Former Manager Says Claims About
His Influence Are Exaggerated
BY ERIC CARLSON
Former Brunswick County Man
ager Billy Carter on Tuesday denied
suggestions that he is pulling strings
to influence county policy and says
he is "just good friends" with the
new manager who recently asked
commissioners to give Carter a part
time consulting job.
Late last month. County Manager
Wyman Yelton sent a memo to the
commissioners asking permission to
pay Carter for his advice on the
county's future capitol expenditure
needs. Yelton later sent out a another
memo withdrawing the request after
several commissioners questioned
the need to hire Carter as a consul
tant.
"All I wanted to do was to get
some help on what we're going to
need in the way of infrastructure,"
Yelton said Tuesday. "Someone who
could help me look down the road
from a financial standpoint and
make some suggestions on what we
ought to be doing. As a former
county manager, he's got a back
ground on what's happened up to
this point."
But some have questioned
whether Carter already has been giv
en too much influence on county
government by fellow Democrats
who earned a majority on the board
of commissioners last year. Since
then. Carter has been appointed to
the Economic Development Com
mission and the Lower Cape Fear
Water and Sewer Authority. His son
Dale was appointed to the zoning
board of adjustment.
Clearly enjoying all the attention.
Carter said fears of his growing
power in county affairs are unfound
ed and probably politically motivat
ed.
"! feel good. I've got more pub
licity out of this than when I ran for
office," he said. "All of a sudden,
I'm Boss Hawg Carter!"
Carter was Brunswick County
manager from 1979 to 1987, when
he retired due to a circulatory ail
ment. He has been collecting state
and federal disability payments
since then.
An active Democrat, Carter made
an unsuccessful run for school board
in 1992. He said he has been work
ing part-time as a management con
sultant for the Southport-Oak Island
Chamber of Commerce, the town of
Boiling Spring Lakes and other mu
nicipalities since his retirement
Carter described himself as a pro
fessional manager with a "code of
ethics" and a "record of profession
alism as a manager." He said he has
known Yelton since 1974. when the
two attended classes in government
at UNC-Chapel Hill. He said the
two have stayed in contact over the
years and have had lunch together
several times since Yelton came to
Brunswick County.
While admitting that Yelton has
frequently asked his advice on coun
ty management issues. Carter said,
"I doubt that I have ever influenced
him with opinions of a political na
ture. Wyman looks at me from a
professional standpoint, not as a
politician. My ability speaks for it
self."
Carter said that Commissioner
Wayland Vereen has also sought his
advice and asked Carter "to look
over the school budget" during the
Ixiard's recent funding battle with
the school board.
He said he had nothing to do with
Yelton's recent restructuring of per
sonnel in the departments of emer
gency management and administra
tion.
Saying that the county manager
has far too many department heads
reporting directly to him, Yelton re
cently stripped Emergency Man
agement Director and Fire Marshall
Cecil Logan of his leadership role
and put him under the superv ision of
Emergency Communications Ser
vices (911) Director Doug Ledgett.
Yelton has also removed Clerk to
the Board of Commissioners Kelly
Barefoot, a 14-year county employ
ee, from her previous position of ad
ministrative assistant and replaced
her with Andrea Mercklinger, a sec
retary hired in 1991 who used to
work under Barefoot.
Those same demotions of Logan
and Barefoot were suggested last
May as part of a restructuring plan
proposed by Interim County Mana
ger John Harvey just one month af
ter he took over the administration
of county government from David
Clegg. the former manager who re
signed under alleged pressure from
Democrat commissioners. Harvey's
proposal was declared "unaccept
able" by Commissioners Chairman
Don Warren amidst rising public
protest.
Carter said he had nothing to do
with the restructuring plans pro
posed by either manager. While he
said he understood Yelton's reasons
for making the changes. Carter said
he disagreed with the demotion of
Logan, whose record he described
as "exceptional."
Yelton said he has never looked at
Harvey's restructuring proposal and
has never asked his advice on coun
ty personnel matters.
"I don't know what he saw. I only
know what I saw when I looked at
the organizational chart," Yelton
said. "It's not practical the way it is.
I have 26 managers dealing directly
with me. No business would operate
this way."
Yelton said the change in admin
istrative duties was maue 10 nai
ance the workload." He said Bare
foot needed more time to devote to
her duties as clerk to the hoard. She
also needs to expand her role as
public information officer, Yelton
said.
