r ' I.'i.'iV I'Tnntr? I 1 County Er V Backdatec BY RAHN ADAMS I If you plan to look for a county job t after the first of the year, you may as i well look elsewhere for the time be- i ing. i Brunswick County Commissioners j Monday night unanimously approved an indefinite freeze on county ] employment effective Jan. 1. Accor- i ding to Commissioner Gene Pinker- < ton, who requested the measure, the i freeze will affect only hirings and not I firings. I The unscheduled action came near ' the close of Monday's lM>-hour commissioners' meeting, the first actual i decision-making session in which | Pinkerton and Kelly Holden par- ] ticipated as newly-elected commis- i sioners. All five board members were present. The meeting, which was dominated by matters involving the county water system (see related story), also included discussion of three questionable Parks and Recreation purchase orders that were cancelled Innt rviAntV* nnrl nnnnintmnntfi 4 a Idol. lllUiltll aiiu dJJJJUlJ IIIIICI llo LU numerous local and regional boards. ' Commissioners also scheduled two special work sessions to discuss proposed capital projects and personnel reclassifications. On Wednesday, J Jan. 4, and Thursday, Jan. 5, the board will meet with County Manager John Smith and other administrative staff members. Both sessions begin at 10 a.m. in the administration building. Hirings Frozen Pinkerton's motion to keep county ! !, Latest i RAHN ADAMS Ghosts from local drug investigations present and past reappeared last week, as three more "White Tide" cocaine traffickers and two old-time marijuana smugglers were sentenced in Brunswick County Superior Court. According to the Brunswick County Clerk of Court's office, Jeff Neil Simmons, 25, and Charles Lindberg Smith, 30, both of Shallotte, and Dan ny L,ee uauoway, ju, or nouie z, supply, all received split sentences from Superior Court Judge Carlton Fellers. Simmons, Smith and Galloway were among 48 individuals indicted April 18 on drug trafficking charges (I E RPH h0A6 & SOWb nployment I J Paving Or lirings in check indefinitely?with I he exception of "emergency or ad- e ninistrative staff"?was approved t without discussion, even though the c issue was not listed as an agenda c item. ? AfterJthe meeting, Pinkerton ex- c plained that his intent was "to get a C chance in some of these (upcoming) workshops to learn what the employ- 1 ment situation is." When asked if he \ thought there was too much "fat" on r nn..?4.. 11 1 li-J uuc luuiii^ jjuyiuii, lie l upneu, "That's what I want to look at." c According to Smith, the county cur- \ rently has 425 employees. Most of the I positions which were added over the f past year went to the county water c department, where additional \ workers were needed to keep up with 1 the water system's growth, he said. { "That (a hiring freeze) isn't unusual when you have a change of \ administration," Smith said. He add- t ed, though, that he didn't expect the s step to be taken so soon after the new i commissioners came on board. The 5 freeze apparently is the first to be i adopted here in recent years. f Smith said the commissioners' ac- t tion was not an indication that the 1 county was in poor financial condition, and he noted that finances now c are "good." However, he added, "I t think we can reorganize some of our 1 departments and get more efficien- 1 cy." j Orders Discussed In another impromptu matter [ brought to the county board's atten- < tion Monday, Commissioner Benny ( Drug Prose in what authorities called "Operation J White Tide." The indictments were < returned by the second investigative 1 grand jury in Brunswick County and < the state. Also last week, Gail Wesson, 41, of < Santa Cruz, Calif., received a five- i year prison term in connection with a i 1983 marijuana raid near Ocean Isle s Beach. And Robert Meggett, 41, ol I PhurloolAn C P ? ? I _ -1 v/uui iv^oiuu, u.V^., gUI. cl SUbpt'IIUCU [ sentence for his involvement in the 1982 Brixham II marijuana smuggl- I ing case. t 'White Tide' Cases < After hearing evidence from SBI f Special Agent Corey Duber, Judge Fellers found that all three defen- ! dants had provided "substantial t IMCli'l book bikdwm/99 1 box hi 492sa WJ0^T^ y^y h/fA4T*'fj/A ' ' '"Hj* t-'-? .1 . .MHfvtwimVMcvkAyivYtii - ' - ->iUs --V. "'" rocessed on the same day and were or the same vendor. The largest of he three projects amounted to 33,000. Although the purchase orders were lated Nov. 15, they were submitted to he county finance department on lov. 28 while Smith and the new ward of commissioners attended a state conference in Chapel Hill. The