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DECEMBER 27,2017 BERTIE LEDGER-ADVANCE Opinion More dialogue needed... For the second time in as many years, Senate Democrats walked out on their Re publican colleagues and left them to con duct legislative business by themselves. The first time they did it was in March 2016, when the Senate prepared to vote on House Bill 2 just hours after the “bathroom bill” was first made public. The Democrats objected to the process and declined to cast their votes. It happened again last week during a committee meeting on judi cial redistricting. The meeting agenda called for comments from a “rep resentative from the gover nor’s office.” When it turned out that Gov. Roy Cooper had sent retired Judge Don Ste phens - an outspoken critic of proposed judicial changes The fabric of Bertie County since 1832 Colin Campbell This Week In North Carolina - Sen. Dan Bishop, R-Mecklenburg, refused to let him speak. Bishop said Cooper should have sent someone from his staff. The three Democratic senators at the meeting stormed out and sent out a press release that said “this isn’t a democratic process, this is a farce. Therefore, there was no reason for us to attend today’s committee meeting.” Senate leader Phil Berger called the move a “political stunt” showing that Democrats “will do anything to preserve North Caroli na’s existing, unconstitutional judicial sys tem for the benefit of their political party.” The committee’s fireworks were entirely unnecessary. If you invite the governor to send someone to speak on his behalf, he’s entitled to send whoever he likes. By sending Stephens, Cooper was mak ing a statement that he wants judges to have a major role in deciding how judges are selected. Silencing Stephens sends a bad message to the state’s judiciary, un dercutting the efforts Republicans have made so far to meet with judges and get their feedback. The move, however, wasn’t surprising coming from Bishop, who’s a Trump-like figure known for brash state ments on Twitter. So why do Republicans dislike Stephens? Berger’s top aide, chief of staff Jim Blaine, spelled it out on Twitter: Stephens has ruled against the legislature in several law suits brought by Democrats, so the GOP views him as a partisan figure. Blaine also accused Cooper of using Stephens to avoid making an official statement himself on the judicial overhaul proposals. If Cooper wants to show how important this issue is, he should consider coming to the legislature himself and speaking to the committee. The governor doesn’t have much power to stop the proposed chang es, but he does have the bully pulpit. That, however, would require Cooper to be more specific about his views. So far, he’s issued statements criticizing proposed changes as dn effort to “rig the courts” in favor of Republicans, but he also hasn’t said the current system is perfect. Experts have said there are constitution al problems with the current District Court and Superior Court districts that House Re publicans want to redraw. If the redistrict ing approach continues to move forward, there’s room for Democrats to propose al ternatives to districts they worry will give Republicans an unfair advantage. Last-minute sneakiness is always a possi bility at the legislature, but the Senate has now released a set of maps tweaking the House judicial redistricting proposal - so there’s a decent chance that’s what will be on the agenda next month. The latest acrimony on the Senate com mittee means a bipartisan compromise is unlikely. And while Republicans don’t want to hear from Judge Stephens, they did put a link to submit public comment on the legislature’s website at ncleg.net. So take a few minutes and give them your opinion - but maybe don’t tell them your party af filiation if you’re a Democrat. Colin Campbell is editor of the Insider State Government News Service. Follow him atNCInsider.com or @RaleighReporter. Write to him at ccampbell@ncinsider.com. iKE[7111ElKTK)((m'P V. Thanks for being here, Sarah Davis Far From The Madding Crowd Recently, while taking advantage of the atmosphere of a local cof fee shop, my son was approached by a former teacher at Hertford County High School, who ques tioned him about his current situ ation as Librarian/English instruc tor at C.S. Brown High School-STEM, and then ended the conversation by saying, “Thank you for coming back; thank you for being a teacher.” As he related the encounter to me, 1 began thinking about the impor- ' tance of her words. How important it is for each of us to thank those peo ple whose work affects our every day lives, every day. Of course, all are not like my son, now in his 19th year of teaching, who grew up in the area, left, and has come back; some are like my daughter, now in her twenty-third year of teaching, who never left. We all owe a debt of gratitude to teachers, but how often do we thank them? And what about all the other persons to whom we should express our appreciation for what they do every day? Living in a place that does not have natural gas, 1 am grateful for the delivery person who keeps propane in my tank, allowing me to keep warm in winter just as 1 am grateful for the person who services my HVAC system. 1 am grateful for the men who pick up my trash and recycling just as 1 am grateful for the driver of the street sweeper and the one who cleans the drains, hoping to keep the town from flooding. 