Another legal fight is brewing in Swansea.

The town recently received another Freedom of Information Act request for information on town finances, this time from citizen journalist Alberta Wasden, who manages the Facebook page Pen and Coffee.

Wasden told the Chronicle she was not only ignored, but intimidated when she sought information.

“I was told I was walking a thin line,” she said.

Wasden said she was seeking financial information that wasn’t made available by town officials. She alleged some 106 checks written by the Lexington County town of more than 700 haven’t been accounted for.

She said she also asked for access to a town file containing important information on missing documents, and when she asked for access to the file, her request was denied.

Swansea Mayor Viola McDaniel didn’t respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment.

Wasden said she has been in contact with three different accountants who worked with the town, but none could answer the question about missing funds.

It continues a saga that began when a 2021 audit found that the town hadn’t accounted for $3.3 million in capital assets.

In August of last year, Swansea Town Council Members Mike Luongo and Doris Simmons filed a lawsuit against McDaniel, town Clerk and Treasurer Margaret Harvey and the town’s then auditor, seeking an explanation for the town’s failure to account for the town assets.

That now-former town auditor has said he did offer an explanation for the unaccounted-for assets, telling council at an August 2022 meeting where he tendered his resignation that the amounts for fixed assets were omitted in the accounting system for fiscal year 2021, hence the roughly $3 million in unaccounted-for assets when comparing the numbers against the previous year.

McDaniel has since counter-sued, alleging she is being defamed by the legal actions.

So far, no legal proceedings have taken place in the suits.

But Attorney Jake Moore, who is representing Luongo and Simmons, said a disposition hearing is likely to take place in September. Ultimately, Moore believes the legal system will require disclosure.

“You’re talking about a multi-million dollar problem,” he said.