Shallotte and Waccamaw Park jurchase orders were signed by Jhappell, while the Smithville Park >rder was signed by Poole. All three jcutions Ble issistance" to investigators?finiings which allowed the judge to land down lighter sentences than retired by state drug trafficking laws. Until those findings were made and charges were consolidated for sentencing, each defendant faced a nandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a $50,000 line for each charge to which he ileaded guilty. Simmons entered guilty pleas Dec. 13 to three counts of conspiracy to raffic in more than 28 grams of cocaine and trafficking in more than 28 *rams of cocaine. He was sentenced to a $1,000 fine ind a suspended five-year prison ;erm, with five years of supervised ii U 1 \ ! i **""* f-'l ? A'/SWUVviiVJ > ? 3(^8 H ,- - \^.y-.?y'rrtte&fSi?:- y^* H s. * "jta^i6"www,iV! I 5? H - Jjj' H it.j.-J^Se^ 8 proved; tioried were approved and co-signed bj Parks and Recreation Director Bobby Jones. Smith told the Beacon Tuesday that the purchase orders apparently were "backdated," as Ludlum maintained. He also confirmed that there had been an apparent reason for backdating the orders, but he declined further comment until the upcoming commissioners' meeting. County Finance Director Lithia Hahn said Tuesday she knew of no reason for backdating the purchase orders, since Chappell and Poole were auuiorizea to sign tnem up until they left the board on Dee. 5. She also noted that Jones could have submitted the orders without the two commissioners' approval, due to board action which gave him that authority earlier this year. Appointments Made In other matters Monday, Rabon appointed Pinkerton and Holden to represent the commission on various local and regional boards?seats that formerly were held by Poole and Chappell. Pinkerton will serve on the Emergency Medical Services and Cape Fear Council of Governments boards and the Southeastern Economic Development Commission. Holden will serve on the Parks and Recreation and Aging Advisory boards, and as chairman of the Solid Waste Committee, replacing Ludlum, who resigned the post last month. Ludlum, in turn, will repre(See COUNTY, Page 2-A) rnd Of Old probation. Also, he was ordered to serve six month in the Brunswick County Jail, with work release recommended. Smith had pleaded guilty in July to two counts of conspiracy to traffic in more than 28 grams of cocaine and trafficking in more than 28 grams of cocaine. He also was sentenced Dec. 13 to a suspended five-year prison term, with five years of supervised probation. He was fined $500 and was instructed to serve a 90-day jail term. Galloway pleaded guilty Dec. 14 to two counts of conspiracy to traffic in more than 28 grams of cocaine and four counts of trafficking in more than 28 grams of cocaine. Letter Hi Divisive I At Sunsc BY SUSAN USHER 1 An unsigned letter on Sunset Beach '> Taxpayers Association stationery mailed tn tnwn lanH ntunore lot?* "-r?r.ir ?? .V.KI .vuiu laoi ?TCCt\ ' purports to represent the view of a I majority of association directors I regarding annexation of property between the town limits and Seaside. The letter, apparently mailed by ' SBTPA Secretary Minnie Hunt, ' strongly opposes the proposed annexation of Long Bay Development pro- 1 perty at Seaside just north of the in- I tersection of N.C. 904 and N.C. 179, i and a portion of Sea Trail subdivision ' that would link the Seaside property 1 with the existing town limits. "This issue is extremely critical in ! determining the future of Sunset ] j Beach," the letter states, 1 characterizing the matter as "a < choice between a quiet, single-family | residential community, and a future 1 town that will be driven by ever ex- ] panding commercial interests." I However, Association President A1 1 Wells, contacted at his home in Troy, < said neither the Sunset Beach Tax- l payers Association nor its board of I directors authorized the letter. Also, i the annexation issue has not been ! discussed formally by either group. "I didn't know anything about the i letter until I received it in the mail," 1 Ho CdiH onVirt tLr? -1 ?- -C O .. 1 >? wu, vviiuuig LUC wuiua U1 OLU1SUL Beach Mayor Mason Barber, who serves as the association's treasurer. Wells said the letter, along with several other issues, will be among items on the agenda for an SBTPA directors' meeting to be held as soon after Jan. 1 as can be arranged. He is r in the process of relocating permanently to Sunset Beach. 