PINK HILL, N.C. (WNCT) — More resignations are hitting the town of Pink Hill. Two town officials are resigning within a month of each other.
Commissioner Pete Fantini says the town’s attorney William Gray, resigned last month and Town Clerk Lisa McGee resigned just recently. This comes after former Mayor Mike Hill and the town clerk at that time turned in their resignations last year.
Now people are trying to find out who is the reason behind these resignations. Mayor Yvonne Deatherage and Commissioner Pete Fantini are both pointing fingers at each other.
“We have a lot of disarray down here. we have a lot of division,” Fantini said.
Fantini said McGee indicated in a resignation letter that she left because he harassed her. But Fantini is denying those allegations.
“She has outlined me in her resignation letter as harassing her,” Fantini said. “I’ve never given her a reason to say she’s been harassed.”
Fantini claims the town’s attorney resigned because he couldn’t take the dysfunction.
“Our town meetings don’t go as calm and natural as they really should, and I believe in the last meeting our town attorney was involved in, I believe he just had enough,” Fantini said. “I believe he was overwhelmed and had enough.”
We were not able to reach the town’s former attorney or the town clerk for comment. Deatherage blames the resignations on Fantini, saying he causes chaos in the town’s meetings.
Statement from Deatherage:
“It has been a year since the October 11 gavel incident between Commissioner Fantini and the previous mayor. The mayor, along with the clerk and assistant clerk, resigned. Here we go again. Two more clerks resigned following October’s meeting this past week. I am heartbroken for all the employees who have left over the past two years and the cost to the town due to his chaos. Voters are faced with a choice in November. Surrender to this chaos or reject it. The choice is theirs.”
Fantini said regardless of who is right or wrong or who is on which side, he wishes to see the community come together and unite as one.
“This town like I said before, is full of amazing people, amazing citizens, amazing business owners, ” Fantini said. “We just gotta stop hating people. We just need to stop being so ugly to people.”
When asked if she wants to see the town united, Deatherage said this:
“A united community is essential to a thriving one. The chaos caused in the last two years has taken a toll in terms of experienced employees and financial resources. It will be difficult for the town to thrive and grow with such chaos. My goal is to end it, but I need voters to unite behind that objective in November.”
