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THE STATE PORT PILOT
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Volume 48 Number 5
August 18, 1976
Southport, N. C.
2 Sections, 52 Pages
10 Cen ts
Dosher Hospital Vote Wins Easily
Lopsided Win
Shows Support
Smithville Township votes have over
whelmingly approved a four-cent per $100
valuation tax to improve and expand Dosher
Memorial Hospital.
The township vote was 1,866 to 344 — 84 percent
in favor — with only Mosquito precinct in op
position. The $2.5-million improvement program
was favored 695 to 27 in Southport I; 577 to 25 in
Southport II; and 572 to 133 in Oak Island
precinct. The issue lost in Mosquito, 22 to 159.
An easy victory was forecast in Southport, but
nothing like the % and 95 percentages for
precincts I and II, respectively. In Oak Island,
the 81-percent approval far exceeded estimates
of a two-thirds vote.
The negative vote in Mosquito was expected,
too, since most of the residents live closer to the
new county hospital than to Dosher.
“I have seen more lopsided victories,” said
one voteran political observer, “but never when
the voters voted to tax themselves.”
“Folks in other parts of the county talk about a
two-to-one vote being a ‘mandate’,” said another
observer. “Wonder what they call this?”
What it is, accoding to Southport Mayor
Eugene Tomlinson, is another example to the
state that the people of southeastern Brunswick
County want a hospital of their own.
“We got a letter from Raleigh last week that
said they planned to come here and hold a public
hearing to see if there really is public support for
a hospital,” the mayor said Tuesday. “Our at
torney wrote them back and said he would for
ward the results of the election to them on
Wednesday morning.”
The figures, he said, show substantial support.
TALKS OF TEMPERATURE, alwaysM popular subject whether its very
hot or very cold, will once again have supportive evidence, as the gauge at
the downtown Waccamaw Bank office was repaired Tuesday. It was cool
81 degrees — when the needle was replaced at 11 a jn.
Cost-Of-Living Hikes Approved
By BILL ALLEN
Staff Writer
Southport city employees,
who did not receive salary
raises in the new 1976-77
budget, have been given cost
of-living increases.
The Southport Board of
Aldemen, meeting Thursday
night, voted unanimously to
give all employees a $480
cost-of-living increase during
the budget year, retroactive
to July 1. The increase, which
will hike the pay of each
employee $40 a month, will
cost taxpayers $18,240.
The action was taken
following a long discussion to
answer questions raised by
Alderman Conley Koontz
about where the city was
going to obtain the money to
pay the cost - of - living in
creases.
Koontz, who announced he
favored giving the increases
before the vote was taken,
stated that aldermen were
making decisions on the
streets and “rubber -
stamping them’’ during
public meetings.
He saia that one alderman,
whom he did not identify, had
already told city employees
that they would obtain the
cost - of -livng increase.
“We are obligated in a
sense to do it since city
employees have already been
told they would get it,”
Koontz declared. “Every
member of this board knew
this was going to happen.”
Alderman Pierce Horne
proposed at the July meeting
that the city administration
“find” the funds to give all
employees a salary increase
since they did not receive a
raise in the 1976-77 budget.
Mayor E.B. Tomlinson, Jr.,
preseting details of the cost -
of - living increase at the
meeting Thursday night, said
he believed it was better to
give each employee an
“equal amount rather than a
percentage” increase.
Mayor Tomlinson said the
money to provide the in
creases could come from
funds advanced Dosher
Memorial Hospital. He said
he had “every reason to
believe” that the Dosher
trustees will pay back money
the city has advanced once
the hospital referendum is
approved on Tuesday.
Home proposed that the
city fill vacancies in the city
force with Manpower - paid
employees. He said the
savings in budgeted positions
could be used to pay the in
crease. “We have one em
ployee in the budget who has
resigned,” he explained. “He
can be replaced with a
Manpower- paid employee.”
