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Council member urges transparency after Attorney General visit on Molly Branch flooding
Summary
Council member Miss Pate said several councilors learned of Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s visit via social media and called for formal notice to the full council and city manager for future state or federal infrastructure visits.
Council member Miss Pate pressed for better communication after she and others learned of a state visit about flooding at Molly Branch through social media rather than direct notice to the full council or city manager.
"Official city business should be communicated directly to council members, not left for us to discover on social media or through secondhand reports," Miss Pate said, urging that future visits by state or federal officials be communicated to the entire council and the city manager. She called flooding "a city issue that affects homes, businesses, infrastructure, and the long term health" of Whiteville.
Miss Pate said the handling of the visit risked creating division and stressed the need for a unified approach when pursuing multibillion-dollar flood mitigation resources. She told the council she was "ready to work with every member of this board, with state partners, and with our community to push for the resources we were promised," but asked that invitations and communications be extended to all council members going forward.
The council did not take formal action at the meeting on changing notification procedures; Miss Pate framed her remarks as a request for improved process and transparency rather than a motion.
