Sditorial and Opinion 'Page? Maxton?Preference. Prejudice and Priorities kfKD. LoMemr The finag of Max ion Town Manager Paul Da\ it ha* railed the quest toa-whai did race have to do with it? Any honest answer will admit plenty The different cir cumstances and experiences of the races result in different priorities Is this racial preference or racial prejudice? Twenty years ago I was wott ing as the Town Planner for the Townof Maxton When consider ing the job. I met with two gentle men who convinced me they wanted lo make Max (on a better place lo live-former Mayor John Moeer and the laic former Town Manager Morrison McKcn/te I consider my tenure in Maxlon lo be a very posMixc time in my life because I feel my wori helped make the town a better place lo live East Maxlon looks today a lot like M did in IV7S Curbing and guttering ends with the city limits vacant lots and di lapidated homes are sprinkled between the substan dard homes thai arc the commu nity norm Although the commu nity has long wished to town sewer services, the sen ices arc not being provided Some things have changed for the worse The Locklcar Sisters store isdosed. my cousins arc dead The original citv limns of Max lon. Pembroke and Row land were one mile squares determined by railroads Pembroke has changed slightly, while Rowland is un changed Maxton has had many changes and has changed greatly , except in one quarter Maxlon's city limits have been extended about a mile south along Austin Street to Haves Pond Road and about a mile west along US Hwy 74 into Scotland County Smaller norther annexations have occurred along NC Hwy 71 and McCaskiU Street A similar east ern annexation has occurred along Rockingham Road north of the railroad The original limits, how - ever. in the southeast quarter that contains East Maxton remain the same Twenty years ago East Maxton w as not a priority of the leadership oflhcTownoTMaxlon Not enough has changed Last year I helped the Lumber River Council of Governments with the Enterprise Community appli cation that included the Maxton area Maxton Mayor Bob Midgcttc is an articulate and caring leader who literally is willing to get his handsdirty As part of my work on the project. I met w ith him last year in downlow n Maxton across from the old police slat ion Hewas work ing on a store front During our conversation I rcali/cd that dow n lown rcvitali/alion was very im portant to him His actions and his words were consistent Robeson County received des ignation asan Enterprise Commu nity last year because of concentra tions of poy crty like East Maxton that exist in the county The first major grant application that was developed because of the Enter prise Community status was an Entrepreneurial Empowerment Program seeking Community De velopment Block Gram funds The Town of Maxtonspart oflhc grant application was the Maxton Down town rcvitali/alion Project Was this project a reasonable request for federal funding'' Yes The grant application provided a good explanation of the need for and the potential benefits of the project Was this project the best wax to meet some of the needs of the km and moderate income persons con centrated in the East Maxton com munis ? Since the project was not funded. I will say no During public forums held in the Spring of IW4. Maxton resi dents expressed a broad range of concerns As a result, the leader ship of the town was in a position to justify various projects loa simi lar degree Choosing a Downtown Maxton project over an East Max ton effort reflected the existing priorities ofthc town s leadership Was it a preference for Downtown maxton that would benefit all of the community or was it prejudice against East Maxton thai would benefit primarily the minority com munity? The housing patterns of Max Ion cause some decisions by the town government to have distinct racial impacts Annexing Scotland Forest in the I ?J7lls made the town more w hite and less black Annex ing East Maxton would have had the opposite effect Although an nexing Scotland Forest was a good financial mov c for the low n. w hile annexing East maxton would have been a poor one. race colored the views of many people on these issues East Maxton is a cancer that must become the lop priority of the town's leadership Until a vision of Ma.xlon includes East Maxton and the southeast quarter, the real racial differences that have sur faced in response to the firing of Town Manager Paul Davis will continue to exist Letters to the Editor Reader believes tribal attorney has special self-interest reasons for supporting BM candidates Arlinda Locklear and her friends Ronald Hammonds and Cliff Sampson have shown their true colors in their vicious attack on the "Help a Needy Friend" program of Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation They have presented distorted and false informal ion about the program that benefits low-incomc people in ef forts to make it look like an abuse of