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Volume XLX - No. 18
Edenton, North Carolina. Thuraday, May 1, 1986
Single Copies 25 Cents
No Shock Intended
Here six days before the
primary, we would like to let
everyone along the Public Parade
know that we did not intend to
shock anyone with our endorse
ment of a Chowan County resident
for one of the two First District
house seats. If Mr. Frank Sellers
was shocked, perhaps it was
because he appears to be political
ly pretty highly charged himself.
We were speaking from long ex
perience when we observed that,
in multi-county districts, the
legislator naturally tends to repre
sent his home constituents more
effectively than others. In that
connection, Mr. Sellers used an
unfortunate example when he
referred to Rep. Charles Evans as
“having done as much for Chowan
and other countes in his district as
he did for his home county of
I Dare.”
It depends on what is meant by
“having done as much.” If that
means that he tried to present
their needs and desires to the
General Assembly, we can
witness that he did. But when it
came to appropriations, the
record will show that Dare Coun
ty obtained more special funding
| from the 1983-84 session than all
the other counties in the district
put together. Of course, a lot of it
was tied into the 400th anniver
sary celebration, but it went to
Dare County just the same.
As we said in our original arti
cle, none of this is to imply that
R.M. (Pete) "Thompson has no
► other qualifications than being a
resident of Chowan. People along
the Public Parade know that he is
Continued On Page 4
Many Vie For Seats
At May 6th Primary
The Primary campaigns for
local, state and national offices
are coming to a close and citizens
will take over next Tuesday when
they choose both partisan and
non-partisan favorites.
The non-partisan election will
be for the local Board of Educa
tion. The candidates for First
Township seats are Alice P. Jones
(appointed to fill an unexpired
term) challenged by Lois E. Jor
dan; J.M. Parrish, Jr. versus
Thomas I. Sharpe; and James
Taylor (incumbent) challenged
by Frank E. Cox, Paul E. Chap
pell, in the Third Township, is
unchallenged.
There are no contested
Republican races on the local
level. All of the local races for of
fice are contested on the
Democratic side except for Coun
ty Commissioner C.A. (Al)
Phillips who is running
unopposed.
There are four contestants in
the Chowan County Sheriff’s race.
They are Norman E. Bunch,
Delvin E. Jethro, Wayne Rice,
and E.C. Toppin.
Marjorie Hollowell, who now
fills the position of Clerk of
Superior Court for Chowan Coun
ty, is being challenged by
Marguerite B. McCall.
In the Chowan County Board of
Commissioners race are the
following candidates: for the First
Township seat, Joseph B.
Hollowell (incumbent) is
challenged by W. Carroll Smith;
and Second Township, Clara M.
Boswell (incumbent) is challeng
ed by W. David Ober.
In state races, six candidates
are vying for two seats for the
First District in the N.C. House of
Representatives. They are: Ver
non James (incumbent); R.M.
“Pete” Thompson; Winifred
“Winnie” Wood; Samuel A.
“Sam” Walker; Harry B. Schiff
man; and Audie V. Simon.
Senator Marc Basnight is runn
ing unopposed for his second term
in the N.C. Senate for the First
District.
Also on Tuesday’s ballot will be
two referendum issues for voter
consideration. The first would
change the N.C. Constitution to
provide for election of state and
local officials on odd-numbered
years. The other asks voters to
decide if they want a nuclear
waste disposal area in the state of
North Carolina.
A sample ballot for the May 6
Primary can be found on page 6A
of today’s edition.
The polling places are:
East Edenton: Old National
Guard Armory - parking is at the
rear of the building;
West Edenton: New Edenton
Chowan Rescue Squad Building
parking at the front and side of the
building;
Rocky Hock: Rocky Hock
Rescue Squad Building - parking
in front and side of building;
Center Hill: Crossroads Fire
Department - parking in front of
building;
Wardville: Gliden Rescue
Squad Building - parking in front
of building;
Yeopim: New National Guard
Armory - parking at front and side
of building.
