To: CCTA Members:

RE:  SUN JOURNAL ARTICLE BY P.CHRISTINE SMITH AND CRAVEN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
In an otherwise informative and positive article P. Christine Smith left out one very important fact. She stated that "The county recently prevailed in a lawsuit it had filed against an architectural firm and an engineering firm that had worked on the center's construction projet. Through an out-of-court settlement, the county received $1.1 million."

What she failed to add was that over $750,000 of that settlement went to the lawyers and not back to the taxpayers of Craven County. This "Prevailing" in the lawsuit netted the taxpayers almost exactly what the architectural and engineering firms offered over two years ago without the lawyers being paid $750,000. It seems to me to be favorable only to lawyers and county staff! Ms. Smith knows this. Why did she put such a favorable face on it to present to the public? Is it possible that the county staff is controlling what is fed to the public through the Sun Journal? I certainly hope not.



Hal James

Chairman
CCTA Watchdog Committee

To read the original Sun Journal article by P. Christine Smith, "County lawsuit involving convention center settled", click here: 
http://www.newbernsj.com/news/lawsuit-92961-settled-center.html