CONFLICT OF INTEREST CLAIMS CHALLENGED …
One of the candidates for Register of Deeds in Lexington County is disputing allegations that he has a conflict of interest related to the seat.
Earlier this week, we filed this report laying out some curious connections between candidates Rich Bolen and Mike Green. Bolen is a real estate attorney and owner of a title search firm. Green is a property investor and political consultant. Both of those positions strike us as possible conflicts for holding this office, which is charged with “recording, maintaining and preserving all land records for the County and making them readily available for public viewing.”
Bolen and Green also jointly signed off on paperwork recently for a real estate investment company called AH Holdings, LLC – which is based in Utah but has petitioned to do business in South Carolina.
According to Green, Bolen is not his business partner at AH Holdings – he’s just the point of legal contact for the company.
“Rich Bolen is my attorney I have used him on a number of transactions I have done, and he is a friend,” Green said in a statement. “The document you are referencing shows that Rich is my registrant agent in South Carolina. This does not mean we are business partners. It does mean if AH Holdings LLC is sued they will serve the papers to the registrant agent’s office.”
Green says he is the sole owner of AH Holdings – adding that Bolen has no stake in the firm.
We have no reason to doubt Green. In fact, the former political blogger has always been a credible source in our estimation.
Still, it’s clear Bolen and Green are close associates. It’s also clear they are involved in businesses which could be perceived as benefiting in the event one of them wins this office.
Bolen and Green are among five “Republican” candidates seeking this post. The others are Lowcounty tax collector Dan Gregory (who ran for the post four years ago while living in Lexington County), businesswoman Tina Guerry and Gilbert, S.C. legal assistant Joyce Munsch.
Most local observers view Guerry as the frontrunner.