Report due out Tuesday; Cunningham says further action remains possible
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
After a week of disagreement over when the public should see the Quick Group report, Beaufort County Council unanimously voted Monday night, Oct. 19, to release it by noon Tuesday.
The decision followed an executive session during a special called meeting that began at 5 p.m. and adjourned shortly after 8 p.m.
Councilman Logan Cunningham moved to release the report and waive attorney-client privilege concerning it.
“I make the motion to release the Quick Group report to the public no later than noon, and we also agree to waive our attorney-client privilege as to the matter of this report,” Cunningham said.
The discussion that followed clarified that the release deadline was noon the next day.
Vice Chair Anna Maria Tabernik was recognized as seconding the motion after a brief exchange over whether she or Councilman David Bartholomew had seconded first.
Before the vote, Cunningham said council had not reached a clear agreement on what steps to take beyond releasing the report. But he cautioned against interpreting the lack of further action Monday as the end of the matter.
“Just because no action is taken today does not mean any other action or questions could not be taken further,” Cunningham said.
He urged residents to read the report and consider events in county government over the past year, pointing to the public money spent on the inquiry.
“There’s a reason that we use taxpayer funds for this, and I encourage you all to read it,” Cunningham said.
Council approved the release unanimously and adjourned without taking additional action on the report.
The decision marked a change from the previous week, when a motion to release the findings immediately failed 5-6. During the Oct. 12 meeting, members disagreed over whether County Administrator Michael Moore should have more time to respond before the findings became public. Council ultimately arranged to revisit the matter Oct. 19. The Island News previously reported on that debate.
Council hired The Quick Group, LLC in June to conduct an administrative inquiry into departments under the county administrator’s control. The decision to engage the firm was unanimous, according to the county’s June 22 meeting summary.
During Monday’s public discussion, plans were outlined to provide the report to council members, the county’s public affairs officer and the administrator, with distribution to the press also discussed.
The report’s findings were not detailed during the recorded public proceedings. Monday’s vote established when the public would receive the document, while any further council action remained unresolved.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.