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Wednesday, May 19, 2010
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Rascoe resigns as county manager
Leaves Chowan to take
job in Southern Shores
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Chowan County
Manager Peter Ras
coe stunned his
Board of Commis
sioners by announc
ing his resignation
last Wednesday - the
same day the town
of Southern Shores
issued a statement
that he had accepted
the job as the their new town man
ager.
Rascoe said the position at South
ern Shores, located in Dare County,
was too good an opportunity to pass
up.
. “I’m looking forward to it,” Rascoe
said. “It’s a great opportunity for me
personally and professionally. It’s an
f-“—— -:
Rascoe
opportunity that I had to take.”
News of Rascoe’s sudden depar
ture surprised commission Chair
man Eddy Goodwin.
“I have to say I was surprised,”
Goodwin said. “I had no indication
of his plans.”
Commissioner Emmett Winborne
echoed Goodwin’s shock factor.
“I was really shocked,” Winborne
said. “I didn’t see it coming. I guess
we’re all looking for greener grass.”
Rascoe was named county manag
er on June 16,2008, after first serving
as the county attorney He joined the
county in December 1999. His new
position followed the sudden retire
ment of then County Manager Cliff
Copeland. Nearly immediately after
accepting the county's top job, Ras
coe learned that the county faced
financial peril and was unable to
make payroll.
“I’ve done my job and more, while
steering the county through this
situation,” Rascoe said Wednesday.
“It’s been a challenge over the last 24
months.”
Soon after Rascoe accepting the
county’s reins, it was discovered
that Chowan County faced possible
state takeover for its fiscal misman
agement.
The state Local Government Com
mission said Chowan faced a nearly
$4 million budget shortfall and was
in danger of defaulting on an up
coming $1.1 million debt service
payment on the new D.F. Walker El
ementary School.
The LGC reported that less than
$1 riiillion remained from the $29
million sale of Chowan Hospital 10
years earlier, and that from 2004 to
2007 expenditures exceeded revenues
in the general fund by $11.6 million.
.Further, another $6.95 million was
loaned from the general fund to oth
er county funds, according to Sharon
Edmundson, director of the LGC’s
fiscal management division.
Since then, Rascoe and the Board
See RASCOE, 7A
-_________—
Walking for a cure
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Enthusiasm remained high through
out the Chowan-Perquimans Relay
for Life 2010, which has become
one of Edenton’s most significant chari
table events.
In what has become a widely par
ticipated and diverse group, this year’s
Relay for Life included an increase in
the number of teams, from 20 to 25.
Many of those were younger partici
pants, according to Debbie Burroughs,
Relay co-chairwoman.
For all the increased awareness,
See RE1AY, 7A
Youngsters soak themselves by tossing water balloons at each other
during the Balloon Toss at Relay for Life, Saturday.
• /.N "
Board seeking
| interim manager
I From staff reports
The Chowan County Board of Commissioners
unanimously voted to begin an immediate search
for interim county manager while launching the
process of finding a permanent replacement.
Commissioners met Monday night before going
into executive session to discuss options to find a
replacement for Peter Rascoe who stunned board
members last Wednesday when he announced his
resignation. Rascoe is set to began as town man
ager for Southern Shores, effective June 9.
Chowan County will rely on the assistance of the
N.C. Association of County Commissioners to help
identify an interim county manager and initiate a
professional search for a new hire.
Chairman Eddy Goodwin said the NCACC
See INTERIM, 7A
Schools get $200K
with federal grant
Funds to help fix J.A. Holmes’ windows
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
In the face of local and state budget restraints, the
Edenton-Chowan Schools finally received favorable
news in the form of a federal grant.
Gov. Bev Perdue announced Monday that Edenton- r
Chowan Schools is among the 38 public/ “
school systems to benefit from the $5.4
million in federal Recovery Act fund
ing for energy efficiency block grants.