government funds Locklear and friends show that they have special, self interest goals thai are far more important than services to needy people Arlinda Locklear is a highly paid, high stakes. Washington DC based lobbyist who has made btg bucks off political causes in Robeson C ounty Very seldom does she leave her S290,(XX) home in the suburbs of Washington. D C to help low-income people for "free ' She has been know n to do some work on a "probono" basis, but onlv when the case promised to bring ner much positive public attention, in my opinion Ronald Hammonds is a very wealthy farmer who operates a multi-million agribusiness opera tion in the Saddletree area I have heard that he has a bad record when it comes to serving poor Hammonds offers no dis counts. to my knowledge, to low tnoome farmers for his hay. and his prices arc among the highest in the area CI iff Sampson operates a mulii -million dollar rest home complex near Pembroke, but no poor people live there for free If you can't pay for services, or the government can't help you. then you have to find another rest home Arlinda Lock lea r has been well paid by her many clients to repre sent (heir interests in Washington Most of the clients, like Lumbcc Regional Development Associa tion. have found that when she is not on your payroll, then she won't continue to support you or your cause, and that she will quickly move on to other clients She max be hired by your opponents to work against you During the past year, the Lum bee Chcraw Tribal Council and its supporters have devoted a major part of their group efforts to raise money to pay Locklcar s expenses involv ed in working with them As a matter of fact. Arlinda Locklcar is one of the few clients served by the Lumbee Chcraw T ribal Coun cil. and she definitely is not poor The people that Arlinda Locklcar endorses in the upcom ing LREMC Hoard elections have a bad record, in my opinion, in providing service to poor people The fact that they area attacking a valy successful program that pro vidcs major benefits to poor people, and kicking it around like it s a "political football." lets you know where they stand on welfare and poor people Both Hammonds and Sampson were soundly rejected in their last attempts to get elected because members of their communities overwhelmingly voted against them. Both candidates have voiced right-wing, extremists views when it comes to welfare and services to the poor Ifyou really want to know where these candidates, and others endorsed by Arlinda Locklcar. stand, then you should talk to middle class or low-income people in their communities They will gladly tell you the true facts about these people Arlinda Locklear has a very selfish interest in the outcome of the LREMC Board elections. I have heard If her friends arc elected then they could hire her to do lobbying work for the electric utili ties corporations in Washington. D C This is a job for which she would be well paid Maybe this is the main reason that Arlinda is "donating" so much of her very valuable time to what they call their worthy efforts to better serve the poor, ignorant people of the LREMc service area Ben Jacobs Red Springs, NC Reader believes EMC consumers need Madie Roe Locklear because o f her compassion To the Editor I an not a poHifV pcraon I have been a hard working citizen of thia count) I have been em ployed by John-Mansvilk Cor 19 and 1/2 yean. I was laid off and a ptrioa oi rurasnip DCgaii lor mc and my wife and our two children After my lay-off from John Manaville. im health began to dedtnc 1 heveaiua\v siffcrod from epileptic seizures, but they became much wone after my lay-off My condition deteriorated so that I began having seizures to the extent that I oonld no longer hold down a tab. even if I had not been laid off During tint bleak period in ocr live*, doctor bills began to pile up Ml wit tent from one nccitlii to ? ^mn i^mm sev^^a nan Curat and the only tncome'nt una her part ume earnings Madftcatton to cool rot tk tetnara \aik not jin % uuxcmd Hariag to try different medtaatmae only added to onr financial problems at Finally, my at ditionally been a matter of local, choice with the University Board, of Governors Wc are proud of our accomplishments We do not see' that changing our name will' change our hcriiageany more thaiv changing our tribe's name from Croatan to Lumbee Rather, it will.. enhance our community and add to our heritage in a most deserving way Having another UNC in the UNC system in the lower pied-.' monl will give our community, our tribe, and our university a progres-' sivc step in the right decision Wc' must operate on the famous aboli tionist William Lloyd Garrison's" philosophy. 