The Town of Holden Beach Board of Commissioners met Tuesday, October 29 for a Special Meeting. The Town Attorney reported on his investigations of Mayor Holden’s allegations of Fraud and Professional Misconduct by the Town’s outside Auditor. The allegations were made at the October BOC meeting where he asked that the information be entered into the minutes and provided to the Commissioners. He also repeated the allegations at HBPOA’s Candidates’ Night. After investigation, the allegations were determined to be false. According to the Town Attorney, “There has been no finding that we have come across of any ‘guilt of fraud’ against Rives & Associates by PCTel or otherwise.” The Board of Commissioners will discuss the issue further at their November Regular Meeting, however, due to the Town’s potential liability for defamation, slander, and libel, the Town Attorney read a statement explaining his findings and recommended that the BOC not discuss it further outside of closed session.
For more information:
Transcript of the Town Attorney’s Oral Report
Response from Auditor’s Attorney
You can listen to the meeting here
Click here for the meeting packet which contains the meeting agenda, the original anonymous letter, the letter from Commissioners Freer and Butler to the Town Attorney outlining their concerns, and documentation from the NC CPA Board.