Sellars asked to leave board meeting
Grady EMC director Ronald Sellars told The Cairo Messenger this week that he was asked by EMC President Bo Rosser to leave a board of directors meeting held last Thursday.
According to Sellars, who was elected to the board last October and has been a vocal critic of the EMC management, at the conclusion of the regular meeting last Thursday as the board prepared to go into an executive session he was asked by Rosser to leave the meeting.
Sellars says, “At a previous meeting I had told them when the subject of suing Gordon (Clyatt) was brought up I would have to recuse myself from voting to sue him since he and I have been sued by Tommy Rosser (the former EMC president).”
Sellars says in hindsight he believes he should not have left. “I’m elected by the people and I had every right to be there,” he says.
The following day, July 7, Rosser sent a text message to Sellars and apologized to him, according to the EMC director.
“He wrote that he was sorry if he had offended me that that was not his intention. He said he was doing what the lawyers had told him to do,” Sellars relays.
“The insinuation that Mr. Sellars was forced from the meeting is completely false. Legal matters are discussed in executive session between the board and legal counsel because the discussions are privileged. Mr. Sellars stated that he would recuse himself from all matters regarding Gordon Clyatt and the prior lawsuit. Mr. Sellars was a party to that suit. The only matter to discuss during the executive session was the lawsuit with Mr. Clyatt. I confirmed with Mr. Sellars that he had recused himself and, as there was no other business to discuss, we agreed he should leave,” EMC President Bo Rosser said this week.
Rosser added, “He agreed to leave and did not protest or otherwise object. Neither did any member of the board. His leaving was consistent with his voluntary decision to recuse himself from discussions regarding the lawsuit. No demand was made, however, it would have been inappropriate for Mr. Sellars to be present given his announced conflict.”
Sellars contends the board of directors never had a “show of hands” vote to authorize the legal action against Clyatt.