ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 17, 1997 TAG: 9702170003
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
ROCKY MOUNT'S elected leaders say they were right to warn a prospective finance director of what he would face, and say there's no need for them to be investigated.
An editorial in the Jan.27 edition of the Franklin News-Post appealed to the Rocky Mount Town Council to hire a new finance director as soon as possible.
"It will lift a burden off town officials and perhaps will make the citizenry feel more secure about how the local government is being operated," the editorial read.
But continuing news coverage surrounding the town government gave the most qualified applicant cold feet, council members said.
The applicant was offered the job last month, but after a talk with council members, he declined.
"My work within the private sector has sheltered me from public attention, which I have grown accustomed to and appreciate," he wrote in a Jan.28 letter to Town Manager Mark Henne.
A majority of council members don't fault the man for his decision. In fact, council held a special meeting to warn him of what he could face.
"It would have been wrong to hire this person and not tell him about the possible lion's den he might find himself in," Councilman Bobby Cundiff said.
The last two years in Rocky Mount haven't been the most tranquil, and many councilmen are fed up. Three council members - Arnold Dillon, Bobby Cundiff and Vice Mayor Posey Dillon - sat down together for an interview this month.
Posey Dillon - who's not related to Arnold Dillon - has said little about council's problems over the past few months, but he spoke up during the interview.
"If I thought in my heart that we'd done one thing wrong, then I'd be the first to call for an investigation," he said. "I couldn't justify using one dime of taxpayer money for an investigation, considering where these allegations are coming from."
One might wonder why a small rural town - Rocky Mount has a population of about 4,500 - has an ongoing public relations problem that is hampering its ability to fill jobs.
In March 1995, council found itself in a mess when it called an emergency meeting and searched Henne's office - with his approval. Council was trying to find a lost tape recording of a planning and zoning meeting. The tape wasn't found, but two bottles of liquor were.
Henne, who was convicted of driving under the influence years ago and had another charge dismissed in 1993, found himself in an embarrassing situation. He said the liquor was a Christmas present, and that it had been put away in the closet and forgotten.
Council found itself with another problem last summer when Town Attorney John Boitnott made a comment about the breasts of civic activist Anne Carter Lee Gravely during a public meeting at which she was speaking. Boitnott's comment was picked up on a tape recording of the meeting, which was leaked to the news media.
Boitnott was reprimanded, but it took council members several weeks to acknowledge they were aware of the problem. They said it took time to get a legal opinion, and that they were attempting to follow disclosure laws that allow employees to be reprimanded in private.
A few weeks later, Gravely revealed that she had asked Commonwealth's Attorney Cliff Hapgood to call for a state police investigation of the town.
Gravely alleged that council bought a refrigerator with taxpayers' money for Arnold Dillon's mother; that Dillon and Bobby Cundiff used their influence to get relatives jobs with the town; that Cundiff tried to have a large water bill reduced; that council wasn't following proper procedures to conduct closed-door sessions; and that town employees had been mistreated.
In the Jan.6 edition of the News-Post, an editorial read: "Take the lead, town council. Request an investigation yourself. If various dealings are on the up and up, as council members claim, prove it to your constituents. Why not open up all town records for scrutiny by professional investigators? Dispel the rumors."
Council members said they have nothing to hide - Cundiff and Arnold Dillon have documentation that appears to refute the specific allegations against them - and they said it is time to put the problems to rest. "We can't get anything done because we're too busy dealing with things that we never did in the first place," Cundiff said.
The council members said a small group of residents wants to keep the situation on voters' minds until next year's town elections, or wants to pressure council to vote for certain requests, specifically those made by a group Gravely supports - the Community Partnership for Revitalization.
Arnold Dillon said some people have heard that he might run for mayor and are trying to discredit him because "the average citizen has a voice with me, and these people are scared of that."
A letter to the editor or a threat against a councilman won't intimidate council members, Posey Dillon said. "Most citizens, except for a minor fraction, know we're doing the best we can with what we have."
Councilman Steve Angle also defended council's actions:
"It's my firm belief that no one on the council has sat down there and voted to do something detrimental to the town of Rocky Mount. If someone was trying to do something wrong, people should know that the rest of us wouldn't sit by and stand for it."
Gravely wouldn't comment on the councilmen's latest statements. "I've got to go now, bye," was her only response when contacted last week.
The status of the requested investigation remains in question, and Hapgood has had little to say.
The commonwealth's attorney said he has a conflict of interest because he once represented a member of Arnold Dillon's family.
Hapgood's reluctance to talk publicly about the allegations, and his relationship with people that council members view as sympathetic to Gravely, grind at some councilmen.
"I'll agree to waive any conflict of interest he might have," Arnold Dillon said.
In the meantime, the town has readvertised for a finance director and will review a new set of applications.
Of the atmosphere that now surrounds the town government, Posey Dillon said, "It creates quite a bit more work, it causes anxiety with current employees and it decreases the chances that we'll get the most qualified applicants to fill open positions."
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Cundiff, P. Dillon, A. Dillonby CNB