Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / Dec. 10, 1987, edition 1 / Page 1
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MADISON 00039 COUNTY LIBRARY GENERAL DELIVERY MARSHALL NC 28733 Serving The People Of Our Communities Since 1 90 1 Vol. 87 No. 50 Thursday, December 10, 1987 25c Weaverville Hires New Police, Fire Chiefs Buncombe County Investigator To Wear Municipal Badge By BILL STUDENC Editor Effective Dec. 21, the town of Weaverville will once again have a chief of police. The town last week announced the hiring of Gary Carl Benthin, a criminal investigator with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department, as the man to pin on the badge of Weaverville police chief. Bethin, 36, will fill a vacancy created nearly four months ago when former Police Chief Dar rell Rathburn was fired from the position Aug. 28 After a never-completed grievance hearing, Rathburn was allowed to resign from the police force. The town has been without an official police chief ever since. Sgt. J.D. Ray, appointed acting chief, resigned suddenly in September, citing "personal reasons. " Weaverville Town Manager Charles Horne has been fulfilling the job's ad ministrative functions during the search for a replacement for Rathburn. A total of 22 candidates applied for the job. Horne selected the top six candidates, who were then interviewed last month by a specially assembled advisory of law enforcement experts. That panel - consisting of Capt. Mike Betry of the Asheville Police Department, Bob Casler of the N.C. Attorney General's Office and David Warren, director of criminology at Asheville Buncombe Technical College - selected Benthin. Members of the Weaverville Town Council met with the panel last Monday in a special meeting at Weaverville Town Hall to hear the reasons why Benthin was picked over the other can didates. "The council wanted to hear each panel member's views on the selection process," Home said. Town officials agreed with the selection, and Horne offered the job to Benthin late last Wednes day. Benthin has given two-weeks notice to the Bun combe County Sheriff's Department and will begin working in Weaverville Dec. 21. Benthin, a native of Miami, Fla., has been employed with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department for the past eight years. Prior to his employment in Buncombe County, he worked for the Dade County (Fla.) Public Safety Department for three years as a patrolman. He graduated in 1973 from Florida State University with a degree in psychology with minors in criminology and public relations. Benthin is currently working toward a master's degree in public affairs through Western Carolina University, and expects to complete his studies in six to eight months. -Continued on back page Gary Beuthin John Penley Volunteer Chief Is Latest Name On Town Payroll By BILL STUDENC Editor Wanted: Fire chief for the town of Weaverville. Experience necessary. Apply at Weaverville Town Hall. *?"?" ' Weaverville officials say increased growth and development in and around the town has made it necessary for them to add the position of full-time fire chief to the town payroll. That's why the town recently accepted applica tions for the position. But town officials were surprised when only one man applied for the job - John Penley, who has served as volunteer fire chief for the past two months. "We've only got one application so far," Town Manager Charles Home said last month. "But I'll be surprised if we don't get some more because it certainly is an opportunity." Surprise. Penley, who just recently took over the position held by his father for five years, was the only person to apply for the job. And, effective Monday, Penley's volunteer status came to an end as he started working on the clock for the town of Weaverville. Although town officials say the Weaverville Fire Department has been operating just fine with a volunteer chief, they also say rapid residential and business development have made a paid chief a necessity. "A natural flow in the terms of the growth of the community is to have a paid chief of the fire department," Home said. "The growth that is oc curring makes it a lot more difficult to get the things that need to be done completed." By hiring a firs chief now, the town hopes to be ready for the continued development that is ex pected in Weaverville and the surrounding area. "We are trying to plan for that growth now, rather than react to it when it gets here. And part of that is to provide fire protection and fire prevention," Home said. "I'm not taking anything away from our volunteers. They have done an excellent job," he said. "But they don't have enough time to com mit to the job as the council feels it needs." Eventually, the town may move toward a paid fire department . But volunteer fire fighters need not turn in their turnout gear anytime soon. "Right now, we're trying to accomplish our mission using our volunteers and a minimum number of paid people," Home said. Earlier this year, the town's volunteer firefighters were not in favor of hiring a paid, full-time fire chief. The volunteers in June signed a letter stating their opposition to the idea. But since that time, the volunteer firemen have had a change of heart, salty Home and Penley -Continued on ba&fMge County To Consider Referendum To Change