipalities, before switching gears to address municipal leaders directly with a prepared statement.

“Let me first speak directly to the leaders of our municipalities: the lawsuits need to stop and they need to stop now,” Smart said, speaking on a conference call held on WebX as the Board has since May. “I’m sure that our citizens would much rather us earn our pay and sit across the table from each other to discuss our challenges rather than spend their money through lawsuits.

“In the past, maybe you felt this was not possible or would not achieve anything,” he continued. “Well, I ask you going forward to give this board — all of this board — a chance.”

He added that lawsuits are “not the way to make progress” because they cut off communication, specifically referring to the most recent one filed on Friday regarding the rezoning.

“There is absolutely no need for punches to be thrown from leader to leader to see who can get over on the next one,” Smart said. “This type of leadership is not welcome in Richmond County, and if you’re a part of this leadership style then maybe you should think about doing something else.”

Smart stressed the need for municipal leaders, as well as local media, to work together as a team in order to support the county’s “industrial recruiting process.”

“Would you want to establish your company in a place where this takes place? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t either so it needs to stop,” he said.

Smart, the former mayor of Hamlet, was elected to serve as chair alongside Justin Dawkins, who is currently the director of operations for the von Drehle Corporation, as vice chair. This is first change at these two positions since 1998. Both are Republicans.

The votes for chair and vice chair were split, but it wasn’t clear in the conference call what the exact vote totals were or who voted for whom. Commissioner Rick Watkins was nominated to serve as chair and Commissioner Tavares Bostic was nominated to serve as vice chair.

Smart replaces Kenneth Robinette as chair, while Dawkins takes over from John Garner as vice chair. Robinette and Garner were both voted to these positions in 1998 and both chose not to run for reelection this election cycle. Together, Robinette and Garner had 48 years of experience on the board.

At the start of the meeting, Watkins, asked that, based on his experience with the operation of governing boards within the education system, that the Board of Commissioners commit to a practice of providing each commissioner with the same information about Board activities at the same time “without fail.”

“All members, all the time, every time at the same time,” Watkins emphasized. “And I hope that moving forward this Board will commit to that standard of operation with this (new) Board of Commissioners. As an individual and sitting board member I did not feel that this standard applied to any formal or informal discussions regarding the leadership of our board prior to our first meeting together tonight.”

Watkins further stated that he’s always seen this Board as one that has worked together beyond party affiliation, and he urged his fellow commissioners to seek to use the connections and elected representatives Richmond County has to advocate on the county’s behalf at the state level to improve economic development, education and transportation opportunities. He named Sen. Tom McInnis, Rep. Ben Moss, former Rockingham Mayor and State Senator Gene McLaurin, Rockingham City Manager Monty Crump, Sheriff James Clemmons, and Dr. Dale McInnis as those who should be seen as resources to this end.

“My point with this commentary is that it’s important that we can truly work together and make a positive difference in the future of Richmond County and I encourage each of you to choose this course of action,” Watkins said.

“I agree with a lot of what you said,” Smart replied.

Bostic echoed Watkins’ statement about cooperation across party lines, urging the Board — which is now majority Republican — to “wipe away the D’s and R’s” that are next to their names on the ballots.