The "New" Iron Triangle

The "New" Iron Triangle
By Commissioner Gary A. House


Recently, my good friend Larry Parker also known as the Old Master wrote a column in the Dunn Daily Record that indicated that a new iron triangle may be forming among the Harnett County Board of Commissioners.

I have always touted the Old Master's accuracy rating as 95% to 99%.  I almost always agree with his writings and predictions.  He almost always hits the nail on the head.

However, in this instance, the Old Master read his crystal ball incorrectly.

It was the Old Master that coined former Chairman Tim McNeill, former Commissioner Dan Andrews, and Commissioner Beatrice Hill as the The Iron Triangle.  There were lots of 3 to 2 votes of the County Board during McNeill's reign as chairman.  Commissioner Jim Burgin and I almost always were the 2 in those votes.

The Iron Triangle appeared to stick together no matter what.

Well, McNeill gave up his seat to run unsuccessfully for NC State Senate and Andrews lost his seat to Gordon Springle in 2012.  Thus, The Iron Triangle was broken.

I know that many assumed that there would be another iron triangle between Burgin, Springle and me.  Needing a new chairman, I nominated Burgin.  He became the chairman in 2012 on a 3 to 2 vote.

The assumption that another iron triangle between Burgin, Springle, and me proved to be false rather quickly in 2013.  I have never and will never vote against what I believe is in the best interest of Harnett County.

Burgin and I talked many times about the need to rotate the chairman each year like some other counties do.
When the time came in 2013 for the annual reorganization of the board, Hill nominated Commissioner Joe Miller to be chairman.  Commissioner Springle nominated Burgin.  Agreeing with Burgin in our past conversations, I saw the need to rotate the chairman each year so I cast my vote for Miller.

That vote is apparently why the Old Master thinks there may be another "New" Iron Triangle forming between Miller, Hill and me.

I have enjoyed getting to know Miller and Hill since the current board was formed.

No, there was no deal of any kind between Miller, Hill, and me over vote for chairman nor over any lawsuit.

I never talked to Miller or Hill about dropping any lawsuit.

I never talked to Miller about voting for him to be chairman.  Hill talked to me about the new chairmanship but even she did not know how I was going to vote that day.

The casting of my vote for Miller was, in my opinion, in the best interest of Harnett County for the upcoming year.

I will continue to vote for what I think is best and will not be part of any iron triangle.  I will vote my conscience regardless of which commissioner supports or opposes certain issues.

I truly believe this is the way all governments should function.

So Old Master, I am sorry to report that you called this one wrong.  There is no "New" Iron Triangle.  That philosophy left when McNeill and Andrews walked out the door.

I have faith that the Old Master will call the next 99 correctly.

I forever will be a fan of the Old Master......

Thank You

Thank You
By:  Vice Chairman Gary House

I want to take a few minutes to express my sincere appreciation to all of you who have supported me over the last few years and to explain some things and actions to you.

When Commissioner Tim McNeill sued me a couple of years ago, my attorney advised me not to say a word about anything to anybody during the process.  She told me to trust no one.  I took that advice even though I was continuously blasted.  McNeill did not produce any witnesses that could verify  the claims in his lawsuit.  I have always vehemently denied his allegations.  Throughout the proceedings, it became apparent to me that my resignation from the county board was the goal of that lawsuit.

When I did not resign, Harnett County initiated another lawsuit against me and Randy Rogers while McNeill was chairman.  Allegations in that lawsuit were also false.  This time, my attorney who was a different attorney gave me two options.  I could remain quiet during the process or I could come out swinging and bash the county over the head with the knowledge that I had.

I chose to remain quiet and let the process work itself out.   All the while, I took continued abuse from a faceless group of people.  Only a couple of them chose to reveal themselves even though I know who the faceless ones  are.  After the County put the same settlement agreement in front of me for the third time that asked me to sign things that were not true, gagged me from speaking, and prevented me from requesting public information, I decided that I could be quiet no longer.

I started using FaceBook as my primary method of getting information out to you.  I even told you it would be coming for a few months and to block me for a those months if you did not want to read it.  Very few of you chose to block me.  Many of you repeatedly thanked me for the information that I was putting out to you.

It was not until I started speaking that the County began negotiating seriously.  I was forced into a corner and the only choice I had was to come out swinging.  I assure you that I always spoke the truth.

My posts about the County will slow down significantly.  I will still let you know what is happening in our County but it will be done in a different manner.

I thank all of you for your patience and understanding in this matter and I will continue you to serve you to the best of my ability and I will continue to look after your money...