Partisan School Board By BILL STL'DENC Editor Madison County officials may let the voters decide whether members of the Madison County Board of Education should be selected in a non-partisan election. The county commissioners have in structed county attorney Larry Leake to investigate the proper way to set up a countywide referendum on the question of a non-partisan school board. "I'd like to ask Larry to check into a referendum on the issue of non partisan^ school board," Commis sioner Reese Steen said during Mon day's meeting. "I think the three of us (commis sioners) (hiring the campaign made statements that we should let the peo ple decide certain things by a referen dum," Steen said. "We weren't talk ing necessarily about a non-partisan school board, but I think we should look into this." Steen asked Leake to find out the proper way to call for and set up a referendum "We need to see bow the people of Madison County feel about having a non-partisan school board," Steen said. The board's instructions to Leake come eight months after commis sioners made a pledge to work together to "de-politiciie" the Madison County school system. The commissioners in March agreed to look into ways to remove politics from the county school -Continued on back page King Holiday, 12 Snow Days Added To School Year Calendar By BILL STUDENC Editor New state regulations have forced Madison County school officials to revise its 1987-88 school calendar, ad ding 12 snow make-up days and a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The additions will not mean any major changes in the days on which students attend school -- unless winter weather forces the Madison County Board of Education to use the snow days it has set aside. The calendar is designed to provide 180 days of instruction for Madison County students The school board, during its mon thly meeting Monday night, unanimously agreed to adopt a revis ed calendar as recommended by the school system's staff. In that calendar, April 6 - an an nual leave day that had already set aside for Easter break - has now been designated as Martin Luther King Day. The school board has also placed 10 optional teacher workdays at the end of the calendar. Those days can be us ed, however, at any time during the school year if bad weather forces the cancellation of classes. When drawing up the calendar earlier this year, school officials had not known whether the observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday was a legal holiday. The State Per sonnel Commission ruled in October that the day should be included as a holiday for state employees - in cluding teachers. -Continued en back page Santa Visits Santa Claus came to Weaverviile this past weekend for the town's second annual Christmas pa rade. Santa and other parade participants tossed candy to younger parade-goers (right), who waited with open arms. BILL STUDENC PHOTOS Hot Springs Board Takes Office LOU W I Aldermen took office W two new aldennen Joined incum ] I Maya Kennj Alderman Wesley Statu* Hot Spring* town clerk '? i administered the oath of of ? to Kamaey. and then Hamsey in i urn swore in ftaude Bill Whitten and Ruth Smith as aldermen The first officii act of th< new was to ui nlmoust; agrt- to present town personnel and to neep urry The newly elected Hot Sprites erf- 1 ficials then got their first taste of c as the board accepted Rice. Tbe mi (nation tendered because eT "toffe; hours and low pay," retroactive to Nov 1, said Ramsey Hot Springs r?ldent Bill: < expreaaed (isafcsfaction wiUi Uv of ilk and called tor "That position should be abov* reproach." Police Chief Terry Lee Getman told Champion that Rice had been cer tified through the Madison County Tilson Hands Mayorship To Godwin By MARGARET A. STUDENT Staff Reporter The town of Mfrt Hill has a new board of aldermen as of Monday night's swearing-in of the newly elected officials Outgoing Mayor Owen Tiison's last official act was to administer the oath of office to Joeeph Godwin as the new jfcayor of Mars Hill Yob are the mayor," said TUaon. turning over the meeting to Godwin Town Seeks College's Help In Solving Sewer Problem ten statement which he presented for the town'* records, he asked for nominations for vice mayor. Slagle nominated Chandler - the only incumbent alderman returning to the town board for another term - aa the vice mayor. Willis promptly ' wfr v -iT' ' ? - V ? ? ' V seconded the nomination, and Chandler was elected unanimously as vice mayor "The duties of the vice mayor are to act in the mayor's place if be is unable to perform his duties," said Godwin. tlLL STUOl | Editor i officials ^ down plans to repair sewer campus and to provide sewer service to 31 residents of ar> tn-town trailer ? it taWon came after the newt vld men. *?r ula< h rd meeting, r< pi IS tc more than $176.ooo <? a i operating at above its capacity. Town officiate have traced the blem to storm water rmaff ton and roof drains on buikhnfi or the college campus 1 Whe it rains. aB that Surface ??ter ;et in the sewer lines we're treating it *t the treatmant ptant, ssli Da?*yl BeoneyiMan Bi i Hther Jinn $ all of ?I repU tin ?* our, iid smaller as ? mone;
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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Dec. 10, 1987, edition 1
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