Disengaging from bitter lawsuit

At least for now, Oconee County will ask its attorney to seek the removal of a pending legal claim in which the county is pursuing back taxes that it alleges are owed by the owners of a plane kept at the Oconee Regional Airport. Last night’s motion by Councilman Paul Cain passed 3 to 2, with Cain, Joel Thrift and Reg Dexter in favor and Wayne McCall and Edda Cammick opposed. Later Cain said the intent of his motion is to remove the lawsuit temporarily to allow time for it to be resolved. A strange executive session and council members’ comments afterward revealed a rift over whether the county is doing the right thing in pursuing its Common Pleas Court claim against Hangar III LLC, Jerry Edwards and Steve Edwards. Cammick and McCall wanted the matters discussed openly, and Cammick requested a sheriff’s officer to stand outside the door in the event things became unruly behind closed doors. Nearly an hour into that executive session, McCall left and returned to his seat in council chambers. A few minutes later he was followed by Cammick, and the two waited for their remaining three colleagues to return. Once they did and Cain made his motion, Cammick tried a substitute motion to “adopt an agreement that ends the litigation once and for all.” But that motion failed 3 to 2. Councilman Reg Dexter explained his position this way: “I do have a problem with simply forgiving a taxpayer, saying all the others have to pay.”