Outfoxed?
State wildlife officers outlined
fox laws to county commission
ers Monday. The story's on page
9-B.
Buckets Of Spots!
Anglers continued to fill their
buckets with spots last week. See
the weekly fishing reports on
page 10 B.
THE BRl
HOAG & SONS BOOK BINDERY
12/31/99
BOX 152
SPRINGPORT MI 49284
Twenty-ninth Year, Number 24
D.C. Bound!
New rules brought extra drama
to the Brunswick County
Spelling Bee last Thursday. The
story's on page 4-B.
? ??1 TWf BOUMSWCM MACON
Shallotto, North Carolina, Thursday, April 18, 1991
STAFF PHOTO BY TtlW ?OPt
BRUNSWICK COUNTY DEMOCRATIC party officers elected Saturday were, front row (from left),
Barbara Holcombe, secretary; Grace Peoples, first vice chairman; standing, (from left) Franklin
Randolph, second vice chairman; Mark Lewis, treasurer; Cindy Gurganus, third vice chairman; and
Crawford M. Hart, chairman.
Some Fear, Some Praise
New Subdivision Rules
BY TERRY POPE
Some developers think a new county subdivision or
dinance will actually hurt the county rather than guard
against poorly-planned communities.
Several told Brunswick County commissioners
Monday that parts of die ordinance need to be changed.
"I think they're reading in a worse case scenario,"
said Commission Chairman Kelly Holden. "We have
had situations where the developers have rode in with a
scraper and have sold worthless land for lots that have
perked. That's the worse case scenario."
The board set a public hearing on the ordinance for
April 29, 7 p.m., in the public assembly building at the
government complex in Bolivia. Members of the plan
ning department staff will also be there to answer ques
tions.
County Manager David Clegg said he constantly re
ceives phone calls from residents who complain be
cause the dirt road they live on can't be paved. Usually,
it's because developers did not plat enough land for a
state right-of-way when planning the subdivision, he
said.
Many of the requirements outlined by the county's
new subdivision ordinance are actually requirements of
the state, Clegg said. The ordinance acts as one source
for local developers, a source that pulls together current
regulations from many departments into one document
The county planning department has been preparing
the final draft for about two years, Holdcn said.
There arc many copies floating around that are not
the final version, added Clegg. Persons can get final
copies from the planning department.
"What they may be upset over may in fact not be
there," Clegg said.
The new ordinance has provisions dealing with mini
mum lot sizes, requires that all roads be paved and meet
stale right-of-way standards and requires projects with
in a certain distance of a county water line to tap onto
the system.
The last subdivision ordinance was approved in June
1980. The county ordinance regulates developments in
new subdivisions lying within unincorporated areas of
the county or areas not affected by a town's extraterritori
al zoning district,
"I don't think they're really going to be as affected .
by it as they think they are," Holdcn said. "We have a
lot of fly by night developers. What we're saying with
this document is, the developer should be responsible
for that subdivision and not the taxpayers of Brunswick
County."
Surveyor Bobby Long said the ordinance will have a
tremendous impact on rural development. He said re
quiring that roads be paved to state standards in rural
communities would cost about S35 per foot, thus mak
ing those projects too costly.
(See SOME FEAR, Page 2-A)
Armed Robber Flees Longwood Store
Brunswick County sheriff's detectives are still search
ing for an aimed robber that held up a Longwood store
Saturday afternoon, leaving with an undetermined
amount of cash.
A man entered Smith's Produce on N.C. 9(W around
2 p.m. with a sawcd-off shotgun and held it on a clerk
while he took the money, said Lt. Donnell Marlow.
The robber entered the store once and asked the clerk
if she had any roses, Marlow said. When the victim said
she did not, the suspect left and returned about a minute
later with the shotgun.
He told the clerk to open the cash register and to give
him the money, Marlow reported. While holding the
shotgun on the clerk, he threatened to kill her.
The robber sped away in a black car headed toward
Columbus County, the report states.
Detectives were in Columbus County earlier this
week searching for the suspect
Marlow said there is a suspect and that detectives ex
pect to make an arrest this week.
Democrats Vote For 2 -Year
Terms, Elect Party Officers
BY TERRY POPE
Brunswick County Democrats
want county commissioners and
school board members to face elec
tion every two years.
Party delegates overwhelmingly
voted at their convention Saturday to
recommend that terms for the two
boards be cut from four years to two.
Democrats also approved resolu
tions asking that school board elec
tions remain partisan and that the is
sues be decided by legislative action
rather than by a vote of the people.
"Democrats do not need to hide
behind four-year terms," said outgo
ing Chairman Glenn Peterson. "If
it's good enough for the state legis
lature, if it's good enough for the
House of Representatives, then it's
good enough for us."
More than 100 Democrats attend
ed the convention Saturday to elect
new officers and to decide on issues
raised by State Rep. David Rcdwine.
New officers are Crawford M.
Hart, chairman; Grace Peoples, first
vice-chairman; Franklin Randolph,
second vice-chairman; Cindy Gur
ganus, third vice-chairman; Barbara
Holcombe, re-elected as secretary;
and Mark Lewis, treasurer.
Also, delegates elected Odcll
Williamson of Ocean Isle and Eliza
beth Dameron of Holden Beach as
members of ihc state Democratic
executive committee.
