Columbia County Observer

Fort White: An Out-of-Control Special Meeting to Approve Town Clerk Contract Marked by Civil Disobedience – Attorney’s Advice Taken on Split Vote

August 3, 2026  6:15 pm | 8 min read
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By Stew Lilker

FORT WHITE, FL – Once again, Fort White didn’t disappoint. Its July 30 special meeting to approve Town Clerk Glenn Hunter’s contract and his access to the Town’s bank account (to sign checks and pay bills) was marked by audience catcalls, threats of police intervention, and a mayor who set an example by ignoring the Town’s rules of decorum while inciting attendees.

The meeting ended with the Town's new clerk, Glenn Hunter, being added to bank accounts by a 3-2 vote, while the Council shelved his employment contract.

In a Nutshell – Town Solvency

"I think what's being overlooked here is that the Town is dead in the water... it requires the Town Cerk to sign all contracts, sign all debt."
          — Leonard Ireland, Town Attorney

With a population of around 650 residents, the stakes were basic solvency. Town Attorney Leonard Ireland, participating by phone on a hard 6:30 pm deadline, warned the Council the Town is “dead in the water” and could not function without a clerk authorized to sign checks and contracts.

That warning was the lever that carried the banking resolution over intense objections from the Mayor, Councilwoman Monica Merricks, and nearly every citizen who spoke — none of whom spoke in Hunter's favor and were mostly not Town residents.

Meeting Purpose and why a lack of good government led to confusion

Glenn Hunter had been the Town Clerk since July 20. Presiding Officer Kathryn Terry explained that the crisis at Town Hall forced her hand to bring Mr. Hunter on board. "We've gone several years without qualified individuals in here," Ms. Terry stated, defending the rapid interim appointment necessary to keep the municipality in business.

While it was apparent that Presiding Officer Terry had lost control of the meeting, just about every administrative blunder that could have been avoided before the meeting -- wasn't -- which made matters worse.

It was uncertain whether the press of internal office conditions in the Town – piled up documents and virtually no filing system – a complaint by both outgoing interim clerk Joe Helfenberger and the newly appointed Mr. Hunter – and a host of other budding Town disasters (unpaid bills, misplaced invoices, lack of grant administration) were what kept Mr. Hunter from properly posting the agenda and its supporting materials, but the absence of those materials and basic good government led to much of the mass of confusion among the Council and the public.

The Agenda Items: it wasn't pretty

As a presiding officer, I want to just remind you that we're going by Robert's rules of order to the best of my ability. We will not have outbursts from the crowd, and we do have the speaker cards.
          — Kathryn Terry, Presiding Officer

The evening's first piece of business was approval of the agenda.

There were two items on the evening’s special meeting agenda: the approval of Mr. Hunter’s contract and a resolution allowing him to sign checks. The agenda was approved without incident.

The hastily called meeting had Town Attorney Leonard Ireland on a 30-minute timeline because of a prior commitment.

Presiding Officer Terry, rather than moving general public comments to the end of the meeting and moving the noticed items to the front of the agenda to allow for Mr. Ireland’s limited time, while still allowing comment on the agenda items (a must by Florida law – after a motion and a second) became confused and allowed general comments first, which were mostly from out of towners who had an axe to grind with Mr. Hunter.

At times, the meeting lurched so far out of control it seemed like it should have been held in the Roman Coliseum.

The Contract

After the public comments [a special section of public commenters is here], Presiding Officer Terry said, “We're moving on to new business. One A is the contract for Town Clerk Mr. Glenn Hunter."

The Mayor's blurting and the uncontrolled attendees flew in the face of established Florida law.

Mayor Thomas, whose lack of self-control and control of Council meetings became so detrimental to the Town’s business that he was removed as the presiding officer, once again showed his disdain for the Town’s rules of procedure (Robert’s), and blurted out: “I make a motion that we deny this contract and that we immediately terminate Glenn Hunter's employment relationship with the Town of Fort White.”

