Alleged racist remarks by a former sheriff could lead to a property tax increase.
Former Sheriff’s Sgt. Melvin Campbell will receive $500,000 in a mediated settlement with the county over claims that he was fired due to his race as part of a series of personnel changes under former sheriff Jody Greene. Campbell filed a wrongful termination suit based on race, After several months of negotiation, county commissioners on Thursday agreed to pay Campbell a total of $500,000.
Columbus County will pay $300,000 from its general fund while the county’s insurance company will provide $200,000.
A press release after Thursday’s special session of the commissioners said that Campbell would receive $300,000, but did not provide the total amount of the settlement. The county released a memorandum of understanding between Campbell and the county today (Friday) that clarified the total amount of the settlement.
The settlement includes $120,000 in back pay, $230,000 for “non-economic damages” suffered by Campbell, and $150,000 in his attorney’s fees. Campbell and the county are responsible for their own respective legal fees in the case.
Neither party admits fault in the case, and the sheriff’s office will provide Campbell with a favorable letter of reference on his request.
Campbell retired from the N.C. Highway Patrol, receiving the Order of the Longleaf Pine for his service to the state. In 2016, he went to work for then-Sheriff Lewis Hatcher. When Green was elected the first time in 2018, Campbell continued working in the sheriff’s office.
Greene demoted Campbell and Clementine Brown, one of the few black women in a command position in the sheriff’s office, in 2019. In a secretly recorded telephone call in 2019, Greene told Jason soles – who would be Greene’s challenger in the 2022 elections – that Greene suspected someone in his office was sharing information with Hatcher’s supporters. Campbell was one of the black officers Greene suspected, according to the conversation. In the conversation, which Soles released just before the 2022 election, Green is heard saying he intends to fire Campbell and other black employees. He also refers to black “bastards” within the sheriff’s office while discussing the dismissal of African American employees.
“…Melvin Campbell is as big a snake as Lewis Hatcher ever dared to be. Every Black that I know, you need to fire him to start with, he’s a snake…” Greene is heard saying on the recording.
The alleged racism in Greene’s administration is still being investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation. Multiple supporters of Greene testified before a grand jury in Raleigh earlier this year. The state has not released any indictments pertaining to the case.
Thursday’s release from the county commissioners notes that at least one additional civil rights lawsuit is in mediation, and could result in another settlement. The release said that the state Local Government Commissioner could require the county to raise the property tax rate to make up for the money lost from the General Fund. The release did not specify a possible amount that the rate could increase.
The county’s property tax rate as approved for Fiscal 23-24 is 80.5 cents per $100 valuation.