'Our country is the world - our countrymen are all mankind " Sincerely. Adolph Dial Warren Art Exhibit at PSU Pembroke?North Carolina Russ Warren will exhibit his paint ings beginning September 25 thru October 11,1995 in Pembroke State University's Art Department gal lery in Locklear Hall Russ Warren, tcachcrand horse trainer, has been a part of many important art exhibitions, includ ing the 1984 Venice Biennalc Via the Whitney Museum in New York City He has also been apart of the 41st Corcoran Biennial Exhibi tion of Contemporary American Painting, and the Southeast Sev en at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary An The exhibition will be open to the public There is an opemng rcccptiob to meet the artist" on Wednesday September 27. 1995 from 10-11 a m in the Art Depart ment gallery in Locklear Hall Refreshments will be served All students, faculty, staff and community members arc invited Warren's exhibition was made possible by the Hodges Taylor Gallery located in Charlotte The Carolina Indian Voice PEOPLE ARE SWEET ON THE FRESH TASTE OF HONEYBEE. honey bee C# IVSNUP\E.< NOW IN PLASTIC CANS. [ \ I I v / W'tny Reader Endorses Madie Rae Locklear for EMC Board This Idler is being written to express my support Tor a candidate seeking re-elect ion on the board of directors for Lumbcc River Elec tric Membership Coopcralixc (LREMC). There is not enough space nor docs the need exist to list all of the accomplishments of this individual in her capacity as a LREMC board member The record of thisboard member speaks Tor itself It rcllcds action taken wilhlhcbcst i merest of all LREMC consumers in mind This individual is also well know n across the four county area as a person w ho ncx cr hesitates to assist an mdiv idual in Pfl|i ? ...i.u ' i have had the opportunity to witness first hand their manv kind deeds Thiscandidatc is none other than Mrs Madic Rac Lock lea r I fully support her candidacy for re elect ion and encourage all LREMC members to do the same Special encouragement is given to all fe male members of the cooperative locasl their vole for Mrs Locklcar She is currently the "only "woman serving on the board of directors "LET S KEEP A WOMAN WORKING FOR YOU!" Sincerely , Janet l ocklcar Shannon, NC Tuscarora Tribe helps * hurting humanity Brcnda Hunt. Case Manager or Ihc Tuscarora Tribe's Hch-nch project, the only community -based program pro\ iding supportive ser vices to individuals living with HIV and AIDS in Robeson County recently attended the National Native American Aids Annual Conference in Minneapolis. Min nesota She participated in resource sharing and on-going programs serving Native Americans nation wide living with AIDS We need more Brcnda Hunts who work so diligently with the tragic problem of AIDS, yet she does not have nearly enough time to reach all Native Americans in Robeson County who arc stricken with this tragic disease The most tragic part of all this is the ignorance surrounding the problem of AIDS. That is to say . many people arc loo willing and eager to judge or condemn rather than extend a caring and compas sionate hand in th.? struggle to save lives BcingHIV and a nativeofRobc son County. I know the need to public awareness Personally.! feel we need more family counseling, affordable housing and resources av ailable to assist people like ntc Due to the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS, individuals who arc involved with behaviors such as IV drug use and multiple part ncrs arc obviously reluctant to be tested This is interesting to me because I too did not want to admit that I might be! :iV positive Nev ertheless. in the long run I am thankful that I learned that pro longing my life with medical treat ment is possible and that has made all the difference I am involved with the North . Carolina Aids Minority Speaker Bureau Mr Ro/.icr. the adminis trator in providing outreach coun seling and alternativ e test sites for possible oportunitics to be tested If you have any questions please contact Ms Brenda Hunt of the Tuscarora Tribe of North Carolina at (910) 521-1861 To all I say. "Don't forsake your future because of present circumstances" I am a v olunteer with the Tuscarora Tribe of North Carolina in thcircfTorts to serve humainity and I am living with AIDS May life is better be cause I am helping others . Brenda Jones Fairmont Correction Last tveek we ran this letter from Brenda Jones who has HIV. We misprinted her last statement We repint the letter with the cor rection. Onr apologies to Ms. Hunt Madie Roe l^ocklear has been an advocatefor the economically disadvantaged I especially the elderly and the handicapped She has a proven record of dedication and commitment to helping those who are less fortunate than others. As a wife and a mother, she understands the difficulties that occur in maintaining a household budget She is the only woman serving on the 12 member board Keep a woman working for you. Re-Elect Madie Roe Locklear on October J, 1995 at the PSU Performing Arts Center. Re-Elect Madie Rae Locklear To the EMC Board of Directors At-Large October 5,1995 PSU Performing Arts Center Registration 6:00p,m.-8:00p,m. w I Keep a Woman Working for You! |