The Mayor’s blurt was followed by hooting, cat-calls, and other noises from the audience.

Presiding Officer Terry said, “We're not going to have all the outbursts.”

Alex Packard, from the audience, asked, “Who does she think she is?”

While the Mayor did not add “terminating Mr. Hunter’s employment” to the meeting agenda and the rules did not allow it, Councilwoman Monica Merricks seconded his motion.

Mr. Thomas’ motion failed (2-3), at which point he blurted out again, “There you go, Fort White; there you go.”

Ms. Terry took the reins and caused more confusion, “I'll follow with a motion to hire Glenn Clerk as the town Glen Hunter. Sorry, as the town clerk, which we did the previous meeting, and this just seals the contract.”

Mayor Thomas blurted out again. Councilman Harrell asked Ms. Terry to repeat her motion, which she got wrong again (it was not the agenda item), stating, “This just seals the contract.” The approval of the contract was on the agenda.

There was more blurting. There may have been a second to Ms. Terry’s motion. Councilman Harrell began reading a bunch of changes to the contract, which he characterized as “typos” that he made about 45 minutes before the meeting. He emailed his changes to the Town. No one had them at the meeting, except Councilman Harrell.

Mr. Harrell said he inserted a starting salary line, then asked the Council: "I'm asking you, the council, what we want to set his pay at?" He [Mr. Hunter] proposed $5,000 a month, matching former clerk Joe Helfenberger, plus three days a week, with out-of-the-ordinary travel pre-approved by council and the terms retroactive to July 20.

Councilwoman Monica Merricks questions Council members Harrell and Terry about when the changes were made to the Hunter contract.

Councilwoman Merricks questioned the changes, particularly the salary of $5,000 per month (the Helfenberger rate) for 16 ($69hr) or 24 ($46hr) hours per week.

"No, he said that he could do it at the rate or a lower rate. We never agreed to it."

Ms. Merricks disputed that any such agreement existed: "No, he said that he could do it at the rate or a lower rate. We never agreed to it." When Ms. Terry said the two-day schedule had been "changed" to correspond to Helfenberger's contract, Ms. Merricks pressed, "Who changed it and when?" — and then accused Ms. Terry of negotiating outside a public meeting: "So you talked after the meeting, to change it to three days."

Ms. Terry denied it. Mr. Hunter said he had sent the contract to Ireland's office for review and that after working in the office, he concluded he needed three days minimum, noting he had actually been in the office at least four days.

According to Attorney Irelend, Mr. Hunter met with him in the Attorney's office.

Mr. Ireland tried to defuse the situation, telling the Council he and Mr. Hunter met Friday, when Mr. Hunter said he could not do the job in two days, adding, "there's no back door."

Ms. Merricks also pointed out glaring differences in the contract, noting it inappropriately included 20 days of unpaid time off and a 15-day termination notice for a temporary, at-will position.

Mayor Thomas once again blurted out and was reminded by Presiding Officer Terry to be recognized before speaking. The Mayor asked to be recognized.

Mayor Thomas said, “Why would we pay him $5,000 a month for two days a week, like what is the rationale? … This looks like a straight-up payoff.” Mr. Thomas did not explain the payoff.

Councilwoman Merricks and/or Mayor Thomas questioned the office staffing, resumes, drug tests, office software, and security cameras.

"Your names, Bill Koon, Katherine Terry, and Lonnie Harrell are going to live in infamy in the town of Fort White."
          — George Thomas, Mayor

Mayor Thomas said of Councilmembers Terry, Harrell, and Koon that their names would “live in infamy in the Town of Fort White.”

Councilman Bill Koon had only one thing to say during the meeting.

Councilman Bill Koon, in his only remarks of the evening, said, “I’m doing what I think is best for this Town.”

Attorney Ireland: A way out or going-going-gone

With his clock expiring, Attorney Ireland offered a path: table the contract, move on the bank resolution. "The important thing is that you get a town clerk that can sign a check. Otherwise, you're out of business."

