During the Henderson City Council meeting on Monday evening, while reporting for the Journal Committee, council member Elissa Yount asked Henderson Mayor Clem Seifert to investigate allegations made against the council.
Although Yount was not specific about what accusations had been made, she referred to a recording of Dennis Tharrington in which, according to Yount, he accused the council of using “personal spite” in its decisions.
These remarks were made during a joint meeting of the council and the Embassy Foundation board.
In a telephone conversation with Home in Henderson, Tharrington, a prominent Vance County builder, discussed the origin of his dispute with the city council.
Tharrington said that during the work of the Search and Transition Committee, which was charged with finding a replacement for the deposed former City Manager Eric Williams, he was building a house at Kerr Lake for a gentleman from Maryland. This man, according to Tharrington, had retired from county goverment in Maryland where he oversaw 1,000 employees and raised $4-8 million a year in grants which he contributed to a significant budget that he also managed.
Tharrington also stated that the man had an M.P.A (Masters in Public Administration) with an emphasis in financing.
When the gentleman applied, according to Tharrington, he was told by “not to bother” because he was not going to live in the city. He did formally submit his resume later, and he was told the same thing by another individual involved in the process.
Both events occurred before the current city manager was hired.
Referring to City Manager Jerry Moss, Tharrington said, “I have nothing against him.”
Tharrington pointed out to Home in Henderson that Moss lacks an M.A. and a 4-year degree. Also, Moss lives outside the corporate limits of Henderson.
The advertisement for the position of city manager published by the city called for a 4-year degree as a mimimal education requirement.
Responding to Yount’s request, Seifert said that the council would figure out what its obligations are.
Harper rejoined that the council has an obligation to clear its name regarding the firing of the city manager [Eric Williams]. She discussed using former council members such as Judge Henry Banks to conduct the investigation, since they have “no dog in the fight”.
Council member Mary Emma Evans stated that things were done inappropriately in how the city manager was hired, but that she was now satisfied.
“We need to leave it alone,” she said.
Wilkerson disagreed with her, stating that the council needed to bring it out into the open.
Council member Bobby Gupton said that it was not a dead issue. He claimed that more was coming out regarding the hiring process around the city manager, stating that an article was being written by The Daily Dispatch.
Although Harper eventually moved that an independent panel of former council members investigate if there was any impropriety in the hiring of the current city manager, City Attorney John Zollicoffer expressed reservations that some of the information that would need to be reviewed was confidential.
“We don’t know what we’re getting in to,” he told the council.
Seifert expressed the view that the council was setting a precedent that it would investigate every accusation, one that council member Bernard Alston agreed with.
It was eventually determined that Zollicoffer would listen to the tape of Tharrington’s remarks and advise the council as to a procedure for an investigation. All members of the council assented to this course of action except Evans.