Guilford County isn’t saying why the Board of Commissioners has quickly called a special meeting to meet with Guilford County Attorney Mark Payne, but the board is now scheduled for an hour-long session that will take place behind closed doors on Thursday, August 19.
It’s not clear what the subject of the discussion will be, but, lately, almost all of the conversations that the county commissioners have had with Payne have revolved around a mask mandate for county residents.
The August 19 closed session is very interesting for a number of reasons.
First, the meeting was called very quickly. The county legally has 48 hours to call a meeting that isn’t labeled as an “emergency” meeting, and the county didn’t quite make it in time. The email announcing the meeting was sent to media at 4:46 p.m. on Tuesday – so, technically, it was 16 minutes too late for a 4:30 p.m. meeting on Thursday.
The closed session will be held prior to the board’s regular open meeting, which is supposed to start at 5:30 p.m. that night.
Second, the meeting is being held in the commissioner’s chambers on the second floor of the Old Guilford County Courthouse in downtown Greensboro. In the past, when the county commissioners have held closed sessions before a regular meeting, they’ve almost always held them in the Blue Room on the first floor of the Old Courthouse or on the third floor of the county-owned BB&T building.
The commissioners sometimes meet with the county attorney in private to discuss lawsuits against the county. There have been threats of lawsuits against Guilford County over a mask mandate the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is in the process of implementing. However, at least as of Monday, August 16, no lawsuit had been filed against the county over the mask mandate.
The county commissioners sometimes meet with Payne in closed session to discuss a personnel issue. However, when that happens, the stated reason is to “discuss a personnel issue.” The stated reason for the Thursday mystery meeting is for “the purpose of consulting with the County Attorney; and to conduct any other necessary business.”
The specific general statute cited to justify closing this meeting reads as follows: “To consult with an attorney employed or retained by the public body in order to preserve the attorney-client privilege between the attorney and the public body, which privilege is hereby acknowledged.”
In some cases, after a closed session, the commissioners take and action that reveals the nature of the conversation, however, in other cases, no clues are provided.
Maybe it is to discuss a some kind of additional protection for Michelle Kennedy in lieu of a very technical reading of the statute referenced in a different article on the site.
I wonder if her new position benefited from the step plan that was just voted on. I wonder if the application had been submitted before or after the vote on the step plan.
Didn’t the state just pass a law regarding conflicts of interest on city boards? Seems fitting that she would move after having her hands tied by the state.
Smells funny to me. I think a conflict for sure based on state statute. Could be mask related. Could be Payne will be fired since he dropped the ball on the mask mandate and embarrassed Skipper. Hopefully an attorney or two will file an injunction with the court to get the mandate stopped or delayed.
This two are not connected kennedy is on city council Payne works for the county
I’m gonna guess something to do with the mask mandate. More specifically, the legality of using a bunch of Karens with no law enforcement authority to fine businesses for violating the mandate. A mandate that the sheriff and police most likely do not want to enforce.
Statutes and Codes with the color of law are null and void under the US and NC Constitutions. Look that up…
I’m guessing it’s to see if they can win the woke award for the most harmful, oppressive, ridiculous mask mandate.
Our commissioners must be channeling the Taliban right about now for even more ways to socially isolate and mask the county!!!!! Clearly they are focusing on this because the masks have worked so well the last 15 months to prevent the spread of a virus that spreads by particles literally dissolved in the air!!!! Seriously – they haven’t worked and won’t. This is about controlling people, not a virus.
That’s ok, they are dumb and the money my family was going to donate, and has annually in the past, to several community organizations in Guilford County is now a 5 figure fund that I’ll freely give to whomever sure the county over their useless authoritarian mandates!!!!!
Sincerely, a mom and FORMER Democrat!
Sues the county
It looks like they are trying to expand the mask mandate. They won’t actually read the studies they cite, and the studies won’t say what they claim they do, but it won’t stop them.
They are all about political science. If someone will post who is planning to take action with credible law suites I will gladly help pay the legal cost. It’s an endemic respiratory virus transmitted via particles dissolved in air……. No amount of narrative will change the replicated science. This will not end until there are lawsuits. It’s time to start bringing in the lawyers.