• Terri Martin, a native of Bladen County, began work today (Monday) as Columbus County’s assistant county attorney. Her primary assignment is to handle the Department of Social Services’ legal affairs.

By BOB HIGH
Staff Writer

A 40-year-old native of Bladen County, Terri Martin, began her duties in Columbus County today (Monday) to primarily handle the legal work for the Department of Social Services as the county’s assistant attorney.

The announcement was made Saturday by county officials who made getting the information for The News Reporter as tough as pulling inflamed wisdom teeth.

This reporter went to Interim County Manager Jim Varner’s office Friday morning after Varner failed to return phone calls made earlier in the week.

As soon as the reporter walked into the administration office and sat down in a chair, Varner looked up through his open office door and announced, “I have no comment!”

This was without knowing the subject of the visit. “All I want is some information on the new assistant county attorney,” the reporter stated. Varner ignored the request and returned to some paperwork.

Gail Edwards, Varner’s assistant, walked out of Varner’s office and quietly told the reporter to go see the county attorney for the information.

Meeting cancelled

The county attorney’s reaction to the same request was to have his secretary tell the reporter to return to the administration building at 3 p.m. This meeting was cancelled at 2:45 p.m. without word of when the information could be obtained.

A county employee who dropped an envelope through the mail slot in the newspaper’s front door finally delivered the announcement of Martin’s hiring to The News Reporter Saturday morning.

Martin, who comes here from a similar position in Moore County where she worked for more than 20 months as that county’s DSS attorney, replaces Jim Caviness, a lawyer who resigned last spring after working with this county’s DSS for almost five years.

Local attorney Randy Cartrette handled the DSS work during the interim six months, hired last spring on a month-to-month basis until an assistant county attorney could be hired.

Cartrette was paid $3,500 a month – an amount that would reach $42,000 a year if he had worked a year. Caviness’ pay scale was $56,000 in the 2005-06 county budget.

Martin will be paid $64,000 a year, and it is expected that upwards of 55 to 65 percent of that cost will be recouped by the county in reimbursement by the state and federal governments for DSS work.

Taxpayers’ portion

It is expected that from $20,000 to $30,000 of Martin’s salary will be paid – without reimbursement – by Columbus County’s taxpayers. The amount of taxpayer money will be determined by the amount of work she does outside her DSS duties.

This is the first time Columbus County has had an assistant county attorney. This has been done within 15 months of the county hiring its first fulltime attorney, Steve Fowler, at a pay rate that began at $62,500 and has been increased to $70,000 a year.

Martin, who was in her own law practice for a time, also worked as an assistant district attorney in Robeson County and is highly qualified to handle the DSS work, based on her education and experience, according to an announcement by Columbus County officials.

Martin’s DSS duties will include screening requests from individuals to collect child support, plus handle emergency orders regarding abused, neglected or dependent children.

In addition, she will also draft, file formal complaints and prosecute petitions and orders regarding DSS clients and their offspring, plus cases where parental rights are defined, and legal action involving incompetent adults and other emergency services for adults.

Martin is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where she earned a political science degree. Her law degree is from Campbell University.