482-4418
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
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Ralph Cole and Kenny
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Vernon Fueston
Victoria Asbury, a John A. Holmes High School student and an election assistant, assists a voter as he casts his ballot.
With a
Residents pool efforts to make
home a little nicer for a blind man
who works to serve others
By Vernon Fueston
Contributing Writer
The world, it seems, is full
of quiet people who make
the place a tiny bit better by
working quietly around its
edges.
For decades, Bill Elliott’s
friends have watched him
toil on the Lord’s errand
despite his own handicaps.
It’s about time, they decid
ed, for the Lord to use them
to pay him back just a little.
Through handicaps
For Bill Elliott, Mon
day was a chance to take a
break, read and relax. Just
off a hectic week minister
ing to the spiritual needs of
prison inmates with Kiros
ministries, Elliot is between
projects.
These are the kinds of
Pet Corner
So far this year, the Tri
County Animal Shelter
in Tyner has euthan
ized 2,202 animals.
Please have your pet
spayed or neutered.
Currently available: a Hound
mix, one-year-old; a female
Rat Terrier about 4-years-old,
house broken. Call 221-8514
for more information.
©2006 The Chowan Herald
> Alt Rights Reserved
days Elliott
likes to read.
He has an
extensive li
brary, several
bookcases
crammed
with books. Elliott
But reading
them takes a little more ef
fort than it might for most
of us.
Bill Elliott is legally
blind and gets around on
one foot. He finds a wheel
chair cumbersome, so El
liott sits on the floor for the
most part and scoots about
his home on his hands.
When he reads, it’s with
the help of a 10X magnify
ing lens. It’s a slow pro
cess, done with the book
just inches from his eye,
but his books are a lifeline
for Elliott.
Town council examines costs
as revenues continue to shrink
By Vernon Fueston
Contributing Writer
A slowing national econ
omy is making itself felt at
Edenton’s town hall.
As home sales slow and
merchant’s receipts shrink,
town leaders are looking at
cost savings and service cuts
to make up the difference.
At a town council meeting
Monday, Anne-Marie Knigh
ton highlighted figures she
said show a slowdown in tax
revenues from real estate
and sales taxes, economic
sectors sensitive to a slow
ing economy.
Knighton warned that the
slowing numbers reflect eco
nomic activity before this
month’s national economic
difficulties. She said the
council should discuss cost
cutting measures now if it
wants to end the fiscal year
with equal revenues and ex
penditures.
The hardest hit revenue
item on the town’s financial
statement has been the land
transfer tax. The town col
lected less than half what it
had projected in land trans
fers taxes in the first quar
Elliott has always had
vision problems. Wien he
was five, his doctor told
him he would never be able
to attend public school. But
he did.
Unable to see the chalk
board, his teachers gave
him handouts and his fel
low students took turns
reading to him. Elliott
said he would have gradu
ated with his class, but he
had to drop out due to his
leg
He never has been sure
what the medical condition
was that took his right foot.
It was always malformed
and doctors believed they
could cure it by breaking
the bones in his foot and re
setting them.
But on closer examina
tion, doctors decided not to
try the surgery His nerves
and blood circulation were
poor and the foot had to be
amputated.
Today, Elliott has an arti
ficial foot he attaches to his
ter of the
Town’s fis
cal year.
Knighton
suggested
a budget
amendment
for that line
item reduc- Knighton
ing project
ed revenue from $110,000 to
$55,000 for the year.
Knighton also proposed
amending the budget by al
most $62,000 in anticipation
of decreasing property tax
collections and sales tax re
ceipts.
She said that, so far, sales
tax receipts and property
tax collections have not fall
en below projections.
The council discussed
several cost cutting options
including reducing the num
ber of days the town col
lects solid waste. Knighton
said such a measure would
not save on labor, but would
save money in fuel and truck
maintenance.
“We have time to make ad
justments,” Knighton said.
"We need to freeze whatever
capital (expenditures) have
made it into the general
ankle whenever he needs
to go somewhere and walk
for short distances. He said
he gets around pretty well
with the help of a walking
stick, but he can’t sustain
the effort for long periods.
For longer walks Elliott
.uses a motorized chair. But
around the house, he has
learned to do pretty much
everything he needs to do
on the floor.
Leaning on a strong arm
For Elliott, his handicaps
are a gift from God that’s
brought him greater spiri
tual strength.
“I have faith in God,”
Elliott said. “I think the
things that happen to us
— they shape us and they
mold us. I’m not sure I
would be as close to Him
now if it weren’t for the
things that have happened
to me.” ,
Elliott’s Christian faith
See ELLIOTT, Page A2 >
fund.”
Knighton went on to list
$60,000 worth of planned
expenditures she suggested
the town should cut.
She reminded the coun
cil that funds may not be
available for an open police
officer’s position the council
froze until January.
