Sumler's use of contributions questioned
A In the on-going political corruption trial of local black leaders, the government is
portraying Rodney Sumler as the ringleader.
By SHERIDAN HILL
Chronide Assistant Editor
The prosecution has success
fully raised questions about how
political consultant Rodney Sum
ler used contributions that he
solicited on behalf of black non
profit group?^__^
James V. Fisher II, former
general manager for Naegele Out
door Advertising of the Triad, tes
tified that in 1987 when Sumler
was conducting public relations
work for Naegele, Sumler request
ed that checks for non-profit
groups be made payable to Sum
ler's company and given to Sum
ler. After making thousands of
dollars of donations in that man
ner, Naegele changed its policy
and made the checks payable to
the organization. However, some
of the organizations testified they
never received the money.
Donald L. Piercef^general
manager for Naegele of Raleigh,
testified that he gave Sumler
$8,000 for the NAACP in
Durham, but NAACP officials
testified that they did not receive
the money.
Favorable testimony
There was some favorable tes
timony during the past week. For
mer Naegele executive and
William Whiteheart, president of
Whiteheart Outdoor Advertising,
both testified that they were never
intimidated by Sumler or Hairston,
and expressed satisfaction with the
work performed by Sumler's com
pany, Associate Consultants.
The PATH house
The prosecution also showed
that on February 25, 1986,
Naegele deeded to People Are
Treated Human (PATH), a house
which Hairston and Sumler said
would be used for homeless and
needy women. Naegele also
donated $5,000 to help renovate
~the house, located at 1322 Cun
ningham Street. Sumler solicited
another $12,000 for renovations,
including $5,000 from county
commissioner Genfy Long. -
During the past week the gov
ernment has attempted to show,
through testimony and videotapes,
that the house has remained in a
state of disrepair and was rented
to students from Winston-Salem
State University.
Sumler's attorney, John
Dusenbury, and Hairston's attor
ney, James Ferguson II, tried to
show that FBI agents were not
thorough when they went to the
house on March 16, 1990 to
observe its condition. FBI agent
William Schatzman testified that
none of the three agents in the
house that day asked Lee Faye
Mack what repairs had been done,
even though she was there.
"The house was generally in
disrepair when we got there," said
Schatzman, "but I don't know
what repairs had been done before
or what was planned for."
The intimidation factor
The most damaging testimony
for Sumler and Hairston in the
past week was that of Scott L.
Gwyn, president of Idlewild Com
pany. Gwyn testified that he felt
"intimidated" in 1987 when politi
cal consultant Rodney Sumler and
then-Alderman Patrick Hairston
visited him and asked him to lend
Hairston money to help pay with
holding taxes for employees of his
cleaning company, Patrick
Hairston Cleaning Services.
Gwyn testified he gave Sumler
two checks for $2,500, which sub
sequently were returned for insuf
ficient funds. Gwyn said he issued
two more $2,500 checks, but
Sumler cashed all four for a total
of $10,000. Less than $2000 was
paid back, according to Gwyn.
At Sumler's request, Gwyn
made donations to the NAACP,
PATH and other organizations. "I
felt like I wouldn't get favorable
zoning [to develop shopping cen
ters] if I didn't." ,
Sumler, Gwyn and Hairston
Tfiet more than five times, accord
ing to Gwyn, to discuss issues
Gwyn had before the board of
alderman and the public relations
programs Sumler had proposed.
Army promotes Jarrett to Major
James E. Jarrett has been pro
moted to the rank of Major in the
United States Army. The promo
tion went into effect the first of
February.
Major Jarrett is a native of
Winston-Salem, and is currently
assigned as the acquisitions plans
officer of the Test and Experimen
tation Command (TEXCOM) at
Fort Hood, Texas. He was also
recently selected to attend the resi
dent command and general staff
college in Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas upon completion of his
current assignment.
He was commissioned a Sec
ond Lieutenant of Infantry in May
of 1980 through the Reserve Offi
cers Jraining Corps (fcOjtfc) It
North Carolina A&T State unhrcr
sity in Greensboro. He attended ihe^
infantry officers basic course and
ranger school at Fort Benning, Ga.
from May 1980 until Nov. 1980.
Upon completion of this initial
training, his first assignment was
with the 101st Airborne (Air
Assault) Division at Fort Camp
bell, Ky, as an infantry platoon
leader and executive officer of
Company A, 1st Battalion, 327th
Infantry Regiment; anti-tank pla
toon leader, company executive
Major James E. Jarrett Is pinned by Major General William C. Page
(left) and wife, Stephanie (right).
officer and company commander
of Ihe anti-tank company, Compa
gy D, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry
egiment
In June 1984, he was assigned
to Fort Benning, Ga. to attend the
infantry officers advanced course.
Upon completion in December of
that year, he was assigned to Fort
Stewart, Ga.
