Despite her 2016 S.C. Code of Ethics “Morris firing” complaint, Pellegrino says he’s voting for Samples

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David Hucks
David Huckshttps://myrtlebeachsc.com
David Hucks is a 12th generation descendant of the area we now call Myrtle Beach, S.C. David attended Coastal Carolina University and like most of his family, has never left the area. David is the lead journalist at MyrtleBeachSC.com

Despite a 2016 S.C. Code of Ethics complaint filed during her time spent on council with him, Surfside Beach Town Councilman David Pellegrino notified our news team yesterday he will vote for Julie Samples in the coming November 19th Surfside Beach runoff.

Pellegrino came in third in a three way race for the seat this past November 5th. A runoff was then scheduled by the Horry County Elections Commission.

In an email sent to MyrtleBeachSC news yesterday, Pellegrino stated, “Yes, I told Julie that I am going to vote for her.

On a WPDE televised pre-recorded news program airing today, Samples indicated she had Pellegrino’s vote. In an email sent to MyrtleBeachSC news, Samples confirmed, “Let’s be clear.  What I said is this….I have his support and his Vote.  And, I plan to get out to all of his supporters and share my plan for the town. ” 

Julie Samples
Mayoral Candidate Julie Samples

RECENT LEGAL PROBLEMS

The below complaint: S.C.  Code of  Laws, ARTICLE 7  ;   Rules of Conduct, SECTION 8 13 700. Use of official position or office for financial gain; disclosure of potential conflict of interest was filed against Julie Samples in 2016, for actions while she served on town council with Pellegrino.     

The complaint states: The person in this Complaint, Julie M. Samples, was involved in a lawsuit Case number 2016CP2605531, as a Defendant, along with the following other Defendants. Ie; James D Keene III & Dianne L. Tinney, Re-Max Southern Shores (Samples employer), William G Nichols III, Dunes Realty, Inc. dba Dunes Realty Sales , Gary A. Blake, Beyond Contracting, Inc., The Town of Surfside Beach and Stewart Title Company  aka Stewart Title Guaranty Company.  This Case was filed on 08/24/2016 in the 15th Judicial Circuit , in the Court of Common Pleas of Horry County.

COUNT ONE,  DIRECT  CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

During the election in the summer of 2016, Julie M. Samples, was heard by witnesses saying that if elected that she would see to it that, Sabrina Morris, Director of Planning and Zoning would lose her job and be fired and terminated .  Subsequently, Ms. Samples as an elected official, worked and conspired with the former Administrator to bring forward false, unfounded and untruthful  statements about, Sabrina Morris, Director of Planning and Zoning.  Ms. Samples reasons were if Sabrina Morris, Director of Planning and Zoning were fired if would support Ms. Samples  defense in the lawsuit against Julie M. Samples and possibly help in the final financial outcome of the trial. Sabrina Morris, Director of Planning and Zoning was eventually fired and Julie M. Samples, an elected official,  supported the firing of Ms. Morris by the Administrator, even though there was no cause to her firing, thus helping in the financial outcome of the trial.    

The filing also states: Julie M. Samples, used her position as an elected official, to bring about the firing and termination of Sabrina Morris, Director of Planning and Zoning,  and violate the ‘Rules of Conduct’ in which it  states: S.C. Code of Laws Section 8-13-700 (A)  “A public official, public member, or public employee may not knowingly use his official office, membership, or employment to influence a government decision to obtain an economic interest for himself, a family member, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated.”       .                                                                                                                            Further in S.C. Code of Laws Section 8-13-700 (A) it states that ;  “No public official, public member, or public employee may make, participate in making, or in any way attempt to use his office, membership, or employment to influence a governmental decision in which he, a family member, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated has an economic interest. A public official, public member, or public employee who, in the discharge of his official responsibilities, is required to take an action or make a decision which affects an economic interest of himself, a family member, an individual with whom he is associated, or a business with which he is associated shall:                                                     (1) prepare a written statement describing the matter requiring action or decisions and the nature of his potential conflict of interest with respect to the action or decision;                              (4) if he is a public official, other than a member of the General Assembly, he shall furnish a copy of the statement to the presiding officer of the governing body of an agency, commission, board, or of a county, municipality, or a political subdivision thereof, on which he serves, who shall cause the statement to be printed in the minutes and require that the member be excused from any votes, deliberations, and other actions on the matter on which the potential conflict of interest exists and shall cause the disqualification and the reasons for it to be noted in the minutes;                                                                                                                                         (5) if he is a public member, he shall furnish a copy to the presiding officer of an agency, commission, board, or of a county, municipality, or a political subdivision thereof, on which he serves, who shall cause the statement to be printed in the minutes and shall require that the member be excused from any votes, deliberations, and other actions on the matter on which the potential conflict of interest exists and shall cause such disqualification and the reasons for it to be noted in the minutes.                                                                                                     

