John Willoughby
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
No more than eleven minutes passed by from the invocation to the drop of the gavel for adjournment during a special session where now-former Greenville Town Clerk Kim Reams' termination was finalized on Monday, June 22, around 2:20 p.m.
Councilman Malone moved to approve the final resolution of the town council to remove the town clerk. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Brandi Tillman. The motion passed with a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Bobby Burnett casting the dissenting vote. In section four of the final resolution, the Greenville Town Council "further declares that this action is not retaliatory in nature nor improper in any way."
The move toward the removal of Reams as town clerk began in May when a preliminary resolution of intent to terminate was issued at the end of the regular meeting. The document cited an "uncooperative environment when questioned or given directives." Despite questions being raised as far as whether the preliminary resolution was sufficiently provided to the town clerk prior to the meeting, pursuit to a provision in the town charter, the resolution was adopted 4-1, with Councilman Burnett voting "nay" on the issue. A response to the action was received by the Town of Greenville from Reams within 10 days. Attorney John Reid described to Greene Publishing, Inc. that the response was an objection rather than a request for a hearing.
Days prior to the Monday, June 8, regular session, the Town of Greenville noticed their meeting on their webpage, where three related resolutions followed by a brief detail of the items of discussion were toward the end of the agenda. This included Resolution 2020-08 (a reconsideration item of the original preliminary resolution adopted during the May meeting), Resolution 2020-09 (a document to finalize the original preliminary resolution if adopted) and Resolution 2020-10, an essential repeat document of Resolution 2020-08.
A motion to reconsider Resolution 2020-08 passed unanimously, bringing it back to the board for reconsideration. The resolution was then tabled unanimously. Immediately following, Resolution 2020-09, which would have finalized Resolution 2020-08 if it was not reconsidered, was tabled unanimously as well.
Categorically, the board moved on to Resolution 2020-09, restarting the removal process, giving Reams an additional 10 days to respond or request a hearing. This resolution passed 4-1, with Councilman Burnett casting the dissenting vote.
Before the most recent special meeting where Reams' employment with the town was terminated, Reams responded once more to the Town of Greenville, dated for Thursday, June 18. This is what the response, addressed to Mayor Brittni Brown, reads:
Mayor Brown,
I believe Resolution 2020-10 is retaliatory in nature due to the protected conduct that I engaged in and that I outlined in my letter dated May 20, 2020. I stand by the contents of that letter and I ask this council as the final decision maker to prevent any further retaliation being taken against me.
To my knowledge, there have been no complaints brought against me in any meeting in the last seven plus years. Councilman Burnett even stated that he felt this was the personal vendetta of Councilman Malone. The fact of the matter is that Councilman Malone has been trying to defame my character for over three years. Councilman Malone filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics on September 14, 2017 that was investigated and both charges were found to be no probable cause on March 8, 2019. I filed a Whistle Blower complaint in 2017 that put a damper on his intent to fire me. It is a fact that Councilman Malone has been waiting until he had at least two other council members that share his desire to retaliate against me for having blown the whistle on misconduct.
In 2017, Councilman Malone and Councilman Tillman both filed a false accusation of violence against my husband Joe Reams requesting a restraining order against him. We had to hire an attorney to represent my husband in this false claim that was later dismissed by the judge. I have suffered bullying and abuses that no one should have to suffer in the workplace. I have done a job that the new Interim Clerk stated was impossible to do. Even you, Mayor Brown, stated in the March 19, 2020, town meeting that I did far more than I should probably be doing. I am not requesting a hearing as that would just be a means to try to humiliate me in a public setting which this council does so well. I have had my say here but you can expect further legal recourse.
It is regrettable that the Council persists in failing to do the right thing for the citizens of Greenville. I will continue to walk upright and with integrity.
Respectfully,
Kimberly Reams