Leland town leaders moving on after ruling made in laptop controversy

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — Leland town leaders are moving on after weeks of haggling and finger-pointing over a laptop.

Leland Town Council met during a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, where the results of an investigation into council member Frank Pendleton’s actions were revealed.

Earlier this year, Pendleton requested a laptop from the town, but felt the time to get it, around 13 weeks, was taking too long.

So he contacted the vendor to see if it could be delivered sooner.

The vendor cancelled the original order and updated town staff, with town manager David Hollis getting involved.

Pendleton said after the ruling was made, which found he had not broken any state laws, but had violated the town’s procurement policy, he and Hollis agreed to move forward from this matter.

“And then a spirited discussion ensued,” Pendleton said. “Mayor Bozeman called a recess and then Mayor Bozeman, the town manager and I went into a conference room and we discussed things. And the bottom line is for the betterment of this community, we’re going to put this behind us, and the town manager agreed to order the laptop this morning.”

Pendleton added he hopes this leads to better communication between town staff and the council going forward.