1 Three other directors, all of whom i live in the area, told the Beacon they 1 were polled as to their opinion regar- 2 ding the proposed annexation. Directors Cletus Waldmiller of 1 Sunset Beach and Alan Russ of Sea I Trail, both of whom oppose the annexation effort, said it was Hunt who t called them. t "I received a call from the person I c imagine sent it out?Minnie Hunt," i said Waldmiller. "She asked my opinion and said she was canvassing r directors. She said she would send t out a letter stating that the majority r Holiday Clos A number of area government off ed closings over the Christmas holid; Offices at the Brnnswiek Cmin ........ " and the Calabash Town Hall will be Dec. 26; and Monday, Jan. 2. Brunswick County Schools rem; when classes will resume their norm Sunset Beach Town Hall and S Monday, Dec. 26, and Monday, Jan.! Holden Beach Town Hall will b< Dec. 26; and Tuesday, Dec. 27. Ocean Isle Beach Town Hall wil 23, and Monday, Dec. 26, but will be U.S. Postal Service offices will Monday, Jan. 2. The Brunswick Beacon office w will be open on Monday, Dec. 26, anc tion schedule. And New C i Like the other two defendents, Galloway was given a suspended five-year sentence, but with three years of probation. He was ordered to i pay a $500 fine and serve four weekends in the Brunswick County Jail. i All three defendants pleaded guilty as part of plea agreements with the 13th District Attorney's office Smugglers Sentenced Both Wesson and Meggett are former fugitives who were located during the past year by authorities. Wesson was found in Washington; Meggett, in New York. According to the Brunswick County Clerk of Court's office, Wesson had pleaded guilty Aug. 31 to conspiracy * fs On Issue .a n l ?t oeacn of the board opposes the annexation." Waldmiller said he didn't see the actual letter until his return Tuesday from a trip to Connecticut, but that in general he agreed with its content. "She expounded on it a little; it would have been better just to state what it was," he said. "And the letter should have been signed." Hunt, who also serves on the town council as finance officer, could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts. Neither could another director, Fritz Dove of Charlotte. Hearing Set A Food Lion grocery store is proposed on the Seaside tract in question. However developers say the chain won't build unless it can obtain permits to sell beer and wine. Since Brunswick County is "dry", for a permit to be issued the area must become part of a "wet" municipality. Principals of Long Bay and owners of a strip of mostly undeveloped property from the hiieinnrc 1 L. juouiv-oo uaui I\j uic luwn lllllllb IiaVe requested voluntary annexation by Sunset Beach. A public hearing on the request is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the town hall. The letter urges property owners to either express their views at the upcoming hearing or to mail a couponlike form to the town council for presentation at the hearing. Mayor Barber took exception to the letter, saying he wanted "to set the record straight." Whether there will be further commercial development at the Seaside intersection area isn't the question, ie said, rather it is how the unzoned area develops. As it now stands 'anything may be built there egally," he said, so long as alcoholicleverages are not sold. Barber said he views the annexaion request as a "golden opportuniy" for the town to exercise some :ontrol to ensure responsible growth n the area. "Without annexation we will have 10 voice in what happens at that inersection," he said. "There will be I ffiwrtrm r* ? n ? ? voce i?ii\, rage ?rA) ings Nofedi ices and businesses have announc- g ays, as follows: ty Government Center in Bolivia | closed Friday, Dec. 23; Monday, | ain closed until Monday, Jan. 2, g al schedule. hallotte Town Hall will be closed ? : closed Friday, Dec. 23; Monday, [1 1 be open as usual on Friday, Dec. B closed on Saturday, Dec. 24. be closed Monday, Dec. 26, and |] nil be closed Friday, Dec. 23, but g 1 operating on its regular publica- f| loses to traffic in more than 10,000 pounds of marijuana. In receiving the fiveyear prison term Dec. 13, she was given credit for 16 months she had already served. The charge against Wesson stemmed from the May 16,1983, seizure of more than 14,000 Dounds of mari juana worth $11 million at Lakewood Estates near Ocean Isle Beach. Four other persons were arrested. Meggett?a former basketball player with the Harlem Globetrotters?initially pleaded guilty Feb. 14, 1983, to conspiracy to traiiic in more than 10,000 pounds of marijuana but later did not appear for sentencing. On Dec. 12, he was sentenced to a (Sec DRUG, Page 2-A) \ V