CANDIDATES MEET AND GREET—Representative Vernon James (seated) exchanges a handshake
with Democratic candidate R.M. “Pete” Thompson at the Bake Shop in Gas Light Square Monday morn
ing. Others (1. to r.) are West Byrum, C.A. “Al” Phillips, Chowan County Commissioner ; and Jim Darnell.
Serving the coffee is Pearl Faircloth.
Incumbent Continues Active Campaign
Representative Vernon James
of the First District is taking
nothing for granted in his bid for
a tenth term in the N.C. General
Assembly. There are six can
didates in the Democratic
Primary race for two available
seats from the First District.
James was in Edenton Monday,
greeting voters, when he was
interviewed.
James, a native of Pasquotank
County, is a retired farmer and is
President and Manager of James
Bros., Inc., a produce supply
business.
Honors garnered during his
career include: Outstanding con
tributions to the N.C. Soybean
Assoc. Award and N.C. Farm
Bureau Federation Award for
Distinguished Service to
Agriculture, both in 1963; Award
from the N.C. Assoc, of County
Commissioners for Distinguished
Service to County Government
and N.C. Citizens, 1964; and N.C.
Assoc, of County Agents Award
for 1965.
James spoke of his early days of
earning a living. “I’ve plowed a
mule; drove a truck; and bought
and sold produce. I started off
with nothing,’’ he said. He said
that he had worked in a sawmill
for 10 cents an hour. In 1942, he
bought his first farm.
The incumbent was asked what
he felt were the main concerns of
citizens of the First District. He
cited education (both buildings
and programs), roads, health
care and clean water as high on
most people’s list of priorities.
He said that local citizens were
worried about funding of school
buildings and lunch room pro
grams for poor children due to
projected federal reductions for
education.
James said that “perhaps some
of the present programs do not
have to be replaced.’’ Concerning
replacement funding on the state
level, he said, “My answer is to in
crease the sales tax by one-half
cent which would bring in $178
million. My proposal would be to
distribute the funds to each coun
ty based on its population to go in
the county’s general fund.” He
Continued On Page 4
TV Forum
Democratic candidates for
the N.C. House of Represen
tatives, First District, will be
featured on WITN-TV, Channel
7, Monday evening at 7 p.m.
The idea for the program
originated with Harry Brinkley
Schiffman, candidate from
Manteo and reported by the
Chowan Herald in the April 17
edition.
According to WITN-TV news
director, Greg Albrecht, the
half-hour progam will air live
from the Washington County
Court House in Plymouth. He
said each of the six candidates
would be given 3>4 to 4 minutes
to state their positions, follow
ed by a brief analysis by news
personnel.
HEATED EXCHANGE—Former Edenton Mayor Roy Harrell addresses the Edenton Town Council and *
assembled citizens in an impassioned attempt to foil council’s action in revising the town’s charter at
a special meeting Tuesday evening.
Opposition Voiced Over Revisions
By JACK GROVE
The Edenton Town Council sail
ed through a relatively serene
meeting Tuesday evening until
DOT Plans
Area Meet
Facing critical funding short
falls, members of the state
Transportation Board will begin
the five-month process of deciding
how to set statewide highway con
struction priorities during a series
of 15 public meetings to start this
week.
The lead meeting will be held to
day at the Albemarle Commission
building in Hertford at 512 So.
Church Street. The session is due
to begin at 2 p.m. with registration
of speakers beginning at 1 p.m.
The purpose of the meetings is to
give local residents, businesses,
and government leaders an oppor
tunity to discuss various highway
construction projects to be includ
ed in the Transportation Improve
ment Program (TIP).
The four-laning of U.S. 17 is ex
pected to be of paramount interest
to local citizens. Other area
highways that are expected to be
discussed concerning widening
are U.S. 158 and U.S. 168. This
area’s main corridor to the west,
U.S. 64 is another main conern.
Four-laned west of Rocky Mount,
it narrows to two lanes from there
to Williamston.
Kenneth Roberson and Earl
Rountree, members of the
Transportation Board for this
area will be in attendance, along
with DOT staff members. Roun
tree is said to favor the recently
proposed “Roads to the Future’’
program of Governor James G.
