THE CHOWAN HERALD
Published In The Most Beautiful Little City On The North Carolina Coast
Volume LUV - No. 43
Edenton, North Carolina, Thursday, November 10,1988
Single Copies 25 Cents
On Coming
Together
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Now that the election is over,
the best thing that could hap
pen for the United States is for
the people, of whatever persua
sion, come together for the
common good.
Now is the time to ask in one
united voice, not what can the
country do for us, but what can
we do for our country. Now is
the time to put aside petty dif
ferences, selfish motives and
unworthy goals and work to
gether toward those ideals that
go to make up the American
dream. -
Both at the state and na
tional level, we have had
campaigns dedicated to the
lowest common denominator,
with mud slinging geared to
high technology, good names
maligned and records dis
torted at a time when honest
people hungered for the truth.
We have heard again all
those old racial code words of
the 1950s and 1960s in a poorly
disguised effort to appeal to
bigotry north and south. Law
and order, capital punish
ment, the right to keep arms
and related expressions are
once again political short
hand for keeping the blacks
in their place.
And the blacks themselves
have done much to make those
words effective political tools
as this decade winds down.
This has been true, especially
in t h e ...south, where ..-many ,
white citizens have come to
regard such court-approved
standards as affirmative ac
tion, crosstown busing, quota
funding and district gerry
mandering to accommodate
minority blocs as discrimi
nation in reverse.
Continued On Page 4
Council Has Short Meeting
Edenton Town Council
sailed through its agenda on
election night in under 30
minutes.
Mayor John Dowd pre
sented a resolution of the N.C.
League of Municipalities to
the family of the late A1
* Phillips. It honored Phillips
service on the town council for
a period of six years. Phillips
also served a number of years
on the Chowan County Board
of Commissioners.
The resolution stated that
he had "made lasting contri
butions to good municipal
government and whose
memory we are proud to
honor."
Another resolution from
the town honored Edenton Po
lice Sergeant Gregory Bonner
who was recently named
Chowan County Law En
forcement Officer of the Year.
The resolution stated,
"This award has brought
prestige and honor to Sergeant
Bonner, the police department
and the Town of Edenton.”
Council held a public hear
ing to receive comments on
proposed amendments to the
zoning ordinance. There
were no comments other than
from Gayle Gieseke of the
planning board who affirmed
the board's approval of the
changes.
Added to the ordinance
were provisions for flood haz
ard districts; chemical and
hazardous material storage
and treatment; bulk
petroleum and LP gas stor
Continued On Page 10
ANOTHER AWARD—Edenton Police Sergeant Gregory Bonner holds a resolution from the
»wn presented to honor him for being named Chowan County Law Enforcement Officer of the
fear last month. With him are Mayor John Dowd and Police Chief J.D. Parrish at the town
duncil meeting Tuesday night.
AWAITING FINAL RESULTS—Supporter Earl Smith chats
in front of the tote board with Rep. R.M. (Pete) Thompson and
Mrs. Thompson as they await results from first district counties
in Tuesday's election. Thompson won easily along with Rep.
Vernon James of Pasquotank.
Substance Abuse
Is Local Concern
Local law enforcement
officers have at various times
recently remarked on the
seeming public apathy in
Edenton and Chowan County
concerning substance abuse,
both alcohol and illegal
drugs.
Sheriff Fred Spruill was
asked why neighbors with
strong suspicions of drug
sales in their neighborhoods
do not report them to law en
forcement. "They don't want
to get involved," was his re
ply
A look at-the record since
Spruill's swearing in as sher
iff in December of 1986 gives
an indication of the scope of
substance abuse in the town
and county.
During Spruill's first
month in office a teenager
died in an auto accident after
consuming alcohol at a party
in the northern end of the
county.
In 1987
On March 31, 30 mari
juana seedlings, valued at
$36,000 and drug parapherna
lia were seized in a home.
On July 1, 120 marijuana
plants, with a street value of
$144,000, were uprooted and
confiscated in the county.
On July 19, a 20 year-old
man was murdered in a co
caine dispute in the northern
part of the county.
In August, 27 marijuana
plants were seized—i» the
county and 44 more in Octo
ber.
On November 11, a high
school student, a passenger in
a car driven by another teen
ager who had been drinking,
died as the result of a head-on
collision.
Continued On Page 10
Large Turnout At Polls
Bond Referendum Passes
By JACK GROVE
A large voter turnout was
seen in Tuesday's elections
as 4,469 went to the polls in
Chowan County of 6,959 reg
istered to vote. This com
prised a 64.2 per cent turnout.
While figures were un
available at press time, Per
quimans apparently had a
large turnout as well. Gen
eral Manager Pete Manning
of The Chowan Herald said
that Perquimans officials
called in two emergency
printing orders for additional
paper ballots for that county
that doesn't have voting
machines. The first was for
1,000 ballots and the second
was for 1,500.
A concentrated effort by
county leaders to encourage
voters to approve the $7 mil
lion school bond issue was
hugely successful. Eighty-six
per cent voted yes on the bond
issue. The totals were 2,429 for
and 389 against.
There were 1,641 voters who
didn't pull the lever for the
referendum. Schools super
intendent, Dr. John Dunn,
said at the county elections
office, "that's better than 35
per cent of the total vote."
He speculated that many
missed the issue due to the
placement of the lever in the
top central portion of the vot
ing machines.
In an apparent repudiation
of the national Democratic
Party, Chowan voters chose
the Presidential ticket of Re
publicans George Bush and
Dan Quayle over Democrats
Michael S. Dukakis and
Lloyd M. Bentsen. Bush
Quayle received 1,884 while
Dukakis-Bentsen polled 1,756
or a difference of 128 votes.
