ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County’s newest commissioner will be absent from the next several meetings, starting this month.
Commissioner Jamie Gathings has been suspended with pay for 90 days pending investigations into complaints made by fellow board members and county employees.
The suspension — as Chairman Dr. Rick Watkins and County Attorney Michael Newman both explained during a special meeting Monday at the Richmond County Airport — is to ensure fairness all around.
“Everyone in the process is entitled to fundamental fairness,” Newman said, adding that includes the accused and the accusers.
According to a resolution passed by a majority of the board — with Gathings and Commissioner Jeff Smart signaling a no vote — the county’s Human Resources Department filed a complaint against Gathings for “ unannounced and unauthorized meetings, interactions, and conversations with multiple employees and staff…”
Gathings is accused by those staff members of using his position “to make intimidating, threatening, and coercive comments and statements to employees and staff, thus promoting and creating a work environment these employees have characterized as hostile, retaliatory, and toxic…”
The complainants allege that during Gathings’ unannounced visits he would:
Gathings is also accused of boasting about his “disruptive behavior” during the December meeting and a desire to “to monetize future public meetings with commercial breaks because (he) had plans to continue his disruptive behavior … believing it would cause more people to watch.”
Newman said complaints against Gathings were filed by “more than five” county employees.
According to the resolution, Gathings actions have “potentially exposed Richmond County to legal liability for civil claims alleging hostile work environment, threats of retaliation, and failure to comply with or enforce the terms of the Richmond County Personnel Policy and other policies.”
A separate complaint was filed by fellow Commissioners Justin Dawkins and Jason Gainey.
Dawkins and Gainey allege “multiple incidents and actions by Gathings both during and after public Board meetings, including ‘verbal harassment, threatening behavior, retaliation for votes not aligned with his preference, and slanderous statements against fellow Commissioners…’”
During his first meeting in December, Gathings made multiple comments about Dawkins having to attend remotely due to work obligations, saying if he can’t be at the meetings because of his job that he was “neglecting the voters.”
Click here to read about the December meeting.
In that meeting, Gathings also accused Gainey of supporting Commissioner Andy Grooms for chairman in exchange for Grooms’ support of funding for Sandhills Best Care, owned by Gainey’s wife.
Gathings is also accused of threatening Grooms following the meeting, inviting Grooms to meet him in the parking lot.
Dawkins alleges that following the Jan. 7 meeting, Gathings made the threatening comment “I am watching you.”
Gathings also allegedly approached Gainey after the meeting, telling him that a full background check on Gainey had been unsuccessful and that he was working to “expose” all of the commissioners.
The day after the meeting, Gathings allegedly sent “derogatory and slanderous” text messages to Commissioner Robin Roberts regarding her support for Grooms as vice chairman.
“The above actions [by Gathings] have created a hostile and unsafe working environment for Commissioners Dawkins, Roberts, Gainey, and Grooms. Commissioner Gathings' behavior has instilled fear of retaliation for performing official duties or voting contrary to his preferences,” reads the complaint, as cited in the resolution. “The verbal harassment, slander, and threats of violence significantly hinder the commissioners to fulfill their responsibilities and undermine public trust in the Richmond County Government.”
Gathings denies all the allegations and says they are “false.”
Per the resolution, the complaint from the board members will be turned over for investigation by District Attorney Jamie Adams, and the human resources complaints will be investigated by a third party from outside of the county.
If the DA is unable or unwilling to handle the investigation, it will be done by the same entity investigating the human resources complaints.
During the interim suspension, Gathings is prohibited from participating or attending any board meetings, as well as entering any county facilities.
Gathings is also prohibited from engaging in any conduct “which a reasonable person would view as a misuse of office or an attempt to wrongfully harass, intimidate, threaten, or coerce any County employee, staff member, Board member, or witness, while the two independent investigations are being conducted.”
Any possible disciplinary action will be taken after the findings of the investigations.
