Newspapers / The Chowan Herald (Edenton, … / Oct. 9, 2019, edition 1 / Page 2
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A2 THE CHOWAN HERALD, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9,2019 Coleman seeks to represent all of Edenton Editor’s note: The an swers are directly from the candidate. Little to no editing for clarity or mi nor errors was done. BY MILES LAYTON Staff writer Roger Coleman is run ning unopposed for the Edenton Town Council at- large seat. Active in civic af fairs, Coleman is a retired minister (Christian Church - Disciples of Christ) and past director of the Edenton- Chowan Food Pantry. He is married to Elizabeth Cock rell Coleman. They attend St Paul’s Episcopal Church where Roger is a member of the church’s vestry. Question: Why are you running for Town Coun- cil? Answer. I have received much in my life through kindness shown and love re ceived. At the heart of my commitment to serving on the Town Council is a sense of gratitude and a desire to give back to our community. Having served as the former director of the Edenton Chowan Food Pantry, I rec ognize that many residents feel their needs and con cerns are not being heard. As an at-large councilman I will seek to represent all of Edenton. Greater inclusive ness can only strengthen our town. Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge fac ing Edenton today, fu ture? A: Our biggest challenge is reversing the population decline experienced over the past 10 years. This loss puts increasing pressure on small businesses, institu tions, infrastructure and quality of life. To do this, we will have to work harder to attract new residents by creating more “living wage” jobs, develop ing a welcoming “youth- friendly” culture and contin uing to promote Edenton as a home for retirees. As part of this effort, we need a way to welcome and support new residents when they arrive - a letter from the mayor, information on organizations, etc. I also think we can do a better job of caring for the residents we have. We need to focus on vocational and technical training for high school graduates not going away to college and for maintenance-free and as sisted living facilities for our elderly. There is no silver bullet I believe we have the resources to re verse our declining population. The question is whether we have the will power to come to gether for the com mon good. Q: Do you think there is a racial/ COLEMAN economic/polit- ical divide in town? If so, how you plan to bridge that gap? A Living at N. Granville St. and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., I am daily re minded that Edenton is a racially and economically di vided town. To help bridge the gap, I have proposed the creation of a Human Rela tions Commission that would address the separa tions and the lack of inclu siveness that weaken our community. Studies show that towns with strong, inter-connect ing relationships are more capable of resolving mqjor issues such as population loss. We can talk about the beauty of our town and the significance of its history. The real resource here, how ever, is in the relationships between its residents. Divisions weaken. To getherness strengthens. Strengthening our community will be my initial priority as a council mem ber. Q: Is there an issue the council could handle bet ter? A In the recent Grow Edenton Resident Survey (https:// www.surveymohkey.com/ stories/SM-F68R8W8V/) confusion was expressed about the role of the Town Council as well as a lack of confidence in the council’s ability to effectively address Edenton’s future. As a result, I believe that the Council needs to do a better job of creating aware ness of its leadership role in the community. The council needs to be more visible, support increased commu nity awareness of key issues and invite greater citizen in volvement in decision mak ing. I believe this can be done through additional use of social media, more com munity forums and by hold ing regular Town Council meetings outside of the Council chambers. Q: What is your posi tion on what, if anything, the council should do about the Confederate statue? A I would prefer not hav ing the Confederate statue centrally located at the en trance to our waterfront. For some it is a monument to history. For many, includ ing me, it is also a monu ment to the evils of slavery. State law prohibits such statues from being moved. An alternative is to follow the example of Savannah and Richmond. Both cities are considering adding signs to their Confederate monu ment sites that acknowl edge the racist history of the Confederacy. The specific wording could be developed by the proposed Human Re lations Commission. While my primary com mitments are improving sub-standard housing, find ing additional jobs, attract ing new residents and creat ing a more involved commu nity, I believe that as a town we can work together to find creative solutions to the issues that divide us. Q: As demographic trends indicate a sluggish or even downward trend, please elaborate your vi- sion/plans to attract more residents to Eden ton. A Much of the social fab ric of Edenton is built on attracting retirees who can volunteer and help fund or ganizations like the Cupola House, the Edenton- Chowan Food Pantry and the Edenton Lion’s Club. We will need to continue this fo cus. We should also begin to take decisive steps that will make Edenton more appeal ing to a younger, tech-ori ented population. This will involve developing high- speed internet access, more informal gathering places, increased shopping oppor