Many Thanks,
Gary A. House
Vice-Chairman of Harnett County Board of Commissioners

Sauer Grapes

Sauer Grapes

By Commissioner Gary A. House

When the Harnett County Board of Commissioners hired Scott Sauer as county manager some five years ago, I would have preferred to have had Tony Wilder in that position; however, I was happy with the hire of Sauer.  He interviewed very well and knew how to answer all the questions without hesitation.  He even knew how to initiate conversation with me.  In hindsight, in my opinion, he may have been prepped beforehand by someone who wanted him in that position.   He even got  a good recommendation from our human resources department.

Not long after the announcement of his hiring, a few friends from Sampson County thanked me profusely for taking him from them.  That seemed odd to me but I was happy with the hire.  I have said many times that I learned more about Harnett County in six months under Sauer than I had learned in the previous two years.  He gave us loads of information and gave the appearance of treating all commissioners equally as he had promised in his interview.

Randy Rogers came to see me the first time in August after Sauer was hired in January  He came to me with information obtained from the Harnett County School Board via a public records request from the Daily Record about the construction of the replacement of Boone Trail Elementary School.  I listened intently.

In our many discussions on this subject, he began telling me things that were happening in public utilities.  In the beginning, it was difficult to believe some of the things he was sharing with me.  Some of those allegedly  involved, I considered friends.  It took quite a bit of time for it to sink in that truth came from Rogers lips.  Much of the information he shared with me was and has been corroborated by other employees and former employees.

One thing I do remember Rogers sharing with me early on was that then Public Works Director Rodney Tart was driving a Mercedes that Engineer Hiram Marziano used to own.  I took that with a grain of salt because I knew all county employees know to keep arms length transactions with county vendors.  I happened to mention the Mercedes to Sauer one day.  He became very interested in this issue.  He asked me if there was any proof that I could bring him.  Yes, Sauer asked for the information to be brought to him.

I contacted Rogers and he produced a picture of the vehicle license plate.  A few days later, Sauer informed me that the vehicle was registered in Tart's name.  He called Tart into his office and inquired about it.  According to Sauer, Tart said the vehicle came from a used car dealership in Greensboro.  Peaking Sauer's interest, he decided to investigate further.

He sent Staff Attorneys Slusser and O'Leary to Asheboro to interview Marziano about the vehicle.  For some unknown reason, Tart weaseled his way into the car.  According to Sauer, Marziano claimed that he had sold the car to Tart.  He even pulled out an amortization schedule showing the monthly payments.  Amortization schedules can be produced on the internet in a matter of minutes.  Nevertheless, Marziano confirmed that the vehicle was purchased from him while Tart claimed it was purchased from a Greensboro dealership.

Sauer appeared very upset that Tart and Marziano told different stories.  Sauer never told me whether he thought the vehicle was sold at fair market value or less.

On the way back to Harnett County from Marziano's office, Tart allegedly began making inappropriate comments to O'Leary.  She filed a complaint with the County.

Sauer became very upset about that he thought Tart had lied to him and about the comments made to O'Leary.  He brought the information to the Board of Commissioners.  Sauer recommended termination of Tart.  I do not recall if a formal vote was taken by the Board on termination since Sauer had full authority to do it on his own because Tart's position was not an appointed position.  I do remember it being a consensus among all Board members to support Sauer's decision.

Later Sauer came back and informed the Board that he had terminated Tart.  One Board member appeared to reverse his position and said he only thought Tart would be suspended temporarily.

As I recall, Tart was given the opportunity to retire in order to avoid termination.

The Board instructed Sauer to go to public utilities, make inquiries, and report back to the Board with anything he found wrong.  To my knowledge, Sauer never made the inquiries among employees that I remember him being instructed to do.

I think Sauer stepped on some pretty big toes with the way he handled the Tart situation.  After that event, in my opinion, Sauer's performance dropped off dramatically.  It appeared that someone may have instructed him not to mess with the Good Ol' Boy System in Harnett County.

Over the next couple of years, in my eyes, Sauer's performance, in my opinion,  became so lacking that I had to support Commissioner Jim Burgin's motion to terminate him.

Sauer admitted to the new Board that it was he who instructed David Senter to add me to the suit against Rogers.  The Board never voted to add me to the suit as attested to by Burgin and Wilder.

Some time between Tart's retirement and Sauer's termination, a faceless, cowardly cyber(s) stalker appeared.  I blocked myself from reading the garbage a couple of years ago.  I am certain I know who is involved in this continuous harassment.  I always thought Sauer was above it because he had a lot to lose even though others were telling me otherwise.

