Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / Jan. 28, 1982, edition 1 / Page 1
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81st Year No. 4 PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEAT AT MARSHALL, N.C. THURSDAY, January 28, 1982 15c Per Copy Record SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY Town Officials Puzzled By Th* 3 , ^ By NICHOLAS HANCOCK Editor Hot Springs town officials say they are puzzl ed by allegations by several residents who feel they have been harassed and intimidated because of their opposition in the Nov. 3 municipal election and support of a controversial game room on Main Street. Mayor Deborah Ponder Baker and two aldermen said in recent interviews they "don't have any idea" why unsuccessful alderman can didate Hank Holmes, mayoral candidate Richard Waltz, and other residents received threatening or annoying phone calls following the Dec. 7. town meeting. Waltz and some of his supporters also had their homes falsely advertised for sale follow ing the Nov. 3 election. "We have no reason to harass anyone," Mayor Baker said. "I have no hard feelings toward anyone, and I don't want to see them harassed," she said. Holmes. Waltz and a half-dozen other residents have said their problems with threaten ing phone calls, and with realtors and moving companies calling to offer to sell their property or move them to other cities, began around the time of the election and continued through December after Holmes objected to a town ordinance which affected his game room. Mrs. Alberta Stroud, Holmes' mother, receiv ed a call from an unidentified man who threaten ed to burn her home and property. Holmes' house, owned by Mrs. Stroud, was destroyed by a fire of undetermined origin on Jan. 3. Alderman Wesley Staude said he doesn't think anyone is being intimidated for political reasons. "If they are, I don't know why," he said. "1 don't know why anybody would. I've never known it to happen in Hot Springs in any election," Staude said. "Why would the winners harass the losers?" Alderman Ernest Autrey asked in reference to the election. "I know 1 haven't done that (harassed anyone). 1 am a Christian and 1 want to be honest," he said. Autrey said one of the residents recently told him that an anonymous caller had threatened to burn his house. "The man told me he knew who it (the caller) was, but he did nothing about it. 1 don't know if it's the truth, but he told me that," Autrey said. "If a man calls me and 1 know who it is. I'm going to get a warrant for him if he threatens to burn my house," Autrey said. Mayor Baker and Staude both said they have received annoying calls, but no threats, from anonymous callers in the past. "I'm always getting calls ? people calling me and hanging up, saying things. 1 don't pay any at tention to it. I'm use to is," Staude said. "There's always a few people you can't satisfy. I ran tor alderman to try to do something for the many, not the few." "I'm sorry that these people are being harass ed. if they are being harassed. I have no way of proving that they are," Mayor Baker said. "1 want to see it be a good town and the people working together. I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to work together," she said. Holmes says "things have quietened down" since his house burned. No one was reported receiving any more threats or annoying calls. Holmes, who operates the Trail Cafe in town, said last week the game room is "holding its own." but his plans to finish remodeling the building and to add a pizza diner have been postponed. Ponder Files For Sheriff Madison County Sheriff E.Y. Ponder filed last Thurs day to seek re-election to the office which he has held for 27 years. Ponder, 72, announced his candidacy saying he is runn ing on his record. He will be competing for the Democratic nomination in the May primary with former deputy John Hensley of Marshall. The sheriff's race had t developed into a three-way primary up until Monday when Roger D. Haynie withdrew his name from the primary ballot. Haynie said he was withdrawing because Ponder had thrown his hat into the ring. Ponder was first elected sheriff of Madison County in 1950 in a close race with Republican Hubert Davis. Since that time he has lost the office in only one election and reclaimed it in the following E. Y. Ponder election. Two Republicans ? William R Lisenbee. Marshall police chief, and Lue Allon Silver, a carpenter with an Ashevilie construction company ? have filed for the sheriff's office in the Republican primary. Pondfer, who says he's runn ing on his record, said. "I plan to do the best I can to provide fair and honest law enforce ment," if re-elected in November. Ponder's brother, Zeno H Ponder, is chairman of the Madison County Democratic Party, and election officials are looking to him for nominees to replace Hensley on the county board of elec tions. Hensley resigned his seat on the elections board in order to run for the sheriff's position. Alex K. Brock, state elec tions director, has sa^l State Democratic Party Chairman Russell Walker has written to Zeno Ponder asking for nominations for a successor to Hensley in the hopes the new appointee could attend the training school for election of ficials in Winston-Salem on Jan. 29. Campaign '82 Haynie Withdraws Roger D. Haynie, who filed iast week as a Democratic candidate for the office of sheriff, withdrew his name from the May ^primary elec tion ballot Monoiay. In a written statement, Haynie, 32. said he first decid ed to run for sheriff "based upon my understanding that our long-term, great Sheriff E.Y. Ponder had made the decision not to seek re election." But **{mder tMWftW re election last Thursday), and Haynie said he was withdraw ing his candidacy fori that reason. \ j Local political observers have speculated that the coun ty's Democratic Party could have been weakened in the May primary had Ponder chosen to retire and Haynie competed against sheriff's of fice hopeful John Hensley of Marshall. Lisenbee Wants Changes In Sheriff's Department William K. < Bill > Lisenbee, Republican candidate lor sheriff in Ibe May primary election, says he decided In toss his hat into the ring because "we need so many improvements in county law enforcement to help people without hurt inn them." Liserbw. 