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
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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.
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Volume XLm. —No. 24.
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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