Chowan Arts Council
hosts opening reception
Friday for new exhibit
"Through the Lens,"
see Page B1
482-4418
_ Wednesday, September 16, 2009
50*
Knighton Goodwin
Capstrat
fulfilled
its deal
Finn’s efforts paid
off in project funds
By BOB MONTGOMERY
The Daily Advance
The head of ai Raleigh con
sulting firm said he offered to
provide detailed invoices for
the $260,000 worth of services
his firm provided to the Eden
ton-Chowan Development
Corp. over four years.
But then-Chowan County
Manager Cliff Copeland, who
authorized Capstrat to lobby
for economic funds on behalf
. of the ECPC., declined the of
fer because he felt it wasn’t
necessary, Capstrat CEO Ken
Eudy said Thursday
“(Copeland) said, ‘I know
what you’re doing,”’ Eudy
said, referring to the time
Capstrat began lobbying for
ECDC in May 2004, operating
on a contractual arrangement
that paid Capstrat $6,000 a
month plus expenses.
“We had no thought Cliff
was acting without authoriza
tion. I wish now we had sent
more detail. But the client’s
the client.”
As it turned out, only Cope
land and a handful of other
officials apparently knew
of Capstrat’s contract that
drained on Chowan County’s
finances and contributed to
a nearly $4 million budget
shortfall that left the county
almost bankrupt last year, ac
cording to state officials.
Among those besides Co
peland who knew of the lob
bying efforts by Capstrat
were Edenton Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton and
Richard Bunch, director of
the ECDC.
Knighton declined to say
whether she thought Capstrat
should have been required to
provide detailed invoices be
tween May 2004 and March
2008. She said the arrange
ment was between Capstrat
and the county, and not with
Edenton.
Bunch also declined to com
ment Thursday. He previous
ly told The Chowan Herald
he knew the county was pay
ing Capstrat $6,000 a month,
but he had no idea the money
was being spent on behalf of
his agency or that anyone in
See CAPSTRAT on Page 2
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Playing with purpose
JUSTIN FALLS/THE DAILY ADVANCE
Perquimans’ Mikel Harvey tries to tackle Edenton’s Deshon Fleming at Perquimans County High School, Friday. “This was the offense we
were waiting to see," Aces head football coach Bob Turner said. “We were able to do just what we wanted to do." See full story on A7.
v
a problem
B&GClub
buys ALC
By Earline White
Managing Editor
Paying its debt will not be
a problem this year for the
county. The $687,000 bill for
the library and public safety
center’s loans will not damp
en the county’s cash flow, ac
cording to finance officer Lisa
Jones at Monday night’s com
missioner meeting.
Despite the state budget
cuts of more than $50,000,
as of July 31 the county had
more than $1,600,000 in its
checking account; $2,800,000
. in investments.
Other news given at the
September board meeting
was the acceptance of the Al
bemarle Learning Center site
plus four acres by the Boys
and Girls Club.
Under the direction of the
Peer review to evaluate ECDu s mission
By Rebecca Bunch ,
Staff Writer ,
Now that the Edenton Town
Council has voted to continue
funding the Edenton-Chowan
Development Corporation, an
analysis is being planned to
see how the ECDC can best
fulfill its mission in the fu
ture.
The ECDC sought the anal
ysis because it wanted an out
side expert to review how the
ECDC is structured and com
pare that to other models local
governments use to advance
economic development.
“Because of the recent pub
lic discussion about the ECDC,
B&G board, club director'Je
rome Levisy agreed to close
in 30 days on the county prop
erty for an approximate total
of $230,000 of which nearly
$23,000 would be financed
through the county for five
years.
Melanie Corprew with so
cial services reported a 24
percent increase in the cli
ent number this year. Adult
Medicaid, heating/cooling
and food stamp applications
this year all increased, as did
the number of abuse investi
gations. Only the WorkFirst
and number of children in
childcare saw decreases in
numbers.
In mid-October expectant
mothers, kids 6 months to 12
years and daycare workers
should make an appointment
to get the H1N1 (swine flu)
shot from Albemarle Regional
Health Services. Jerry Parks
with ARHS confirmed that it
will be the largest mass vacci
we think a ‘peer review’
would be very beneficial,”
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Knighton said. Knighton is
an ex-officio member of the
ECDC board.
The analysis, to be per
formed by the Sanford Hol
shouser Economic Develop
ment Consulting group from
Raleigh, is expected to get
underway within the next
few weeks and be completed
within 90 days.