44. says it he i* successful in the May primary and elected next November one of his lop priorities as ?tthertff will be t?? k?"ep Hie sheriffs office open 24 hours a day. The "safety and well bentu of our young people ' also ranks high on Lisenhee's list of goals for the sheriff's department . "I feel the county needs Bill Lisenhee more lull-lime deputies, marked putrid cars and undiwmed personnel In help keep down crime by bemn mure visible hi I he communi ty lie said last week. He said he is interested in promoting crime prevention throimh uood public relations between the sheriffs depart - men! and citizens and through ?'providing the protection the public needs " A native of Marshall, l.isenbee has been on tfie tow n - - |xH?ce kw seven ytw .ftrt \* chief lor one and one-hall , years. He holds certificates in both basic law and criminal justice training Irom Ihe University ol North Carolina at Asheville l.isenbee and his wife. Hie former Betty Uriflin. have three children Charles M. Beall of Clyde has announced that he is a candidate for election to a full term in the North Carolina General Assembly from the 44th House District. Beall was appointed to the House of Representatives last month by Gov. James Hunt after he had been chosen by the Democratic Party's 44th District Executive Committee to serve the remainder of Rep. Ernest Messer's unexpired term. Messer was Bead's basket ball coach when he was a stu dent at Bethel High School in Haywood County in the 1930 s. Messer left the legislature in November to accept Hunt's appointment as assistant secretary of the North Carolina Department of Human Resources, heading the Division on Aging The term to which he had been elected expires in January. 1983 Beall is seeking the Democratic Party's nomina tion for the House seat in the May Primary and election next November to a full two year term. Beall represents the 44th District, along with Hep Liston Ramsey of Marshall, currently Speaker of the House. The District is compos ed of Haywood. Madison. Jackson, and Swain counties. Beall. 61. is an inventory controller at Champion Papers' Canton plant, where he has been employed for 43 years. Kamsev has appointed him to 12 legislative committes. all those on which Messer sat. They are the House Commit tee on Aging. Appropriations Base Budget Committee. Ap propriations Base Budget CommitJee on Humpn Resources. House Appropria tions Expansion Budget Com mittee. Appropriations Ex pansion Budget Committee on Human Resources, commit tees on Higher Education. In surance, Legislative Redisricting. Manufacturers and Labor. Rules and Opera tions of the House. Transpor tation. and the Special House Committee on Use and Lease ol Public i^ands In addition. Beall is serving on Ihe North Carolina Judicial Nominating Committee. A former Cantos alderman, for four years, he was chair man of the Haywood County Board ?rf Elections for eight years, chairman of the Haywood County Democratic Executive Committee for six years, and has served on the State Democratic Executive Committee seven yeqrs. He was a delegate from the lllh Congressional District at the 1980 National Democratic Convention. Continued on Page 3 Charles M. Beall News Record Wins N.C. Press Association Award The News Record received its first North Carolina Press Association award this week at the 57th North Carolina Newspaper Institute in Chapel Hill. The third place award for feature writing was presented by Ken Wilson, president of the N.C. Association of Com munity Newspapers, and Gov. James B. Hunt to Editor G. Nicholas Hancock at the awards ceremony held at the Carolina Inn on the University of North Carolina campus. The award-winning entry, "He's the Keeper of the Creek," was written by Han cock and printed in the April 23, 1981 edition of the newspaper The article was in competition with 74 feature ar Hancock ticles from community (week ly) newspapers across the state. "I was a bit surprised when the NCPA called to con gratulate me on winning the award," Hancock said. "There aren't many Keepers of the Creek in this world; I'm glad I found him.'' The article told the story of a 10-year-old boy who is the self-appointed protector of a creek, and who doesn't allow fishermen, swimmers or passers-by to "mess up" the creek with litter or pollutants. The NCPA awards are presented annually to winning entries submitted by both dai ly and non-daily newspaper members of the association. Nearly 2,000 entries were judged in the 1M1 contest by professional journalists from outside North Carolina. Planning Board Denies Max Patch Rezoning Request Bv . The Madison C ounty Planning Board denied an initial rtqmrt Uiat could change an ar e&ol "unspoiled mountain beauty " into an "exclusive type resorl loi wealthy clientel at Its meeting lasi Klft y in-Marshall James Anders, representing Max Patch Investment flroup, requested ' t< ? ft acres ot land surrounding Max Patch Mountain from HA 26 ''tresideiiHal/agrtcuiiurali ta. KMK residential/ resort ) Anders, a county native who Mats his addreas as Columbia., said he s seeking the zoning change in order to pave the way for developing the proper ly into a private, "exclusive type resort limited to 2B0 residents." He said ten tative (Mans call for one to three acre lots to be mM for approximately 06.000. and compared the proposed development to South Carolina's Hilton Head Island Over SO people showed up al the meeting to nppoce the zoning change riling damage to the natural and skyrocketing property taxes to Max The planning board, which act* in an advisory capacity Hi the board of coun ty commissioner*, recommended unanimously thai Anders request be denied "untft a more specific proposal for development is submitted > Opposition to the zoning change was led by Joe Huff, a Mars Hill resident and attorney, who told the board that the history * such level western North Carolina Is they have all gone broke He called the natural ' Arch Nichols, an Asheville resident rtpi m?|lnn (he Appalachian Trail Conference, said the conference was concerned about (he impact such development would have on the Ap palachian Trail which borders the pro like the adjacent Great Smoky the major value of Max Patcti is its unspoiled mountain beauty ta? natural ?.ie." NiMH.* / Of Walnut told board i in Avery developments escalated to the point that reaidents there united to oust the commiaaioners who had approved reaoning for resart development . "The real question here is one of vahies.' Wyatt said, and contrasted the mountain community "that was able to get along for ntwuiimb without the land aod wealthy ? removed Iron t? t?H ~~ ; ourselves Anders said the development would create a "considerable tax haw for Madison County ptas increase jobs." He said the resort uouM not interfere with the Appalachian Trail or cost county my money lor provements Planning tmart) \nderson ^gkl the I
The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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Jan. 28, 1982, edition 1
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