From Jan. 1985 to June 1990,
he held various command and staff
positions while assigned to the
24th Infantry Division (Mecha
nized) at Fort Stewart, Ga., includ
ing battalion personnel officer
(adjutant) of the 2nd Battalion,
21st Infantry Regiment, company
commander of C Company of that
same battalion, assistant operations
officer of 1st Brigade 24th Infantry
Division and company commander
of Headquarters and Headquarters
Company 1st Brigade.
Major Jarrett is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. Henry L. Jarrett of Win
ston-Salem. He is married to the
former Stephanie Harris and they
are expecting their first child in
August of this year.
NAACP holds economic summit
By SAMANTHA McKENZIE
Chronicle Staff writer
The state of affairs in the black
community in a crisis, according to
Andrea Harris, president of the
North Carolina Institute of Minority
Economic Development. "It's criti
cal/ Harris told the small audience
attending the NAACP Mini-Eco
nomic Summit on Saturday.
National figures indicate an
extreme increase in the economic
disparity between blacks and whites
across the board, she said.
"In North Carolina, which has
the 7th largest black population, we
find that we are falling further and
further behind. When you look at
housing that is owner-occupied and
blacks represent 40 percent of the
population in this county, that
should represent a value of $1 bil
lion. Instead it's just $376 mil
lion ? that's a $600 million gap,"
Harris said.
"Blacks still trail behind white
men and women in yearly income.
This is all because of the lack of
access to affordable capital. If we
had access to the dollars, we coukl
save more," she said.
"We have to remember that
black people are the only people
who came here with nothing. You're
talking about a people who were
not allowed to do anything. We had
to go under those barriers that were
put up in front of us and that are
still prevalent today," she said.
Other guest speakers at the
summit were Kermitt M. Waddell,
North Carolina Project director of
the NAACP Resource Economic
Development Center and vice presi
dent chairman of the state legal
committee; Julian Brown, president
of N.C. Association of Minority
Businesses, Inc.; Bert Wayne,
senior vice president, Wachovia
Bank of N.C.; Nancy Young, corpo
rate affairs director, Sara Lee Cor
poration, and Zack Wall, co-chair
man for economic
development/Fair Share committee
for local NAACP.
The mini-economic summit
was sponsored by the local NAACP
Chapter. A question and answer
forum was held to address ways to
add more jobs in the black commu
nity, following the summit
"We need to first increase the
money that comes into our commu
nity and make it stay in our commu
nity. Our crisis is more than just
drugs and crime and teenage preg
nancy, it's about economics," said
Harris.
James Grace, co-chairman of
the NAACP economic develop
ment/Pair Share committee, called
for more community involvement
and support and stressed the impor
tance of blacks supporting black
owned businesses. Panelists also
included local black business own
ers Tom Trollinger and Carl Brown.
The NAACP Fair Share pro
gram was also introduced at the
summit by Waddell. The (xogram is
designed to "enable blacks to par
ticipate in the employment, busi
ness and public sector policy infor
mation opportunities common to
other Americans." The objectives of
the program is to increase employ
ment, promotions and utilization of
blacks and other minorities at all
levels in the public and private sec
tor; to increase the placement of
blacks into professional and man
agerial positions; to establish effec
tive minority procurement programs
that would utilize black contractors,
accountants, consultants, etc.; and,
to include blacks in the policy mak
ing, governing and advisory boards,
commissions and other entities.
Wall, who announced the 1992
goals for the chapter, said the
NAACP was in the process of sup
porting the East Winston Communi
ty Development Corporation in
applying for a state matching grant
to initiate a Microenterprise Loan
Fund for Minorities. The loan fund,
Grace said, if granted, would allow
minorities to take out loans- for
businesses or home-ownership.
The NAACP will also be
undergoing support for the estab
lishment of a business assistance
center to be located in East Winston
to provide technical assistance to
African American businesses. The
center is an East Area Council of
the Greater Winston-Salem Cham
ber of Commerce project identified
in Common Vision.
Wall outlined the development
of business forums for area busi
nesses to share ideas and a minority
business roundtable.
The chapter is also working to
assist financial institutions in meet
ing the requirements of the Com
munity Reinvestment Act (CRA) of
1977.
Through and investment pro
gram, Wayne said, Wachovia was
currently attempting to make loans
more available for low to moderate
income applicants by providing
relaxed requirements to its clients.
fcs*
The prosecution Is trying to show that Rodney Sumler solicited
money for black. non-proflt groups/but kept the money.
We
,sf. ?
1
r A
u??*
- .5 -
at ri'
.- ? ~ ;n (Jreai^ TV\eV ,
xtxey toeUTdr?aitvVv0ttves^e;ppt0val
i, jpra\ and "V vast ?vort&a8 , c0tcie
us???UIsr?S?? *;
1 te one teasotv^ral Before* plaIYthat
' af?otSler^ '
^ ?J^^?3SS Fedeial
,S"umi beUeve t? \? ^
itS^ *<*
Odinf^
, M. v^\k?*b?r?
# CW^^UTto ^00,0??
Boon*