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Wednesday, July 24, 2013
National Main Street GEO visits Edenton
BY REGGIE PONDER
Editor
The head of a newly mint
ed nonprofit under the um
brella of the National Trust
for Historic Preservation
was in Edenton last week
on her first official visit to
North Carolina.
Patrice Frey’s two days in
Edenton marked her tenth
visit to a Main Street city —
and her first stop in North
Carolina — since assuming
her post as chief execu
tive officer of the National
Main Street Center Inc. She
was headed to Raleigh last
Thursday night to meet with
Creighton
named to
economic
panel
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Edenton businessman
Charles “Charlie” Creighton
has been named an at-large
member of the North Caroli
na Economic Development
board.
Gov. Pat McCrory an
nounced Creighton’s ap
pointment on July 15.
Creighton will represent
the eastern North Carolina
counties
in his posi
tion on the
board.
Creigh
ton said
Monday
afternoon
that the
board held
its first meeting last week
He said that he was heart
ened by the fact that over
half the conversation at the
meeting, including com
ments by the governor, fo
cused on rural North Caro
lina.
“They’re aware that rural
North Carolina is hurting,”
Creighton said
Creighton said that creat
ing new jobs in rural com
munities during the current
economic climate would
be difficult But, he said
the board is already talking
about strategies to improve
local economies.
For example, he said, the
board is looking at ways to
add value to communities
like Edenton where peanut
manufacturing is profitable
to see if there are other agri-.
cultural crops such as com
or wheat that could be pro
cessed locally.
“And sage has been big for
us," Creighton said “We’ve
just started doing research
to see how we can add value
to what’s already here."
jCreighton said the new
tax structure also should
benefit rural areas.
“I’m also very optimis
tic because of the new tax
structure that will allow us
to compete with South Car
olina and Virginia (for busi
: v ness and industry)," Creigh
ton said
Creighton acknowledged
that turning the state’s econ
omy around and restoring
or creating jobs remains a
challenge. He said that he
agreed with the governor’s
; assertion that what has
See CREIGHTON, 4A
t, ©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
l# j bir&'t * ? '
state officials before travel
ing to South Carolina last
Friday.
These axe difficult times
to maintain a thriving down
town, but Edenton has man
aged to keep numerous busi
nesses open and successful
even in this economy, Frey
said.
“I think there’s a tremen
dous sense of pride and
community spirit in this
place,” Frey said. “And this
resilience — I also have
picked up on that as well.”
Frey said her purpose as
she visits Main Street cities
is to see what is working in
different downtowns and
Quinn running unopposed; contested
races in Third and Fourth Wards
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
t Voters will have the op
portunity to vote in two
contested town council
races in the Nov. 5 elec
tion.
In the Third Ward,
, Norma Simpson has filed
to hold on to the seat she
was named to fill follow
ing the December 2011
death of Councilwoman
Phyllis Britton. Simpson,
a healthcare professional
who was sworn in on Feb.
14, 2012, will be seeking
election for the first time.
She will face opposi
tion from the Rev. Roscoe
Poole, a retired minister
who works part-time as
a rehabilitation construc
tion advisor for Elizabeth
City State University.
The contested race for
the Fourth Ward seat on
the council held by Coun
cilman Willis Privott, who
is not seeking re-election,
will be between neigh
borhood activist LoriAnn
Curtin, who chairs the
town’s Board of Adjust
ments, and Elton Bond
Habitat house dedicated in brief ceremony
-warn i
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Daphne Dillard (left) receives congratulations on from
Habitat President Tom Austin during the dedication
where she and her family officially took ownership of
their new home on North Oakum Street, Saturday.,
General Assembly adopts 4-year terms for school board
BY REQoiE PONDER
■ Editor
The N.C. General As
sembly has passed a bill
shortening the terms of
Edenton-Chowan County
Board of Education mem
bers from six years to
four.
To facilitate the transi
tion to four-year terms,
in 2014 there will be one
member elected to a two
year term to fill Seat One
of the Second District. In'
2016 and every four years
after that, a member will
be elected to that seat to
fill a four-year term.
Rep. Bob Steinburg,
R-Chowan, who was the
.rtf"* ■ ■ ^
find out what people need
in small towns and in cities
of various sizes.
Edenton Town Coun
cilman Sambo Dixon is a
member of the board of the
National Main Street Center
Inc.