The goal is to have Sanford
Holshouser do here what they
have done for other communi
ties - determine the best struc
ture for its specific economic
development needs, Knighton
nation ever attempted by the
federal government for this,
the fourth pandemic in the
20th century.
Chowan is one of 31 coun
ties in the state that does not
have a voluntary agricultural
districts ordinance for farm
ing, forestry, livestock, etc.
Extension director Heather
Lifsey presented informa-,
tion about the non-binding
program, which makes agri
culture buffer zones clear on
county planning maps.
Another effort to clean up
Chowan comes by way of the
N.C. Wildlife Resources Com
mission which plans to spend
$900,000 to revamp the boat
ramps, rehab the old Hwy. 17
bridge for a fishing access pier
and construct a building near
the Chowan River bridge.
The county is not expected to
invest any money, but provide
upkeep, maintenance and se
curity. Work is expected to
begin in March and take six
said.
Project leader for the analy
sis will be Crystal Morphis.
Her focus in the firm is on
strategic planning, econom
ic analysis, organizational
structure, and product devel
opment.
The cost of the analysis will
be picked up by Electricities,
of which Edenton is a member.
Brenda Daniels, an economic
developer with Electricities,,
helped bring Sanford Hols
houser on board.
“We are on life support
right now,” one ECDC official
said. “There is no way we
could pay for something like
that.”
months to complete.
It was approved that Bill
Monds and Bobby Winborne
replace Doug Belch and the
late Murray Nixon on the
firefighter’s relief fund; Je
rome Levisy ..to replace A1
Robb on the library board of
trustees.
Frances Layden and Jim
.Elliott spoke during public
comment on government
transparency and the ECDC
respectively.
Layden questioned county
manager Peter Rascoe’s deci
sion to demote former EMS
employee Angela Toppin af
ter Toppin spoke out against
Rascoe during the county
budget crisis.
Elliott suggested that the
board reconsider its funding
cut to the ECDC saying why
not tweak the current ma
chine which has been a posi
tive thing for the county.
Contact Earline White at
ewh itefainccox. com
Council votes to support ECDC
SEEPAGE 2
Morphis outlined the pro
cess to be followed in an out
line provided to the Chowan
Herald by Town Manager
Anne-Marie Knighton.
The first step will be .to cre
ate a small community lead
ership team of three or four
people for the project.
“The group will provide
initial guidance to the con
sulting team and will review
the draft report later in the
process,” Morphis said.
The team is interested in
interviewing staff from the
BANK
ROBBERY
SUSPECT
ARRESTED
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
The man suspected of rob
bing Southern Bank here on
July 15 was apprehended in
Kingdom City, Mo. Saturday
afternoon.
Edenton Police Chief Jay
Fortenbery said he was glad
to hear from the FBI office in
Jefferson City, Kan. that the
arrest had taken place.
“I knew he
was going to
get caught
sooner or lat
er,” the chief
said of 37
year-old Chad
Schaffner.
Law en
forcement
officers were
able to identify Schaffner af
ter he left his wallet behind
during a robbery in Kansas
City.
But it was a tip from a view
er of “America’s Most Want
ed” on television that led to'
his capture.
According to published re
ports, officers from the Mis
souri State Patrol and the FBI
arrested Schaffner at a Super
8 Motel without incident.
He was scheduled to be ar
raigned Monday in federal
Schaffner
court.
While it is unclear where
Schaffner will eventually,
stand trial first for the 14
robberies he is believed to
have carried out since May
15, Chief Fortenbery said
he would never appear in a
Chowan County courtroom
because of all the federal
charges against him.
He is believed to have
robbed North Carolina banks
in Fletcher, Fayetteville,
Edenton and Hendersonville.
Schaffner is also suspected of
robbing South Carolina banks
in Mt. Pleasant, Myrtle Beach
and the Columbia area.
“We won’t have to worry
about him robbing anyplace
else for a long, long time, now
that the feds have him,” Chief
Fortenbery said.
Northeast Commission, as
well as four or five employers
in the local area.
They also have proposed
that interviews be conducted
with personnel from “local
economic development-relat
ed organizations” including
the Town of Edenton, Chow
an County, Edenton-Chowan
Development Corporation,
the Edenton-Chowan Cham
ber of Commerce, Chowan
County Tourism Develop
ment Authority, College of
the Albemarle, and possibly I
others.
“Interviews will be struc
See ECDC on Page 2
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