Martin.
Martin’s program will be an
chored by the implementation of
savings efforts within the depart
ment; the creation of a trust fund
to provide a mew source of fun
ding; the generation of additional
revenue with a 2.75 cent per gallon
motor fuel tax increase; and the
transfer of the state Highway
Patrol and the Drivers Education
Program away from the Highway
Fund. This program is expected to
generate an additional $200
million for state roads.
The TIP is the department’s
basic planning document which
sets highway construction
priorities for the next 10 years. It
is updated annually at a series of
meetings state-wide.
In light of the DOT’S budget
shortfalls this year, there will be
concern on how to hold on to many
projects that are scheduled but
threatened by a shortage of funds.
Typically, discussions at TIP
meetings center on adding new
projects to the program, accor
ding to the DOT.
the end of the meeting when com
ments were heard from residents
in a packed Council chamber.
Dealing with the agenda, the
council approved bids for con
struction of the electric line pro
ject to serve the town’s proposed
land application system and for
renovation of the overhead water
storage tank located on Park
Avenue; set May 13 as a hearing
date for a proposed annexation of
land into the town upon which a
motel would be built; and gave
David Etheridge an additional 60
day extension to complete renova
tion at Oakum Street property.
The last agenda item sparked
acrimony. Council gave approval
of a final draft revision of the
Town’s Charter and approved a
resolution requesting that the
General Assembly ratify it as
special legislation.
Councilman Steve Hampton’s
was the dissenting vote on both
votes regarding the charter. Con
cerning the draft revision, Hamp
ton said, “I wish council would
take a lot of thought on this. I wish
council would listen to the people
on this.” Councilman Herbert
Hollowed said that the existing
charter was “in conflict with the
law.” He said that presently, the
Mayor and Town Administrator
both have authority to administer
town departments.
Hampton said of the resolution
requesting General Assembly ac
tion, “I was under the impression
that the Legislature would not
touch it if it was not a unanimous
vote of the council. I feel it’s tak
ing away the effectiveness of the
council.”
The revision to the Town
Charter has two primary
changes: a four-year term for the
office of Mayor rather than the
present two-year term; and a
change from a Mayor-Council
form of town administration to a
Council-Town Manager form, giv
ing the mSiiager total hiring and
firing authority.
Upon the conclusion of regular
business, former Mayor Roy Har
rell rose to again challenge the
council’s actions. He said, “This
is about the lowest spot that I’ve
seen the Town Council in in a long
time.” He charged that Coun
cilman Hollowell tried to get the
same measure passed in 1979
Continued On Page 4
•"T mi—ti .t
CHANGING OF THE GUARD—The Chowan County Democratic
Women’s organization has elected Lueta Sellers, left as their new Presi
dent. With her is outgoing President, Pansy Elliott.
Defendants Dropped From Suit
Chowan County’s long-standing
litigation passed another milepost
on April 14, when Judge Bradford
Tillery signed an order in Superior
Court dismissing all defendants in
the Emmett H. Wiggins case ex
cept the county tax supervisor.
In an action which dates back to
the late 1940’s, Mr. Wiggins is
seeking to have a cloud removed
from his title to property in the
Rocky Hock community and had
named the State of North
Carolina, the North Carolina State
Board of Education, the North
Carolina Real Property Office, the
office of Attorney General, the
Chowan register of deeds, the
board of county commissioners,
the county tax supervisor and
other officers and individual’s as
defendants.
Judge Tillery’s ruling, however,
drops all the parties defendant ex
cept Dallas Jethro, the county tax
supervisor, who has now been in
vited, in a letter dated April 7, to
meet with Mr. Wiggins in an effort
to work out a mutually agreeable
settlement.
“I’d appreciate you arranging,
at your earliest convenience, a
meeting with me in your office on
the subject of my three pieces of
property and their proper
registry, boundaries, acreage,
and source of titles thereto,” Mr.
Wiggins says in his letter. “It is,
as you have said, time these mat
ters were resolved once and for
all.”
nJ£Sh.. Primary Day — May 6
. . . Vote For The
Candidates Of Your Choice