Hangups and Free Falls
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For the Reagan administra
tion, October 19-24 turned out
to be the week that was. But the
President probably wishes it
was the week that never was.
To begin with, the stock
market dive knocked the pins
from under Reaganomics.
Morning in American be
came the morning after.
Then his Bork turned out to
be worse than his bite. His
Supreme Court nominee was
rejected by a vote of 58 to 42,
with members of his own
party going against him.
And, on he heels of that, he
was pushed into modifying
his stand against a tax in
crease as a means of lowering
the federal deficit.
All of these were bitter pills
to swallow.
But that was not all. In the
midst of all this, the First
Lady went to Bethesda Naval
hospital for cancer surgery,
from which all Americans
wish her a speedy recovery.
All told, it was probably the
worst run of bad luck Ronald
Reagan had ever experienced
during his seven years in of
fice. And much depends on
how he reacts to it.
We don't know whether
Ronald Reagan's policies
were responsible for the stock
crash. We had felt for some
time that too much of its rise
could be attributed to hype, as
can so many other things in
America today. But when the
market reached such heights
that there was no visible
means of support, investors
stopped wondering where the
top was and began thinking
about where the bottom was.
Many analysts attribute this
sildden turn around to the
towering fiscal and trade
deficits which the United
States continues to run. That,
no doubt, had something to do
with the fall of the dollar on
the money markets of the
world. But we cannot escape
the feeling that the stock mar
ket was badly oversold, what
with all the takeover talk and
perceived opportunities for a'
quick buck—or millions of
them, to be more precise.
At any rate, we hope the
market levels out and stabi
lizes somewhere before the
masses begin to lose confi
dence in the economy. Those
of us who go back to the Great
Depression can recall what
happens when the man on the
street stops spending what lit
tle money he has.
We had no strong feelings
about the Bork nomination,
but we feel the President badly
misjudged the temper of the
U.S. Senate and the national
commitment to a broad sweep
of civil rights. Since federal
judges are appointed for life,
Continued On Page 4
THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume 11 III • No. 44
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, November 5, 1987 Single Copies 25 Cents
Mayor Narrowly Wins Re-Election
By JACK GROVE
Edenton voters reelected an
incumbent mayor and coun
cilwoman and chose two
newcomers for council seats
on Tuesday.
Mayor John Dowd narrowly
defeated former mayor Roy
Harrell in the closest of four
municipal races. Dowd re
ceived 804 votes to Harrell’s
790. Harrell's strength came
from East Edenton where he
had a 155 margin and Dowd
took West Edenton with a 157
margin and a 20 vote margin
in absentee ballots. Harrell
had an eight vote margin in
transfers.
Crummey handily defeated
her opponents in the at-large
race, receiving 604 votes.
James Taylor tallied 477 votes
and Joe Lee, 465.
Newcomers to the council
are Jimmy Alligood and Liv
ingstone Goodman. Alligood
turned out 19-year council
veteran Herbert Hollowell in
the fist ward race with a 248 to
219 total.
The second ward race was a
three-way contest for new
comers for the seat of retiring
councilman Steve Hampton.
Goodman won with a 167 total,
Steve Biggs with 147 and Jane
Mabry with 96.
Alligood and Hollowell met
on the steps of the old court
house after the results were
announced and exchanged
congratulations on good
campaigns. Asked to com
ment on his success, Alligood
responded, "A lot of hard
work. Just getting out and
meeting the people. Every
body.”
-Marina Crummey was also
at the elections office at the
courthouse and said, "I
worked real hard and I
appreciate all the support."
Speaking of Goodman's vic
tory, she said, "He did it qui
etly but worked hard, just as I
did."
Responding in the same
vein Tuesday night, Good
man commented, "I went out
and attempted to meet every
voter in the ward."
Some 300 Dowd supporters
gathered at Caroline's and the
Carolina Room at Gaslight
Square at 7 p.m., thirty min
utes prior to the closing of the
polls. Many expressed ner
vousness and tenseness as the
time for the election results
approached.