A few months ago, I got a few friend requests on FaceBook from a lady that I did not know.  Her name was Tuesday Price.  I had heard the day before that Sauer had a girlfriend named Tuesday.  Just to be sure, I declined her as a friend.  Then all of a sudden, according to my sources, Ms. Price starting posting along with the faceless, cowardly cyber stalker.  Then, I heard Sauer and Price married which is verified on Price's FaceBook page.

Since the marriage, Price's postings have apparently escalated.  Price may be posting on her own but I have a hard time believing that since she came from a different county and I do not know her.

Somehow I doubt this lady is making these atrocious FaceBook postings.  I am not even sure she knows about them...

In my opinion, this just may be a case of Sauer Grapes...

.

"Throwing Money Down a Rabbit Hole"

Throwing Money Down a Rabbit Hole

By Gary A. House

Many of you have asked me why Harnett County decided to drop the lawsuit against me and not Randy Rogers.   I wish that I could answer that question.  I am sure that each commissioner has his/her own reasons and they are likely to be much different.  Whatever the reasons, I thank each and everyone of them.

One of the possible reasons could be that certain people were on the verge of being deposed.  I had the ability to depose them.  Randy Rogers does not have the ability to depose them until he pays a sanction levied by Judge Sasser.

Another reason is that I had asserted no other claims against Harnett County.  I never intended to sue my own county and did not, other than filing a counter claim to defend myself from a frivolous lawsuit.  Rogers has several legitimate claims against Harnett County that he could pursue.

Maybe they realized that I was not going to cave on certain points.  Negotiations took 8 months.  I would not sign my name to anything that was not true.  I would not give up my right to speak and ask for information.  I was satisfied with the settlement.  None of my rights that I need to properly serve my constituents were stripped from me.

Perhaps that they realized that the lawsuit that they inherited from a previous rogue county manager and commissioner is filled with distortions and false allegations.  I have had at least two commissioners tell me that they know there are improprieties and that at least some of what Rogers claims has truth to it.

Perhaps they are growing tired of an attorney milking the county on behalf of certain individuals.

As Commissioner Jim Burgin said in a previous Daily Record article, "It's like throwing money down a rabbit hole."  That may explain why they dropped the frivolous lawsuit against me but it does not explain why it is continuing against Rogers.  Wouldn't it be the same rabbit hole?

RECORD FORUM

Looking After Our Own

To the editor:

After over six years of clearing countless hurdles, it was a great day in Harnett County when the state granted permission for Good Hope Hospital to reinstate inpa­tient mental health beds for our residents and surrounding areas.

I was overjoyed when the for­mer county board recognized that a crucial need in our county could become a reality and voted unani­mously to support and fund this project until it was able to stand of its own.

With recent detrimental chang­es in the state’s mental health sys­tem, communities must stand up and fill a void. Good Hope Behav­ioral Health, Harnett County, Ho­rizon Health, and Sandhills Center worked jointly to make inpatient mental health beds in Harnett County a reality. Being visionar­ies, the involved entities were the first in North Carolina to take on such an endeavor.

Prior to the county’s participa­tion, Harnett County ranked sev­enth in the eight-county local man­agement entity called Sandhills Center in funding mental health needs in our own county.

With Harnett County’s assis­tance, the mental health care in the county is now being comparably funded to other counties in our re­gion. Once the program is self-suf­ficient, which should be within three years, the county should con­tinue to fund mental health care in Harnett County whether it is with Good Hope Behavioral Health or other programs in the county.

I have been amazed how quickly Good Hope has gone through the accreditation process. Shortly it will have its rights to bill Medicaid and Medicare for its services and back­bill for services already provided. It will then be able to accept invol­untary commitments, which will certainly save local law enforce­ment agencies much time and mon­ey and achieve self-sufficiency.

I would like to express my grat­itude to Harnett County, Good Hope Behavioral Health, Horizon Health, and Sandhills Center for their support in allowing us to look after our own.
Gary A. House Dunn Mr. House represents District 2 on the Harnett County Board of Commissioners and serves on the Sandhills Center Board of Directors. 

Through My Eyes: Wasteful County Spending and LawsuitsGary A. Hous...

Through My Eyes: Wasteful County Spending and Lawsuits
Gary A. Hous...: Wasteful County Spending and Lawsuits Gary A. House Many of you have asked why Harnett County is spending so much money on a lawsuit that...

