THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
VOLUME 45 NUMBER 43 18 PAGES TODAY SOUTHPORT, NORTH CAROLINA MAY 15, 1974 10 CENTS A COPY PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
NOTICEABLE PROGRESS is being made this
week on the Oak Island Bridge as concrete
supports are raised on the south side of the In
tracoastal Waterway. The northern approach
had been advancing far more rapidly than the
marsh side; now the work will center on the
elevated roadway leading from the island to the
actual waterway crossing. In the photograph, the
two support sections closest to the camera are on
the south side of the channel.
Bray, Childs On Ballot;
Roberts Effort Is Short
By BILL ALLEN
Two Republican candidates
for the board of com
missioners earned places on
the fall general election ballot
after all votes cast in last
Tuesday’s primary were
officially tabulated Thursday
by the Brunswick County
Board of Elections.
Incumbent John H. Bray of
Smithville and newcomer
John J. Childs, Sr., of Nor
thwest were both declared
victors in the battle for the
final two places on the GOP
ballot for the board of
commissioners.
Both men, who finished
fourth and fifth in the race,
had a majority.
Herman Strong headed the
three-man field for the
Democratic nomination for
sheriff. But he lacked six
votes of having a majority
and could have faced a run
off primary. However, D.E.
Tripp, who could have called
the second primary, declined.
After the official vote was
tabulated, Tripp was quoted
as saying he did not want to
put the county and state to the
added expense of a second
primary unless more than
one race was at stake.
The official canvass,
conducted by the Board of
McHose To Fill Martin
Vacancy On City Board
A former Southport
alderman has been named to
fill the board seat of A1
Martin, who resigned his post
Thirsday night.
Mary McHose, who was
defeated in the city election
last November, will occupy a
seat on the board at least
until the next municipal
election. Martin asked that
Mrs. McHose serve on all
committees he did, including
that for the Frying Pan
Lightship.
Aldermen accepted “with
regret” the resignation of
Martin, who will move his
place of residence to Bolling
Spring Lakes within two
months.
In other business, Mayor
Eugene Tomlinson noted the
city was In “good financial
condition.” The current
budget is $728,149; to date,
collections total $651,998; and
expenditures $607,935.
Bowers Drops
Plans To Run
T. David Bowers, who won
the nomination to run for a
seaton the Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners in
the Democratic primary last
week, announced Tuesday
that he was withdrawing
from the race.
Bowers, who heads
Brunswickland Realty at
Holden Beach, said he was
withdrawing from the race
for “several reaons.”
One of the main reasons, he
told The Phot, “is the added
demands of my business.
This is my own decision. I am
taking this step because of
the added burdens which
have arisen since I entered
the race for a seat on the
board from Lockwood Folly
Township.”
Bowers told The Pilot that
he mailed a letter regarding
his decision to withdraw to
the Brunswick County Board
of Elections Tuesday.
Bowers’ letter withdrawing
from the race was received
by the Brunswick County
Board of Elections Wed
nesday.
“I hereby respectfully
tender my resignation as the
Democratic candidate for the
office of County Com
missioner in Brunswick
County,” Bowers said in the
letter. “At this time in
creasing demands of my
business, which I did not
count on when I first filed as
a candidate for the
(Continued On Page 2)
Effective June 1, the name
of East West Street east of
Bonnett’s Creek will become
“Longleaf Drive;” The
possibility of a city curfew is
under study by Town At
torney James Prevatte and
Police Chief Herman Strong;
and a street sweeper for the
city is on order, according to
Alderman Robert Howard.
A “tree ordinance” similar
to one enacted for
Wilmington is not needed by
the town, reported Alderman
Pierce Horne. Work on the
bulkhead at the foot of Howe
Street was “looking real
good,”’ according to City
Manager Alvin Kornegay,
who said 12 loads of broken
cement have been used as
reinforcement.
Mayor Tomlinson
reminded board members of
a May 28 public hearing
concerning an update of Gov.
Jim Holshouser’s seven -
year highway plan. Among
items of local interest is the
possible widening of Howe
Street from the hospital to
Sawdust Trail.