During the time, when Julie M. Samples took office, till the day that Sabrina Morris, Director of Planning and Zoning was fired and terminated.  Julie M. Samples , never submitted a verbal notice and or a written notice, to any public employee  or any public official, or the general public, or anyone that there was a ‘conflict of interest’, or that Ms. Samples  was embroiled in a pending lawsuit, where Sabrina Morris, Director of Planning and Zoning for the Town of Surfside Beach was involved as a possible witness for the plaintiffs , and that there was a definite and actual conflict of interest, for her to discuss, to not recuse herself, or to not take herself out of any conversation or any reasons why she should be excused from any conversation concerning the firing and or termination of Sabrina Morris, Director of Planning and Zoning.  Julie M. Samples therefore received a financial gain from the firing and termination of Sabrina Morris, by discussing and supporting the firing and termination of Sabrina Morris, as it would help Ms. Samples  on the defense of her case, and the financial outcome of the case against Ms. Samples. Because of Julie M. Samples, failure to recuse herself, and her direct involvement in the firing and termination of Sabrina Morris, by conspiring with the former Administrator, to bring about the firing and termination of Sabrina Morris, the S.C. Ethics Commission, should fine, penalize or bring criminal charges against Julie M. Samples.

COUNT TWO , DIRECT  CONFLICT OF INTEREST   

After Sabrina Morris, Director of Planning and Zoning, was wrongfully terminated from the Town of Surfside Beach, a lawsuit was in the process of being filed against the Town of Surfside Beach by Sabrina Morris for wrongful termination.  The lawsuit against the Town of Surfside Beach was a very strong lawsuit and it was said that the Attorney for Sabrina Morris was ready to pursue the legal action to the fullest extent of the law against the Town of Surfside Beach.                                                                                   

This legal matter against the Town of Surfside Beach was well known by most of the citizens and staff of the Town of Surfside Beach.  Also the case against Julie M. Samples, Case number  2016CP2605531, as a Defendant, along with the following other Defendants. Ie; James D Keene III & Dianne L. Tinney, Re-Max Southern Shores (Samples’s employer), William G Nichols III, Dunes Realty, Inc. dba Dunes Realty Sales , Gary A. Blake, Beyond Contracting, Inc., The Town of Surfside Beach and Stewart Title Company  aka Stewart Title Guaranty Company was still an ongoing case, with possibly no end in sight during the fall of 2017 and into January 2018.                                                                                                                         

The Town of Surfside Beach Attorney according to reliable sources had said that the case filed by Sabrina Morris was an unwinnable case, in that the Plaintiff in that case had documented several scenarios that would put the town at high risk of losing any legal battle in court.                                                                                                                                      

On January, 23rd , 2018 , town council held a meeting in which the council made a motion to reinstate Sabrina Morris, Director of Planning and Zoning. Below is a brief copy of the actual meeting showing who was in attendance and who made the motions and who stated any opposition and or voted for or against the ‘Reinstatement of Sabrina Morris’

SEE A COPY OF THE TOWN MINUTES IN THE DOCUMENT BELOW.                                                                                                                                                

MyrtleBeachSC news reached out to Mrs. Samples about the below. As of our publishing, she has not responded.

Legal Ethics Complaint on Julie Samples by David Hucks on Scribd

*Publisher’s note: Bob Hellyer is an advertiser with MyrtleBeachSC news. Our news team offered advertising to all candidates running. We accept all advertising, except ads for illegal products or pornographic ads.

The purchase of advertising has no influence on our publishing as can be witnessed by ongoing articles written about Myrtle Beach Mayor – Brenda Bethune, Horry County Councilman Bill Howard, or any other advertiser of any nature. These candidates, among many others, have purchased long running advertising with our news site.

MyrtleBeachSC news is a resident focused news organization. We write for and work for the residents of Horry County.

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