tunities, additional recre ational activities and afford able housing. “Jobs, jobs, jobs,” is what I hear. We cannot give up on attracting new businesses that will improve employ ment opportunities for exist ing residents as well as at tract additional residents to our community. Q: Since it appears that town/county sup ports keeping JAHHS at its present site, do you favor a new school or renovations/repair? A: I support whatever structure is necessary to en sure the best possible edu cation for our youth. Ideally, I would like to See COLEMAN, A7 Sambo Dixon ‘believes in the future of Edenton’ Editor’s note: The an swers are directly from the candidate. Little to no editing for clarity or mi nor errors was done. BY MILES LAYTON Staff writer Edenton Town Council man Sambo Dixon is seek ing re-election for the 2nd Ward seat that he has rep resented since 1997. A local lawyer, Dixon was born in Edenton, at tended school in Edenton and graduated from Vir ginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, Virginia He re ceived a bachelor’s of arts degree in political science from UNC Chapel Hill and a law degree from Wake Forest School of Law. Dixon is a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Edenton, where he was formerly on the vestry. He was president of the First Judicial District Bar in 2001; he is a member of the Edenton Historical Com mission, and was reap pointed last week to the North Carolina Historical Commission. Dixon was Edenton’s Town Attorney from 1993 to 1997. Since 1997, he has been a member of Eden ton’s Town Council. Dixon serves on numerous local, state and national boards including Main Street America - a group that vis ited Edenton earlier this year. Dixon is an active mem- create more jobs is ber of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He is among a group local notables who are spear heading the effort to re store Kadesh AME Zion Church. Question: Why are you running for mayor/ council? Answer: I am running for. town council because I believe in the future of Edenton. I am on the Na tional Main Street Board of Trustees and the Board of the National Trust for His toric Preservation. Both these positions provide me with access to national thought-leaders in small town sustainability. I use what I learn from these leaders in the field of com munity development to help make Edenton vibrant and a place where people want to live and visit. Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Edenton today, future? A: By far the biggest challenge facing Edenton is economic sustainability. We must continue to attract employ ers who will hire the people that live in Edenton. One of the ways to to help our current employers grow. Regulator, Colony Tire, Jimbo’s and DIXON Daedalus Yachts have all taken advantage of grants and have agreed to add nearly 200 new jobs. I also support the continued funding of the Edenton- Chowan Partnership which recruits new busi nesses to the town. Q: Do you think there is a racial/economic/po- litical divide in town — please, somewhat briefly, elaborate? If so, how do you plan to bridge any gap? A: Edenton is “our town.” I think a diverse town is a strong town. While we are all different I believe that the town gov ernment should first and foremost provide all ser vices to everyone equally. I have worked tirelessly to make sure that everyone feels that they are a re spected member of this community. Job recruitment, safe streets, electric, sewer and are ces water and a thriv ing downtown are issues that are im portant to every one. I have worked hard to promote public parks and spaces where we can all gather. The waterfront and the new playground important public spa- and are being enjoyed by all our residents on a regular basis. I have worked hard to make sure that places that are so important to African-American history and culture are protected and celebrated. I have con tinually promoted the restoration of Kadesh Church and the East Gale Street neighborhood, the creation of the Moseley Street and North Oakum Street redevelopment zones, and the construc tion of the new police sta tion at its new location. Q: Is there an issue council could handle better? A There is always room for improvement. The tri- halomethanes level in the water caught the town leadership by surprise. Fix ing the problem took longer than expected from engineering to imple mentation. I wish the process could have been completed sooner. The good news is that both of our treatment facilities are going to be up and running very soon and all the wa ter-quality issues should be eliminated by the end of this year. Q: What is your posi tion on what, if any thing, council should about the Confederate statue? A: North Carolina Gen eral Statute section 100-2.1 was codified into law in 2015. This law prohibits towns and counties from removing “objects of re membrance.” Under this law the town of Edenton is prohibited from removing the Confederate statue at the end of Broad Street. However, this law does not prohibit the town from adding context to the area around the monument. Contextualization to the area around the monu ment should truthfully re cite the story of the strug gle that enslaved people endured as well as a narra tive of the process of emancipation. I also support erecting a monument in a very promi nent location to the many African-American leaders who have contributed so much to Edenton. Q: As demographic trends indicate a slug gish or even downward trend, please elaborate your vision/plans to at tract more residents to Edenton? A: We are