Koontz questioned whether
Horne’s proposal would be in
violation of the law since, in
reality, the Manpower money
would be used to pay the
increase. He said it was his
understanding tnat Man
power funds must be used to
provide jobs to increase
employment.
City Attorney Carter
Lambeth told the board he
would have to check the law
about how the $13,000 - plus
the city received in Man
power funds could be spent.
Alderman Harold Davis
made the motion to approve
the cost - of - living increase
proposed by Mayor
Tomlinson, and it was quickly
seconded by Horne.
Koontz raised a “point of
order” since the motion did
not state where the city was
going to obtain the funds. He
said it was important since
tne increase wouia amoutn to
7.5 cents int he budget.
Davis proposed that 1975-76
carryover budget money,
which was placed in the
Utility department, be
transferred to administration
to pay the increase.
Koontz, raising another
“point of order”, proposed
that the Budget Committee
study the matter and make a
recommendation. Aldermen
Mary McHose and Dorothy
Gilbert said the committee
ended its service when the
1976-77 budget was adopted.
Koontz said he was not
opposed to the increase,
especially for low-paid city
employees. He said he had
worked in the past to see that
the low-paid employees
received a liveable wage,
which he said he was not sure
they were obtaining at the
present time.
Lambeth said he was sure
(Continued on page 8)
County Schools Open
Year Monday Morning
The first day of the Brunswick County school
year begins with orientation and registration on
Monday, according to School Supt. Ralph C.
King.
All county schools will operate on an ab
breviated schedule Monday, with primary and
elementary schools open from 8:15 a.m. until
noon and high schools from 8:30 a.m. until moon.
Lunches will not be served in the school
cafeterias on Monday.
The regular school schedule begins on Tuesday
with primary and elementary schools operating
from 8:15 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. and high schools
operating from 8:30 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. School
cafeterias will begin serving lunches on
Tuesday.
Supt. King is encouraging students and
parents to put forth a special effort to keep at
tendance at a high level.
“At the end of the first 20 days of school the
Department of Public Instruction makes ad
justment in teacher allotments based on average
daily attendance. A high rate of attendance
usually results in additional teacher allotments.
“If we can keep our attendance high during the
first month of school we stand to gain additional
teachers which can be utilized to reduce class
size and increase class offerings,” King said.
“This will be our first year with a total kin
dergarten program, King noted. All of us —
parents, bus drivers, students and all school
personnel — need to put forth a special effort to
insure the safety of these and all the youngsters
attending our schools. Anyone noting conditions
that may threaten the safety of school children
should make an immediate report to the ap
propriate school principal.”
Northwest Is Left Out
As Yereen Leads Vote
Commissioner Franky Thomas
was the only incumbent office holder
in Brunswick County to fail to gain
re-nomination in the party primary
elections Tuesday.
Pearly Vereen of Waccamaw was
the leading vote-getter in the
Democratic primary for the five
seats on the Brunswick County
Board of Commissioners.
Marvin Watson of Smithville
finished a strong second while Willie
Sloan of Town Creek was third,
Chairman Steve Vamam, Jr., of
Lockwood Folly fourth and William
Stanley, Jr., of Shallotte fifth.
However, the nominations of Sloan
and Varnam were still up in the air
after the vote was tallied. The two
incumbent commissioners, who
were involved in three - man races
for re - election, could be subject to
second primary, depending on
whether they gained a majority.
William Kopp, Jr., of Town Creek
and Ellis Dudley of Smithville had
no trouble gaining the Republican
nominations for seats on the board.
The biggest surprise came when
Thomas, who served as chairman
during the almost two years he has
been on the board, lost.
Thomas, who did poorly west of
the Lockwood Folly River, won his
three-man race in Northwest
Township. But he could not outpoll
Shallotte Township’s Stanley for the
fifth position.
The decision by county voters in
the Democratic primary means that
Northwest Townships will be
without representation on the county
board in December. The Republican
party in the county is not offering a
candidate in the township for a seat
(xi the board.
