1 & 2) Attorney Moran was hired after the Concerned Citizens used SC State Law to recall two WPA board members. This was the first time that SC State Law was introduced into our WPA for recall. Attorney Moran argued the use of the law in a court room for the Concerned Citizens. While Legal Chair Garrison was not on the board at the time, as a resident, he was front and center on the stage the night of the recall meeting. When the Concerned Citizen majority took over on the board, immediately following the recall, they hired Moran. Moran didn't last all that long. In 2011 when a group of residents, actually there were two sets of petitioners, attempted to use the same SC Law, to recall 5 Concerned Citizen board members, Moran wrote a opinion telling the board that the group could move forward with the recall, and to schedule the meeting. Garrison was on the board for some time when we get to this point. In fact he was one of the board members listed for recall. Two of his cronies on the board also named in the recall, ran off to Attorney Moody for his opinion. While at the time, then board member Garrison, said the board shouldn't be paying for the expense of the Moody's opinion, eventually they paid, as reported at the board table, almost $5,000 in previously unapproved expenses to Moody. Then, Concerned Citizen board member, Wilson said slanderous things from the board table about Moran, which he later admitted to asking the paid staff person, to erase from the official meeting tape, and that board, fired Moran, and hired Moody.
3) Moody cruised along for the next few years. Garrison had become Legal Chair, and it appears that Moody was able to work with almost "no opinions in writing, because I'm not inclined to do so," Garrison. Moody would have also been handling the case with the canal lot owner who refused to pay the $5,000 canal assessment, and challenged the related $175/yr. to all residents. It seemed that our Legal Committee was satisfied with it dragging on. Moody was suspended and then recently disbarred. How did we select our next attorney?
Enter Maring, partner in the same office as Moody. Our esteemed Legal Chair announced that his committee recommended hiring Maring, so as not to have to pay another attorney, to bring them up to current, on our situation. Months later, Garrison reported that Maring had done nothing for us. He held up blank pieces of paper representing his lack of response.
4) No lessons learned from the Moody and Maring decisions by this Legal Committee (???????). Next, your Legal Committee reports that they have considered three attorneys to replace Maring. Remember CONSIDERED is the key word. In the end, it sounded like old friends discussing who they could invite to join their effort, to accomplish just the right out come, in the case of that one canal lot owner who challenged the dredging funding vote. It appears that Garrison had lead this board by the very ring in their noses - special projects, while dragging out the Concerned Citizen canal dredging agenda. Garrison reported to the board that his committee which includes DeMarchi, President Walton, and Garrison's buddy who co-authored the letter - put your $5,000 and $175/yr canal dredging assessments in escrow at Anderson Bank, had CONSIDERED three attorneys. One was Garrison's own attorney. No, that wouldn't be good. Another attorney, again unnamed, was one who had previously done work for the board. The third attorney, Crosby, was the one recommended to the board. It turns out that this is the attorney WPA President Walton uses for the condos. He's our guy!
When did the association move past the previous precedent of going to interview attorneys, get their rates, come to the board table and present real concrete information? Under Garrison as Legal Chair, President Walton who has the authority to name Garrison Legal Chair, and this board, the one that just chimes in and let's Garrison make the motions that move us toward the attorney, now Crosby, that appears to keep Garrison's train moving to make the case of the canal lot owner, bring the Concerned Citizen original lawsuit conclusion, to the one they wanted when Zieske, Wilson, and Thomas filed their original lawsuit. You have to give him credit, because the original three, settled their expensive lawsuit, and have gained their objective, through Garrison's manipulation of a board, too many in our community, at all of our expense, because he used WPA money. Board Member DeMarchi was probably correct when he recently said he was tired of legislating for IDIOTS!
HERE IS THE MOST RECENT ARTICLE REGARDING ATTORNEY MOODY'S DISBARMENT.
