Following Resignations, EHA Commission Effectively Dissolved
By JACK GROVE
A series of Town Council
meetings over the past week have
resulted in the abolition of the
Eden ton Housing Authority and
the resignation of its Executive
Director, Bruce White.
The authority, established to
provide low-coat housing for
Edenton’s lower income popula
tion, has come under fire recent
ly from town officials due to a
critical occupancy and financial
audit. The report, authored by the
Greensboro regional office of the
U.S. Dept, of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) listed 15
discrepancies, many of which it
said were repeat violations of its
regulations.
At an Aug. 12 council meeting,
a motion was passed to draw up
a resolution to abolish the EHA
and set a meeting for last Friday
to consider the resolution. The
Friday meeting, with only two
spectators (the press and a town
employee) saw the resolution and
an ordinance to abolish the
authority passed unanimously.
Another resolution asked for the
immediate resignation of White
and offered him 90 days severance
pay in return for the waiver of his
right to institute legal proceedings
against the town. Immeidate
resignations were also asked of
the five commissioners of the
EHA, Gerald Lassiter, Haywood
Harrell, Ken Lowe, Daisey Bern
bry and Odessa Collins.
Town Man&ger Sam Noble told
the council that he and Coun
cilmen E.N. Manning and Willis
Privott had met in his office with
HUD officials. He said that the
federal officials called White’s of
fice to meet with him that day and
review EHA records.
The HUD staffers were
reportedly told that White was not
at work that day and that no one
was to be permitted access to his
office. A federal statute requires
access to public housing nsrtwri
ty records.
The Town Council also
unanimously passed a measure
providing that letters be sent to
the U.S. Congressional delegation
(Sen. Jesse Helms, Sen. James
Broyhill and Cong. Walter B.
Jones) requesting that they ask
for a General Accounting Office
investigation of the EHA. This is
to clear the way for the town’s of
ficial takeover of the authority on
November 17, 1986. Mayor John
Dowd said, “They will conduct a
thorough audit from day one.”
Also at the Friday meeting,
council discussed the subject of
school crossing guards. Noble told
the council, “The school system
doesn’t want the responsibility”
for administration of the pro
gram. School Superintendent
John Dunn suggested that the
town assume all costs of the pro
gram and the schools would con
sider assuming the responsibility
and liability for the program, the
council was told.
No decision was made to find
out how their crossing guard pro
. grams were administered.
Another special council meeting
was held Tuesday at 1 p.m. Noble
told the council that authority
director White had balked at sign
ing away his right to sue the town.
A unanimous vote of council
deleted this stricture and Town
Attorney C. Christopher Bean an
nounced that he had the resigna
tions of White, and commissioners
Harrell, Lowe and Lassiter. He
said that with three resignations,
the EHA Commission was effec
tively dissolved since there could
no longer be a quorum.
Councilmen approved the im
mediate placement of the authori
ty responsibilities under Stella
Brothers, head of the town’s Com
munity Development Office. She
will divide her time equally bet
Continued On Page 4
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume ill • No. 33
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, August 21, 1986
Single Copies 25 Cents
The PACs Vs The People
Common Cause, in launching its
campaign against Political Action
Committees (PACs), says the
more than $100,000,000 they
poured into congressional cam
paigns during 1984 is a threat to
our system of representative
government.
And now, as a first step, the U.S.
Senate has passed a bill limiting
the amount congressional can
didates may receive from this
source—$100,000 for house can
didates and $175,000 to $750,000 for
senate candidates, the total vary
ing according to the population of
the state. The limit for North
Carolina would be $385,000.
It’s too bad this legislation, if
concurred in by the house, will not
go into effect until the UBS round
of elections. Already the upper
limits are being passed in the cur
rent campaigns and the big spen
ding days are still ahead.
Up in the Ninth District, Rep.
Alex McMillan, the darling of the
PACs, continues to rake in the
money from these special interest
groups, as does Senator James
Broyhill, who, although a
freshman in the upper house, is an
old hand at taking money from the
PACs while condemning “special
interests.”
