Complaint cites alleged failure of Register of Deeds

A formal complaint filed with various state and local agencies alleges that Wayne County Register of Deeds Constance Coram is violating North Carolina General Statutes — offenses the complainant believes should result in Coram’s removal from office.

In the complaint, which was sent to Wayne District Attorney Matthew Delbridge, N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, the Department of Health and Human Services, the N.C. Division of Land Records, County Manager Craig Honeycutt and every county commissioner, resident Linda Jordan provides documentation of dozens of alleged infractions.

“I am very concerned that the integrity of this office and the safe keeping of these public documents are in jeopardy under Ms. Coram’s leadership, or better yet, lack of,” she wrote. “Ms. Coram was sworn in on Dec 14, 2020. At that time there were about 330 records not released with a release time of 3 days past presentation.  Currently there are about 3,000 records not released with a release time of 58 days past presentation.”

She then cites G.S. 161-27, which states, “If any register of deeds fails to perform any of the duties imposed or authorized by law, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, and he shall be removed from office.”

Here is the complete complaint:

ROD Complaint

Jordan’s complaint is not the only red flag that has been raised by the public since Coram was sworn in.

Here’s an email sent to Coram from a resident who had trouble getting a marriage license and ended up going to Johnston County for service instead.

Here’s an email from the Johnston ROD, acknowledging he assisted the couple — and was “honored” to do so — and has seen “an increase in requests” for assistance with out-of-county birth certificates, marriages and amendments.

Several emails from funeral homes have also come in:

And a local lawyer had to correct Coram for the office listing several of his living clients as dead.

Wayne commissioners were copied on the majority of these emails, but little has been said by the board about Coram’s performance.

But Tuesday, after a more than two-hour executive session called, in part, to discuss the “performance of certain public offices,” the commission voted 4-3 to direct the county finance officer to hire an additional accounting technician to assist Coram.

Board Chairman Wayne Aycock and commissioners Barbara Aycock and Chris Gurley voted against the measure.

The commission also voted 5-2, with Commissioner Bevan Foster and Commissioner Antonio Williams dissenting, to direct the county manager to send a notification to Coram reminding her of the hours designated for the Register of Deeds office to be open — Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding county holidays.

County attorney Borden Parker has advised the board that it is permitted to set the office hours under a provision of N.C. Statute.

Foster raised a question about the commission’s power to make decisions regarding the Register of Deeds office, citing a previous vote to set the officeholder’s salary, which was later altered by the board.

“I am confused about our range of power in certain things,” Foster said. “I want to make sure we have the power and authority to do that. I want to make sure we are legally correct.”

Williams also questioned the need to send the notice to Coram, adding that the Register of Deeds office is “open and operating.”

He suggested that the board take time to review the action before issuing the order and to research its powers with regard to the Register of Deeds office.

“I don’t see why we have to rush it,” he said.

Foster added that “there has already been a misreading” of the legal language in connection with the commissioners’ powers as they pertain to Coram’s office.

Parker, and staff attorney Andrew Neal, reiterated that actions taken by the board last year and the current call regarding the Register of Deeds office hours were within the guidelines of its powers as described in the N.C. Statutes.

Williams asked for a copy of the specific statute cited — 161-8 — so that he could review it.

There was no discussion over the need to hire the accounting technician, the duties that would be performed or the salary and who is going to pay for it during the commissioners’ public session.

There was also no public discussion of why there was a need to send Coram a letter reiterating the hours the Register of Deeds office needs to be open.

The motions were made immediately after the multi-hour executive session.

It is unclear whether or not Delbridge has received Jordan’s complaint — or, if he has, whether he plans on taking action.

Numerous calls to his office seeking comment were not returned Wednesday.

Coram has been the subject of discussions by the county commissioners multiple times — first, when she challenged the salary levels for her employees and then later when accused the county of paying her less than the previous registrar.

Since then, Coram has claimed that problems in her office were related to resignations in the department when she took over, as well as a lack of available training when she took office.