Swain County Commissioner David Monteith got in trouble for making electronic recordings of closed sessions. His actions were not illegal, so the board of commissioners voted to disallow him the privilege. Two of his peers also did not want him to take written notes. Monteith is viewed as the official minority opinion holder on the board.
Records obtained by the Smoky Mountain News indicate the commission’s formal minutes are often sanitized; and the minutes and any official mention of the existence of one controversial closed session evaporated. Only Monteith’s notes and public memories attest to its occurrence.
