Incumbent Garrison responds to 'unprecedented' GOP ads

Tyler Davis, Henderson (N.C.) Daily Dispatch
·3 min read
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Sep. 5—HENDERSON — State Rep. Terry Garrison responded early this week to a series of N.C. Republican Party advertising mail that he called "unprecedented."

The ad campaign alleges that Garrison "is" a "slumlord who refuses to keep his properties safe" and "who too frequently puts his single female tenants at risk" and that the incumbent representative has a "shady past."

"As a duly elected public legislator of the state of North Carolina for three terms, I have been committed to my oath of office and committed to telling the truth," Garrison told The Dispatch on Tuesday. "Recent political attacks on my voting record and past business practices are acts of cowardly misinformation unprecedented in N.C. House District 32 history."

"The majority Republicans control expenditure of funds in the state budget," he continued. "Accusations of me being a slumlord over the years are baseless and slanderous as three court cases cited (91-CVD-168, 05CVM-1192 and 09CVM000766) were dismissed; and the fourth court case cited (98-CVD-231) was not my case at all, according to the Vance County Clerk of Court."

The N.C. GOP's background report on Garrison lays out four court cases. Descriptions from the report are listed below.

—91-CVD-168: Alice Boyd v. Terry Garrison dba Tegarris Realty.

"Boyd filed documentation in this case indicating she was indigent at the time of the case, but alleged she was owed $825 in property damage from a fire caused by a defective electrical system in the home she rented from Garrison. The case was dismissed on May 28, 1991. She unsuccessfully appealed the decision in 1998."

This case was filed on Jan. 17, 1991, in Vance County.

The report files 98-CVD-231 under the above case without explanation. It is not confirmed at this time whether the two are related.

—05CVM-1192: Kelli Dodson v. Terry Garrison dba Tegarris Realty.

"Dodson alleged that Garrison owed her $4,800 for an illegal eviction, destruction of a vehicle, and personal reimbursement of her deposit. The court found that she did not prove her case."

This case was dismissed on July 28, 2005.

—09CVM000766: Betty Johnson v. Terry Garrison.

"Johnson claimed $2,000 in damages because her clothing, shoes, and personal effects were burned/smoked in a house fire on Feb. 22, 2009, caused by an electrical fault. The courts alleged that the plaintiff did not prove Garrison responsible, and she did not recover anything."

This case was dismissed on June 11, 2009.

"Of note, these are single females filing suit against Garrison," the report says, "indicative that either he did not lease properties to men, or they possibly did not receive equal treatment by him during their tenancy."

When asked if he would pursue a libel suit, Garrison said he "probably [is] not going to file a suit but may if such attacks continue."

Garrison is seeking re-election and is opposed by Republican candidate Frank Sossamon. The midterm elections in November will determine which one will serve District 32 as state representative for the next two years.