Council members floated
several ideas in the meeting
for saving money like reduc
ing the work hours for town
employees by 30 minutes per
day. Eliminating the mail
ing of separate delinquency
notices for electric custom
ers was also discussed.
The matter of a pilot pro
gram to reduce residential
trash collections was sched
uled for action at the Nov. 10
council meeting.
The Council favorably re
ceived a recommendation to
reduce residential garbage
collection from twice a week
to once week.
It was suggested that
the pilot program could be
evaluated in April when the
council will be discussing
the 2009-10 budget.
No action was taken on
the other suggestions.
ELECTION RESULTS
District 1, Seat 1
EMMETT E. WINBORNE
DANA SOLES
District 1, Seat 2
KENNY W. GOODWIN
ALEX E. STALLINGS
District 2
EDWARD GOODWIN
GWENDOLYN B. BROWN
District 3
RALPH COLE, SR.
EARL W. WILLIS
At Large
JOHN MITCHENER
KEITH NIXON
Sales Tax Increase
YES
NO
Republicans win 2 seats. Democrats win
3. Sales tax increase 0.25 percent over
whelmingly fails to win voter approval.
By Vernon Fueston and
Rebecca Bunch
The Chowan Herald
Both incumbents on
Chowan County’s board of
commissioners will retain
ther seats by handy mar
gins.
Ralph Cole, Sr., retained
his seat with 66.5 percent
of the vote over Republican
Earl W. Willis.
“When I look at the num
bers it would be a slap in the
face [to those who voted for
me] if I didn’t serve,’’ Cole
said Tuesday night.
Fellow incumbent Kenny
Goodwin, a Democrat, won
with 60.6 percent against
Republican Alex Stallings.
Republicans will have two
seats on the new board for a
net a net gain of one seat. ,
Edward Goodwin, a Re
publican defeated Gwendo
lyn B. Brown, an unaffiliat
ed candidate running with
the endorsement of the
county’s Democratic lead
ership, with 66.9 percent of
the vote.
Also whining were Em
mett E. Winborne, a Demo
crat over Dana Soles, a Re
publican, with 65.8 percent.
Of 10,550 registered vot
ers in the county, 7,509 cast
a ballot for a turnout of 71.2
percent.
Despite expressed voter
anger over $20 million in
lost county reserve funds,
voters retained both incum
bents in a five-seat race and
elected three Democrats to
the board of commission
ers.
Voters defeated a sales tax
increase of 0.25 percent pro
posed by the current board
of commissioners with a
Foundation funds ‘fit track’
Fighting youth
obesity a growing
concern
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Construction is scheduled
to begin next month on a
project designed to enhance
physical fitness among
young children.
Known as Project Fit
Track, the initiative will
provide for the development
of two interlocking paved
walking tracks behind the
elementary schools, accord
ing to Shannon Ray of the
Northern Chowan Commu
Dem.
Rep.
Dem.
Rep.
Rep.
Unaf.
Dem.
Rep.
Dem.
Rep.
1,504
781
1,383
898
1,903
943
1,095
551
3,472
3,857
1,869
4,430
65.8%
34.2%
60.6%
39.4%
66.9%
33.1%
66.5%
33.5%
47.4%
52.6%
29.7%
70.3%
vote of 70.3 percent against.
Cole said the results
would present a big
problem for the county.
“We’re going to have to go
back to the drawing board,”
Cole said.
Many voters had seemed
in a mood for a change on
the commission board, but
many also voted based on
personal loyalties.
Theresa Alexander said,
“I want to change the whole /
commission. They had to i f
know what was going on. I • }.
got a bad taste in my mouth 5.
about it.” |
John Schuyler said per
factor in his vote. “I’ve
known Kenny Goodwin for
19 years.”
Willie Shannonhouse,
Jr. said he didn’t blame the
commissioners in office. “I
think the one that was bad
is gone, so you can’t fault
someone else for his er
rors.”
Few voter said their wish
to change the commission
was motivated by a desire to
elect a Republican slate.
“I mixed if up,” Joe Cala
han said. “I voted for a cou
ple of people I hoped would
make the county a better
place to live.”
When it came to the sales
tax referendum, few voters
expressed a willingness for
more taxes.
“I feel we have enough
taxes right now, the way the
economy is,” Kenneth Dunn
said.
This was the first election
in memory where a full slate
of Republican candidates
was fielded in a commission
race.
See ELECTION, Page A2 >
sonality was
nity Center.
Ray is a member of the
committee that developed
the proposal.
Ray said the project “will
increase routine physical ac
tivity for students and staff
at White Oak and D.F. Walk
er elementary schools.”
The two walking tracks
will be paid for with $7,500 *
provided by the Chowan
Hospital Foundation.
“Fit Track funding will
purchase fitness stations
with signage around the ,
track to improve cardiovas
cular fitness, strength, con
ditioning and provide educa
See TRACK, Page A2 ►
|i! EDENTON
Historical
SC Commission
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s4ml Don t forget “Tha Shop at the Barker House" jAj
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