J / a^THE BRUNSWICK BKACOf Elections BY SUSAN USHER Brunswick County election officials agree with E.E. 'Red"Medlin of Northwest Community that bringing township and precinct boundaries in line with electoral district boundaries would Ire nice. But they and other county leaders aren't certain what would happen if township lines were to Ire redrawn on the basis of population. Among the fears?that periodic changing uf ihe lines after each census could result in confusion among voicrs US lO lllt ll pi (>(*_*! polling place; and also more paperwork for the tax office, which would have to adjust some real property records each time the lines changed. Medlin first registered his concerns about precinct and district lines at a recent county commissioners' meeting, saying that it created a false impression when residents of one electoral district vote in another because their precinct tmundarics cross district lines "My complaint Is this," he told The Beacon. "I think the people who live in District 5 should vote in District 5. it woidd give our precinct more power at the convention." He said he thinks township lines should run with the electoral district lines countywide. If all of District 0 were In Northwest Bills Woi (Continued I'rom I'age l-A) and inland waterway who are affected " He and several other committee members want those people to have an opportunity to lie heard and feel that is most likelv to hapiicn if the hearings are held along the coast. While he understands the pressure to enact legislation quickly, Itcdwinc said he wanted to hike due delilxralion" in tins effort to balance private rights and the public trust. It takes more than two study com! illusion i tied mils.*' he added. "It's a complicated issue; we may not have given ;! the in depth review it needed " Itedwuie said he had reservations alHiut some of tin' recommendations included in the conuiusslon's report The 11vi? hills are as follow s I III 111 Kslahlishes title to raised lands located in areas covered hy Hoard of Kducation deeds III! 112 IH-cjares as state policy llial title to land subject to public trust rights mat not Im* acquired through adverse possession It protects public access to lieach property and navigable waters for rccroational purposes, defining public trust rights as tin* rights to luivigate. swim, liuiit. fish and enjo> all recreational activities in ttie waters of the state and the right to use ocean and estuarine tieaehes ami piddle access Ml IHNH I1t"> *1 Hi ll.'l Validates dtunls to cor* lain !!H?.rvhliinils b\ the slide This confirms title to marshlands it tho\ were convc\ed from the Literary l and or State Hoard o( I .duration ll 851 Loct I t I/^j i rr\c V^IUli I IO I lu ttrunswlck Counts, .181 parties have (licit approximately R51 claims asserting tlu*> have private rights to submerged liinils greater than any rights (lie slate may claim According to Allen Jeruigan, one o( three assistant attorney generals working with IN' claims that is INfourth largest number of claims filed among the coastal counties More claims have been filed only by New Hanover. Carteret ami llare counties, with ilroitswich .< close (north, he said How do tin- local claims tweak down* They (all Into six general categories set up by the attorney general's office Most, or SS9 i?i percent i. said Jermgan. were litest claiming title to non-suNiicrgrd lamts along marshes. Mtiuniw ? .I.N -*. l - ? v. - mvi a rtin ljV?. I?T Mtd. "I think tllCV ?Tff (licit nut lW an abundance o( caution " Surprisingly, onl> two tUiins assert shellilsh interests such as o> stcr oca leases or other exclusive rights "I have a feeling a lot more people who (.let claims nvcant to ito this tvut didn't say it.' added Jeraigan Claims to the marshlands vary in nature, twit these represent H*. or JJ 1 prevent d the Brunswick County claims These include at least five Hoard d Kduvalion deeds and claims J, Thursday, March 7, 1985 ; Board S Township, he added, the district's tax base would increase. Commissioners said they were "baffled" by Medlin's claim that the voting system isn't fair. They referred the matter to the elections board for study. Mcdiin also asserted the system skews the district's representation at political party conventions, a point party leaders said isn t necessarily so "Froin whet I iLidcrstsnd I don't think it would make any difference whatsoever," said John Dozier, chairman of the Brunswick County Republican Party, noting convention votes are taken by precincts, not by district. Electoral district lines establish residential areas, for filing purposes only, for candidates for the county board of commissioners and county board of education. No votes in any election are tallied by district. "It would be different if you were elected by district," said Brunswick County Democratic Chairman Glen Peterson. Shift Votes He said he thinks Medlin's concerns are basically "intra-party". In Medlin's case, he said, most of Town Creek Precinct lies in District 4, but a small portion is included in District 5. Hood's Creek Precinct Is entirely in Distrirt 5 j Id Settk also provides a tax credit for donation of such lands to the state within a certain time period. It provides for public trust rights in existence before conveyance by the Board of Education remain in place. HB 114?Provides that claims to land under navigable waters may be litigated in Superior Court. Presently Mini appeals arc rusuiveu iiv me indu.striul Commission. 