"Kelly had three hats on and I
took one off." Yelton said. "The job
of public information officer is a hat
that needs to be worn and worn
well."
Insisting that "people read too
much into these things." Yelton said
his elimination of the Emergency
Management Director's position
does not indicate a lack of confi
dence in Logan, but a need to com
bine functions and delegate authori
ty.
Yelton said he plans similar
moves in other departments, but
would not say which ones. Saying
he had "inherited the Lear jet" of
county governments. Yelton said he
hopes his changes will help make its
operation more efficient.
"The ball's in my court and it's
sink or swim for me," Yelton said.
Bird Island Zoning Plan Tabled;
Owner's Agents Ask Leniency
BY LYNN CARLSON
After a public hearing in which
few questions were asked and even
fewer comments offered, the Sunset
Beach Town Council tabled a pro
posal to place undeveloped Bird
Island in a conservation zone and
sharply restrict its development.
While several speakers said they
would prefer that Bird Island remain
in its natural state, an attorney
warned that the owner's property
rights might be infringed by any
rules which exceed existing state
and federal laws or the zoning stan
dards governing the island of Sunset
Beach.
"This is not just philosophical;
this is how it would be considered
by the courts," said attorney H.
Glenn Dunn of Raleigh, represent
ing Bird Island owner Janie Pace
Price of Greensboro.
"More lenience ought to be
shown here. This is not to be threat
ening in any fashion. The owners
are not at all interested in bringing
this up in court. But please at least
defer action tonight if your minds
are open to any of the changes we
are proposing."
Those changes include a relaxing
of the proposal to allow more dense
development and smaller oceanfront
setbacks than what the Sunset Beach
Planning Board proposed after
working a year on the conservation
reserve zoning district plan.
The town's proposal would limit
potential development of Bird Island
to 30-35 single-family dwellings
plus a possible community center.
Price's agents are countering with a
plan which would allow 66 units to
be built.
The town's proposal would re
quire minimum lot size of one-half
acre of uplands and would cap den
sity at one home per acre on Price's
estimated 33 acres of buildable land.
Price's proposal would allow homes
on lots of 10,000 square feet ? about
a quarter of an acre.
The town's proposal would allow
no more than six bedrooms per
home; Price wants the limit raised to
eight.
Bill Ducker. president of the year
old Bird Island Preservation Society,
reminded the group that Price's orig
inal development proposal was for
seven units. "I'd like to see no de
velopment," Ducker said. "Any de
velopment will have some impact on
the wetlands. I don't think you can
compare the zoning of Bird Island to
the zoning of the island of Sunset
Beach. There's a lot more concern
for the environment now than there
was when Sunset Beach was devel
oped."
Ducker 's organization has 1,500
members and has raised about
$35,(MX) toward acquisition of the
property. That effort will receive a
million-dollar boost if Rep. David
Redwine is successful in procuring a
state allocation toward the purchase,
plans he announced to the preserva
tion group on Sept. 1.
Price and her son Rees Poag, who
was present at the public hearing,
have said they are open to an offer
on the property, but that they must
first pursue state, federal and local
permits to get an idea of the island's
current worth and development po
tential. The property came into the
Price family in 1953.
A land planner representing Price
said her current plans would require
"minimum earthwork" and wetlands
disturbance. "We consider this as an
environment we want to protect?
utilize yes, but protect at the same
time," said John Ryder of Century
Von Oeson Associates.
Following the hearing. Council
member Cherri Cheek moved to
table the proposal to the Oct. 4
meeting. "After reading and re-read
ing many documents over the week
end, I think we should postpone
this," she said. "This is a very im
portant decision, and we need time
to take into consideration everything
that's been said."
The motion passed unanimously.
Volunteers To Receive Governor's
Awards In Greenville Ceremony
Representatives of four local pro
grams and organizations will be
honored tonight (Thursday) with
1993 Governor's Awards for
Outstanding Volunteer Services.
They are:
?Madgelene Bennett, Calabash
Emergency Medical Service. Ben
nett helps raise funds to buy life
saving equipment and helps pur
chase personal and household items
they could not otherwise afford. She
has operated her thrift shop for more
than 10 years.
?Maxine Hammon of Winna
bow, Hope Harbor Home. Hammon
assists women and children at the
domestic violence shelter with trans
portation, public awareness and
fundraising activities and is on call
24 hours a day.
?Mozelle Marshall, Sunset
Beach, Guardian Ad Litem. Mar
shall serves as an advocate for chil
dren involved in the court system.
