The State Port Pilot
OPINION
Jousting with the budget
The messenger of bad news is often met with an astounding reply -
- off with his head or else feed him to the lions.
Is interim county manager John Harvey a modern-day Don Quixote,
inspired by lofty and chivalrous but impractical ideals?
Not many of his bold budget recommendations for 1993-94 survived
even the first battle Monday. Residents and county employees ready to
march to the front lines to perform their duties are suddenly relieved.
But Harvey wore the armor well. No arrows penetrated the skin.
County commissioners fired live rounds and some stinging remarks
in Harvey's comer about "concept rejections" and some baffling ideals
that are either "totally unacceptable" or represent "not efficient govern
ment."
Harvey was tabbed on the Ides of March (an omen no less) to lead the
noble empire left stunned by county manager David Clegg's sudden
resignation.
Rescued from Harvey's flaming tower Monday were a 68-cent tax
rate, a threatened Resources Development Commission, the "invalu
able" Brunswick County Library Board of Trustees, the cooperative
extension program and the Brunswick County Parks and Recreation
Department He wanted them gone or made lame, free of his realm.
Even parks director Bobby (B. J.) Jones survived a plunge into a
safety net. He had been banished from county government.
What awaits commissioners now is the task of revising basically
every dollar amount in the budget Harvey's plan to wipe out most funds
to county agencies and non-profit groups is also sure to create havoc at
Thursday's public hearing.
The message delivered Monday attempts to smooth some ruffled
feathers as commissioners are injured by the recent uprising.
They seek unity, to forget partisan politics for a moment and the 3-2
Democrat versus Republican rift that created it all.
The people have been heard.
To Harvey, budgets are more than a bottom line. They represent a
future plan for county governments to follow, including the county's
methodology for spending and what long-range plan should steer a
specific course of action for even ten years down the road.
His restructuring plan for county operations, such as grouping main
tenance crews from each arm of government into one division, has some
merit and could result in a savings. His five-year capital improvements
plan lists $70 million that will be needed prior to 1998 for county
buildings, the landfill and public utilities.
But his plan questions the status quo and follows no precedents.
Commissioners are left to hammer out what they really want from what
they view as a bit eccentric.
A leader forced to leave in March was never entangled in such a
communications block.
But it's time to stop looking back. Right?
Meanwhile, Harvey attacks a few windmills because they are there.
Time to move on
Southport residents and city officials put their heart and soul into the
All-America City contest this year, and everyone involved should be
commended for his efforts.
Developing a presentation of Southport's strengths and weaknesses
gave the city a chance to redefine itself, and to draw on every aspect of
Southport's unique characteristics. In preparing for die contest, the city
reminded its residents of their precious cultural heritage, and of the
heroic community efforts that have helped solve the city's problems.
Poverty, crime, drugs. All of these are present in Southport But they
are apparently not prevalent enough to warrant an All-America City
award for problem-solving.
For two years in a row the city has done its best to win the award, and
for two years in a row it has failed. It is time now to turn our attention
to other matters.
The city has invested $13,500 and seven months of preparation in the
contest this year. If that is not enough to win the award, let's let well
enough alone and invest our time and money instead on making
Southport the best it can be - All-America or not.
Mayor Norman Holden said this week that the board of aldermen may
be thinking the same thing. Everyone is disappointed and disheartened,
he said, and wondering if perhaps this shouldn't be the city's last All
America effort.
Competing in the contest for the past two years has reinvigorated
Southport's civic pride, and for that reason our time and money have not
been wasted. But it's time now to say we've put our best foot forward
and have come up empty-handed. There is absolutely nothing that we
could have done differently that would have won that award.
mmm_.
The State Port Pilot
USPS 520-280
Published Every Wednesday
James M. Harper, Jr.. .Publisher
Ed Harper....Editor
Diane McKeithan...Business Manager
Marybeth Bianchi. .Feature Editor
Holly Edwards.Municipal Editor
Terry Pope.. . .County Editor
Kim Adams... Advertising Sales
Cindy Aldridge. Advertising Sales
Debora McKellar.Graphic Artist
Sue Parker..Classified Advertising
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Not exactly news
Quinton has a baseball card. Brett McKeithan
attended a card show in Newark, Del., last week
with his cousin, Hank Mangum, and saw a pros
pect card for his former classmate at South
Brunswick, Quinton McCracken. He decided to
invest in futures and purchased two cards... We
recall that when baseball cards first appeared on
the scene 50 years ago they were free with pack
ages of bubble gum or candy. Now if you get 'em
you buy ’em, and some are very expensive.
Lee Roberts wrote an interesting article for the
Sunday Star-News about Jim McKee and his exca
vation project on the lawn in front of the Southport
City Hall, formerly the Brunswick County Court
house. We have a strong feeling this work is
important enough to be continued... It may be out
of season, but we are glad NBA playoff games are
still in progress.
Two recent interested Southport visitors were
Mrs. Sallie Veasey and Mrs. Margaret Holden
Duvall of Lakeshore Commons in Wilmington,
when Mrs. Veasey's son Ed brought them down
for a look about town and dinner at the Ship's
Chandler... An all-out Southport High School re
union will be held here this weekend when classes
from *44-'55 combine forces fora two-day Memo
rial Day celebration.
