By NICOLE CARTRETTE

Columbus County commissioners voted unanimously Friday to do away with extended health insurance benefits for commissioners who leave the board. While they may keep the insurance, the expense will not be to taxpayers. Commissioners going out of office will be required to pay 100 percent of the cost if they want to continue coverage.

A spat ensued over who would make the motion after Chairman Kip Godwin called on Commissioner Amon McKenzie to make the motion. Commissioner James Prevatte wanted to make the motion.

The vote comes on the heels of public outcry and controversy over the perk that was included in a 153-page employee policy manual that all seven commissioners voted unanimously to approve weeks ago. A few commissioners admit they did not read the document completely that gave one-term commissioners who leave the board health insurance benefits at half the cost, two-term commissioners benefits at 25 percent of the cost and three-term commissioners free health insurance until age 65, at which time taxpayers would provide a Medicare supplement.

While the called meeting was to right a wrong, many of the residents who packed the chambers, filled the lobby, congregated outside and were not given an opportunity to speak, vowed to make sure their voices are heard in the future and made it clear this “mistake” was not one that will be soon forgotten.

“They’re still sneaky,” Francis Carpenter, widow of a Whiteville police lieutenant, said. “They set this meeting at 3 p.m. so working people couldn’t come.”

“They’re probably in the back talking right now,” another person declared after the meeting.

“I have never seen an outpour like this in my lifetime,” Lenwood Williams said. “Their (the commissioners’) attitude is ‘it will blow over’.”

“I encourage people to stay involved,” Sammy Hinson said, adding that he was glad the vote was rescinded. “You have to watch public officials,” he said. “This shows what can happen when people stick together.”

The meeting began with an invocation led by Godwin, who opened the meeting with:

“We are here today for a special meeting to take corrective action regarding the recently adopted revision to the Columbus County personnel policy manual. This meeting is not a regular meeting and is not a public hearing, it is a special called meeting and as a result there will be no public comment time today.

“I will assure you (gavel) that the citizens of Columbus County have made their opinions known on this matter through the phone calls, e-mails and personal conversations and letters to the editor.

“We have heard the public. Individuals wishing to make public comments on any topic may request to do so at any regular scheduled meeting of the board by following public comment procedures that are posted in the lobby of this meeting room.

“Our purpose today is for a special called meeting to take corrective action in response to the input from the public. The personnel committee has a review oversight for the revised policy manual and at this time I would like to call on Commissioner Amon McKenzie, a member of the personnel committee, for a recommendation or a motion.”

“Mr. Chairman, I would like to make a motion,” Prevatte declared, agreeing to let McKenzie make his statement.

“First of all, I’m going to stand. I’m going to put the mike to my mouth so you can all hear me,” McKenzie said as the crowd chuckled and voices beckoned him to sit down.

“First of all I realize that I work for you; I realize that and based on the conversations that I have received in the last few days it is not necessary really when you think about it and I just ask you as my bosses that in the future when we may do something or make an error in judgment that you at least ask me.

“I don’t know how the rest of my colleagues feel but I just want to request to my bosses that if you call me and ask me on the telephone or come to my house or wherever and say ‘Mr. McKenzie or Amon’ or whatever you want to call me, ‘you made an error in judgment; I want to know if you would be willing to rescind that action that you had.

“Now I have gotten calls, I am going to say this. I am not a MF. I’m not an SOB. I’m not. I’m not. I don’t think I have done nothing harmful enough to be tarred and feathered and put on a rail and ran out of town.

“I don’t believe that I’ve done nothing that bad. Now I don’t think that that is necessary in a lot of cases – in no case what-so-ever because I don’t personally feel that I have done anything that bad.

“So all I ask to you in the future is, if you want me to change I was elected to work for you. You elected me to work for you and that’s what I want to do but by the same token I just ask for a little respect that you give me the same courtesies as I gave all of you.

“Sometimes when you make an error in judgment we don’t go out and kill a person because we did that. Now also when you call a person’s job and tell a person that you’re not going to do business with them anymore because they have someone employed there, folks, ya’ll know that’s not right.

“It’s not right. I’m going to tell you that myself, anything I do is for Columbus County (crowd gets loud, Godwin beats gavel against desk).

“Mr. Chairman I would like to offer a motion to revise the Columbus County personnel manual policy 255 section 2.6 to read: elected county officials to serve at least one full term may continue their participation in the group health insurance plan or until age 65 or Medicaid eligible – the entire plan must be paid by the individual, at no cost to Columbus County. This is section 2.6-1 and 2.6. – shall be eliminated. I am asking that it be eliminated,” McKenzie said.

Commissioner Sammie Jacobs seconded the motion, which was approved.

“Is there any further discussion?” Godwin asked.

“Yes there is,” Prevatte demanded. “Mr. Chairman, it was my understanding that I would have the privilege of making the motion,” Prevatte said. “This was a wrong that we did, now I ask the people to forgive us for making things that are not correct for our county (applause).

“They did not want to make me look good in front of the people, but I am still going to be here in two years so I will look good when it’s over (applause).”

“Because we were on the personnel committee we felt that it would be appropriate that the personnel committee make this request.” said McKenzie.

Godwin made a motion to adjourn that was seconded by McKenzie. The commissioners quickly exited the chambers with the exception of McKenzie and Prevatte who remained as people flocked to them.

While Prevatte had some supporters, McKenzie was faced with upset constituents anxious to be heard.

One of those constituents was Margaret Hinson who said her mother worked at the Columbus County Department of Social Services and went out on disability. The county pays no part of her health insurance. “They are supposed to be for the people,” Hinson said. “It seems to me they are for their big fat wallets.”

Reached late Friday after the meeting, Jacobs denied that there was a plan to allow Prevatte to make a motion.

“No, I don’t know what he was talking about,” Jacobs said. “We reversed the action we took,” he said, not wanting to comment further. “It was a matter of an error in judgment. We correct the error and keep going.”