? THE CAROLINA INDIAN VOICE Vn||fff
post OFFICE box irs PUBLISHED EACH THURSDAY . pemmoke, kx. ?37j P^R^HBu ;;
? VOLUME 9, NUMBER 46 25c PER COPY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1961
LUMBEE Rl VER E. M. C.
OPENS MEETINGS TO THE
3
CONSUMERS
Bad Spring*--Responding to a motion
which was presented at the annual
meeting of the members of Lumbee
River Electric Membership Corporation
on October 20 at Pembroke State
University's Performing Arts Center, the
board of directors opened the meetings
of the board to the consumers at their
monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon.
The vote was reportedly unanimously.
This writer, editor of this newspaper,
and a consumer, had made the motion at
the annual meeting that "the board of
directors open the meetings of the co-op
to the consumers under the auspices of
the Open Meetings Law of North
Carolina." The motion, which was in the
form of a recommendation, carried
overwhelmingly by the members.
The motion could not be official until
or if the board of directors amended
existing policy which prohibited atten
dance to the meetings.
It was the first meeting at the directors
under J.W. Hunt, the new president of
the board at directors.
The meetings were opened to the
consumers by deleting two provisions
which restricted attendance by the
consumers by insisting that members
"request to attend and observe (the
meetings) either in writing or by
telephone prior to the meeting and that
no more than three members, could
attend and observe any one meeting due
to space constraints the first three
members so requesting being given the
opportunity..."
The new policy as adopted by die
directors simply states that "LREMC
members may attend and observe
meetings of the board of directors with a
proviso that 'A majority of the directors
present may close the meeting at any
time to member attendance, whenever,
in the judgement of the board, any
matter to be deliberated upon or
discussed requires private deliver
de liberations."
This writer considers it "a victory for
the consumers and affirmation that the
board of directors does in fact listen to
the consumers whom they represent."
WHAT PRECIPITATED THE ACTION?
Approximately a year ago trespassing
charges were pressed on this writer,
although they were later dropped by the
co-op. when I refused to leave a meeting.
At the rime Deri Hinson, the general
manager said, "The LREMC board has
chosen for years to hold its deliberations
in private."
r?
County
Librarian
assumes
Duties
Lumberton-Robert Fisher, the new libra
rian for Robeson County, is now at work,
after beginning his duties this week.
Fisher comes to Robeson County from
Jacksonville, Florida where he was head
of circulation for the Jacksonville Public
Library, a library much larger than
Robeson County with some 1 million
volumes.
Fisher's starting salary will be $22,
500. He replaces Diana Tope who has
moved on to another library position in
Georgia.
Fisher was chosen from a field of 15 on
a motion by trustee Bruce Barton and a
second by Shirley Osterneck.
He is married to a librarian in her own
right, Betty. They have two children,
ages 11 and 9.
Public
Hearing
Scheduled
Lambert?-The county commissioners
have scheduled a public hearing for
Monday, December 7, to receive imput
from the public concerning the proposed
redistricting plan for Robeson County.
The commissioners deckled to bold the
public hearing to conform with the
mandate of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Robeson County is one of 39 counties in
North Carolina subject to the federal law.
Indian
Caucus i
Tuesda
3
The Robeson County Indian <
Caucus will meet Tuesday
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I
Jim Lowry named
State Purchasing Agent
Jim R. Lowry
Jim R. Lowry, president of
Lowry Chevrolet, Inc., in
Tryon, has been named
State purchasing officer by
secretary of the Department
of Administration Jane Smith
Patterson.
Lowry, 36, will begin his
duties as director of the
division of purchase and
contract Dec. 1.
The Robeson County native
is a 1966 graduate of NC State
University in Aeronautical
Engineering. Lowry was an
aircraft research engineer
with Lockheed Aircraft in
Georgia for three years and
was affiliated with General
Electric Computer Division in
South Carolina, Florida and
Charlotte, before becoming
self-employed in the automo
bile dealership in Tryon.
A Lumbee Indian, Lowry is
chairman of the North Carol
ina Commission of Indian
Affairs. He was the found
ing chairman for the Metroli
na Native American Associa
tion in Charlotte and has
received the Distinguished
Service Award from that
Association.
"Governor Hunt and I are
very pleased that Jim has
agreed to come to work for
this administration in this
very important position."
stated Secretary Patterson.
"He is a hard-nosed business
man, an excellent manager,
and has the technical back
ground that will be very
important in the purchasing
position," she added.
"Governor Hunt and I have
also gotten to know Jim Lowry
very well through his work as
chairman of the Commission
of Indian Affairs. He has
shown an understanding of
government, and demonstra
ted the ability to think dearly
and rationally through com
plex problems. He is the kind
of person we wanted in the
position of state purchasing
officer, and we are pleased he
will be joining us In Dec.,"
. Ms. Pattenon added.
As State Purchasing Officer
Lowry will be In charge of the
division which purchases all
supplies, services and equip
ment used by state Institut
ions and state agendas, in
eluding tin public schools.
He will fopoft to deputy
secretary for government
Lewry's salary will M
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TBMKSGWIUG
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Broca Barton
' 11
Connaa Brayboy
Parry L< Barton
Rkefcy Barton
Anfaia Jaooba
Connta Olaava
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A CLOSER LOOK...
at Ronnie Hunt
by Connee Braybey
Accomplishing any kind of profession
al goal is always a struggle. For an
Indian in Robeson County it is often an
even more difficult task. In spite of
monumental opposition. Indians have
continually unwritten history. It is often
the Lumbee Indian who is the first to
reach professional heights. In almost all
areas you will usually find an Indian
busily working his way to the top.