The city has committed
“up to $250” to be matched by
the local art association for
the purchase award in this
year’s July 4 Arts Festival.
Gilliam Homstein said the
purchaser “needs to offer
more prize money,” and
needs more selectivity in
which works to purchase.
Alderman Harold Davis was
named to represent the city
on a three - member purchase
(Continued On Page 2)
Elections at the courthouse in
Southport Thursday, showed
no change in the position of
any candidate in the primary
Tuesday.
The unofficial victors held
onto their places in every
race with minor adjustments
both up and down.
All candidates who won
statewide contests also
earned victories in Brun
swick County.
After all county votes were
officially tabulated, the
Board of Elections, composed
of Chairman L.C. Babson,
Secretary John N. Mills and
Member H.H. Bellamy,
announced that Tripp, the
only county candidate
eligible to call a second
(Continued On Page 18)
Commissioners Meet Thursday
Board Moves On School
Vote; Creates 6Authority’
By BILL ALLEN
Brunswick County com
missioners took the first step
towards implementing the $6
million school bond request
for construction and im
provement Thursday at a
special meeting in Southport.
The board instructed
County Manager Neil
Mallory to set up a meeting
for commissioners and
members of the Board of
Education to discuss the
proposed bond issue with the
Local Government Com
Sheriff Deputy
Dies Suddenly
Funeral services for
Melton Davis McCumbee of
Ash, chief deputy of the
Brunswick County Sheriff
Department, will be held
Thursday afternoon at three
o’clock at Zion Baptist
Church at Waccamaw. Burial
will follow at Mlntz
Cemetery.
McCumbee, 35, a member
of the sheriff’s department
for the past 8 years, died late
Tuesday night at Dosher
Memorial Hospital. He died
from a heart attack after
working a full day Tuesday.
“The Brunswick County
Sheriff’s Department has not
just lost a man but the people
of Brunswick County have
lost a man who has been of
great service,” Sheriff
Harold Willetts said. “You
can’treplace a man like Chief
Deputy McCumbee, who had
the knowledge and per
sonality to do an outstanding
Job for the people of Brun
swick County.”
Chief deputy McCumbee, a
native of Brunswick County,
was a 1986 graduate of
Waccamaw High School. He
was a farmer before joining
the sheriff’s department on
December 20, 1966 and
shortly afterwards was ap
pointed chief deputy. He
attended numerous law
enforcement schools and
seminars while a member of
(Continued On Page 2)
mission.
“We should not drag our
feet on this matter,”
Chairman William A. Kopp,.
Jr., told his fellow com
missioners.
County Manager Mallory
said he had talked to officials
of the Local Government
Commission about the school
bond matter. He was told that
a three - way meeting bet
ween the commissioners,
education board members
and the Local Government
Commission was the first
step towards implementing
the bond issue.
HIGHWAY NEEDS
Commissioners made plans
to discuss highway needs in
Brunswick County at a Board
of Transportation public
meeting in Raleigh May 23.
The public meeting, one of
three being held in the
eastern part of the state, will
be devoted to discussing the
seven - year road con
struction program of the
department.
Chairman Kopp suggested
that the board put together a
package to present at the
Raleigh meeting. The
package, dealing with future
highway needs in the county,
will be discussed at the next
board meeting May 20.
He said he knew the board
should recommend that
Improvements be made to
Highways 17 and 133. Board
members were urged to
make other suggestions at the
(Continued On Page 2)
Sheriff’s Run-Off Set
It appears that Brunswick County Democrats
will have to return to the polls June 4 to nominate
candidates for sheriff and the state senate.
Since Grady has made the announcement D.E.
Tripp apparently will call a second race against
Hermon Strong for the Democratic nomination
for sheriff.
Tripp, who finished second in the race, told the
Brunswick County Board of Elections in a letter
(Continued On Page 18)
Condominiums Coming Soon
Yaupon Okays Zoning,
Paves Way For Units
By ED THORNDYKE
The Yaupon Beach Town
Council adopted a residential
apartment zoning ordinance
at a special meeting Monday
night and then approved a
triangular strip of land ad
jacent to NC 133 as a
residential apartment zone.