Dowd waited quietly outside
for news from his campaign
manager, David Twiddy, who
was stationed at the elections
office.
When the results were
known, Dowd told the crowd
in the Carolina Room, "Looks
I like we've got a mandate this
time, 14 votes," to applause
and relieved laughter. The
mayor thanked his campaign
manager and the many others
he credited with his reelec
tion.
Dowd has a special thank
you for Luther Parks who he
said had worked particularly
hard for him. The gift was a
Kelly green jacket, the color
associated with this year's
campaign as it was in 1985.
The crowd also heard Dowd
say, "People asked me why I
wanted to do this. I didn't
want to do it. But I couldn't let
down the people who worked
in my last campaign.”
In the 1985 election, Dowd
defeated Harrell, then an in
cumbent mayor, by a vote of
890 to 800. Due to a change in
the town’s charter, Dowd will
serve a four-year term rather
than the previous term of two
years for mayor.
This year's voter turnout
was down from the 1985 elec
tion. This year saw a 56 per
cent (1,618) turnout of regis
tered voters. In 1985, there was
a 63 per cent turnout or 1,727
rotes cast.
The East Edenton Precinct
reported in first Tuesday
night. A phone call from the
West Edenton Precinct sent
election officials hurrying
over to the new Rescue Squad
building. The paper balked at
being removed from the back
of voting machines there ac
cording to Marie Akins of the
Election Board. Figures were
read from the machines any
way and the machine problem
had no effect on the election
she said.
Election figures are unoffi
cial until "canvass day," to
day at 11 a.m. At that time the
Election Board meets to cer
tify the election.
Totals for the elections by
precinct are:
West Edenton - Dowd, 457,
Harrell, 300; Crummey, 309,
Lee, 210, Taylor, 213; Alli
good, 231, Hollowell, 210;
Biggs, 8, Goodman, 57,
Mabry, 15.
East Edenton - Dowd, 308,
Harrell, 463; Crummey, 265,
Lee, 230, Taylor, 255; Biggs,
134, Goodman, 101, Mabry, 79.
Joint Shelter Is Studied
A dramatic rise in the activ
ity of the county's animal
control department and inad
equate facilities for animals
at the shelter at the airport
have prompted county com
missioners to consider a joint
animal shelter venture with
Gates County.
Commissioners Monday
were presented with statistics
that showed an annual rate of
calls of 471 in 1985 and 1,399
this year. In 1985, 574 dogs
and 104 cats were picked up.
In 1987, 670 dogs and 463 cats
were picked up. Of those ani
mals, 71 dogs and four cats
were adopted in 1985 and 187
dogs and 67 cats were adopted
this year. A projection for
next year shows even higher
numbers.
The present shelter at the
airport does not provide ade
quate shelter from the ele
ments and is often over
crowded.
County Manager Cliff
Copeland told the board that he
had been approached by Gates
County Manager Eddie Mc
Duffie with the joint shelter
proposal. Gates is just begin
ning an animal control pro
gram and currently has no
shelter.
Reasons given for the joint
venture were reduced con
struction cost for an adequate
facility and reduced overhead
costs for operation. The new
shelter would be constructed
MINI-CAUCUS-Regional meetings of northeastern state legislators are held monthly locally.
>3|Pbe first was held in Edenton at Caroline's in Gaslight Square. Prom left are Rep. R.M. (Pete)
;. Thompson of Chowan, Rep. Brewster Brown of Winton, (hidden by Thompson) Sen. Marc
: Basnight of Manteo, Rep. Howard Chapin of Beaufort County, Mrs. Chapin, Keith Fearing of
I . Dare County, Rep. Vernon James, Pasquotank and Rep. Gene Rogers of Williamston (back to
camera).
in the northern end of the
county with the present facil
ity maintained as a tempo
rary holding facility while
officers work the southern end
of the county.