The recent appointment of Ronnie
Hunt to assistant general manager at
Lumbee River Electric Membership
Corporation is one of those success
?lories. This appointment gives Hunt the
distinction of being the highest ranked
minority in cooperative history admini
gkatively.
Said Hunt, "I've never felt that being
?S Indian was a disadvantage to me. Of
course I've had to work harder...had to
prove over and over again that I could do
the job. You understand that failure on
?y part would be a negative reflection on
?n entire group of people. We know
that we can perform, sometimes it is
accessary to convince others."
Hunt has come up through the ranks at
Red Springs, NC-based electric
cooperative. He began his career at
LREMC as office manager in January
4977. In 1979 he became manager of
office and staff services. He has learned
the operation of a rural electric coopera
tive from the inside. He has continued to
apply what he has learned and adds his
own personal touch of concern.
"1 believe in the basic concept of a co
op," he said. "When rural cooperatives
were established in the early 1940s, they
were designed to provide a much needed
aervice to rural areas. Not only to provide
this service, but to provide it at the
lowest possible coat to the consumer."
- Hunt came to the co-op from Southern
National Bank in Lumberton where he
?erved as operations officer". He was
fcjiupervisor of the balancing section of the
F bank. During his senior year at Pem
I J&jt? State University he worked at
sjfk *1 iNB. Upon receiving his S.S
Degree in Business, he became assistant
operations manager and moved from that
position to operations manager.
His training in financing has proven
' invaluable at LREMC. His new duties
include: insuring that financial needs,
both capital and operational are met and
system objectives are achieved through
the accounting system; overseeing a data
processing program which will assure
the most efficient processing of data
needed for system operations, planning
and control; managing the resources
available to the member records, mem
ber information and assistance and word
processing sections to achieve the agreed
upon results in all areas covered by the
Corporate functions delegated to each
section; overseeing the development of
practices and procedures necessary to
achieve uniformity of effort, including
compliance audits which will significant
ly increase effectiveness and assure
CONTINUED PAGE 11
I ?
Ronnie Hunt, assistant general manager,
Lam bee River Electric Membership
Corporation. (Connee Bray boy pboto]
1
Recount Scheduled in
Pembroke Mayor's Race
I
LUMBERTON--The Robeson County
Board of Elections decided Monday night
to hold a recount in the mayor's race in
Pembroke, despite assertions by the
elections board attorney that the al
legations raised by a citizens group and
one of the defeated conadidates in the
mayors race seemed "to be frivolous."
Sam Dial, who was defeated by a scant
10 votes in the mayors race, challenged
the votes of Teddy Jacobs, James Lucas,
Sarah Lucas, Merlin Bryant Oxendine
and Betton Smith, Jr. Said Dial, in his
letter, "The above names have lived
outside of Pembroke longer than the
required time to be eligible to vote in the
town election."
Interestingly enough, neither Sam Dial
nor Rev. Dawley Maynor, chairman of
the citizen group, were present at the
meeting.
The meeting which was scheduled for
6 p.m., did not actually begin until 6:55
p.m. A meeting before the meeting
seemed to be where the action was as
attorney Joe "Pete" Ward, representing
the board of elections, and Dexter
Brooks, representing the interests of
Pembroke, and elections officials tried to
iron out seeming procedural differences
about what the meeting was supposed to
be about.
According to a Pembroke source,
Harbert Moore, chairman of the Robeson
County Bo*rd of Elections, had aoCfted a
number of the interested parties in the
matter that a recount and an examination
of allegations raised by the citizens
group would take place.
Seemingly the procedural questions
were raised because Moore expanded
[the investigation of the Pembroke voting
? ? ? ?
I
beyond allegations raised by Dial and
May nor.
Also, Moore extended the time for Dial
to submit any further allegations until
the close of today (Thursday).
Maynor, among other allegations,
charged that Ms. Evelyn Cummings was
appointed to serve as an assistant at the
Pembroke polls when in fact she was a
resident of Raft Swamp Precinct. And
that Mary Catherine Canady abridged a
number of electoral laws by helping
people vote, seemingly most of the
incidents involved curbside voting.
Maynor also challenged the same
voters that Dial did.
The elections board decided also to
look into the fact that the tabulator,
registration books and poll books did not
come up with the same number of votes
cast in the hotly contested election.
The tabulator showed that 759 votes
were cast but the poll books only showed
742 ballots cast.
In spite of their large margins of
victory incumbents Larry Brooks and
Milton Hunt have not been certified as
winners in the council races either.
And James A. "Pete" Jacobs will also
have to wait until Tuesday to see if his
victory over Dial and former Mayor
Reggie Strickland will be upheld.
The board of elections has scheduled
the recount for Tuesday, November 24,
beginning at 7.-00 p.m. at elections
headquarters in Lumber-ton.
According to a number of sources close
to the rhubarb it appears that most of the
discrepencies. have been resolved by the
internal investigation undertaken by the
elections board.
a a a a
riiDiic Hearing bcneauiea
A public hearing on a
rule governing state recogni
tion of Indian tribes will be
conducted by the N.C. Com
mission of Indian Affairs in
Fayetteville on Thursday, Nov
19.
The commission is propo
sing to amend an administra
tive rule governing groups
petitioning for state recogni
tion as Indian tribes. The
proposed amendment deletes
the requirement that mem
bers of petitioners be "one
quarter blood Indian."
The hearing will be con
ducted at the Cumberland
County Association of Indian
People Center on Downing
Road, Fayetteville, from 3 to 5
p.m. and from 6:30 to 8:30
p.m. Oral and written testi
mony will be taken at the
hearing. ? ,
COUNTY BAND WORKSHOP
A SUCCESS
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