The ordinance will permit
the construction of
residential, duplex con
dominiums, and multi-family
dwellings in approved zones
and will open the door for
construction of two five-story
condominiums on the
specifically zoned triangular
site, pending planning board
approval of the project plans.
The ordinance was
presented, at the request of
the council, by town attorney
Obie Lee of Lumberton and
approved, after spirited
debate by the council on a 3-2
vote. Council members Jack
Allen, Gib Barbee, and
Marvin Watson supported
adoption of the ordinance
while Bill McDougle and
William Smalley were in
opposition.
According to Lee, the or
dinance that was adopted was
the same one he presented to
the original Yaupon Beach
Town Council, with the ad
dition of specific application
procedure guidelines, when
they approved initial zoning
ordnances ,'or the town. The
council struck the residential
apartment zone clause at that
time.
The specific site that was
zoned is owned by Southport
businessman John Barbee
and is earmarked for sale to
Venture Managment, Inc., of
Winston-Salem and Atlanta.
Venture proposes to use it for
the construction of two five
story condominiums.
The council voted 3-1 to
approve the site as a
residential apartment zone,
with members McDougle,
Allen, and Watson voting for
approval. Smalley opposed
the motion and Gib Barbee
disqualified himself from the
vote. Barbee is the brother of
owner John Barbee.
The zoned site has been the
subject of some controversy
with various local citizens
voicing their displeasure at
the possibly of the con
struction of condominiums on
the beach. Other displeasure
stems from the developers’
wish to purchase water for
the townhouse complex from
Yaupon Beach. There is
concern among the citizens
(Continued On Page 2)
6Sheriff Has Right Much Influence9
‘No’ Vote On Cars Hurt Clemmons
His voting not to accept 14 overdue
sheriff’s cars cost J.T. Clemmons
his seat on the Brunswick County
board of commissioners.
And a negative vote on the same
issue nearly erased the name of
John Bray from the Republican
slate in the November general
election.
These observations were made
during a Monday interview by
Clemmons, Lockwood Folly
Township commissioner who was
not renominated for office in the
May 7 GOP primary.
“I was told if the sheriff ever put
out a ticket against me that I would
lose,” Clemmons said. He cited
“them stinkin’ sheriff’s cars” as
playing a “very major part” in his
defeat.
Clemmons said that “the
disagreement came when the cars
got 30 days behind.” That was on
Feb. 6 when Clemmons introduced a
motion to void the contract with
Willetts Ford of Bolivia.
The vote was 3-2 in favor of the
motion, Commissioners John Bray
and Robert Simmons voting with
Clemmons, and William A. Kopp,
Jr., and Vardell Hughes voting to
accept the cars when they arrived.
Clemmons said, “I think there
might have been one or two mem
bers of the board that didn’t want to
talk about it, didn’t want it to come
up. But it had to come up.”
He said the contract may already
have been broken, and “I didn’t
want to pop up in another lawsuit.”
Commissioner Simmons changed
his vote on Feb. 20 and the tally was
3-2 in favor of accepting the cars.
Clemmons and Bray voted no.
The Lockwood Folly com
missioner, who insisted he was not
opposed to purchasing the cars, met
with sheriff’s deputies when he
found out he “was somewhat in
dutch with them for voting against
the cars.”
“They didn’t buy my position,”
Clemmons said.
He said he dropped out of the race
temporarily on March 26 because “I
had canvassed thetounty ... and had
seen things happening within my
party that didn’t lode just exactly
right to me.” He said he talked with
several Republican leaders and was
told if he wasn’t on the sheriff’s
ticket, he’d lose.
“It was the thought of the sheriff’s
ticket I did not like.”
About the “anti - Clemmons”
ticket, the commissioner said, “I
knew there was little or nothing I
could do about it, and by staying on
it there was the possibility of me
dragging another real good,
qualified commissioner down the
drain with me.”
He said he re-entered the race
because of a commitment to the
4,700-plus voters who elected him in
1972.
“I feel like I was politicked to
death,” Clemmons said, “and I also
feel that there were some members
of the party being sure I wasn’t back
on the ticket.”
Clemmons would not say whether
he felt some members of the board
of commissioners campaigned
(Continued On Page 18)