Harnett County's Disgrace

Harnett County’s Disgrace

Vice Chairman Gary A. House

Harnett County Board of Commissioners

            Tonight is the eve of the day I expect the judgment against Randy Rogers in the lawsuit County of Harnett vs Randy Rogers to be unveiled to the public.

            I have not read the order or judgment and do not know its content.  I do know it is not favorable to Rogers.  Rogers was not given a jury trial and the evidence he had was limited by the judge.

            I know without a doubt that Rogers has told the truth and has uncovered many things that should never have happened.

            Commissioner Beatrice Hill knows that many things have happened in public utilities that date back decades.  She has told me that she believes there is a lot of truth to Mr. Rogers’ allegations.

            Commissioner Jim Burgin knew of Mr. Rogers findings almost in real time.   Burgin also sought out former employee Ricky Temple in an apparent attempt to verify the claims of Rogers.  Burgin claimed that Temple was a very credible, no non-sense person and he solidified many of the allegations of Rogers.

            Burgin told me many times that we could not clean up public utilities until we made personnel changes.  Before he was elected as chairman of the Harnett County Board of Commissioners in December of 2012, he led me to believe that the changes that needed to be made would occur within a couple of months.  He also led me to believe that an investigation would be performed in the public utilities department.  (He told me when public utilities was investigated that he believed that improprieties would be found.)  None of these items ever happened.

            In my many conversations with Burgin, he seemed concerned about the county having to pay back millions of dollars if Rogers’ allegations were exposed.  I repeatedly told him that my sources told me if the County confessed its sins, self-reported, and cleaned up the mess that the County would likely not have any paybacks.

            After Burgin became chairman, whenever I asked him about the changes to be made, he would say the attorneys would not let the County make any changes while this lawsuit was pending.  He claimed the attorneys said that we would need certain employees to testify on the County’s behalf.  I repeatedly told Burgin that I did not want the County’s employees lying on behalf of the County.  Burgin always shifted the blame to the attorneys. 

            It is a disgrace that Harnett County has let this lawsuit go this far when three commissioners believe that there were wrongdoings in public utilities. 

            If Burgin no longer believes there was ever any wrongdoing, he never informed me of his change in stance.

            It is a disgrace when an employee uncovers wrongdoing, is terminated and is sued for being a whistle blower.

            Rogers could have been dropped from the suit if he were willing to sign a non-disclosure statement which he refused to do.  If nothing was wrong, why would he be asked to sign a non-disclosure statement?

            There will never be another whistle blower in Harnett County with the way Rogers has been treated.  I guess it will go back to business as usual.