Funds from the grant are to be designat- , ^
ed for projects that will enhance energy
efficiency while also creating green-re
lated jobs. Edenton-Chowan is set to re
ceive $200,000 from the grant for $318,641
in projects.
“Green energy is one of my top pri
orities, Perdue said in a press release.
“These federal recovery funds will help
put people to work, help our schools and
reduce cost for communities throughout
the state.”
Superintendent Allan Smith said that
although he had yet to receive the offi
cial news by Tuesday, someone tipped
him off after hearing the news. Smith
said he. then called Raleigh for confir
mation.
“We had been waiting for the announcement,” Smith
said. “We were confident that we would receive the grant,
but we also knew the competition was going to be stiff.”
Edenton-Chowan applied for the grant in February
amid plans to use the bulk of the funds toward window
replacement on the front side of John A. Holmes High
School. Smith said the windows are 52 years old and are
in dire need of replacement. During the winter months,
students are forced to wear heavy coats while in class
because of cold air seeping into the building.
Holmes’ principal Jamie Gillespie concurred, adding
that the warm months are equally brutal.
“You can definitely feel the outside coming inside,”
she said. “It can get very uncomfortable, depending on
the weather. You can literally feel the wind coming in
those windows.”
In addition to added comfort, the window replace
ment should net a savings on the system’s utility bills,
Gillespie added.
Edenton-Chowan had undergone an energy analysis
in preparation of the grant application, Smith said. The
grant was based on the energy savings identified from
the study.
See GRANT, 3A
Republicans gearing up for November elections
Candidates call
for money
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Nine days after the Pri
mary Election and area
Republicans gathered to
discuss how to campaign
frgyffiories in November,
last Thursday’s A1 Pam
‘89076"
4813'
02009 The Chowan Herald
All {lights Reserved
i
Republi
can Club
meeting at
Montero’s
Restau
rant in
Elizabeth
City re
vealed that
local GOP
candidates
Steinburg
are preparing for an ag
gressive attack en route to
Election Day
Edenton’s Bob Stein
burg, who forfeited his role
as a conservative news
paper columnist to chal
lenge state Rep. Tim Spear,
D-Washington, was among
the candidates soliciting
Halbert
for sup
port in an
effort to
unseat the
incumbent
Democrat.
Stein
b’ u r g
briefed the
GOP audi
ence on his
recent campaign stumps in
coastal areas historically
kind to Democrats.
“I think the yellow dogs
are a dying breed, .but
they’re still out there,”
Steinburg said.
“If we don’t win in 2010,
we don't win in 2012,” he
added with greater sincer
• • i
tty.
They ? unanimously
agreed that it will take a
concerted effort to sway
voters to breakaway from
tradition. Efforts to wran
gle votes from an area that
has been historically favor
able to Democrats will re
quire crossover votes. It’ll
also take plenty of money
to disseminate Republican
messages.
“When you’re running in
this large district, you need
money to get your message
out,” said Beaufort County
Commissioner Hood Rich
ardson, who is vying to
defeat state Senator Marc
Basnight, D-Dare. . -
“Basnight is the most
important North Carolina
politician,” Richardson
said. “State money and po
litical favors filter through
Basnight.
“Help me cut off the
head -of the snake that
controls politics in North
Carolina,” he added.
Richardson reiterated
Steinburg’s previous con
tention that, if re-elected,
Basnight would step down
so Spear could assume
his post. He said Basnight
would continue to wield in
fluence by using Spear.
“I heard Basnight say ‘if
he had a son, it would be
Tim Spear,’” Richardson
said. •
Both Basnight and Spear
previously denied the al
legations about a possible
succession. Neither im- J||
mediately returned a tele- g §
phone message for this
story.
Richardson also claims ,< 1
that Basnight will not de
bate him, adding that the <: **
senior Democrat is not as S
verbally skilled. ' ’ ll
“I’d love to debate him,” , 'f
Richardson said. “I’d take f- .
him apart and put him
back together.” ,s?
Another Edenton
ian fresh off a primary r; ,
See«0f,3A