Attorney Michael Mills, left, who represented Jody Greene in his removal hearing Oct. 24, speaks with District Attorney Jon David during a recess. Greene resigned shortly after the hearing began. Staff photo by Justin Smith
Attorney Michael Mills, left, who represented Jody Greene in his removal hearing Oct. 24, speaks with District Attorney Jon David during a recess. Greene resigned shortly after the hearing began. Staff photo by Justin Smith
More than half of Columbus County Sheriff-elect Jody Greene’s campaign expenses in the months leading up to Election Day went toward legal fees, according to the campaign’s tardy third-quarter finance report.
One hundred sixty-nine people donated to the Committee to Elect Jody Greene during the reporting period, July 1 to Oct. 22. Of those, seven people contributed on or after Sept. 28, when WECT reported on a recorded 2019 phone conversation between Greene and Jason Soles. In the recording, Greene can be heard allegedly making racist comments and threatening to fire African American employees at the sheriff’s office.
Columbus County Sheriff-Elect Jody Greene
In the 2022 sheriff race, Soles would later run as the Democratic challenger against Greene, the first Republican sheriff in Columbus County in living memory.
Of those last seven contributors of the quarter, four donated to the campaign on or after Oct. 4, when District Attorney Jon David filed a removal petition against Greene, alleging “willful misconduct or maladministration” and “corruption while in office.”
That same day, Superior Court Judge Douglas Sasser suspended Greene as sheriff. Greene later resigned on Oct. 24, shortly after a public hearing that could have resulted in his removal from office.
Representing Greene during the Oct. 24 hearing was Michael Mills, an attorney based in Wilmington.
Greene’s campaign finance report shows a total of $25,000 in two separate payments to Mills for “legal expenses” the day after Greene’s suspension. The expenditures accounted for nearly 60% of the Greene campaign’s operating expenses for the reporting quarter.
Third quarter reports were due to have been filed by Nov. 1. The fourth quarter, which spans Oct. 23 to Dec. 31, is due by Jan. 11, 2023.
Greene’s campaign received a total of $47,468 in contributions this quarter, with $860 coming from aggregated individual contributions, $46,585 in named individual contributions and $23 as a “refund for insurance golf tournament.” The committee held a fundraiser at Land O’ Lakes Golf Club of Whiteville in July.
The largest named individual contribution to Greene’s campaign came from Charles Andrews of North Myrtle Beach, who contributed $2,500.
Of the 150 named individual monetary contributions to the Greene campaign this quarter, the average donation was $316.45.
The Greene committee’s operating expenditures for this period totaled $42,898.11, with the top three expenditures being for legal fees, paid to Mills ($23,300 and $1,700); golf tournament fees, paid to Land O’ Lakes Golf Club of Whiteville ($2,688) and a purchase of campaign signs, paid to Total Solutions of Fairmont ($2,612.47).
Failure to file electronically
Both Columbus County sheriff candidates missed the deadline to submit their third quarter campaign finance reports, and the Greene campaign didn’t electronically file its report with the North Carolina State Board of Elections as required by law.
According to N.C. G.S. 163-278.9(i), a candidate committee’s treasurer "shall electronically file each report” with the state if the campaign’s contributions, expenditures or loans total “more than ten thousand dollars" for that election cycle.
Because Greene disclosed over $10,000 in contributions as of the end of the second quarter (June 30), "Greene is a mandatory electronic filer," wrote Patrick Gannon, public information officer for the state elections board, in a Wednesday email.
“So,” explained Gannon, “[Greene’s] 2022 Third Quarter Report should have been filed electronically with our office, not in paper with the county.” The campaign did file its second quarter report electronically.
Gannon did not explain what if any repercussions the Greene campaign may face for not having filed the report for this quarter electronically. However, the NCSBE website notes that for non-statewide races, “The committee receives a penalty of $50 per day for each day the report is late, up to a maximum penalty of $500.”
The Greene campaign filed its report 14 days late.