“Having her here is a great
honor to all of us,” Dixon
said in introducing Frey to
a small crowd gathered at
the 1767. Chowan County
Courthouse late Thursday
morning.
hi brief remarks to those
who gathered at the court
house to meet her, Frey
explained that the National
Main Street Center Inc. was
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Clerk of Court Mike McArthur, left, swears In new members of the Chowan County Board of Elections during a
July 16 ceremony held at the elections office in Edenton. The new members are (left to right) Stella Brothers,
Allan Fessenden and Patti Kersey.
Jr.,‘ a fiber line operator
for Domtar (formerly
known as Weyerhaeuser)
in Plymouth.
Councilman Bob
bill’s sponsor, said he
thinks the shorter school
board terms are a good
idea since a number of
people in Chowan County
have wanted to run for
the board have haven’t
wanted to run for a six
year term.
Steinburg said he never
got a phone call or letter
— other than from some
of the board of education
members r- asking to
keep the six-year terms.
On the other hand, he
said, he did get numerous
calls and letters from con
stituents in support of the
switch to four-year terms.
Board of Education
Chairman John Guard
launched May 1 as an inde
pendent subsidiaiy of the
National Thist for Historic
Preservation.
Before that, the center
was a program of the na
tional trust but not an inde
pendent nonprofit, she said.
Frey’s husband, Wally
Bobkiewicz, who is the
town manager of Evanston,
DL, accompanied her on the
visit to Edentoa
Frey said she and Bob
kiewicz had been walking
down the street in Edenton
and people already were
waving to them and Calling
See MAIN STREET, 5A
Quinn, who holds the at
large seat on the council,
is running unopposed.
Absentee ballots will
be available starting Mon
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer }
Councilman Willis Priv
ott was eager to hand
Daphne Dillard the keys
to her new Habitat house
Saturday morning during
the dedication ceremony.
But Tom Austin, presi
dent of the Chowan-Per
quimans Habitat for Hu
manity chapter, stopped
him.
“Not yet,” Austin told
Privott, drawing laughter
from the group of Habi
tat volunteers, family and
friends assembled for the
ceremony. “She gets the
key at the end.”
said Fri
day . that
now that
four-year
terms for
the board
of educa
tion have
become
law, the
board will accept that and
continue with its work.
The board of education is
not going to do anything
to try to overturn the law, •
he said.
“I think it’s critical that
our board and the board
of commissioners con
tinue to work together,”
Guard said. “I don’t see
that there is any contro
NIXON
STAFF PHOTO BY REGGIE PONDER
National Main Street Center Chief Executive Officer Patrice
Frey (center) speaks with Jean Brown (left) who chairs
Destination Downtown Edenton, and Downtown Edenton
Director Jennifer Harriss at the Edenton Coffee House.
f
day, Oct. 7.
Voters must be regis
tered by Friday, Oct. 11
in order to cast ballots in
the election.
The presentation of the
keys wasn’t long in com
ing. But in between the
Rev. Dale Miller, pastor
of the Christian Outreach
Church located across
the street from the North
Oakum Street home, and
a Habitat board member,
offered an invocation and
his wife Tammy presented
a broom to Dillard in keep
ing with an old custom
of giving one as a house
warming gift
Another Habitat board
'member, Dave Johnson,
presented Dillard with a
Bible.
Austin reminded those
present that the home was
versy now. It has been
through the political pro
cess and we accept the
decision of the General
Assembly."
Chowan County Board
of Commissioners Chair
man Keith Nixon noted
two House committees
and two Senate commit
tees unanimously ap
proved the bill, which
helped reassure the coun
ty commissioners that
they did the right thing by
asking Steinburg to intro
duce it.
Nixon said Pitt County
also now has changed to
four-year terms, so that
brings Chowan County
even more in line with the
Anyone having ques
tions about the election
may contact the Chowan
County Board of Elec
tions office at 482-4010.
the first local Habitat house
not built from the ground
up. Rather, Habitat bought
a home that was in foreclo
sure and restored it
“We’ve been talking
about this for years, want
ing to restore a home like
this,” Austin said.
When it was her turn to
speak, Dillard — accompa
nied by her son, Raekwon,
and daughter, Ny’Aishea
— said just a few heartfelt
words.
' “I just want” she said,
“to thank everybody for
coming out to help me.”
The next Habitat house
will be built in Perquimans
County in 2014.
rest of the state by going
to the four-year terms.
Nixon said he’s sure
there was a reason for the &
six-year terms but added' /
those reasons are not
there now.
The four-year terms
will provide a good op- i
portunity for people to |
go to the polls every four I
years — instead of every
six years — and have a
voice in who represents
them, Nixon said.
Nixon thanked Stein
burg for his work on the
bill. j
It’s also likely that more I
people will run for board
See TERMS, 2A