County
Continued from page 1
the Bninswick County Library Board
of Trustees be dissolved, plans com
missioners have since said they will
not support.
Helen Cashwell of Long Beach said
the county proposes spending
$175,000 in contracted legal services
when former county manager/attor
ney David Clegg's salary was only
$69,900 per year. The action would
"worsen our budget" by $105,100,
she said.
Clegg, who resigned under politi
cal pressure in March, hasn't been
replaced although commissioners
have interviewed three men for the
job and hope to interview a fourth
candidate soon. Interim county attor
ney Michael Ramos, who works on a
monthly retainer and hourly rate, sub
mitted the $175,000 request.
"This is a new era and changes have
taken place," said Ms. Cashwell. "We
are between managers. Leave the cur
rent budget in place. Leave the tax
rate in place. Let him (manager) re
solve the differences.”
Eileen Kellagher of Long Beach
said the proposal is ambiguous for it
includes reductions in force in some
departments yet recommends hiring
additional staff in others.
Jobs cut by the proposal include
Bobby (B. J.) Jones, parks director,
two in the Brunswick County Coop
erative Extension Service programs
and Kelly Barefoot, clerk to the board
and secretary to the county manager.
In the 1991 -92 budget, the previous
board of commissioners combined
Mrs. Barefoot's duties as secretary
and eliminated the clerk's position
from the governing body.
However, the proposal returns the
clerk to that category, creating an
other job. Commissioner Jerry Jones
questioned the move at a work ses
sion last week.
Mrs. Barefoot is reportedly under
pressure from three Democratic com
missioners to resign. Several speak
ers last week said she should be al
lowed to keep her job.
Reductions in force are used to cut
the number of people on the payroll,
not to fire some and to hire others,
said Ms. Kellagher.
"Don't use vindictiveness to phase
out Kelly Barefoot and B. J.," she
said. "I’m waiting to see the final
results."
She labeled this budget process as
"Budgetgate", a comment that brought
a loud applause from the audience.
Dale McDowell, president of the
Long Bay Artificial Reef Associa
tion , said reef projects have succeeded
because Mrs. Barefoot was willing to
"wade through a ton of paperwork.
She has helped us greatly for the past
nine years," he added.
Politics is getting in the way of
business, added Carson Durham of
Shallotte. He said a "grave injustice
was done” when Clegg was forced to
resign.
"We don't need that," said Durham.
"Now you're try ing to do another thing
to force another employee to resign."
Funds were tentatively restored to
the Brunswick County Literacy Coun
cil but many spoke in favor of more
funds.
Lamiece McKoy, Miss Brunswick

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Brunswick County commissioners have tentatively agreed to fund |
some agencies an'
1993-94 budget.
Most of the fun
Harvey’s proposal May 17,
Another workshop was held Tuesday to revise the figures. The board
has agreed on the Following amounts:
•Brunswick County Airport Authority: $50,000;
•Long Bay Artificial Reef Association: $25,000;
•Ocean Me Beach Airport: $15,000:
•Brunswick County Law Enforcement Association: $1,000;
•Cluunber of Commeace/Travel Package: $70,000:
•Fifth District Civic Center $5,000;
•Brunswick County Literacy Council: $3,500:
•Volunteer and Information Center: $17,000;
•Southeastern Sickle Cell: $3,000:
•Hospital Hospitality House: $1,000;
•Lower Cape Fear Hospice: $2,500;
•Miss Brunswick County Scholarship Pageant: $5,000;
•Hope Harbor Home: $ 15,000;
•Senior Games: $3,000;
•Special Olympics: $3,000;
•American Legion Baseball: $5,000: ' .
•Brunswick County Arts Council: $1,250; •• . .
•Southport Maritime Museum: $20,000; •••• .
•WHQR public radio: $1,000;
•Brunswick County Amateur Radio: $1000;
•Black History Month: $500; ;
•Ocean Isle Beach Muse tun: $15,000; and
•District fire/rescue allocations: $250,000, •• <• . •; . >
County, said the scholarship pageant
is a reflection on the community and
should be funded. It was included in
the list read by Warren before the
hearing.
Others spoke to support the coop
erative extension4-Hprograms, parks
programs, the Hope Harbor Home
shelter for battered women and chil
dren. educational spending, the
Brunswick County Volunteer and In
formation Center, senior citizens, fire
departments service district fees,
county water expansion, WHQR pub
lic radio and the Southport Maritime
Museum.
South Brunswick Middle School
assistant principal Tom Simmons
made a pitch for more school funds.
"Education is expensive, but
tomorrow's ignorance is not going to
have a price tag on it," said Simmons.
"Do what is right for the boys and
girls in Brunswick County."
Harvey has recommended a bond
referendum for new school construc
tion and renovations.