Vereen, a Waccamaw farmer who
ran unopposed in his township,
topped the voting in the race for the
Democratic nomination for a seat on
the board. He rolled up 2,043 votes.
Watson, making his first bid for
public office in the county, polled
1,969 votes to win the nomination
from Smithville. He had no trouble
beating Harley Evans, who had only
1,264 votes.
Third place in the race went to
Sloan, who apparently won
renomination from Town Creek. He
had 1,774 votes while James
Clemmons ended up with 1,128 votes
and Jim Mathews 598.
Chairman Varnam ended up in
fourth place. He won Lockwood
Folly with 1,764 votes vhile Cletis
Clemmons had 1,461 and Andrew
Gray 469.
Stanley, a new victor in county
politics, won the nomination from
Shallotte when his township finished
fifth and he had 1,673 votes. He beat
Tommy Lewis, who had 1,047 votes.
Thomas beat both Donald
Honeycutt and Julian McKeithan in
Northwest, but lost renomination
because he was 82 votes behind
Stanley. Thomas polled 1,591 votes
while Honeycutt had 1,142 and
McKeithan 697.
Kopp won the Republican
nomination in Town Creek. He
scored an 834 to 223 vote victory over
Charlie Long.
Dudley also had an easy time
defeating D.J. Larsen 626 to 332 for
the GOP nomination in Smithfivlle.
Ward Is Winner
Two incumbent Brunswick County
officials rolled up easy victories in
primary voting on Tuesday.
Thomas (Tommy) Gilbert,
making his first bid for public office
after being appointed to the post,
had an easy time gaining the
Democratic nomination for coroner.
He rolled over Steve Becky 3,155 to
2,075.
Anthony Caputo defeated Allen
Ward in Pender County, but not by
enough votes fb offset the in
cumbent’s margin in Brunswick
County.
Caputo polled 4,326 in the two
counties while Ward tallied 5,082. In
Pender County the challenger won
by 700 votes — 2,229 to 1,529 — in the
unofficial count.
Ward, winning 15 of the 20
precincts in the county, defeated
Anthony Caputo by a margin of 3,553
to 2,097 in Brunswick County.
Ward ran strong in most areas of
the county, especially the western
section, but not in Southport. He lost
Southport I by 458 to 54, and South
port II by 401 to 74. But he only lost
Oak Island by 263 to 202.
He bounced back in the western
section of the county and scored
impressive victory margins. He won
Ash precinct, for example, by 198 to
2.
Doug Boykin of Burgaw won
Brunswick County in the Republican
primary to oppose Ward in the fall.
He defeated Maliston Stanley of
Shallotte 554 to 446 in the county.
William (Billy) Gaither edged
Robert Robinson in one of the closest
races in the county for the battle for
the Democratic nomination for
register of deeds. He scored a 27
vote victory, 2,401 to 2,374.
Phase I Plans For
Complex Are Okayed
Phase I construction plans
for the new courthouse
complex were given final
approval by Brunswick
County commissioners on
Monday.
The unanimous action was
taken after Friday Hodges,
John Boudreaux and Lesesne
Monteith of LBC&W,
engineers and architects on
the project, showed comm
missioners the final plans for
Phase I.
Monteith told the board
that the firm was preparing
working drawings and
contract documents at the
present time.
“We have nine people
working full - time on the
project, it still takes 21 days
to hatch an egg no matter
how many hens you have,” he
declared.
Hodges said the firm was
still about two weeks behind
schedule to hold ground
breaking and contract
awarding on the first Monday
in November.
The courthouse offices, the
tax collector’s office, the tax
supervisor’s office and the
administration offices are all
included in Phase I. Plans for
the jail were only approved
by the state on Friday,
Monteith reported.
Monteith told Chairman
Steve Varnam, Jr., that the
firm also was doing design
work on the other buildings in
case public works funds are
received to build the entire
complex at one time.
In other business, the board
(Continued on page IS)