Editorial: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

No, this is not going to be another article about Jim Sutton and Nancy Sikes-Kline; today I want to take a closer look at the latest gossip being circulated by the usual suspects — gossip, the timing of which could be more than coincidence.

In March, Historic City News became aware of a Matthews, North Carolina woman named Kristen Bullock. She now owns two-of-three medical businesses that, until 2013, were also owned by St Johns County Commissioner, Bill McClure. The third company, Medi-MD, is the business that Commissioner McClure owns and operates in St Johns County.

You may recall the over-hyped Florida Attorney General’s investigation of Medi-MD in October, also paraded through the media. The very public comments from agents close to the investigation, landed just one month before the November General Election. Although McClure was not a candidate in that election, most of the governor’s appointments committee was vetting potential legislative appointees for the upcoming Thrasher vacancy.

Some reporters allowed false inferences to be drawn about the scope of the investigation; airing speculation by onlookers, unfamiliar with the case, that the specialty clinics were suspected of operating a “pill mill”. In reality, the investigators were part of a statewide task force investigating Medicaid overbilling. No charges were ever filed in that matter nor have there been any arrests during the past eight months.

In addition to being one-time business partners, rumor has it that McClure and Bullock also had an “after-hours” personal relationship. According to our sources, there was some degree of bitterness between the couple; during the relationship and continuing after it was over.

Since taking office, McClure has been an advocate for change, a critic of wasteful spending, and he has questioned actions by county management — including the administrator’s $ 193,000.00 salary and golden parachute. The challenges to status quo have not escaped scrutiny or objection from Michael Wanchick’s administration. McClure has prevailed against some challenges and has been out-voted on others.

McClure remains a political “hot potato” and is in the running for the guy with the most woman trouble that I’ve ever known. However, given the way this recent media frenzy got started, in an e-mail from the ex — first to the remainder of the Board in March, and then again Monday morning to the county attorney, I’m have my doubts.

After Bullock’s complaint was filed with the local police department, and her e-mail attempt at character assassination to the remaining Board members produced no results, something tells her to go to the media, who has previously reported nothing, and feed them a story worthy of a Nancy Drew mystery. Except, it’s not a who-done-it. Bill McClure is an elected public official and owns his home, so he is not hard to find. If North Carolina were serious about serving this warrant, they would have contacted the local sheriff and the arrest would have taken about 24-hours.

The facts, as we know them, are that McClure is the defendant in a North Carolina felony court case. The online record is available here. Historic City News called the Clerk of Court in Mecklenburg County and confirmed the web report on Monday. They told me that the warrant was “un-served” and transferred me to the jail to determine if this was a warrant on which they would extradite. The jail said we have to speak with the public information officer. We left a message, but have yet to have our call returned.

If the facts change, have no fear — we will report them.