RICHMOND COUNTY, N.C. — A Richmond County commissioner will return to his seat for the first time in seven months after claims that he created a hostile work environment led to his suspension.
Jamie Gathings has not been able to vote and could only join meetings virtually for seven months. But that changes Tuesday.
Gathings will be back on the board on Tuesday. And he told Channel 9’s Gina Esposito that he is ready to apologize to those he’s wronged and move forward.
“I’m gonna come back with a better attitude and be more professional,” he said.
In a newly signed settlement, Gathings dropped all lawsuits against the county and is back on the board in his full capacity.
“I got two meetings before I got banned,” he said. “Seven months I’ve been gone, so I’ll probably have to wipe off my computer and the dust around my chairs.”
Tuesday night’s regular Richmond County Commissioners’ meeting will be Gathings’ first opportunity to vote. And he said this topic is personal.
The board is discussing the allocation of $75,000 toward a proposed drug court program that would help some inmates enroll in drug treatment plans.
“Some people don’t get a second chance,” Gathings said. “If you knew my lifestyle before, you’d be like, ‘Wow.’ And then know now that I’m trying to help people and trying to bring it to awareness. Some of us wasn’t born on home plate.”
Gathings spent seven years in prison for a drug conviction.
He said seeing the drug court program materialize is more important to him than Amazon’s recent investment in Richmond County. He said he wants to help those who are often overlooked.
“Amazon’s going to bring the county a lot of money, and that’s great,” he said. “But get to the root of the problem, which is drugs. That’s what we got to get. And the drug court, I hope is going to be a huge start.”
The county attorney said the settlement prevents him and other commissioners from commenting on Gathinngs’ return to the board.
The agreement also says that the county will reimburse Gathings’ legal fees up to $64,000 if he doesn’t violate the code of ethics in the next ten months.
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