A car purchased last year for the former post commander of American Legion Post 22 is at the heart of a controversy surrounding the post’s finances.

Union County allocates approximately $24,000 each year for the operation of Veterans Park by the Legion. The Legion also receives $1,000 from the City of Union for the operation of the park.

Former post commander Herbert Johnson said those funds — along with the rent it earns — is used for the operation of Veterans Park; the maintenance of the post building; the $500 a year it gives Jonesville’s Post 129; and the $500 a year it gives Buffalo Post 87. In November 2008, the money was also used to buy a new car for Johnson.

The purchase has become a source of controversy as the Legion’s acting post commander prepared to meet today with Mayor Harold Thompson and City Attorney Billy Whitney. In a statement released Monday, Paul Davis said the post had completed an internal review of the operations of Veterans Park and would present its findings and recommendations to Thompson and Whitney today.

Attempts to reach Davis for more information about the review and its connection to Johnson’s car were unsuccessful.

Thompson said Monday that Davis requested a meeting with him and Whitney to review the lease agreement between the city and the Legion for Veterans Park as well as operational issues related to the park. He said he wanted to hear Davis’ presentation before commenting further but he hoped the result of the meeting would be closer cooperation between the city and the Legion in the operation of Veterans Park. This would include monthly or quarterly reports from the Legion on the park’s finances and operation.

Johnson said that there was nothing wrong with the purchase of the car, which was approved by the board. He said the new vehicle replaced his old one, which he wore out performing his duties as post and district commander.

“At the Nov. 11 banquet somebody was supposed to make a motion that the post get me a vehicle because I’d worn my little Escort out doing Legion work,” he said. “It didn’t happen that night and the announcement wasn’t made that night. I didn’t know who was supposed to make it, but I’d been told somebody was going to make the announcement.

“So after we started putting the tables away — either that night or the next day — one of my board members suggested ‘Let me call around and see what I can do because I know they wanted you to have this,’” he said. “He talked over the phone and then he told me to call some people that he couldn’t get them. I called them and asked them for a yes or no vote and everybody that I talked to said yes. Charles (Barber) told me that the people he talked to said yes except for three. That was three out of 12 — we had a majority.”

Bernard Bishop said he and the other board members were contacted by Johnson either by phone or in person and asked to vote on the matter. He said he voted yes.

Julian Cudd said he was called by Johnson and asked to vote on authorizing the purchase of the car. Cudd said he was not at the Nov. 11 meeting but was contacted by Johnson the next day. He said he voted yes because he felt Johnson needed a new car.

After the matter was approved, Johnson said he saw a listing for a car in the paper and went to look at it in Spartanburg. He ultimately traded in his old Escort for a Nissan, paying $13,900 for the new vehicle. Though he resigned as post commander in March, Johnson still uses the car in the performance of his duties as commander of District 8, which includes 4,000 members in Union, Spartanburg, Inman, Chesnee, Gaffney, Woodruff and Boiling Springs

“I think the majority of the members of my post wanted this to happen,” he said. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”