1IH 115?Allows for resolution of claims to shellfish beds by allowing the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries to issue sheilfishing leases for areas that include natural shellfish beds, not to exceed 50 acres. Statewide more than 10,000 claims were filed in 19G9 before a Jan. 1. 1070, deadline. Muny?including a molarity ol the eluitns filed in New Hanover County?stem from deeds issued In the 1920s anil 1990s by the N C. Hoard of (education. 'ltie board once i laiineti title to and subsequently allowed iiie sale of murshlaiuLs and beds of sounds and streams to support the educational system. The study commission called for quick action by the legislature to resolve the claims quickly while preserving traditional public trust rights "The public apparently takes for granted thai there is a right to fish, to swim and to engage In other forms of activities at will This has generally la-en the accepted rule." notes the report filed by the study commission. As a result of the claims filed under IIS 113-205. those uses may he seriously underminded." al '205' I IICVI to the low water nuirk Additional titles could stem from Hoard of I'.duc.it 1011 ilwts but t( so those earlier deeds wen- not referenced, Icrmgan said Twenty percent, or another 170 claims are fee simple claims that inelude riparian rights, deeds to open water, lands lost to erosion Another US claims or 13 5 percent of the total, could not he plotted on maps because of insutficient information rhry jus? wrote the Departmenl of Natural Resources I claim land ir lirunswlck County ' or I own a lot ir I ong Heach.' letters.'' said Jcrnigan Right claims fall into t nUscellaneuus category and represent 1 s percent ol the totai Miscellaneous claims include sucl things as easements as well i claims to the low water mart of th< Atlantic Ocean "A lot of the land I covered by U* claims i has been subdivided sinci trier. , sswn so ihr number of as tun claimants has increased.' cautiones Jermgan lSw nlum, .. IL.I ...a.. (4 U S UJ-JOJ which set a Jan 1 1979 deadline (oc malm# penal claim to the arras that otlierwis could curne under public trust rights It is up to the state to determine th vahditv ci the private cfatm* a * tudying F "He wants to annex that section of Town Creek Precinct into Hood's Creek," said Peterson. Town Creek Precinct would no longer overlap district lines. The transfer would decrease the number of persons in one precinct and increase the other, possibly enough to effect the precinct's voting power at the county convention. The number of delegates allocated to each precinct is determined by how the precinct voted in the last gubernationa! election. Medlin said the change would "take nothing away from Town Creek Precinct, because it would 1 pick up more voters on the other ] end" as all the precinct and township i lines were realigned countywide. Lynda Briii, supervisor of the Brunswick County Board of Elections, said this example isn't the only location where precincts fall partly ti/ithin nno nra 1 Hiclripf onH nor-t_ ly within another, Just the first area to question it. Both Dozier and Peterson said the idea of coinciding lines was good, but might not be feasible. Subject To Change "As an ideal it's great, but I don't know whether it's practical," said Peterson. Electoral district lines are subject to adjustment at least every every 10 years based on the results of the U.S. 5 Claims Adverse Possession There is concern that when people filed claims to certain "raised lands" such as those created by artificial filling that it puts the state on notice of private claims to the area. They can occupy such lands under "color of title," through Board of Education deeds or other stateissued instruments for 21 years ami gain title t>y adverse possession. The year 1990 represents the end of the 21-year period. if remedial legislation is riot adopted and the claims not resolved by then, the commission report noted, the state stands to lose valuable resources ranging from its investments in shellfish management ureas to dredge spoil Islands It wants to Keep tor conservation purposes. Adoption of legislation this spring will give the state five to six years at iisost to process these claims. U.S. 17 By A bypass (or Shallotte will bo on the agenda Saturday when Tommy Pollard of Jacksonville, who represents Brunswick County and other District 3 comities on the N.C. Board of Transportation, addresses the Brunswick County Republican Convention at South Brunswick Middle School The meeting begins at 3 p m., said John Doiier, party chairman. A barbecue dinner will be held afterward Meanwhile. Brunswick County Democrats hold precinct meetings at 8 p.m. Thursday (today i at their polling places in advance of an April 13 convention. One resolution coming be-fore county Republicans would reaffirm tinproposed Shallotte bypass as the number one priority for Brunswick County with the Department of Transportation IVxjter said the resolution is in response to Gov. Jim Martin's campaign statement tfmt he would support moving the bypass ahead of other county U.S. 17 projects if that is what county alliens want In the closing weeks of the Hunt Administration, the bypass project was moved ahead on the tranporta Professional I jMJNDERING AND DRY CLEANING ! s e SHALiXTCTE nnvpi CAMroc I l V iii-J riilUl UJ * I 7S4-4435 Shallotte 'roposed census. Precinct lines would also have to ( change every 10 years