SCV Telegraph
Contact: Allen Sullivant
Email: allensullivant@bellsouth.net
Phone: 615-971-7484
Sons of Confederate Veterans Request Investigation of Battle of Franklin Trust by State Officials
The
Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) announced today that an attorney
retained to investigate allegations of mismanagement and improper
conduct by members of the Boards of Directors of both The Carter House
in Franklin, Tennessee, and its management group, of The Battle of
Franklin Trust (BOFT), has uncovered numerous instances of apparent
disregard for the legal requirements for operating non-profit
corporations, conflicts of interest on the parts of several members of
both boards, and a possible misuse of state funds. As a result of this
investigation, the SCV has requested the Tennessee Historical
Commission to undertake its own investigation, and to involve other
state offices such as those of the Attorney General and State
Comptroller as they see fit. The Carter House is a state-owned historic
site, under the stewardship of the Tennessee Historical Commission, and
is one of Tennessee's premier tourist destinations.
Managed
under the auspices of the Carter House Association since the 1950s,
practically all control of the Carter House was signed away to the
Battle of Franklin Trust three years ago in what some are calling a
political maneuver, one which may be costing the taxpayers of Tennessee.
Now, the Battle of Franklin Trust is requesting the Tennessee
Historical Commission to deed related state property to them.
Surprisingly, two of the people making the request have strong ties to
the state, one being a state commissioner, and the other being the wife
of a state commissioner.
"We
were troubled to discover that state funds were possibly being used to
make payments on an existing mortgage against Carnton Plantation, a
privately owned historic site which is also managed by the Battle of
Franklin Trust" said William Speck, Heritage Chairman for the Tennessee
Division of the SCV. The mortgage in question was initiated by Marianne
Schroer, wife of TDOT Commissioner John Schroer, when she was chairman
of the board of directors of the Carnton property. She now holds the
same position on the board of the Battle of Franklin Trust. Marianne
Schroer and another state commissioner, Tourism Department head Susan
Whitaker, who is also a board member for the BOFT, have spear-headed the
BOFT's effort to obtain title to taxpayer-owned property.
Mr.
Speck added, "The Carter House property belongs to the people of
Tennessee and no portion of it should be given away to any group whose
financial situation is questionable and whose grasp of proper management
practices is apparently deficient. Therefore, the SCV retained the
services of attorney Randy Lucas, and his investigation has confirmed
that the problems with the Battle of Franklin Trust rise above mere
carelessness. Mr. Lucas has outlined a number of deficiencies and
conflicts of interest among board officers, and has now forwarded his
findings to the Tennessee Historical Commission."
The
SCV is requesting the Tennessee Historical Commission to vote against
any concept of transferring property to the Battle of Franklin Trust.
Further, the SCV is requesting that the Tennessee Historical Commission
immediately open an investigation into the BOFT and the legal issues and
financial questions brought forward by their attorney, involving any
state agencies they feel necessary. Finally, the SCV requests a decision
as to whether the contract between Carter House and the BOFT is legally
binding, because of the "perpetual" control given over a state-owned
property, and because the Carter House board president who solely
approved the contract is an officer on both boards, which appears to be a
classic conflict of interest.
The
Sons of Confederate Veterans is an international organization of
descendants of Confederate soldiers and the nation's largest military
history and genealogy society. Formed in 1896, the SCV owns, operates,
and manages many historic properties, including Winstead Hill Memorial
Park in Franklin, the General N.B. Forrest Home in Chapel Hill, and
Beauvoir - the last home of Jefferson Davis, in Biloxi, Mississippi. Its
headquarters are in Columbia, Tennessee, at historic Elm Springs.
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