1 am grateful for the restaurant cook and server who provide me with the comfort of not cooking at home. 1 am grateful to the editor of the local paper who makes me feel that my event is important, but this lo cal paper is not big enough—and certainly not this column—to list all of those people for whom 1 am grateful for the part they play in my daily life. Do 1 take the time to thank them? 1 confess that, until someone else goes out of her way to thank someone for what heor she does, 1 do not think about the importance of that simple thank you. In some cases, those are peo ple who have simply come here, some who have come back, and some who never left. For all of them, our lives are better. In terms of full disclosure, 1 con fess that 1 am not a resident of Bertie County. Relocated to N.C. from Alabama in 1981, my family and 1 have lived on the same street in Hertford County for 36 years, at the same address for twenty-sev en years, but for twelve years, 1 was Branch Manager of the Sallie Harrell Jenkins Memorial Library in Aulander. 1, therefore, have a great love for Bertie County and its people and know that its pea nuts are the best in the world. When Thadd White first suggest ed 1 write an occasional column for this paper, he said he guessed 1 knew where the bodies were bur ied. 1 may, but 1 also know where the good souls reside, and 1 thank all of them for their contribution to life in this area. Whether you came, came back, or never left, thanks for being here. Sarah Davis is a retired librarian for the Sallie Harrell Jenkins Pub lic Library in Aulander. She can be reached via email at bertienews® ncweeklies.com. The envelope on the tree, Mike hated Christmas. Not the true meaning of the season, but the frantic rushing around spend ing money just to be able to say you got the person a gift he or she wouldn’t use and would most likely end up at the thrift store. Mike’s wife wanted him to enjoy the season, but to no avail. Some might de scribe what hap pened next as a miracle. Their 12 year-old son, Kev in, was a wrestler on his school’s team. They sched uled a non-confer ence match with a team sponsored by an inner city church. Whereas Kevin’s team was decked out in blue and gold uniforms with spanking new shoes, the inner city team wore mismatched uniforms, ragtag sneakers and had no protective headgear. Throughout the match Kevin’s mom kept thinking about how poorly the opponents dressed Tom Campbell ■ N.C. Spin and wondered if perhaps it might have had some impact on their equally poor performance. Then an idea was germinated. Instead of buying Mike something he didn’t need or want, she decid ed to buy something for others. She traveled to the local sporting goods store and bought tennis shoes, head gear and other wres tling garb, sending them to the in ner city church anonymously. On Christmas morning she pa per-clipped an envelope to the tree with a note inside telling Mike what she had done. Mike’s face lit up when he read the note. The envelope was ev eryone’s favorite gift that year... so popular that it became a tradi tion. One year they sent a group of differently able kids to a hock ey game, one year it was a check to two brothers whose home had burned to the ground. Always it was to some local group or indi viduals, always it was done anon ymously and the envelope was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning. Several years ago Mike died from cancer and his wife barely had the stamina to put up a tree that year. But the tradition meant too much to everyone in the fam ily so on Christmas Eve Mike’s widow attached the envelope to the tree. Imagine' her surprise the next morning when every one gathered round the tree and there were four more envelopes, including one from each of their children. 'What a marvelous tradition. Most all of us have more than we need and are hard pressed when someone asks what we want for Christmas. This year tell them to find some needy and worthy cause and give something in your name to others. That’s the true meaning of Christmas. This story was paraphrased from a collection of stories writ ten by William J. Baucsch, titled A World of Stories for Preach ers and Teachers. Published by Twenty-Third Publications. Tom Campbell is former assis tant North Carolina State Treasury and is creator/host of NC SPIN, a weekly statewide television discus sion of NC issues. Contact him at www.ncspin.com. Bertie Ledger-Advance The fabric of Bertie County since 1832 The BEfiTtE Leoser-Advance was established in 1928 THHOuaH the HEftrTASE OF ThE WINDSOR LeOQER AND ThE AuLANOEB ADVANCE, The newspaper ■mAOEs its history to 1832 when it was first published AS TOE Windsor Herald and Bertie County Resister Kyle StepLeiis Deborah Griffin Michelle Leicester The Bertie Ledqer-Advance Group Publisher Staff Writer Creative Services (ISSN 051-700) is published kstephens{g)ncwe€kiies.com dgriffin^ncweeklies.com mieiccster@ncweeklies.com each Wednesday eor $26.69 Angela Harne Leslie Beachboard JeSvSica Mobley (plus tax) per year (n Berte, Hertford, Martin, Northamp- Group Editor Staff Writer Advertising Manager TON, Chowan and Washinston counties) by Cooke Commuimica- abarne(g)ncweeldks.com lbeachboard@ncweddies.com jmobley@ncweeMies.com noNS North Carolina, LLC, 'Iha44 White Jim Green Lanny Hiday 109 S. King St., Windsor, NC 27983. Periodicals postage paid Editor Sports Editor Cc^ Editor AT Windsor, NC and entered at twhite@>ncweekiies.com j^een^ncweeklies.com bertienews@ncweeMies.com ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. Postmaster: address ohanqes to the Bertie Ledser-Advance, P.O. Box 69. Windsor, NC 27983. Contact Us: Bertie LedoerAovanoe P.O. Box 69. Windsor, NC 27983. Phone: (252) 794-318S Fax: (252) 794-2835
Bertie Ledger-Advance (Windsor, N.C.)
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