SPCA representatives at the
meeting were complimentary
of the animal control program
and its principal officer
Jerome Purvis.
Mary Nefedov pointed out
that ownerless animals and
those with owners "are all
thrown in together” in the
present facility. Of the large
number of animals picked up
she said, "People are part of
the problem in not being re
sponsible pet owners." The
SPCA consistently urges that
pets be spayed or neutered and
that owners with missing an
imals immediately contact
the animal control depart
ment.
"By the way, what we have at
the airport is not a shelter by
state definition but a pound,"
Mrs. Nefedov told the board.
She also said, "At least 75
percent of them (animals
picked up) have to be put
Continued On Page 4
Bicentennial
Fete Is Slated
An interesting and enter
taining program has been
planned to celebrate the
Chowan County Bicentennial
on Sunday, November 8. On
this date in Edenton in 1787,
the first public movement in
North Carolina was made to
favor the Constitution.
The revised program of
events is as follows:
• 2:30 p.m. - 392nd Army
Band Concert in Courthouse
Green
• 3:30 p.m. - Speeches by
winners of contest sponsored
by Chowan Arts Council
• 3:45 p.m. - Mr. Fred Root
performs as "Dr. Hugh
Wil4iamson”
• 4:00 p.m. - John A. Holmes
Drama Class presents Re-en
actment of the 1787 Grand
Jury meeting
• 4:30 p.m. - Ringing of the
Courthouse bells.
This event is sponsored by
the Chowan County Bicenten
nial Committee. The public is
encouraged to attend this
once-in-a-lifetime event.
The public is also encour
aged to display American
Flags at all homes and busi
nesses in our community on
this special day.
Dowd
^ -■rt. yvv %% ■ mmm
Crummey
Goodman Alligood
Vets' Day Observance Set
Edenton's Edward G. Bond
Post 40 of the American Le
gion has announced plans for
Veterans Day, November 11
and approved a resolution that
seeks to have the new Albe
marle Sound bridge named
"Veterans Memorial
Bridge."
For Veterans Day, the Post
plans a wreath-laying cere
mony at the statue at the foot of
Broad Street at 11 a.m. on
Wednesday. Following this
ceremony, Legionnaires will
proceed to Beaver Hill Ceme
tery to raise a new flag in
honor of deceased veterans.
The public is urged to attend
both ceremonies to honor those
who have served their country
in the military.
The bridge resolution recog
nizes that the new bridge un
der construction is the first of
its type in North America and
the longest in North Carolina.
It would be the first major
structure in the state named to
honor the veterans of North
Carolina and the United
States.
There is a precedent for the
naming of a major bridge for
veterans. Several northeast
ern states have previously
honored veterans in this
manner.
Post 40 is seeking to enlist
the support of other veterans
organizations and public
officials and state and federal
agencies. American Legion
officials at the state level have
reportedly enthusiastically
embraced the proposal, al
Continued On Page 4
Legislators
Are Appointed
RALEIGII-Rep. (Pete)
Thompson of Chowan has
been appointed and Rep.
Vernon James of Pasquotank
has been reappointed by House
Speaker Liston B. Ramsey to
a special commission to con
duct a study of the Chowan
River in conjunction with the
Representatives of the State of
Virginia.
Known as the Chowan
Interstate Commission, the
group is composed of an equal
number of the legislative bod
ies of North Carolina and
Virginia. The commission
first met in Edenton in the
summer of last year to begin
study of water quality prob
lems in the Chowan River
Continued On Page 4
1987 HOMEUOMINU QUEEN-Lynn Elliott was crowned as
this year's Homecoming Queen at Hicks Field at half-time of
the football game Friday night. Her escort is Stanley Elliott.
The Aces maintained their unbroken string of wins for the
season by defeating Northhampton East by a thumping 50-14.
Edenton's toughest challenge of the season comes tomorrow
night when they face Ahoskie in an away game.