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?
