Open Letter to Female Deputy on 1/25/2022

This is an open letter to the female deputy with whom I spoke at R2i2 on Janauary 25, 2022, after Pamela Davis erupted following my introduction. 

I neglected to get your name and Badge Number at the time, when we spoke in the hallway.

When I picked up the reports availble to me from RCSD, I was given only the R/O's report, most of which was redacted. Your name does not appear in his report.

You and I had the longest contact. It was you who responded to where I was seated, when I asked the Richland 2 security officer to summon a deputy as an independent law-enforcement observer. I appreciated your professionalism and courtesy.

I requested Sheriff Lott to obtain a statement from you, and he replied only that there wasn't one. I already knew that. 

Your testimony will be needed in the future, and I would appreciate your writing a statement for your own records, so that the events will be clear in the future.

If you would care to call me, feel free to block your number. I suggest not calling from a RCSD phone. 

In Illinois I had the confidence of numerous deputies and police officers, who leaked information to me about the dirt in their departments. They expected that I would not reveal their names. The sheriff there tried to squeeze me with a subpoena in a deputy's Federal wrongful termination lawsuit. The sheriff wanted 27 months' worth of letters, emails, faxes, notes, etc. from any current or former employee of the sheriff's department. I knew I was not going to reveal even one name!

I filed a motion pro se to quash the subpoena, and the Federal Magistrate granted it! He ate up the sheriff's attorney and told her she was just on a "fishing expedition" (his words).

I'll let you know through RCSD when your testimony is needed.

District to spend $10MM tonight. Should it?

Item 9.1 on tonight's agenda for the Richland 2 school board meeting is Budget Surplus.

Without reading the agenda item carefully, I think the District is planning to spend $10,000,000 on one-time bonuses for teachers and staff, trying to buy loyalty for another year.

Should the Trustees vote YES tonight?

Probably not. They may need that $10,000,000 for another purpose - to pay off a potential defamation claim that probably won't be covered by insurance.

The Trustees might be wise to defer tonight's decision.

Ten Million could be chump-change in a $300,000,000 annual budget, but then ...

McKie's Debt - $57,100 - Why isn't she paying???

Recently a friend and I were discussing the chaos on the Richland 2 school board.

I was explaining how I got involved. In February 2018 I addressed the board after the shootings in Parkland, Fla. In January 2019 I addressed the board about Amelia McKie's debt to the S.C. Ethics Commission. At that time she owed $51,750.

In February 2019 I addressed the board about Amelia McKie and Teresa Holmes being illegitimate members of the board, because they had taken the oath-of-office three weeks before they were eligible to do so.

McKie and Holmes still have never taken the oath-of-office legally. McKie still owes $57,100 to the S.C. Ethics Commission (as of 2/22/22).

My friend said, "If they'd just do things right, you'd go away."

That's true.

One down; one to go

Teresa Holmes finally has a Richland 2 email address. It's teresaholmes@richland2.org

I spotted it on my first email from her $45,000/year "Special Assistant to the School Board," Christine Lewis. She emailed me at 3:01PM  to confirm receipt of my complaint and to let me know that my complaint (grievance) will be placed on the agenda for February 22, 2022. 

Of course, I had already seen the agenda. It was published on the District's website, and I spotted it first thing this morning.

Remember when that new staff position was touted as Special Assistant to the Board Chair? It turns out that Christine is the Special Assistant to the School Board! 

But Teresa's importance (in her own mind) continues, because she is the only board member to show both her official email address and her personal email address. The personal one - the one she used for her political campaign - has got to go.

If you think it is inappropriate for a school board member to list her personal, political-campaign email address on school district website, send your comments to

Supt. Davis at badavis@rickland2.org

and

Karla Hawkins (attorney) at khawkins@richland2.org

Tell them what action  you want the District to take (remove Holmes' personal email address).

Tell them to let you know what they will do about your request.

Follow up 30 days later to see if Holmes' personal email address has been removed.