At their convention last month,
Brunswick County Republican dele
gates voted to keep the terms for lo
cal offices at four years and to make
school board races non-partisan.
Republicans occupy all five seats on
the Board of Commissioners, but
Democrats have three of five seats
on the school board.
Han, of Boiling Spring Lakes, was
elected chairman of the party just
minutes after receiving a surprise
honor from Peterson, who said he
gave the award personally to the har
dest working member of the party.
"I will strive to do everything I
can for the Democratic party," Hart
Democratic Resolutions
Brunswick County Democratic delegates took action on the follow
ing resolutions at their county convention in Supply on Saturday:
?Adopted a resolution to cut county commissioner terms from four
years to two years;
?Adopted a resolution cutting school board terms from four years to
two years;
?Recommended that school board seats remain partisan;
?Requested legislative action to change commissioner and school board
terms by local bill rather than a vote of county residents;
?Endorsed the South Brunswick Islands Committee of 100 s effort to
recruit new industry into the county to bring in more jobs;
?Endorsed the Shallotte precinct's resolution calling for a stoplight at
the N.C. 21 1 and U.S. 17 intersection in Supply;
?Supported the Shallotte precinct's resolution asking the N.C. Depart
ment of Transponation for an overpays at N.C. 130 and the U.S. 17
Shallotte bypass for the safety of school children;
?Supported the Oak Island II precinct's resolution calling for a state lot
tery to raise money for the state budget;
HTumcd down a resolution uy iiie Oak Isiaini II precinct io ciuuigc
precinct lines on the island between Oak Island I and II;
?Tabled a Shallotte precinct resolution supporting a package of changes
for minimum wage and unemployment benefits;
?Turned down a Shallotte precinct resolution that opposed salary in
creases for U.S. Congressmen and called for a cut in the House mem
bers' current salary.
said. "I don't play favors, fcach per
son is a Democrat We're not going
to make any drastic changes, I hope."
Redwine had sent letters to both
parties asking for guidance on the
following issues: 1) Should com
missioners be elected to two-year or
four-year terms? 2) Should the
terms be the same for both commis
sioners and school board members?
3) Should the school board be non
partisan? 4) Should the issues be
placed on the ballot?
Two- Year Terms
Last year, the Democratic party
voted in favor of two-year terms for
county commissioners. It sent a res
olution to Redwine asking that a
special bill be introduced in the
State House to make the change.
The resolution came after a deadline
for filing local bills, Redwine said.
Redwine said he asked both polit
ical parties for input on the issues
again this year.
"When you get elected, then you
assume the responsibility for repre
senting all people," Redwine said,
"not just the party that elects you."
Although the deadline for local
bills has passed again, Redwine
filed a number of blank "dummy"
bills that could be amended. With
the two parties now split on the is
sues, some Democratic party lead
ers Saturday remained concerned.
Ocean Isle Beach Developer
Odell Williamson spoke in favor of
two-year terms for commissioners
but wanted the school board left as
it is.
"I think the people that have to be
responsible for the taxpayers in this
county should have to run every
two years," Williamson said. "We
don't need a vote of the people on
this issue. It was shifted by legisla
te DEMOCRATS, Page 2-A)
Murder Suspect Turns Himself In
An Ash tccn remained in the Brunswick County Jail
without bond earlier this week after having been charged
with the murder of his brother.
Harold Allen Graham, 18, of Route 1, turned himself
in to Brunswick County sheriff's detectives Friday
moming, said Dciective Gary Shay.
Graham is accused of shooting his brother. Lacy
Franklin Graham, 28, of the same address, twice in the
head on March 30 outside of their home on State Road
1300 (Ash-Liulc River Road). The shooting occurred
around 3:20 p.m.
Since the shooting, the suspect has been in hiding in
a wooded area along the Waccamaw River. His parents
had been cooperating with the investigation, but also
could not locate him.
Shay said the suspect's mother drove Graham to the
Southeastern Menial Kcaiui Cciiici in Wilmington iast
Friday.
"She informed the people at the Mental Health Center
who they were, and they in turn called the Wilmington
Police Department," Shay said.
Brunswick County detectives were immediately noti
fied by Wilmington police early Friday. An arrest was
made around 9 a.m.. Shay said.
"No motive has been established, as of yet," said
Shay.
The shooting occurred just one day before the sus
pect's 18th birthday. Sliay said Graham will be tried on
murder charges as an adult.
Graham also faces a charge of assault with a deadly
weapon inflicting serious injury stemming from an Oct.
8, 1990 shooting that injured a Shallotte Miuuie school
student in the leg.
The student had been shot with a .22-caliber rifle. A
Brunswick County grand jury indicted Graham on that
charge in February.
Soldier
Returns
From War
Marine Reserve CpL Peter
Sullivan was welcomed home
from Operation Desert Storm
last Friday when his family
greeted him with banners, yel
low ribbons and patriotic
music at the foot of the
Holden Beach Bridge. The
soldier returned from overseas
last week after more than four
months in Saudi Arabia. He
was involved in the liberation
of Kuwait. In the left photo,
Sullivan is pictured with par
ents James and Marian
Sullivan. They live in West
Springfield, Mass., and own a
condominium unit at Holden
Beach. At right, the soldier's
nieces, iMuren Bell and Sarah
Palolino, wait for Uncle Pete
to arrive.
STAff PHOTOS BY DOUG dUTTE*