Public parade 'Fever' Spreads . Governors in the past have been l about the only people on the state * level not immuned to “legislative fever.” There are recent in dications, however, that Com missioner of Agriculture James A. Graham has succumbed to the “disease”. . he was forced to reveal his position on the Coastal Area Management Act. Since Com missioner Graham has a tendency to have friends on both sides of an' issue, it is somewhat painful for him to have to side up to either, publicly. In this case, it was so painful that he WFOte his own piece of legislation. He ran into a problem. He could not find a sponsor in the General Assembly. The tardiness of it, however, causes one to wonder if there was really rain in the cloud, or did the storm have more thunder than water? y While he vows to favor land-use planning, he is shy on its im plementation and enforcement, wanting to extract all the teeth from CAMA. The commissioner’s proposal is filled with mish mash and double talk, indicative of what comes from a legal mind, not a man of the soil. It brings back the story of a legislator who moved to amend a bill to render it useless. “I don’t want to kill this fish,” he ex plained. “I just want to remove his guts.” Farm land is adequately protected by CAMA, so long as it continues to be used for that purpose. In order to have an or derly, meaningful and complete plan for a given area, farm land must be considered. There would 4 he nothing less than chaos, otherwise. Another indication that Mr. Graham may be suffering from “legislative fever” is his June 10 statement, in which he “reaf firmed his opposition to any in crease in cigarette taxes.” He said that any increase in North Carolina’s cigarette taxes would signal other states to increase their’s. Well? His fear that such increases would drastically curtail the use of smokes can be questioned. The Surgeon General’s “scare” statement printed on the packs hasn’t run any tobacco companies out of business. If people don’t care about their health they certainly won’t let a penny or two more tax keep them from feeding their habit. These must certainly be dog nays for the genial commissioner. We hope he recovers before he is asked whether the proposed School of Veterinary Medicine should be in Raleigh or Greens boro. He has friends on both sides! Touching Base Well, we went over to Mecklenburg last weekend to be valet and pay the bills as the mother-nurse in our family at tended a reunion for the School of Nursing at Charlotte Memorial Hospital. It was really an ex perience. After listening to tales shared by those who had not seen each other in 28 years we-were convinced that the liars don’t meander along the' Public Parade. While she played the reunion role Saturday we went up to Elkin to have lunch with Mother. At 92 she enjoys good health. Although she scratched Edenton off her visiting list this last time wound she vows that .after three months at Shatley Springs we will get first reteal. It was those 80 miles on 1-77 that we made up our mind about the twin-trailer hassle which is ap- I right and ' you with t in- ■ 7 *• ' V - t k 9| | I| >-‘ r , 15 > -" k C £ £ George M. Wood Eltfied NCSU Trustee CHAPEL HILL George M. Wood of Camden has been elected to a new term on the Board of Trustees,of N.C. State University. He formerly served as chairman of that board. Wood was elected by the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina. From 1973 until 1976 he was a member of the Board of Governors. He resigned in order to be a candidate for the Democratic nomination governor. He was elected to the NCSU post for a four-year term. Wood has served in both the State House and Senate and is active in civic endeavors on the local, area and state levels. He heads the agribusiness firm of F.P. Wood & Sons, Inc., in Camden and has petroleum interests throughout Northeastern North Carolina. Local Democratic Convention Set The Chowan County Democratic Convention will be held at 12-noon Saturday in the courthouse, with all registered party members urged to attend. George Alma Byrum, chairman of the county executive com mittee, said the purpose of the convention is to elect officers, appoint committees, and name delegates to various functions. “I hope there will be a good representation of Democrats at this convention,” Byrum stated. Earlier at precinct meetings, Continued On Page 4 w Dr. J. H. Horton Dr. Horton Man Os Year Dr. J. H. Horton of Edenton was named Man of the Year Saturday by the Old North State Dental Society in Raleigh. This is the second honor for Dr. Horton in little more than a month. On May 8 he was presented an honorary degree from St. AiMttetine’s College, citing his “dedication to public service and attainment of democratic prin cipals,” Active in Community affairs, Dr. Horton has been a member of Edenton-Cbowan Board of Education since March, 1967, and vice chairman of the board since January, 1973. Dr. Horton is active in Die Alliance For Progress, Inc., a six county educational consortium, served as president., of St. Augustine’s National Alumni the t^!