Wasteful County Spending and Lawsuits
Gary A. House

Many of you have asked why Harnett County is spending so much money on a lawsuit that it will not be likely to recover anything.  So far, the County has spent around $250,000 of your money claiming that former employee Randy Rogers and I, a commissioner, stole public documents and sabotaged a $42 million project.    The NC Attorney General  has looked at this case and found nothing to be stolen.  As far as the $42 million project, it was in my district and if you check the voting record, you will see that I voted for this project and promoted this project. Yet, the county continues to pursue these ludicrous claims.

The facts are that Randy Rogers is a whistle blower that no one other than me and Jim Burgin would listen to him.  I have endured two lawsuits that were brought by a rogue county manager without authority and a former fellow commissioner that were intended to make me resign.  Resignation is out of the question.  I will not turn my back on the taxpayers who have elected me and I will continue to fight wasteful spending and wrongdoing.

Why would such ridiculous lawsuits be brought against me?  I believe that the powers to be believed that I have knowledge of wrongdoing and exposure was unavoidable.  The lawsuits were intended to keep me quiet and to ruin my credibility.

I have proven to our current county manager that some of the information that is claimed to be stolen is currently being used by current employees.  Why does the current manager not put a stop to this frivolous lawsuit that he knows contains false information?  I have no idea other than he is being directed by someone that is in the background that will not reveal themselves at a public meeting.  Do county attorneys wield this much power? I certainly hope not.

I do know that I cannot obtain information from the county and I cannot get my questions answered.  So much for open government and no back room dealing.  I had the same issue with the former county manager.

Why does the county not pursue legal action against those who pushed for a lawsuit with false claims thus wasting the county's money and resources?

I wish that I could answer that question.  I do know that pressure is being put on me to sign statements that are not true.  I will not sign any statement that is not truthful to get myself out of a frivolous lawsuit brought against me by a body that I am 20% of.  How can I be a plaintiff and defendant in the same lawsuit?

No one will answer that question.  And yes, I know that sounds crazy because it is.

It appears that this lawsuit will continue and the county will continue to spend your money until I can convince a whistle-blower, Randy Rogers, to turn his back on the very issues he was attempting to blow the whistle on.  Mr. Rogers is his own man.  I do not have that power over him.  I know there is validity to his claims.  I believe the county knows it too.

Why they will not listen is beyond my ability to understand.

Equality in America

Equality in America
Gary A. House

When I was 11 or 12 years-old, I read every sports book that I could get my hands on.  I remember reading a book about Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers.  I was certainly aware how the Mr. Robinson helped transform the game of baseball into the game as we know it today.  Players of all races and ethnic groups are now welcome in the Major Leagues as it should be.

Today I went to see the movie "42" about Jackie Robinson's ordeal as the first black player in the major leagues.  Mr. Robinson must have been one of the strongest, most strong-willed persons ever put on earth.  He faced continuous hatred.  He constantly absorbed racial slurs.  While many a man would have broken under this pressure, Mr. Robinson stood tall.  Branch Rickey, owner of the Dodgers, gave Mr. Robinson the opportunity to change the game.  Mr. Rickey also gave Mr. Robinson the opportunity to start a change in race relations in America.  Mr. Rickey and Mr. Robinson deserve our praise for changing life in America.

It was fascinating watching Robinson's teammates grow to accept him not only as a player but as a human being.  Although most grew to accept him and even stand up for him, some did not.  There will always be that type of ignorance in the world.  We, in America, have made tremendous strides since the year 1947 when Mr. Robinson broke into the major leagues.

We cannot let a few that still harbor hatred and ignorance to affect the way we treat each other.  Skin color does not matter.  What matters is how we love our neighbors period.  What matters is that everyone be given an equal chance.

Please take the time to go see "42."  We owe it to Mr. Robinson and Mr. Rickey to know this story.

An Act of Terror

An Act of Terror

Gary A. House

I would never be able to be a marathon runner.  I have always preferred to run 90 feet at the time.

I have great respect and admiration for anyone who puts forth the training to develop the endurance and stamina to run non-stop for 26 ½ miles. 

The runners who recently participated in the Boston Marathon put in the time and effort to run, what was for many of them, the race of their lives.  It is beyond my ability to understand why someone would want to place a bomb(s) near the end of the race. 

This was an act of terror on American soil.  I have no idea who planned or implemented this destructive act.  I do believe that if he/she/they are American citizens, all of the rights of US citizenship should be stripped.  The affected families should receive justice for this atrocious crime.  If they are not American citizens, they should be, well, I will let you answer that one.

I cannot understand why anyone would want to hurt another human being in this manner.   These runners trained many grueling hours to be able to run this race.  Those who took the thrill away from these athletes are not worthy of being called human.