Local voters joined the state
and nation in naming Bush
as the next President.
The New Alliance Presi
dential ticket of Lenora B.
Fulani and Wynonia B.
Burke hardly got a nod. Their
total vote was 14.
There are only 1,090 regis
tered Republicans in Chowan
County, or 15.6 per cent. There
are 181 unaffiliated voters. In
the Republican column, 50 are
black.
In the race for governor,
more Democrats "came
home," giving Bob Jordan
2,454 to Gov. Jim Martin's
2,033 or a margin of 421.
Martin walked away with the
race in the state. He was un
doubtedly helped by some
Chowan Democrats.
Democrat Tony Rand,
running for Lt. Gov. against
Republican Jim Gardner, re
ceived a wider measure of lo
cal support with 2,284 to Gard
ner's 1,611. The race, as of
mid-day Wednesday, was
still undecided.
Longtime incumbent, U.S.
Congressman Walter B.
Jones again left his
Republican opponent Howard
Moye in the dust as he swept
the election in the First
Congressional District.
In the First District race for
seats in the General Assem
bly, the three Democratic in
cumbents won handily.
Sen. Marc Basnight really
had no opposition as Republi
can Daniel W. Lawrence had
pulled out of the race earlier,
but not soon enough to take his
name off the ballot. Basnight
polled 2,649 to 752 and was re
turned to office by the district
wide vote total.
Chowan favorite son, Rep.
R.M. (Pete) Thompson, took
the largest total here with
2,965. Rep. Vernon James
wasn't far behind with 2,340.
A distant third was Republi
can Shirley Perry with 921.
Mrs. Perry had a few sur
prises in store though as she
ran a respectable race in the
largely Democratic district.
She took Dare County with
4,085; 3,873 for James and
3,529 for Thompson.
Totals for other counties
were: Camden, Thompson,
1,190, James, 1,503, Perry 743;
Currituck, Thompson, 1,692,
James, 2,061, Perry, 1739;
Gates, (portion within first
district) Thompson, 340,
James, 339, Perry, 140;
Perquimans, (Perry's home
county) Thompson, 2,150,
James 2,087, Perry, 1,305;
Tyrrell, Thompson, 1,024,
James, 941, Perry, 313;
Washington, (four of five
precinct totals available)
Thompson, 2,442, James,
2,485, Perry, 1,019; and
Pasquotank, (James' home
county) Thompson, 4,588,
James, 4,383, Perry, 3,066.
Thompson, along with a
roomful of supporters at Caro
line's, followed the results as
they came in and he was seen
to smile more and more often.
In a brief phone interview,
after Thompson had talked
with him, a normally expan
sive Sen. Marc Basnight said
at 10 p.m. "I accept whatever
the voters choice is on the na
tional, state and local level."
Basnight has supported the
candidacy of Bob Jordan
since its inception and re
turns were showing Jordan in
deep trouble. Basnight seemed
subdued.
Of his close relationship in
the General Assembly with
Thompson and James, he
said, "We work well to
gether." That comment was
taken as a victory statement.
All of the Council of State
races went to the incumbent
Democrats in local voting.
Pres.
Dukakis
East
Edenton
469
West
Edenton
564
Rocky
Hock
153
Center
Hill
145
Wardville
148
Yeopim
182
Absentee &
Pet. Chngs.
95
Bush
305
468
296
123
234
300
158
Fulani
Gov.
Jordan
619
779
257
215
193
276
115
Martin
294
762
260
77
189
315
136
Lt. Gov.
Rand
578
762
218
184
170
261
111
Gardner
Bond
Yes
266
517
439
797
239
77
236
136
158
236
297
304
135
164
No
52
103
69
23
39
63
34
Senate
Basnight
602
895
274
178
211
332
157
Lawrence
121
187
118
40
54
161
71
Rep.
Thompson
639
986
326
204
263
373
174
James
544
781
248
165
191
278
137
Perry
121
356
118
40
54
161
71
Owners Fail To Attend Hearing
In their regular monthly
meeting Monday morning,
with only one citizen in
attendance, the Chowan Board
of Commissioners dealt with
a routine agenda.
A public hearing was held
to receive comment regarding
the proposed preliminary as
sessment roll for Okisko
Trail. With no property own
ers in attendance, the final
assessment roll was ap
proved.
The Albemarle Commis
sion in an annual rite, asked
each of the members of the ten
county Region R to execute
resolutions releasing their
shares of a regional economic
development grant to the
commission. The funds are
used for regional community
development. Chowan County
has complied for two years
and this year was no excep
tion when the county's share
of $4,643.48 was released.
In other action, the board:
• Approved a contract for
engineering services for
county water system expan
sion with Diehl and Phillips
in the amount of $67,000. A
CDBG application and a
FmHA grant are being looked
at as possible funding
sources;
• Approved a new service,
"Respite," in Social Services
which will provide CHORE
Continued On Page 10
Assault Investigated
The Chowan Sheriffs
Dept, is investigating an as
sault that occurred at the resi
dence of David Walton on
N.C. 32 north of Chowan
Middle School.
Lt. James White said that
he was called to the residence
at 9:30 p.m. on October 25. He
said that when the rescue
squad arrived, Michael
Spivey came out of the house
holding his head.
When EMTs approached to
assist him, he resisted them
and fell to the ground. White
and the EMTs loaded him into
the ambulance and he was
taken to Chowan Hospital
where he again resisted med
ical personnel and had to be
restrained.
White learned that Spivey
had been attacked with a crow
bar by a suspect when he left
the house. He was reportedly
struck in the forehead.
The victim was hospital
ized until Saturday when he
was discharged.
White said that an un
named suspect was being
sought in connection with the
attack.