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Releasing the reins: Smith announces retirement
CHOWAN HERALD RLE PHOTO
Patrica White of the
Warren Grove Missionary
Baptist Church family
congratulates Dr. Allan
Smith, the first-ever
recipient of the community
leadership award from the
congregation, for his work
as superintendent of the
Edenton-Chowan Schools.
Smith announced Oct.
7 that he plans to retire
at the end of the current
school year.
Spruill
named
B&G Club
director
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Ahoskie native Elizabeth
Spruill has been named the
new executive director of
the Boys & Girls Club of
Edenton/Chowan.
Prior to accepting her new
position, Spruill worked for
six years as director of the
Community of Juvenile Ser
vices in Dare County. She
replaces Stephenie McLean,
who left at the end of Sep
tember to
SPRUILL
accept a
new posi
tion in Dur
ham.
Spruill
holds a
bachelor’s
degree in
psychology
from UNC-Chapel Hill and is
working to obtain a master’s
degree in social work from
East Carolina University.
Meader Harriss, who
chairs the club’s board of
directors, said he was very
happy to welcome Spruill to
the top job at the club.
“Needless to say, we are
very excited about her and
about what she can bring to
the job,” Harriss said.
Harriss cited in particular
her work in securing grants
in Dare County and the fact
that she has ties to the area
and already lives in Eden
ton were viewed as a plus.
He said that in the past di
rectors hired from outside?
the area had only stayed an
average of two and a half
years. That’s something the
board wants' to see change,
he said.
“Obviously, we need to
keep (directors) longer,”
Harriss said. “So we were
looking for someone from
the area, someone who
wants to stay.”
Spruill, who has been liv
ing in Edenton with her two
sons, Brooks, 10, and Char
lie, 8, and commuting to the
Outer Banks for work for
the past year, said she loves
the community and has a
passion for working with
young people and looked
forward to leading the club.
“I love working with
See SPRUILL, 3A
4813*
€>2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
BY REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
About three months ago
the idea of retiring first
crossed Allan Smith’s mind.
But it wasn’t something he
dwelled on.
On the first weekend in
October — a weekend filled
with Peanut Festival activi
ties — he told-his wife over
a cup of morning coffee
that he had decided to step
down from the job he had
held for the past 15 years as
superintendent of the Eden
ton-Chowan school system.
“I just knew that it was
time,” Smith said, remem
bering.
That Monday night, Oct.
7, during the regular month
ly meeting of the school
board, Smith made it of
ficial. He shared with the
board a letter explaining his
intention to retire June 30,
2014 at the end of the cur
rent school year.
“After forty years as a
classroom teacher and
school administrator it is
time I devote myself more
fully to my wife and family
who have sacrificed much
during my professional ca
reer,” Smith wrote in the
letter.
In the letter, Smith ex
pressed appreciation for the
opportunity to have served
as superintendent for more
than a decade, and to the
members of the board for
their support.
“The past fifteen years
have been personally and
professionally fulfilling,”
Smith wrote concerning
the time he has spent lead
ing the local school sys
tem. “The friendships and
professional relationships
forged during this time will
See SMITH, 2A
Edenton electric customers can
‘round up’ to assist others
From staff reports
The Town of Edenton
last week announced
a new round-up pro
gram for utility bills as part
of its annual Public Power
Week observance.
The new program was
announced Oct. 11 dur
ing the Customer Appre
ciation Day event at Town
Hall.
Although the town has
already offered a program
in which customers could
donate funds to benefit
other customers in need of
assistance with their util
ity bills, the new program
is intended to make the
process more, convenient
by allowing customers to
round their bill up to the
nearest dollar for the ben
efit of the assistance fund.
The assistance is admin
istered through Edenton
Emergency Aid.
Customers may enroll
in the round-up program
online at www.townofe
denton.com or in person
at the town’s billing and
collections office.
The customer appre
ciation event featured hot
dogs and other refresh
ments served by electric
department employees for
the town’s electric custom
ers. The event was held be
tween 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Customers were able to
register for door prizes,
including an energy kit
containing high-efficiency
compact fluorescent light
bulbs and a high-efficien
cy shower head.
The grand prize was
1,000 free kilowatts,
which has a dollar value
of roughly $139.
Customers also had an
opportunity to sign up for
Early voting starts Thursday in council contests
From staff reports
Early voting begins tomorrow in the Eden
ton Town Council elections.
One-stop absentee voting begins Oct. 17 and
continues Monday-Friday from 8 am. - 5 p.m.
through Nov. 1 at the Chowan County Elec
tions Office. The office is located in Suite D of
the Agricultural Extension Building at 730 N.
Granville St.
One-stop absentee voting also will be held
on Nov. 2 — the final Saturday before the Nov.
6 election — from 8 am. -1 p.m.
At-large Councilman Bob Quinn is running
unopposed.
In the 3rd Ward, incumbent Councilwoman
Norma Simpson faces a challenge from the
Rev. Roscoe Poole.
The 4th Ward has no incumbent, since veter
an Councilman Willis Privott is stepping down
nn
SIAH- PHDI0 GY REGGIE PONDER
Edenton Electric Department employees Ophelia Beatty (left) and Melissa Oliver serve hot dogs and chat with
customers during the Public Power Week customer appreciation event Friday.
free energy audits.
The customer apprecia
tion event was part of
Public Power Week,
which this year bore the
theme of ‘Neighbors With
Know-How.’
Officials with the town’s
electric department said
the town has a small bud
get set aside for education
al and promotional events
such as last week’s Cus
tomer Appreciation Day.
The town also gets support
for such events from Elec
tricities through its partici
pation in the N.C. Eastern
Municipal Power Agency.
About 200 people took
advantage of the free re
freshments.
The event also included
a table with information
about energy conservation
and various programs and
services available through
the electric department.
CURTIN
SIMPSON BOND QUINN
POOLE
at the end of the current term.
Vying for the 4th Ward seat are LoriAnn Cur
tin, who ran as a write-in candidate in 2009,
and first-time candidate Elton Bond Jr.
The 1st Ward and 2nd Ward council seats
and the mayor are not on the ballot in this elec
tion.
The last day to request absentee ballots
in writing is Oct. 29. Mailed absentee ballots
must be re
ceived in the
county elec
tions office sj
by 5 p.m. on
Nov. 4. Or, if
postmarked
by the day of 1 ■/.
the election,
the absentee
ballot must
be received V:
no later than three days after the election.
The deadline to request absentee ballots for
sickness or disability is 5 p.m. on [Nov. 4?] I
On Election Day, the polls will be open from
6:30 am. to 7:30 p.m. , Y
The polling places open on Election Day will
be East Edenton Precinct and West Edenton ■'
Precinct
*
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