if the lines \ were to coincide, Peterson added, s which could result in people not knowing where to vote. If the sliifts in voting districts got too confusing, he t continued, some people might simply t stop going to vote. i When the electuiu! uisuici lines [ were initially drawn, he pointed out, commissioners were operating under s several constraints. Population f Figures for each district had to stay < within a certain range, he said. 1 "They were attempting to respect j traditional precinct and township i lines; they came as close as thev could." ( W.T. "Rusty" Russ Jr., chairman | of the Brunswick County Board of < Elections, said that board plans to ( study the maps and determine if , precinct lines should be moved. Then , they would consult with commis- , sioners. i If the board decides to move | precinct lines, he said, it would be up | to commissioners to adjust township lines. < Russ said he personally thinks the | electoral district lines should coin- | cide with precinct and township lines if at all possible. If having the lines < coincide doesn't make any dif- i fercnce, he said, "it should." I & J Oy si Cmintv IlitUrlim' iiiid flrnii gave commissioners one ol the (inn! (ea season last Wednesday before the local closed at sunset Thursday. From the ;'happell. chairman of the board of i 'pass On Rep tion improvement plan, which is subject to adjustment by the current administration. In addition to election of party officers to two-year terms and delegates to the district and state conventions, "Operation Switch" u ill be introduced at the meeting. This is a statewide campaign by the Kepublican Party to encourage registered Democrats who vote Kepublican to change their party affiliation. Deader also expects the convention to go on record supporting a solution for traffic-related problems on Beach Koad on Oak Island I rm . mi wijr p CELKBKA Early Bird Sj 5:30-7 I'M >! Select from .1 dinn rib, chicken or sen chide* cheese ?S homemade bread, day. (Mitatoes or re sere ice.' cork l 5 W ifl Daily . ( "?unila' H?> IT. I jltlr Hi.rr. Change Fellow members One Gore and | Charles Mills have agreed that it vould be nice to have all the lines the Hie. Property Records Township lines in Brunswick Couny have remained unchanged for nany years, and are basically a ecording unit for real and personal iroperty. According to a Jan. 31,1983, report iubmitted by John Harvey, county ilanning director, to ihe board of commissioners, "changing township ines creates a large workload in adustment of real property records to etlect any such cnanges. However, during their recent iiscussions of using electoral district ines to establish fire and rescue funling district lines, the current board )f commissioners recently asked Tax \dministrator Boyd Williamson to . ompile an estimate of how much it vould cost to adjust tax records to -eflcct the district as well as the :ownship in which property is located. As noied earlier, organizational itructures of the county's political Darties also follow the precinct and .ownship lines. The five electoral districts were >stablished by commissioners as a result of legislation adopted by the ileneral Assembly in 1981 that went ^^HhsflSB BP* fer Season's Final Fee cmnlftvros and building and g sts of the oyster Kandoiph, Snpervii harvest season Kalph Varnutn. Ai left are Chris Ixickwood Folly HI ommlssloners, harvest, planting s< ublican Party Another resolution will ask that the presidents of the county's two Federation of Republican Women's Clubs and the chairman of the Young Republican Club be added to the executive committee, revising the party's annual local plan of organization. Wliile tlie convention is open to the rvi 1.11 < > ,vrv?. tk.:. I'uviiv , Villi CHA iru UVICROVC3 HI U1VII alternates may participate in the business session. The number of delegates allowed each precinct is based on the precinct's vote for Gov. Jim Martin in the general election. The Republican Party has made a nunt'ii { W 1 ES SPRING KE-< >ecials-8795 onday-Friilay ers: 6 u:. prime i/mx/ entree. Incrackers, salad, vegetable of the re...and friendly VSl VI. DHESS ? ? * In Lines I into effect with the 1984 general election. Township lines were untouched and the bill specifically said it would not affect "the boundaries of any taxing district," specifying the Smithville Township taxation district for support of Dosher Memorial Hospital. Representation The new lines were set up to establish a fairer system of representation for the board of education and board of county commissioneis?a variation on the one-man, one-vote principle. Based on 1980 federal census figures each of the five districts in eludes approximately 7,000 people, with basically no more than a 10 percent variance. Candidates for these two boards only must file for office from a specific district. "Members shall reside in and represent the districts, but the qualified voters of the entire county shall nominate all candidates for and elect all members of the board (emphasis added)," according to the reapportionment bill adopted in 1981. The district lines apply only to those two boards. Candidates for other offices, such as register of deeds and sheriff, do not file from residency districts, but from anywhere in the county. "If flPVaM kaM "1 iJ?II *. STAFF PHOTO SUSAN USHl B IS t rounds employers Donald "Duck" sor H.C. Dixon. Dennis Hewelt and rca fishermen began work In the ver Monday to Insure a goo