Wednesday, August 14, 2002
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Wednesday, August 14, 2002 |
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Libel suit threats heat up political season By JOHN THOMPSON
With less than a week to go before the election, two folks are mad about their names showing up in letters to The Citizen last week. Both seem to be threatening lawsuits in the wake of the letters from current Fayette County Commissioner Linda Wells and former Chairman Harold Bost. Wells, who is facing Thomas Stephens and Caroline Smith in next Tuesday's elections, said she got notice that former commission Chairman Robert Sprayberry is making a demand for retraction of statements she made in her letter. A former Sprayberry employer, Dan Davis and his engineering company, Integrated Science and Engineering of Fayetteville, also demanded that The Citizen retract statements made in a letter to the editor last week from Bost. The text of that letter and the editor's reply is on Page 4A. Wells said she learned this week that Sprayberry claims the letter was libelous, but Wells dismisses the idea. "This has all the earmarks of last-minute campaign tactics," she said. Wells said she never referred to an action that Sprayberry took, but referred to the county commission in general when Sprayberry and Scott Burrell were on the board. Sprayberry left the county board after serving one term from 1995 to 1998, the final two years as chairman. Burrell served as his vice-chairman. The Sprayberry-Burrell tenure was marked by several controversial rezoning approvals and allegations reported in this newspaper about potential conflicts of interest involving both men. Wells said she refuses to cave into Sprayberry's wishes. "He wants a letter of retraction. Fat chance. All I have to say is the defense of libel is the truth, and he doesn't want me to go there," she said. Wells said she believes "the Sprayberry crowd" is beginning to worry they might not be able to get her out of office, and are trying anything they can to smear her name. "They're just grasping at straws," she said.
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