Insurance broker exits Cabarrus County deal, and a commissioner wants ethics probe

Cabarrus County Commissioner Kenny Wortman is calling called for an ethics investigation into a failed insurance proposal that sparked weeks of public disagreement and online backlash.

Wortman raised the issue at Tuesday night’s commission meeting and told The Charlotte Observer his concerns center on transparency, timing and whether commissioners were given sufficient information before voting. Wortman’s comments follow weeks of criticism on social media from fellow commissioners, political candidates and residents who questioned his vote against an insurance proposal that supporters said could save the county roughly $3 million annually. The proposal later collapsed when the brokerage firm withdrew from the process.

The county faces a roughly $13.7 million budget deficit for next year it is working to close.

“Things should be truthful and they should be transparent, and those should go hand in hand. I think it’s important that we get back to that so that things can kind of settle down,” Wortman said. “All five of us are the face of Cabarrus County… we need to figure out how to work together.”

At a Jan. 20 meeting, Wortman and Commissioner Jeff Jones voted against terminating the county’s existing insurance broker, arguing they had not seen evidence for the projected savings. Wortman said the insurance item was added late to the agenda and key materials, including the proposed contract, were not shared with all commissioners before the vote. Wortman said he first saw the contract days later and that it did not reference the $3 million savings repeatedly cited during discussions.

“There was no supplemental information, no nothing at that meeting,” Wortman said, referring to the January vote. “You can’t expect me to vote on something that I have not seen.”

Still, the motion passed with a 3-2 vote.

Wortman said he first became concerned about potential ethics violations after learning that two insurance brokerage firms had been interviewed before the meeting by county staff and select commissioners. Wortman said he and Jones were not told about this process beforehand. Wortman said he later received a call from County Manager Kelly Sifford advising him that the county would move to terminate its existing broker.

Wortman said he is not accusing fellow commissioners of holding a secret meeting but said he believes the circumstances warrant scrutiny.

“So you guys interviewed somebody on the 14th, you gave guidance to fire somebody on the 15th, but yet we didn’t take a vote on it until the 20th,” Wortman said. “Common sense tells you that’s not right, like you had to have your votes before it even went on the agenda at that point.”

Wortman’s and Jones’ decision not to vote in favor of the insurance proposal prompted hundreds of social media comments and posts with people wondering why the pair did not want to support a money-saving measure while the county faces a steep budget deficit. Lindsey posted on Facebook that she was “marked safe from voting against saving $3 million.” Commissioner Ian Patrick made a Facebook video where he said those opposing the change were spreading “lies” and “gaslighting.” Patrick in the video also questioned, without naming anyone, whether people in local government were “taking kickbacks.”

“I am a taxpayer. I pay taxes. If we can save the money, let’s save it. I am all for it, but I want to see where we can save it before I vote for it,” Wortman said. “I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request.” Now, the county won’t even move forward with that plan after Pierce Group, the insurance broker, pulled out of the deal. “The broker pulled out because the environment turned hostile: demand letters, delays, constant undercutting, and refusal by some to cooperate and execute basic agreements on time,” Patrick said in a Facebook post. “No reputable, self-respecting broker is going to tolerate that. They have plenty of other clients who do want to save money.”

After Wortman requested an ethics investigation, the county attorney advised the commission to discuss the possibility further in a closed session. Wortman declined to say what happened during the closed meeting. When asked why he believes an ethics investigation is warranted, Wortman described it as an effort to clarify whether proper procedures were followed.

“Just to make sure that everything was followed and that no rules were broken,” Wortman said. “If it comes back that something was wrong, well let’s handle it. But if it comes back that nothing was wrong, well that’s okay too.”

Since the debate over the insurance policy started, Wortman said the county has received hundreds of public records requests from people wanting to learn about the plan and see if it would have saved the county millions. He said it’s a matter of transparency.

After Wortman called for the investigation Tuesday night, Jones defended his decision to vote against the motion when he had no information and to send the insurance group a letter requesting information. Jones said that the reputation of the board had been damaged by the arguing and social media posts.

“Our integrity, our transparency of this board is tainted by all of us sitting up here. Each of us had a hand in it, and what we have got is mistrust in our community,” he said. “We politick through social media in Cabarrus County, which is the worst thing you can do.”

Despite the tensions, Wortman said he and Lindsey – who have sparred numerous times and said they don’t trust each other during meetings – spoke after last night’s meeting and are attempting to move forward.

“We’ve both extended a hand,” Wortman said. “We need to figure out how to work together.”

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