^HQsnsitt^B^B r Town Tax Rate Up Five Cents The Town of Edenton will operate on a $3,733,514 budget during the next fiscal year which requires a tax rate of 69 cents per SIOO valuation—up five cents from the current year. I The budget was approved by Town Council Tuesday night after they added a penny to the rate in order to pay members of boards for attending meetings and pur chase liability insurance for public officials. The public is becoming more legal minded, Councilman Jesse Harrell stated, and public officials deserve protection. MwtoJ w»- • w w dm Bil l m* ML Volume XLm. —No. 24. ijt Yfl Ka J I it: tUfolV'* f iSa - "A, >. Bia 'Rf 5 VUagT' ti* " "1. *»■ JEk vMy xKf -a*-" . i -MSp J pp: l "" , hi ■ jflH 11 Jn- ’ WMI ' ' * . .„ 'l.. 7 ' '* A “ - - ■ • - .. ■- , f y ’ ' .... •.. .< - i. ' -••••* MAKING IT OFFICIAL Riley S. Monels, Jr., chairman, Albemarle Regional Planning & Development Commission, applies a shovel to the soft soil at the site of the Perquimans County- ARPDC office building in Hertford. Official ground-breaking ceremonies were held Monday morning. Others taking part were, from left, Joe Nowell, a county commissioner; Mayor Bill Cox; Lester Simpson, chairman of Perquimans County-commissioners; and Robert Whitley, ARPDC executive director. Construction Os Offices Begun HERTFORD Construction on the $500,000 Perquimans County and Albemarle Regional Planning & Development Commission office building was made official Monday morning at ground breaking ceremonies. Rose Brothers Construction Company of Ahoskie had already done considerable site work before Lester Simpson, chairman, Perquimans County com missioners, and his colleague, Riley S. Monds, Jr., chairman, ARPDC, turned the first spades of dirt. They were followed by a third county commissioner, Joel Nowell, Mayor Bill Cox, and Robert Whitley, ARPDC executive Mrs. Hoskins Reappointed Mrs. George C. Hoskins, 310 South Mosely Street, a veteran member and former chairman of the Chowan County Board of Elections, has been reappointed to a two-year term. The State Board of Elections also reappointed Mrs. Byron P. Kehayes, 113 Pembroke Circle, and appointed Robert S. Harrell, Route 1, Edenton. Harrell replaces Earl Britton on the board. Mrs. Kehayes, a Republican, now serves as chairman and Mrs. Hoskins is secretary. The board members will be sworn in Tuesday in the office of Mrs. Lena M. Leary, clerk of Superior Court. They will then meet to elect a chairman and a secretary. Mrs. Joseph Tborud serves as executive secretary to the board. The members were appointed from a list of recommendations sent in by the Democratic and Republican parties in the county. This year, since the governor is a Democrat, there are two of his' party on the board and one ■ Republican. Members who serve on boards appointed by the town will receive $lO for each meeting attended. The budget includes $4,000 for this item. W. B. Gardner, town ad ministrator, said the budget in cludes a 10 per cent pay increase for town employees. Otherwise, it is a “hold the line” budget with a tax increase only to cover in flation. “There are no new employees and no new programs included in next year’s budget,” Gardner stated. Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, June 16, 1977. director. Simpson and Mayor Cox both said they were pleased to have been funded by Economic Development Administration for the project which will primarily house ARPDC, now headquar tered in Edenton. “This is a project and a building for all 10 counties in the Albemarle Area,” Simpson stated. He added that Perquimans especially ap preciated the support realized from the other counties in the area. The building, situated on a six acre tract owned by the county, will sit 345 back from the road. It will contain 11,163 square feet of floor space of which 7,500 will be used by ARPDC and a 1,200 square foot wing for the county. It will have a 1,600 square-foot multi purpose room plus a core area. It was designed by Williams and Works of Sanford. L.P. Cox Construction Co., of Sanford, has HUD OK’s Local Grant First District Rep. Walter B. Jones announced this week the approval by the Department of Housing & Urban Development of Section 8 Housing Assistance Funds in the amount of $119,844 to Economic Improvement