Amid Investigation, Sparta-White County Senior Citizens Board Disbanding

The Sparta-White County Senior Citizens Center Board of Directors will disband as the investigation into the center’s finances continue.

The board approved a motion to disband January 1 during a special-called meeting Wednesday. The board also accepted the retirement of Director Brenda Roberts, who is at the center of multiple investigations into issues at the organization. Sparta Mayor Jerry Lowery said the board should be completely dismissed and rebuilt from the ground up.

“This board has failed miserably in the running of this Senior Citizens Center,” Lowery said. “And I’m included with it. I’m saying it myself, ’cause we all heard that report the other day and we know that we have not been active and diligent.”

While an investigation by the State Comptrollers Office continues, County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson said the board hired an investigator to look into accusations of mismanagement. They met last Monday to examine the results. Robinson said they were encouraged to change the center’s management.

“I can’t really say what they found,” Robinson said. “It was an attorney-client – the board would have to vote to waive that right. I will say the suggestion was that management changes did need to be made.”

The board will have a meeting in December to prepare for the transition and begin the search for a new director. Lowery said he and Robinson will automatically be on the new board while they are in office due to bylaws in place, but there will be a process to appoint the other members.

“I feel like people think we’re trying to shuck and jive and slide something under the table,” Lowery said. “I’m not. I won’t. I think it’s been evident that when the people that I have appointed to boards within the city, I’ve been very diverse in how we’ve done that.”

Robinson said the new board will have 13 members, two of which will be voted on by citizens from the senior center.