Volume 44, Number 43
WINSTON-SALEM, N,C
THURSDAY, June 28, 2018
DSS, Public Health now one
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
As of July 1, the
Forsyth County
Departments of Social
Services (DSS) and Public
Health will be consolidated
into a Human Services
department.
County commissioners
voted 7-1 to approve the
move last week. Little is
expected to change for the
clients of the two depart
ments, which are located
next to each other on the
same campus on Highland
Avenue.
“There should be mini
mal change in how things
run in those departments,”
said Assistant County
Manager Ronda Tatum,
who will be the Human
Services director.
Consolidation involves
who runs the departments,
which currently both have
their own boards with the
ability to hire and fire their
departments’ directors.
Most of those board mem
bers will make up the new
18 member consolidated
Witherspoon
Human Services board.
Hiring and firing powers
over the directors of DSS
and Public Health will fall
to the Human Services
director, who is hired by
the county manager, with
the advice and consent of
the Human Services board.
The directors for both
DSS and Human Services
will stay in place and no
personnel changes are
expected from consolida
tion. Human Services
employees will no longer
be under the State Human
Resources Act and will be
under the same policies and
procedures as other county
employees.
County Commissioner
Everette Witherspoon was
the sole “no” vote, repeat
ing his concern that the
county commissioners
could try to influence coun
ty management to fire a
DSS or Public Health
director they don’t like.
“We have a history of
meddling in health and
human services when we
See One on A4
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votin9
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BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Voters will see touch screen
machines return for early voting, but
the Forsyth County Board of
Elections (BOE) has yet to determine
__ when
CAMPAIGN awh"ere
that will
be.
The
BOE
plans to
continue its early voting discussion
on Monday, July 2, at 5 p.m. and must
approve a plan by July 17. When it
began early voting deliberations last
Thursday, it was to a capacity crowd
that had numerous suggestions for the
board. There were several comments
about,the importance of Saturday vot
ing for those who work during the
weekdays. There were also those urg
ing the BOE to use Winston-Salem
State University, which had been an
early voting site from 2000-2012
until a Republican majority BOE,
chaired by Ken Raymond, stopped
using it.
“I wanted to put in a bid for
Winston-Salem State University,
which also has easy access for stu
dents at Salem and UNCSA [UNC
School of the Arts], plus all three fac
ulties and staffs and nearby resi
dents,” said Winston-Salem resident
Anne Wilson.
WSSU was a source of contention
in 2016 early voting when it wasn’t
considered even after dozens of com
munity members spoke in favor of its
use. The board is now evenly split
between political parties and has as
its chairwoman Democrat Susan
Campbell, who has WSSU among her
proposed sites.
Two speakers voiced concerns
about giving early voting preference
to college students, saying they may
only live inside the county while
attending class but still vote on local
issues. Beverly Lung of Walkertown
also had a concern if the areas outside
the city would be covered by early
voting sites.
“Why do you have to have so
many on top of each other, so to
speak, as opposed to serving all your
constituents throughout the whole
county?” asked Lung, during the
BOE’s Tuesday, June 26, meeting.
Traditionally, early voting sites
are more numerous in the heavily
populated city. Walkertown Library,
which does traditionally have a site,
didn’t make it into the list of sites
BOE members expressed interest in
as of last week.
See Early Voting on A4
First shared
use kitchen
opens in W-S
BY TEV1N STINSON
THE CHRONICLE_
S.G. Atkins Community Development Center
(SGACDC) officials, Winston-Salem State University
(WSSU) Chancellor Elwood Robinson and several elected
officials came together earlier this week to cut the ribbon
and officially open the city’s first shared-use commercial
kitchen.
According to Carol Davis, executive director of
SGACDC, the kitchen, located at The Enterprise Center
I-Mr*1 •" ~
WSSU photo
People who attend a ribbon cutting ceremony take
a tour of the city’s first shared-use commercial
kitchen at The Enterprise Center.
on South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, will help caterers,
food entrepreneurs and others who have products they
want to package and sell in stores, online and on food
trucks. She said the goal is to see entrepreneurs use the
kitchen as a stepping-stone to open their own restaurants
in the community.
“I know that it will change the lives of people who
have been waiting patiently for this place to open. Right
now there are some shared-use kitchens and facilities in
other counties but this is the first one here,” continued
Davis. “I know that having it here is going to be a benefit
and help people perfect their craft, perfect their menus and
complete their business planning, and hopefully we see
businesses spin out into this community.
“We would love to see some of these chefs, caterers
and food entrepreneurs spin out into their own restaurants
See Kitchen on A4
Promoting
reading,
building m
links in W-S
Photo by Tevin Stinson
Children from the
Ken Carlson Boys
and Girls Club
enjoy a sweet treat
on Thursday, June
21, during the
unveiling of the
Sweet Reads
Truck.
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Nothing says summer
like ice cream, and thanks
to the Winston-Salem
Police Foundation local
officers will be serving up
cold treats and books all
summer.
During a special cere
mony, the Police
See Sweet Reads on A4
(336) 924-7000
www.assuredstoragews.com