She investigates and prepares re
ports to aid the children.
?Mary and James Riese. South
port, Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
THE BRUNSWICKfeBEACON
Established Nov. 1, 1962
Telephone 754-6890
Published Every Thursday
At 4709 Main Street
Shallotte, N.C. 28459
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
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The Rieses are responsible for an
ongoing program that supplies dol
lars and food necessary to fulfill
their ministry of aid to the needy
through the church. Each year their
Christmas Star Tree provides gifts
for those less fortunate.
?Dosher Memorial Hospital
Volunteers. Southport. The volun
teers provide needed medical equip
ment to the hospital and assist in its
day-to-day operation. In 1992, 88
volunteers gave 8,788 hours of ser
vice.
Volunteers from the 27 counties
in the eastern region of the state will
participate in a special recognition
ceremony in Greenville.
Gov. James B. Hunt will present
the awards at the Memorial Baptist
Church beginning at 2:30 p.m. One
hundred twenty-two individual and
group winners from the eastern re
gion will be honored.
The Governor's Awards for
Volunteer Service were first award
ed in 1979 by Hunt. They seek to
honor and recognize "citizens who
have given outstanding service to
their communities on a volunteer ba
sis."
"While the resources of govern
ment are limited, the resources of
our people are limitless," Hunt said.
"Volunteers fill an essential role in
our society, and we must encourage
and support them as much as we
can."
New Sunset Ordinances Aimed
At Surfing, Unattended Property
Surf too close to the fishing pier
or leave your volleyball net on the
strand overnight and you'll risk cita
tion by the Sunset Beach Police, fol
lowing action by the town council
Monday night.
A new town ordinance prohibits
surfing within 100 feet of the fishing
pier, surfing without a six-foot or
shorter leash, and surfing in a man
ner which "endangers swimmers or
others about the water."
Council first discussed the regula
tions last month, saying more
crowding of the beach this past sum
mer resulted in a growing number of
complaints.
A second new ordinance prohibits
leaving "unattended property on the
beach strand," but council members
promised not to cite beachgoers who
leave umbrellas, tents and sports
nets in place while they leave the
beach for lunch.
"We just need something on the
books for when we have a problem,"
said Town Administrator Linda
Fluegel. "Recently, we had to get on
the strand early with a vehicle, but
we couldn't go anywhere because of
the tents and volleyball nets."
When you leave
the Brunswick shores?^ ^
take the Beacon with you!
STAFF PHOTOS BY ERIC CARLSON
JUDGE OLA LEWIS (left, in photo above) dances with N.C. Highway Patrol Officer Jerry Dove dur
ing the Brunswick County Law Enforcement Day festivities at Sea Trail last week (Sept. 8). In photo
below, Assistant District Attorney Lee Bollinger gets a handful of hush puppies to top off his barbecue
dinner.
Generosity ' Overwhelms ' Detective
(Continued From Page 1-A)
ner and obviously weakened by his
treatments, Crocker's face still
beamed with the same piercing eyes
and wide smile that friends and co
workers expect to see on the cheer
ful young man who heads the coun
ty's narcotics squad.
Once every 14 days Crocker trav
els to University Memorial Hospital
in Chapel Hill for five days of
chemotherapy injections. Even
while he's at home, Crocker must go
to Wilmington every four days for
more shots.
"So far I've had 84 injections.
I've been counting," Crocker said.
"I've knocked down doors. I've
wrestied with suspects. I've been
More Warmth,
Average Rain
Said Ahead
Temperatures for the period Sept.
7-13 were about normal, according
to Jackson Canady, Shallotte Point
weather-watcher.
Maximum high was 90 degrees
on the 10th, followed on the 1 2th
with a minimum low of 54.
Daily average high was 88, and
the nightly average low, 66. Daily
average was 77 degrees. Canady
measured 1.71 inches of rain for the
period.
Outlook for the next few days is
for temperatures above average,
with lows in the upper 60s and highs
in the upper 80s. Average rain ?
about three-quarters of an inch ? is
forecast.
shot at. But I've never had anything
kick me like this has. And there's
nothing you can do hut take it. But
I'm learning how to cope with it."
Crocker said doctors tell him the
tumor, which began as "the size of a
small watermelon," is responding to
treatment.
He is optimistic that his condition
will continue to improve enough to
allow him to return to work within a
month or two.
"I can't tell you enough how
much I appreciate everyone's thou
ghts and prayers," Crocker said.
"I'm not going to die. I'll be back!"
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