Editor’s note: A much longer version of this article was originally published online at the author’s blog, hopemills.net/2018/08/25/we-are-one-team. The article has been condensed, edited and reprinted here with permission.

By visiting https://clyp.it/pa1ztkra, you can listen to a 20+ minute Aug. 23 interview of Commissioners Meg Larson and Mike Mitchell by Goldy of WFNC. What follows is an abbreviated transcription of the interview and my commentary in italics.

0:48 Goldy: Since Hope Mills pulled a $28,000 contract from a Fayetteville publication – the publication has just become – in my opinion -a mean, viscous, vindictive attack weapon.

The Hope Mills Board didn’t actually “pull the contract” (from Up & Coming Weekly). The contract was for a finite amount of time, and it ended with the publication having fulfilled its obligation. The Board chose not to renew the contract. 

1:37 Goldy: Was this land (referring to Lake bed #2, land the Lone Survivor Foundation would like to purchase from Hope Mills) ever up for sale?

Mitchell:No, it was never for sale – in fact, we’ve been working on a comprehensive parks and recreation plan and we spent, at this point, over $100,000 for all of our properties to be looked at.

This isn’t accurate. During the June 4 meeting between the Board and LSF Executive Director Terry Jung, Mike Mitchell threw out a price point to sell the land. Jung stated this in an interview I did with him in early August, and this was confirmed by three members of the Board. Jung was surprised at the quote and said it was quite high, comparable to a price tag on 60+ acres, when LSF was only asking to buy 3-4 acres. And, an email to a representative at Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation clearly shows the Board was excited to move forward with the sale and wanted to coordinate the next steps and see official financial offers as of June 5. Two other emails prove the $100,000 study commissioned to McAdams Group never included Lake bed #2; it was added by Larson and Mitchell sometime between July 30 and Aug. 1. Screen shots of those emails can be found on the original version of this article at HopeMills.net.

4:25 Goldy: My understanding is that you were brought into a meeting on June 4 – I’ve seen some accounts where it says you were herded through a back hall of city hall into a meeting. Were you blindsided by this, Mike?

Mitchell: Yes, sir. It was a closed session.

Goldy: Why was it a closed session? A lot of people are asking that – why this was a closed session?

Mitchell: I believe because it had to do with the tendering of property and economic development. We had no control over it – I guess the closed session was put on their (the agenda) by the mayor.

Three members of the Board have confirmed the closed session on June 4 took place in the exact same way as all closed sessions – and in the exact same place. Much has been made of the presentation taking place in a closed session, when in fact that’s standard operating procedure. Land acquisition and personnel issues are always discussed in a closed session. 

4:56 Goldy: One of the other things that I have read is that there may be some – let’s call them hard feelings – between the Board and the mayor – because her son Teddy Warner kinda facilitated this whole thing. The Board has some hurt feelings the mayor apparently knew about this before the Board of commissioners did.

Mitchell: Yeah, we just thought it might have been more appropriate if we had known ahead of time – when you go into a meeting and the mayor’s son is there we were just kind of taken aback a little bit. There’s not a conflict of interest – we’ve asked about it – it just seemed inappropriate or uncomfortable for us. I just asked our town manager and our whole team that when there’s a request made to partner or to buy property – that’s not for sale especially – that they inform the Board of Commissioners.  We are one team.  If any organization asks you to keep something secret from your Board of Commissioners – that should be a red flag.

Teddy Warner is the director of business development for the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation. He has an impressive resume and works with a respected company. He also happens to be the mayor’s son. We live in a small town. This Board is going to do business with relatives and friends – it’s inevitable. 

And Mitchell’s implication that this presentation was purposely kept secret from the Board is ridiculous. Jung addressed the allegations that the presentation wasn’t handled correctly in our interview: “I’m confident they’re wrong because we’ve dealt with two other cities in the Cumberland County area (Godwin & Fayetteville), and that’s exactly the procedure we have followed.”

It’s not just wrong, it’s incredibly insulting to the entire staff of FCCEDC, the Hope Mills staff and to the Warner Family.

In an ironic twist, Mitchell recently admitted on social media that he’s been approached multiple times since July 24 with offers from nonprofit groups wanting to buy land. He also admitted that he did not relay the offers to the town manager or to the Board ... as he’s insisted they do. He simply told the nonprofit groups the land was not for sale. 

11:49 Goldy: I think that everyone on the BOC thinks that the LSF is an outstanding organization – there is nobody that doesn’t think that this is a worthy organization, and you would love to have them in your town – just not on this piece of land.

Mitchell:

 Exactly. Jessie Bellflowers is actually working to find an alternate location for them as we speak.

There is no reason to find an alternate piece of land. Lake bed #2 was abandoned by the town for more than 50 years. It wasn’t even included in the initial parks and rec survey being conducted by the McAdams Group. It stands to reason that if LSF hadn’t approached the town with an offer to purchase the lake bed, it would never have been included in the survey, it wouldn’t have been developed, and it may have been neglected for another 50 years.  What would have happened if LSF had approached the town in November ... well after McAdams had concluded its survey? Mitchell and Larson couldn’t have included it at that point, and their argument would have been invalid. 

And LSF has expressed a willingness to lease the land or purchase it with a buy-back clause, ensuring Hope Mills would have it if needed at some point in the future ... which means we’re not conflicting with the 2030 plan they quote so often. 

On an ending note: I’ve maintained a strict standard of providing tangible evidence to coincide with each article I post, and links to everything I’ve referenced in this printed edition can be found on my blog. Commissioner Mitchell has blocked me from commenting on his social media. He has a long tradition of blocking dissenting views. 

To the commissioners – Within my original online post are links to evidence proving that nothing you said on the radio was truthful or accurate. If you have tangible evidence to contradict any of this, I welcome it. I’ll retract any statement you can disprove and gladly share your evidence. 

If not, then I suggest you reevaluate your position on the LSF proposal ... but also your position on the Board.  You’re meant to represent all of the people, all of the time – not just people who agree with you.