Council, Inc., headquartered in Edenton. The funds are to be utilized in assisting 284 low income families living in Chowan, Perquimans, Camden, Gates, Currituck, / Washington, Dare, Hyde and Pasquotank counties in the form of rent subsidies. “This program has been in effect approximately one year and has been invaluable in providing low income families with more adequate houses and a better environment,” the congressman stated. Gil Johnson directs the program. Also, the anticipated electric rate increase from Vepco is not included. “We’ll have to take care of that at the time,” he added. Gardner said the budget was adopted based on the assumption that Chowan County will par ticipate in the Fire, Recreation and Police departments. The property tax will bring in $291,000, based on a valuation of $45-million and 95 per cent collection. The other big item of estimated revenue is the transfer of $214,330 from the Utility Department, the $295,000 general contract. Other contractors are: Rose Brothers, $66,800 for site and utility work; Raper Plumbing & Heating of Elizabeth City $23,760; Stuart Shinn Electric Company of Greenville, $26,160; and Baker Heating Company of Wilson, SBI,OOO. Bank Officers Are Promoted ROCKY MOUNT Peoples Bank and Trust Company City Executive Vann Johnson today announced the promotion of two officers of the bank’s Edenton office. Mrs. Evelyn Keeter was promoted to the office of assistant vice president and cashier and Mrs. Betty Bunch was elected assistant vice president. Mrs Keeter is a native of Chowan County and a graduate of John A. Holmes High School. She joined Peoples Bank in 1956 and has served as a bookkeeper, teller and clerk in the bank's Edenton office. She is a member of the National Association of Bank Women (NABW) and is past treasurer of the D.F. Walker P.T.A. She is treasurer of the Edenton-Chowan Band Parents Association and has served as treasurer of the Chowan Chapter of the N.C. Heart B a Mrs. Evelyn Keeler The town anticipates $77,500 from the 1 per cent local option sales tax and $172,000 from the Revenue Sharing. The Electric Fund is $2,121,973 and the Water and Sewer Fund is $292,869. General Fund budget include: Administrative 84,174; Police Department 217,100; Fire Department 84,153; Street Department 92,000; Sanitation Department 91,225; Cemetery Department 17,525; Garage 49,650; Mosquito Control 12,000; Recreation Department 58,815 and Other Expenses 169,030. liflfsyyif Single Copies 15 Cents. Enforcement Plan Adopted Edenton Town Council adopted an Implementation and En forcement Plan in compliance with the Coastal Area Management Act Tuesday night. A public hearing on the plan turned into a forum for residents to voice objection to construction of multi-family dwellings on Edenton Bay. George Alma Byrum, a former mayor, and his brother, Thomas, have received a special use permit from the Zoning Board of Ad justments to build town houses on the waterfront. Their plans are now before the Historic District Commission, which is to pass on the appropriateness of the design. Those who spoke in opposition were told their only recourse was through the courts since the council has no jurisdiction in the matter. This came as a surprise to those attending. The opposition was armed with a letter from Dr. Larry E. Tise, director, Division of Archives and History which stated: “The in troduction of a highly visible and thus inappropriate construction and fill into the waterfront of Edqnton Bay would constitute a seriously destructive intrusion into what is perhaps the most sensitive single area of the town,’’ he wrote W. T. Culpepper, 111, chairman of the commission and Historic Edenton, Inc. Dr. Tise also indicted his department would oppose any attempt by the developers to obtain any type of permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. Vann Johnson, who resides on Continued On Page 4 Association since 1967. Mrs. Keeter is a member of the Edenton Baptist Church where she is a member of the adult choir. She is married to Fred E. Keeter of Edenton and they have five children: Deborah, 20, of Raleigh; Susan, 13; Karen, 10; Robert, eight and John, four. Mrs. Bunch, also a native of Chowan County, is a graduate of Chowan High School at Tyner. She has been associated with Peoples Bank for 12 years and has served as a bookkeeper, commercial note teller and loan officer. An active member of the Rocky Hock Baptist Church, Mrs. Bunch has served as Acteen leader. Sunday School teacher and member of the Officers and Teachers Nominating Committee. She is married to Wayne Bunch of Edenton and they have two children: Teresa Jean, eight and Alta Sonya, four. i i Mrs. Betty Bunch