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Rockingham County receives food-drive update, hears records request and insurance defense
Summary
At a county commissioners meeting, volunteers reported declining food-drive totals and set a 2025 goal of 60,000 pounds; a resident pressed for production of commissioners' texts under N.C. public-record law; the safety and risk manager explained that Travelers is defending commissioners in a 2023 suit and said the Department of Insurance closed a related complaint with no criminal finding.
Community volunteers and residents used the public-comment period to press three distinct topics: the county food drive, a public-records request for commissioners’ electronic communications, and defense of elected officials named in a lawsuit.
Anne Fish opened public comment by describing the countywide food drive’s origins and volunteer base; she introduced Nadia Jones, the food-drive chair. Jones provided a detailed report of collections by participating schools, businesses and county offices, noting totals declined from about 55,600 pounds in 2023 and 48,900 pounds in 2024 to the “thirty-thousands” range last year without accounting for donated water. Jones said the coalition serves seven pantries and set a 2025 goal of 60,000 pounds while asking for continued county support.
Resident Doug Eisley thanked the North Carolina Department of Transportation for storm cleanup and said he had submitted a public-records request seeking text messages and electronic communications related to county business from specific commissioners. Eisley said the county attorney replied that the county “does not have custody” of the requested records; he cited Chapter 132 of the North Carolina General Statutes and asked the board to direct named officials to search personal devices and to document what searches were performed.
Former commissioner Don Powell addressed a separate matter, defending himself and other commissioners against allegations raised in a 2023 lawsuit filed by Craig Travis. Powell said the suit had been dismissed previously and was on appeal; he disputed assertions of insurance fraud and expressed frustration that the matter had entered public comment.
Chris Elliott, the county’s safety and risk manager, then presented an explanation of how insurers handle claims, including reservation-of-rights letters and final coverage determinations. Elliott said Travelers elected to provide representation for the commissioners named in the 2023 lawsuit and stated that the North Carolina Department of Insurance had closed an investigation and found no evidence of criminal activity. Elliott described the public allegations as “baseless” and said they had caused reputational harm to staff and to the county with insurers.
The board asked follow-up questions about costs, deductibles, and potential premium impacts. Elliott said the county pays deductibles when a claim is made, Travelers appoints defense counsel, and most county policy premiums had not increased as a result of the litigation; he noted the sheriff’s office had been the department with audit concerns and that Travelers had asked for improved practices going forward.
The meeting record shows citizens pressing transparency (Eisley’s request) and commissioners and staff emphasizing that insurance and legal processes are constrained by carrier determinations and statute. The board did not take a formal directive on the records request during this meeting; staff was asked to enter the Department of Insurance letter into the record as evidence of the closed complaint.
