Dawson Singletary of Bladenboro sat down with Bladen Online recently to outline his allegations of wrong doings in the town of Bladenboro. Singletary appeared before the Bladenboro Town Council at their August meeting and threatened to file a lawsuit against the town.
Among the allegations made by Singletary is inappropriate payments made to a company called Cygnus, Inc. for waste water treatment.
Singletary said that in 2005 the town of Bladenboro obtained a Clean Water Act grant from the State of North Carolina to take a portion of the water from the wastewater treatment plant and irrigate a farm.
Singletary said that as part fo the grant, the town had to establish a spray field. He said he put in a bid to manage the spray field and was willing to obtain all of the necessary licenses, but he said he was turned down by the town.
“I was the top bidder, my two sons were the next bidders. They refused all of the bids,” said Singletary.
Singletary told the town council in August 2016 that during this period of time, he learned that former Town Manager Delane Jackson had obtained a spray operator’s license.
Singletary said that during a council board meeting in 2005, it was announced that the town had hired a company to do the waste water spraying. Singletary said he learned the company was Cygnus Inc. and when he looked the company up and learned who the principles were, he informed the town clerk of the fact the principles of the company were related to Jackson.
According to the NC Secretary of State’s Office, records show the company was formed in July 2005. Records in the Secretary of State’s Office show that in 2006, the company listed its nature of business as waste water treatment. At that time, the records show the principle officers of the company were Lisa Kelly and Mary Estelle Wiggins, whom Singletary identified as Jackson’s aunt.
The Secretary of State’s Office records also show that in 2008 the company changed its nature of business to land management and systems management and showed John Scott Ransom and Mary Estelle Wiggins as principles. The company’s last filing was in 2014, according to the Secretary of State’s Office records.
Singletary said that at the time, he thought all of this was wrong and notified the SBI. He said all of the information has been turned over to the SBI and they have known about it for two or more years. Messages left for SBI agents D. S. Faircloth and C. Lee Newcomb were unreturned as of press time.
He also alleged that the town performed work in Bryant Swamp. Singletary said he had requested to be allowed to mitigate Bryant Swamp but was denied. He said the town falsely notified the State that there was a Bryant Swamp Drainage Corporation in operation. Singletary said he can find no records of any “proper” meetings by that board.
Bladen Online is continuing to look into the allegations made by Singletary.
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