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Commissioner calls another member a ‘snitch' on Facebook

By Jenna Deery
By Jenna Deery

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners is once again airing out its differences before the public on social media after one of the commissioners used Facebook to call the board's top vote-getter a snitch.
 
This all comes before a major vote to pick its next leader.
 
Commissioner George Dunlap minced no words when he went to Facebook to say why he believes Pat Cotham shouldn't be chair.
 
"I have absolutely no problem stating equivocally, 'Yes, that's how I feel,'" said Dunlap.
 
Dunlap wrote a long post on his Facebook page blasting Cotham and stating why he believes she shouldn't be the next board chairman, despite the fact that she got the most votes in the November election and has since received much community support for her to take the role of chair.
 
"She is a snitch on the board and can't be trusted," Dunlap wrote on Facebook.
 
He believes she has put the commission at risk with sensitive information she has leaked to the media.
 
"When she was the chair, the media had more information about what was going on than the commissioners because she was their pipeline and still is today," he wrote.
 
"I can't serve under her leadership because I don't trust her," Dunlap told Eyewitness News. 
 
Commissioner Vilma Leake said she agrees with Dunlap about Cotham.
 
The feelings of Dunlap and other Democrats on the board about Cotham run deep. Last year, they threw out Cotham as chair and replaced her with Trevor Fuller, who may be seeking to remain commission chairman.
 
They were critical about how they believe she handled the firing of former County Manager Harry Jones. Some of them have said that move was fueled by board Republicans.
 
"She did support people of another political party so I'm not even sure she wanted our support," said Leake.
 
Cotham said she is disappointed by the accusations and said her colleagues can have opinions, but they shouldn't name-call.
 
"Elected officials need to maintain some decorum and professionalism and I don't think that happened," said Cotham.
 
Outgoing Commissioner Karen Bentley, who is a Republican and has supported Cotham, said she hopes the board can learn to get along because the future of Mecklenburg County depends on it.
 
"They deserve elected officials that are deliberative and respectful of one another," said Bentley. "I hope Pat takes the high road and I know her to be like that and I'm confident that she will."
 
Members of the Black Political Caucus, which typically supports Democrats, told Eyewitness News they are disgusted by this dialogue and hope commissioners work it out by Dec. 1 when they pick a new chair and a new board is seated.

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