LELAND, N.C. (WECT) — A dispute over a town-issued laptop cost Leland taxpayers roughly $10,000 in legal fees after town council ordered an investigation into Councilmember Frank Pendleton’s involvement in the computer’s purchase.
The computer cost roughly $1,000. The legal review into the controversy, requested by councilmembers, cost 10 times that amount, invoices obtained by WECT through a public records request show.
In January, Pendleton reached out directly to the computer vendor in charge of sending the town-issued laptop. Town Manager David Hollis had told Pendleton the laptop would take 13 weeks to arrive. Pendleton thought Hollis was lying, believing it could arrive quicker, something the town manager has disputed. Pendleton said he called the vendor to confirm the delivery timeframe and was told the computer could arrive in about two weeks…