Greene County Commissioners censure one of their own
Snow Hill - During their meeting on June 19, the Greene County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to censure Commissioner Derek Burress. Commissioner Jerry Jones made the motion to add the censure resolution, which was seconded by Commissioner James T. Shackelford. The motion passed with a 4-1 vote, with Burress being the sole dissenting vote.
According to the resolution introduced by Chairman Bennie Heath, Commissioner Burress was censured by the Board of Commissioners for his actions. Chairman Heath personally introduced the resolution and read it aloud for the official record.
In the resolution, it cited numerous actions taken by Commissioner Burress that interfered with the day-to-day operations of the county and were disruptive to the governing of the county. The resolution explicitly describes events that were creating a “hostile work environment for county employees.” Excerpts of events and actions from Commissioner Burress from the resolution included:
“WHEREAS, during numerous Commissioner meetings, Commissioner Burress has yelled; jumped out of his seat; slammed his hands and papers down; thrown paper; and waved his hands above his head in an aggressive and intimidating manner. Further, he has made disparaging and demeaning comments directed at other County Commissioners, the County Manager, County employees, and County contractors implying wrongdoing and lack of truthfulness without substantive evidence thus promoting a work environment that certain employees and independent contractors have characterized as "hostile"; “
”WHEREAS, Commissioner Burress has abused his position as a County Commissioner in order to insert himself into the evaluation, performance, and management of several of the Greene County Departments; thereby, undermining the position and authority of the Department Heads and County Manager, and making some employees feel as if they are "on trial" as reported by one Department Head. At least one other employee felt it necessary to make a formal complaint; threaten litigation against the County for the alleged "hostile" work environment; and demand "whistleblower" protection from retaliation by Commissioner Burress. “
”WHEREAS, during a Commissioner's meeting on June 5, 2023, during his comments section, Commissioner Burress attempted to incite an argument with the County Manager when he took a statement of the County Manager, made in private conversation, prior to the meeting, out of context and openly and publicly accused the County Manager of calling him gay. Commissioner Burress proceed to yell and angrily exclaim that "I am not gay" numerous times; “
The Resolution outlined nine different instances of misconduct from Commissioner Burress. It also referenced numerous instances in which the Commissioner “exposed the County to liability by publicly attacking a local business on Facebook as being dishonest without evidence to support such assertions”
While the censure outlines no legal consequences with regard to Commissioner Burress it is a political statement that allows the county to disavow itself from the actions of the Commissioner.
Neuse News reached out to Commissioner Burress for a comment and received this response, “I have been advised not to discuss that topic and do not wish to comment on that at this time. In the meantime, I will continue to work for the citizens of Greene County to the best of my abilities. “
As of publication time, we did not receive a response from the County Manager or County Attorney. The full resolution is linked here. The video from the June 19, 2023 Commissioners Meeting is below.
Neuse News is a locally-owned small business startup in downtown Kinston. Our goal is to provide free, hyper-local news to Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties. The kind of news our grandparents read in a format fit for today's times.
We provide this by having supportive advertisers and we encourage you to click on their ads, shop with them, and eat with them. Every bit of financial support is important to help us sustain free, hyper-local news.
Please consider supporting Neuse News with as little as $5 one-time or via a monthly option. Every little bit helps us, help you.