Landfill
Continued from page 1
the state for not meeting minimum
standards at the landfill near Supply.
His duties were assigned to opera
tion services director Darry Somersett
and the solid waste department effec
tively dissolved, one of the last offi
cial actions taken by former county
manager David Clegg before he re
signed.
However, not all commissioners
were aware that board chairman Don
Warren had authorized the position
be advertised. Warren said he polled
commissioners by telephone last week
to reach a consensus.
But polling members by telephone
to reach a personnel decision raises
legal questions on the interpretation
of the state's open meetings law.
"In my view that's a violation of the
law," said Hugh Stevens Jr., general
counsel for the North Carolina Press
Association. "What you in effect do is
conduct a meeting where the public
cannot participate."
Commissioner Jerry Jones ques
tioned the action at the close of a
budget workshop last Wednesday.
Rumors indicate Democratic board
members, who hold a 3-2 majority,
want to hire Pearly Vereen, a former
operation services employee whose
job was cut from the 1991-92 budget
by an all-Republican board.
Vereen is also a past Democratic
chairman on the board of commis
sioners.
"I'm just letting you know how I
feel about it," said Jones. "The reports
to me are that the landfill is operating
better than it ever has before."
The position can be eliminated to
save the county some money, said
(ones.
Clegg effectively cut the solid waste
iepartment from the county budget
when he suspended Hewetton March
15, the day Gegg also resigned as
manager. Hewett's job was then as
sumed by Somersett's staff.
Somersett's department has always
supplied equipment and manpower
deeded to bury garbage and to operate
the landfill.
"In my recommended budget it is a
reduction in force," said Harvey.
But Harvey was contacted by War
ren last week and told to advertise the
position. When asked if the board had
authorized that action, Harvey was
told that a poll was taken which indi
cated a majority of commissioners
wanted the job filled.
However, not all board members
were contacted by telephone. Jones
said he was never called by Warren.
A section of the open meetings law
allows for commissioners tobepolled
by telephone, but it suggests a speaker
phone be present in a public meeting,
a way to let the public participate, said
Stevens.
The issue of polling members by
phone as a violation of the open meet
ings law hasn't been challenged in
North Carolina courts.
Not calling all board members is
another issue.
"I think that's just absolutely im
proper,” said Stevens. "It potentially
jeopardizes the legality of the deci
sions they make."
Warren defended the personnel
move and said someone needs to be in
charge at the landfill.
"As we have seen already, it's a
position that needs to be filled," he
added. "Mr. Somersett has many,
many duties. With the awesome re
sponsibilities there, we need a direc
tor for the landfill."
P'ggy
Continued from page 1
his Oriental amigo.
"Well, one thing," said Deborah,
"Sebastian was house-broken first."
Regarding Sebastian and Chelsea
one gets a sense of looking through a
window into the Tumer's life, and that
may be the case.
"Wehaveeightcats," Deborah says,
"including a Norwegian forest cat,
two from Scotland, two from Bel
gium, three more American - one of
those Tonkinese, and two strays.
"And a blue and gold macaw. Ten
cockatiels. Eight parakeets. Two
finches."
She pauses, and then recalls: "The
iguana."
"And the ferret," she continues.
"And three rabbits, two ducks, two
horses, and I think that's it. The pet
food bill is high.”
The Turners live in Supply where,
Deborah says, the zoning is rural. Bui
no big thing because, as she points
out, "Everything stays in the house
except the ducks, the horses and the
rabbits."
Deborah says she'd wanted a pot
bellied pig for several years, since she
first saw one on TV. "They're smart,'
she says. "They're easily trained; the;
make good pets. Sebastian used the
cat's litter box the first few months
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then we trained him to go outside.
"He’s affectionate, too. Hell lay in
your lap and nuzzle against you. He
has a good personality. He loves sleep
ing with our son, Anthony."
(Say s daughter Marie, "I don’t sleep
with him. His hooves are lethal weap
ons.")
Michael and Deborah Turner named
him Sebastian "because the name
seemed to fit"
Charcoal gray, about two feet long
and weighing perhaps 30 pounds,
Sebastian is sort of your basic pot
bellied pig, though others may be
spotted or come in different colors.
Deborah says Sebastian and Chelsea
like to chase each other around the
house -- a fairly even match on carpet,
but when hooves hit the hard surface
in the kitchen it’s a wipeout for
Sebastian.
In the yard, though, Sebastian gets
to do his pig thing and root around in
the dirt
"He loves to investigate,” Deborah
said.
And what does Sebastian like to
investigate most?
The kitchen.
"He does love French toast,"
Deborah says. "He'll eat it with syrup
or without."
In the grading at the recreation cen
ter last week, judge Jerry Hawkes
noted "stays good" on Sebastian's
sheet. Not hard to understand, consid
ering Deborah had parked him over a
patch of lush clover.