very fortunate to have Win Dale, Nancy Nicholls and Jennifer Har- riss all working diligently to help attract more indi viduals to Edenton. Our vi brant downtown is one of the most cited reasons that people move to Edenton. Making sure that the downtown remains vibrant and economically sustain able is important. I am hopeful that we can in the future improve the plant ings and streetscape on Broad Street. We need to also con tinue to increase the op portunities for water-based recreation that attract visi tors to our waterfront. Pro jects like the restoration of the Taylor Theater draw visitors from nearby com munities who eat dinner in local restaurants and then go watch amovie. When people visit Eden ton they are always poten tial residents and they tell See DIXON, A7 Stalling wants to continue council’s good work Editor’s note: The an swers are directly from the candidate. Little to no editing for clarity or mi nor errors was done. BY MILES LAYTON Staff writer Longtime town council man Jimmy Stallings is a candidate for mayor. Stallings represents the town’s 1st Ward, which in cludes most of the neigh borhoods from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue down to Edenton Bay and some of the downtown area, west of South Broad Street. He has served 19 years as a town council man. Stallings retired as agency manager of Chowan County’s Farm Bureau Insurance Office after 43 years. He is a Food Pantry volunteer and serves on a number of boards such as the Eden ton-Chowan Partnership and Edenton Housing Authority. Question: Why are you running for mayor? Answer My time on the Council has been both productive and busy. We have voted through an an nual budget that has kept taxes low while still pro viding the services our citi zens have come to expect. We have welcomed new businesses and rejoiced with others on growth and expansion. During my tenure we im proved our harbor by adding the breakwater and pier and enhanced the pub lic playgrounds throughout our community. I want to continue the good work that our current council has started. I love Edenton and it is my desire to do all I can to lead this town in a productive manner into thefuture. Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing Edenton today and into the future? A Growing our popula tion and tax base thru the creation of new jobs is a big challenge. Providing a community where all fami lies, but particularly young families, can work, live and play. We have two main draws going for us... our location on the water and the friendly people. Fig uring out how to adequately play on these things to bring in young families is the key to our future. We are already hands down the most pleasant place to live; but, learning how to become STALLINGS more economically pros perous will be my goal. People want to live in a town on the rise, with growth and prosperity for their future. While continu ing to nurture Edenton’s past, it is time we also move Edenton forward to gether. Q: Do you think there is a racial/economic/po- litical divide in town? A: I do not believe we have a divide; however, if there are areas that need attention, we can make im provements through open communication. We must be more tolerant of people that look and see things differently from us. As your Mayor, I will always have an open door and an open mind to hear from all citizens of Edenton. 4 I want to make life better for all citi zens. I also pledge to work with Law Enforcement and the Boys and Girls Club to find ways to inspire our youth to become good citizens and to provide mean ingful ways to fill their time away from school. Q: Is there an issue that council could han dle better? A There are always im provements that can be made in any town. We need to continue our pro gram of the Oakum Street and Mosley Street rehabili tation where we are pur chasing deteriorating prop erties and selling them to people who have the means and vision to rehab and update them. We must continue to prioritize, re pair streets, and infrastruc ture, and seek ways to of fer affordable housing. Q: What is your posi tion on what, if any thing, council should do about the Confederate statue? State law prohibits our removal of this statute. Ar guing over it does not move Edenton forward; but, rather backwards to. a time of violence and turbu lence. Let’s choose to move forward together, as one. Q: As demographic trends indicate a slug gish or even downward trend, please elaborate CHOWA^HEKALD •(USPS 106-380) Published Every Wednesday Adams Publishing Group Entered as a second-class matter August 30,1934 at the Post Of fice of Edenton, North Carolina, under Act of March 3, 1870. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Daily Advance home delivery area $39.50 (Chowan, Perquimans, Pasquotank, Camden, Currituck, parts of Gates) Elsewhere in continental United States $50.17 *Plus applicable sales tax. Activation fee of $2.99 will be collected with all new subscriptions. Deactivat ion fees may apply for early cancellation. To place a classified advertisment, call our Customer Care Center at 252-329-9505. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: The Chowan Herald • P.O. Box 207 • Edenton, NC 27932 Telephone: (252) 482- 4418 Fax: (252) 482-4410 nlayton@ncweeklies.com your visions/plans to at tract more residents to Edenton? A I understand how vi tal economic development is to our town and I will embrace new ideas that will help grow our existing business and industry while recruiting new See STALLINGS, A7
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