After procedural wrangling, Councilwoman Merricks (your reporter also reminded the Council about the pending motion) insisted the pending motion had to be disposed of first. Ms. Terry withdrew her motion, and the Council voted to table the contract. Mr. Hunter will continue to work in the interim.

The banking vote

"Those are some pretty serious allegations that you’re throwing around. ... That's an opinion."
           –– Lonnie Harrell, Councilman

On the resolution adding Mr. Hunter to the accounts, Mayor Thomas asked why the Town would install as "main financial officer" someone with what he characterized as serious financial entanglements.

Councilman Harrell pushed back: "Those are some pretty serious allegations that you’re throwing around. ... That's an opinion."

"nothing more than cyberbullying."

Interim Clerk Hunter answered all the questions that were asked of him.

Councilwoman Merricks asked Mr. Hunter directly whether he had ever been under financial investigation. He said no, and rejected the broader accusations circulating online: "I've never been found guilty. I've never been investigated. I've never been charged with misappropriation of funds." He said he served 24 years on the school board without handling money, directed economic development without handling funds, and had settled bank debts from 35 years in business — calling the campaign against him "nothing more than cyberbullying."

Asked whether the Town had a copy of his background check, he replied that a background check and drug test had been done.

The resolution passed 3-2, with both the Mayor and Councilwoman Merricks in opposition.

Cameras and next steps

Someone outside the office appeared to be "tapped into the [camera] apps."
          –– Glenn Hunter, Interim Town Clerk

During Council comments, Mayor Thomas asked who now manages Town Hall's cameras. Mr. Hunter said the Simplicity system was disconnected after he was told no one knew how it operated or who had access, and that someone outside the office appeared to be "tapped into the apps."

Your reporter had asked Kelly McPhearson, the former assistant clerk, on a couple of occasions about the audio-video surveillance at Town Hall. Ms. McPhearson said she didn’t know anything about it.

Mayor Thomas closed by pointing to the ballot: "The power resides with the people. So don't be mad now. Be mad in November." The council adjourned after roughly 65 minutes. The contract returns to a future agenda.

Special Section: Public Commenters

Nine citizens spoke; none supported the appointment.

Tracy Graves said she was a Fort White resident of nearly 20 years, described "a pattern" of lawsuits and county court records, questioning how someone she said could not pass a bank background check would handle town accounts. Ms. Graves lives in Three Rivers, which, while in the Fort White zip code, is not within the Town’s jurisdiction.

Jesse Crane distributed partial FDLE summaries and urged delay: council should "take a step back, maybe just breathe a little bit," do its own investigation, and talk to law enforcement. Mr. Crane, while in the Fort White zip code, is not a resident of the Town.

Dana Cook - the only public commenter who resided within the Town limits.

Dana Cook, whose father served 22 years on the council, asked whether a formal recorded vote had ever been held to appoint Hunter (it was) and requested that everything be tabled pending answers on the removal of cameras, staffing changes, and directives against using email — "this is a government, not a covert mission." Ms. Cook is the only commenter who resided within the Town limits.

Alex Packard delivered a First Amendment lecture, accused three Council members of working "behind the scenes," and refused to yield the podium, drawing a removal warning.

Ms. Packard said, “The Declaration of Independence states that people have the right to alter or abolish a destructive government. They have a duty and a right. The people do this through everyday civil actions like voting, charter changes, and public protests.” Ms. Packard does not live within the Town limits.

Jim McKenzie, claimed to be a property owner, noted Mr. Hunter twice said he never handled finances: "And you're going to give him the checkbook." It appears that Mr. McKenzie’s address is in Three Rivers.

Timothy Downey called the hire senseless. Lori Wallace, a non-resident leaving Florida, demanded a polygraph. Bonnie Blackwell, in litigation with Mr. Hunter over TREPO, alleged the new assistant clerk is his TREPO secretary. None of these folks are Town residents.