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Legal action filed in Lee County open meetings case

A local activist is asking the court for an injunction instructing the Lee County commissioners to obey the state's open meetings laws. The suit seeks to recover legal fees.

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By
Mark Binker
SANFORD, N.C. — A Lee County resident has sued the county Board of Commissioners over a public meeting he says was less open than required by the state's open meetings law.
Jay Calendine is an active member of the Lee County Democratic Party and one of those who initially raised objections to the county holding a public meeting in a gated community.

The meeting in question was held March 9 at Carolina Trace, a gated subdivision. Reports from the time indicated that both ordinary citizens and at least one county commissioner were turned away from the gate because they refused to give their name in order to attend the meeting. 

In a motion for injunctive relief filed Friday, Calendine asks the court to order Lee County not to hold any more meetings in such a manner.

Calendine also asks the court to hold certain county commissioners, including Charles Parks, personally liable for paying attorney fees. That's something the court could do if it found the commissioners had ignored the advice of their attorney.

County Attorney Garris Neil Yarborough had written commissioners to warn them of potential problems with the meeting setup.

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