As of June 30, Rep. McMillan
Continued On Page 4
Board Approves
Additional Funding
The state Board of Transporta
tion has approved an ad<Htional
|6.9 million for secondary road
construction during the next fiscal
year. Of that amount, Chowan
Coounty will receive a total of
$109,683.
The extra allocation is due, in
part, to the “Roads to the Future”
program initiated by Governor
Jim Martin last spring and
adopted by the General Assembly
in July.
At its July 11 meeting, the board
had allocated $*7.9 million for use
on the state’s secondary road
system.
The total $54.8 million secon
dary road allocation will be
distributed to each county using a
formula based on the number of
miles of unpaved state-main
tained secondary roads in the
county as compared with the total
number miles of unpaved state
maintained secondary roads in
the state. Chowan County
statistics showed an unpaved
mileage of 35.01.
The money is to be used for con
struction, safety and stabilization
work on thp county’s secondary
roads.
Continued On Page 4
at the Chowan Hospital
on Tuesday, August 26th
Bloodmobile
Sponsored by the Edenton Jaycees
from 3:00 til 7:00
Goal is 100 pints
Board Announces Free
And Reduced Meals Policy
The Edenton-Chowan Board of
Education has announced its
policy for free and reduced price
meals for children unable to pay
the full price of meals served
under the National School Lunch,
and School Breakfast Programs.
Each school and the central office
has a copy of the policy, which
may be reviewed by any in
terested party.
Eligibility will be determined on
the following household size and
income:
Children from families whose
Man Victim
Of Hit And
Run Accident
A Chowan County man was
found dead early Sunday morn
ing, the apparent victim of a hit
and Tun accident. Russell T.
Saunders, 44, of Rt. 3 Edenton,
was found on the pavement on the
Rocky Hock Road between the
Rocky Hock Baptist Church and
the Rocky Hock Grocery.
Chowan Deputy Sheriff David
Jethro was the first officer at the
scene and set the time of the acci
dent at about 1:50 a.m. Sunday.
Chowan County Medical Ex
aminer, Dr. Leibert DeVine pro
nounced the victim dead at the
scene.
State Trooper W.M. Long, in
vestigating officer, was not
available at press time for com
ment. Jethro said that a mobile
crime unit from the State Bureau
of Investigation was called to the
scene Sunday.
The deputy sheriff said clear
tracks of a vehicle crossed the
ditch, up the bank and back onto
the roadway where the body was
found.
An investigation is continuing.
The Exceptional.” Sharing in
rohn Dunn (partially hidden).
income is at or below the levels
shown are eligible for free or
reduced price meals.
Application forms are being
sent to all homes with a letter to
parents or guardians. To apply for
free or reduced price meals,
households should fill out the ap
plication and return it to the
school. Additional copies are
available at the principal’s office
in each school. The information
provided on the application will be
used for the purpose of determin
ing eligibility. Household income
may be verified at any time dur
ing the school year by school or
other program officials.
For the school officials to deter
mine eligibility, the household
must provide the following infor
mation listed on the application:
names of all household members,
social security numbers of all
adult household members or a
statement that the household
member does not possess one;
total household imcome; and the
signature of an adult household
member certifying that the infor
mation provided is correct.
Households are required to
report increases in household in
come of over $50 per month or $600
per year and decreases in
household size. Households
receiving food stamps may pro
vide their food stamp program
case number instead of income in
formation. Applications may be
submitted at any time during the
year.
Under the provisions of the free
and reduced price policy the prin
cipals of the schools will review
applications and determine
eligibility. If a parent or guardian
is dissatisfied with the ruling of
the official, he may wish to
discuss the decision with the
determining official on an infor
mal basis. If the parent wishes to
Continued On Page 4
1111*11 sk n—i—■k.toi»Ws-1a tm.