But Hawkes also noted that
Sebastian was "noisy."
That took Sebastian out of the up
per echelon of patrolman Dove's class,
but in truth the pig handled himself
admirably, setting a good example for
his classmates.
A dog could do worse than to pat
tern its deportment on Sebastian's.
It’s one of the first things you no
tice.
Speller
Continued from page 1
to ask the pronouncer for as much
information as possible before spell
ing the word, she pointed out, "then
go slowly so you know what you're
doing."
Brunswick County Spelling Bee
director Debbie Lemon, who is ac
companying the Shallotte Middle
School speller this week in Washing
ton, is optimistic about Caroline's
chances.
"Since she seems enthusiastic and
has obviously dedicated time and ef
fort in preparation for the bee, I feel
she will do her best as she represents
Brunswick County," Lemon said.
Although she is among the older
students participating, Caroline, one
of 130 eighth graders, is facing some
tough competition. One speller is
making her fourth appearance at the
national bee. Four are making their
third try for the title, and 38 competed
last year. She also faces eight other
spellers from North Carolina.
The top prize in the bee is $3,000,
along with the winner's choice of the
Heritage edition of the New Encyclo
pedia Brittanica or the Founder's bind
ing of the Great Books of the Western
World, plus a Language Master 3000
electronic dictionary and an engraved
loving cup. The winning speller's
school also receives a set of the New
Encyclopedia Britannica. All spellers
will receive at least $30 forparticipat
ing and a commemorative watch al
Friday's awards banquet.
In addition to the competition thal
takes place Wednesday and Thurs
day, Caroline and her fellow speller:
will be taking in many sites arounc
the nation's capital. This is Caroline':
first trip to Washington.
After arriving Monday afternoon
Caroline traveled to Gunston Hall it
Luray, Va., the original home o:
George Mason, who was an author o
the Bill of Rights. There she joine<
other spellers in a barbecue dinne
and showed off her square dancinj
abilities. Later in the evening shi
traded autographs with other speller
while enjoying an ice cream sundai
On Tuesday, Caroline and dozens
of spellers and their families headed
to Baltimore, where they toured Fort
McHenry, the site of America’s vic
tory over the British in the War of
1812. They also visited Baltimore's
Harborplace and the six-level National
Aquarium which features a tropical
rain forest on its top level.
Caroline is hoping for a chance to
tour the White House, which is vis
ible from the Capitol Hilton, bee head
quarters. On Friday she plans to visit
the Smithsonian museums and attend
the awards banquet that evening, hop
ing to bring home the number-one
prize.
Creek
Continued from page 2
most site in Bald Head Creek.
While coliform bacteria counts were
relatively low in February and March
(only one, in Cape Creek on March
10, exceeded the 41-count mark), ex
traordinary figures began to crop up
in Bald Head Creek in April.
On April 20 the bacteria counts,
proceeding upstream by station, were
23,110,110,49,130 and 240; and on
May 21 the counts were 14, 33,9.3,
49,23 and 140.
For comparison the counts in Cape
Creek for April 20 were 7.8,21,13,
23, 23 and 33; and on May 21 they
were 33, 2.0, 22, 2.0, 7.8 and less
than-1.8.
Gilbert said his office will continue
the special sampling in Bald Head
waters "for the next few months."
"Well see if the winter is going to
be better than the summer," he said,
"That is the height of the shellfish
sanitation season. But it doesn't look
good for the tourist who wants to get
out in the creek and clam."
Gilbert said that in the long run
further shore-side examinations'
including putting dye in sewer and
septic tank systems on the island —
may be necessary to discover or rule
out sources of human pollution.
Deal
Continued from page 2
ing to the Town of Long Beach, and
dumped them into a private person's
field," Payne said.
" While the employees stated that
Johnson did not give them this order
directly, they said their supervisor,
public works director Charles Der
rick, gave them the order, and that it
apparently had come from above.
Johnson denied these allegations,
however, and said he is having his
attorney look into the possibility of
suing Payne, Montgomery and Webb
for slander and libel.
"I'm not going to play with these
people," Johnson declared. "I don't
have a whole lot of respect for some
one who tries to pull something out of
the air because he doesn't have any
thing else to work with. He didn't
have a defense; it was just pure and
simple sour grapes."
Johnson said the only order he gave
to his employees was to clean out the
town garage, which he said was
"filthy” when he arrived. During this
clean-up, he said employees removed
a pile of corroded pipes that had been
sitting outside since the water system
• was installed 14 years ago. Street su
perintendent Cliff Brown apparently
wanted some of the pipe, and Johnson
said most of it was then dumped at
Brown's house.
"If he had a use for it, I have no
problem with that," he said. "I cer
tainly couldn't do anything with it....
If I did something wrong. I'd want to
know what I did and what I gained
from it."
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