Brunswick County planning board member says campaign donations dispute has ended
BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A dispute between a Brunswick County commissioner and a planning board member seems to have ended, which was centered on concerns about campaign contributions and potential conflicts of interest.
Commissioner Randy Thompson had called for Planning Board Chairman Clifton Cheek to resign, citing concerns that Cheek accepted campaign donations from developers during a previous run for county commissioner. Cheek lost to Thompson in the March primary.
In a letter sent back in March, Thompson said Cheek should step down, arguing the contributions create what he described as “a perceived conflict in the eyes of the public.”
“It’s a difficult and challenging position because you are making decisions that directly impact every citizen in this county,” Thompson said. “That’s why it’s so concerning that we have public confidence in that particular group for the decisions that they’re making.”
Thompson had also brought a motion to the Board of Commissioners to remove Cheek from his position, but the motion did not pass.
Cheek, in a statement to WWAY, acknowledged receiving donations from developers but said the contributions did not and do not influence his responsibilities or decision-making as a planning board member.
If Cheek were to resign, he would be the third member of the Brunswick County Planning Board to step down in recent months.
Cheek said he would not resign after consulting with county legal counsel, who advised that no conflict of interest exists.
Both Thompson and Chek acknowledged that the matter is likely over and done with.
See Cheek’s full statement here:
Mr. Thompsons’s letter states that having received campaign contributions “creates a perceived conflict in the eyes of the public”. While it might be ‘perceived’ by some, it is not by many others and notably; the Commissioners themselves, as his request and motion to vote on my removal from the Planning Board failed.
Campaign donations are public, legal, and disclosed. I did receive donations from developers, but also builders, engineers, fellow REALTORSⓇ, my family, friends and other people that felt I would do well as a Commissioner for Brunswick County.
Accepting political donations, in and of itself, does not constitute a conflict of interest. Campaign contributions are a standard and legally regulated part of the electoral process, intended to support a candidate’s ability to communicate their platform and run for office. These contributions are disclosed publicly and governed by campaign finance laws to ensure transparency.
A true conflict of interest arises when an official uses their position to secure direct personal financial gain or gives preferential treatment in a way that violates established ethics rules or legal standards. Simply receiving donations from individuals or entities, such as developers, does not meet that threshold. Elected and appointed officials routinely receive support from a wide range of stakeholders, many of whom may later have interests before governing bodies.
As Planning Board Chair, I conduct meetings under Robert’s Rules of Order and Parliamentary procedure and as Chair, I call for motions, discussions, votes, etc. But I do not vote, unless in the instance of breaking a tie, which I have done twice since becoming Chair. Any contributions I received do not, nor did not have any impact on my duty to morally and ethically serve the County and the Public in the capacity of a member of the Planning Board.
I contend that Mr Thompson has a much larger conflict of interest in the business dealings of his company, Southern Disaster Recovery LLC, having secured numerous bid proposals for disaster relief from Brunswick County and then using his position as a Commissioner to request increased grant funding from the State of NC.