SURROUNDED—This home on Pembroke Circle was completely surrounded by water backed up Hur
ricane Charley’s winds Sunday afternoon. The water was about 18 inches deep in the street (foreground).
Hurricane Charley Leaves Edenton With Little Damage
f- ' ■ : *
He was born in the Gulf of Mex
ico as a tropical depression, mov
ed to a position off the coast of
South Carolina, becoming a
tropical storm and was named
Charley. Sitting there for some 36
hours he picked up strength and
reached hurricane status with
winds of 75 mph.
Charley then set a course early
Sunday that would sweep across
the Pamlico and Albemarle
Sounds and Tidewater Virginia
and up the east coast.
Hurricane warnings were out,
but little damage and no injuries
resulted in Edenton and Chowan
County. A check with local
emergency agencies revealed
that not even a fender bender oc
curred during the storm.
Heavy rains Sunday afternoon,
tree limbs down around the area
and localized flooding were the
most serious results from the
storm. At 4:30 p.m., a storm surge
from the hurricane’s winds rais
ed water levels in Albemarle
Sound, Edenton Bay and the
Chowan River by several feet.
Water stood a foot deep across
Broad Street from the Barker
House to the Municipal Building.
Also flooded was the curve on
Pembroke Circle and a low sec
tion of Business 17 south in front
of Edenton Marina.
The downed tree limbs did no
reported damage in Edenton.
Some 20 to 25 customers of the
Edenton utility department were
without power for a short time as
the result of a tree falling across
electric lines on U.S. 17 south.
According to a spokesman at
the Edenton-Chowan EMS office,
plans were in place to open
emergency shelters but it was
found to be unnecessary. Only one
worried resident called during the
storm the spokesman said. EMS
personnel were in touch with the
drawbridge operator on the
Albemarle Sound Bridge who
reported the highest winds at his
location were 50 mph during the
storm.
While Hurricane Charley came
closer to this area than any recent
hurricane, passing between the
Outer Banks and Chowan County,
he proved to be far less menacing
than at first thought.
Association Hosts Summer Evening Gala
The Cupola House Association
will host its’ Annual Summer’s
Evening Gala on Friday, Septem
ber 5, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Mr.
and Mrs. Richard Dixon have
again offered the grounds of
Beverly Hall, West King Street,
for an evening featuring enter
tainment and a cocktail buffet.
An open bar will be provided by
Tarheel Bank, Peoples Bank and
Trust Co., North Carolina Na
tional Bank and Edenton Savings
and Loan.
Tickets are $30 for a couple, $15
for an individual and may be pur
chased by calling Mrs. Alice Bond
at 482-3305 or at the Gala. Pro
ceeds go toward special projects
Meet The Candidate
Sponsored
A coffee, honoring Republican
candidate Shirley E. Perry, is
slated for Saturday, Aug. 23 from
10-11 a.m. at the Holiday Inn in
Elizabeth City.
The meet the candidate affair is
being sponsored by her friends in
the First District. Perry will com
pete in the November election for
one of two seats in the N.C. House
of Representatives.
to enhance the house.
The high priority project this
year is to restore the paintings of
Thomas and Penelope Barker and
Penelope’s nephew Thomas
Hodgson.
Vandals Virtually
Destroy House
A house was virtually destroyed
by vandals over the weekend.
Deputy Sheriff Wayne Rice, in
vestigating officer, said that the
former home of Neal Griffin, is
located on a side road near the
Bolden Bridge on Mexico Road.
Griffin still owns the property.
The extensive damage included
holes punched in sheet rock and
paneling, grafitti spray painted on
walls, all but one window broken,
paneling torn off walls, light fix
tures destroyed, holes punched
through the walls and doors and
frames chopped up with an axe.
The deputy set the damage at
$5,500.
Rice said that two boys, ages 13
and 14, who were seen in the area,
were interviewed. Both confessed
to the damage and were charged.
Disposition of the case and names
of the offenders cannot be made
public by state law, juvenile
authorities said.