For two towns so far apart Southport and New
Castle, Pa., have several ties. It is the home of
Mary be th Bianchi where she was better known as
Buffy Kovacs; it is the hometown of alderman Bill
Crowe where he and his wife, Alneta, spent the
past weekend attending a reunion; it is the place
where all the fireworks used at the N. C. Fourth of
July Festival in recent years are manufactured;
and it is the hometown of Jane Lynch, who still
subscribes to the daily newspaper and helps keep
the others informed about what's going on in
Pennsylvania... A sailing regatta may be slow but
it is a beautiful spectator sport. We were reminded
of this Sunday afternoon in the Southport harbor.
Mose Lewis and his wife have the ultimate in
versatility in their family circle. Their daughter,
Ola, was sworn in last Monday as a District Court
judge and they have a son who is a former National
Football League player... Waterfront Park is a
perfect location for watching the twilight flights
of literally hundreds of ibises as they return from
their inland feeding ground and swoop down over
the Cape Fear River in their landing approach to
liiVinVI
Battery Island. Put them on your list of interesting
things to watch out for.
This weekend Southport will welcome scores
of graduates of Southport High School and we
want to urge them to make a trip to the CP&L
Visitors Center to see the historic display which
was assembled for last year's 200th anniversary
celebration and which still is intact We guarantee
you will be impressed, and admission is free...
Claude McCall, who grew up in Southport before
pursuing a career in Washington, now makes his
home in New Bern. He was a visitor here during
the past weekend and said he missed seeing people
swimming in the river. "I remember swimming
over to Battery Island," he said, "and there were
several other boys my age who could do that"
Elizabeth Watkins was a visitor in the Pilot
office Monday and talked about entertaining her
playmates in the basement of Miller Hotel, which
stood at the comer of Howe and Bay streets. She
remembered that no water ever stood in that
underground room of the hotel, which was owned
and operated by her parents. ..This reminded us of
her brother, Leonard, who could play the accor
dion.
Public opinion
Recreation
To the Editor
The Brunswick County commu
nity needs to be aware of a great
potential loss if the interim county
manager succeeds in dissolving our
parks and recreation department.
Parks and recreation has numer
ous programs for children, senior
citizens, athletic programs for adults
and youths, environmental educa
tion and for people who like to have
clean, healthy, adventurous fun!
I'm the vice-president of the
Associated Artists of Southport and
we co-sponsored "Art in the Park"
with the Brunswick County Parks
and Recreation Department. I have
witnessed, first hand, the teamwork
involved in making paries and
recreation a very successful
program. Bobby Jones, the director
of parks and recreation, has worked
very hard to make the department
what it is today and our community
would be losing a great attribute if
he were no longer the director.
If you or your family have ever *
participated in any of the following
programs: Beach Sweep, after
school art, soccer, symphonies in
Raleigh and Wilmington, canoe
sweep, senior citizen cruise, water
aerobics, whitewater rafting and
Easter egg hunt, then this county
needs your support.
To keep this cultural asset in our
community alive please attend the
meeting at the public assembly
building in the government complex
this Thursday, May 27, in Bolivia at
7 p.m.
Thank you
Kimberly Smittle Caroon
Adverse
impact
To the Editor:
Our family was very disturbed by
the article concerning the abolish
ment of the very successful
Brunswick County Parks and
Recreation Department. This
department has provided numerous
recreational and cultural opportuni
ties for families and people of all
ages in Brunswick County.
Art in the Park, Beach Days,
weekend excursions, county wide
craft classes, aerobics and intramu
ral sports - to list but a few - one
only has to look in the newspaper
every week to see pictures of people
enjoying themselves or to find out
about the numerous activities
offered by the parks and recreation
department for young and old, for
tourists and locals. In every
program we have participated in,
the leadership and organization of
parks and recreation personnel have
been outstanding. We urge the
county commissioners to reconsider
the current move to abolish the
successful parks and recreation
department Losing these programs
To The Editor:
Of public inter#. Comments should bo astressed to the Editor and 5
pBMaledtt>Tli« State PmtMotPjG. Box 10548, Southport* N.C. 2846f|||
®pNtere should be BmiiteiJ to250words, tooger tetters MB be edlt^Wm
$F*at,<x wiUbe«ttunK<ltotiieT)Witertffidiiiiig woold^gaificawly gfefif
can only have an adverse impact
upon the quality of life in
Brunswick County. We strongly
urge the people of Brunswick
County » young and old -• to take a
stand, be vocal, support our paries
and recreation department, Thurs
day, May 27, at 7 p.m. at tire county
complex.
Thank you,
Toby, Sarah, Alisha, Cabell,
Toby Mac and Lacy Levin
■ Long Beach
Thank you
To the Editor
The Junior Woman's Club of
Southport wishes to thank the
Jaycees of Southport-Oak Island for
the fantastic support of the March
of Dimes Walkathon, 1993.
Their generosity for the use of the
building and grounds as headquar
ters for the walkathon was grate
fully appreciated. *
Community support means a lot
We make a great team! Again a
huge thank you!
Sandra Albert
Public Affairs
Junior Woman's Club of
Southport
General Excellence - NCPA weekly division: first 1989, '91, '92; runner-up 1990