Tfc ' ;jT ? ?
weekly Perspective
! Campaign issue?)
Hie only issue that has surfaced thus far in the 1979
Hertford mayoral race is a two sided one.
Candidate Herbert Nixon has suggested that incumbent
mayor Bill Cox, who is also town manager, should. not be
allowed to hold both offices at once.
The question here is not whether the two offices are too
much for one man. Cox has proven in the past that he can
do both jobs well.
The real question is whether or not Cox exerts too much
influence over town government. In presiding over town
council meetings and managing the day to day business of
town government. Cox has the potential to wield a tremen
dous amount of influence over town affairs.
? Admittedly, it's an unusual situation, probably unique to
the town of Hertford. And Nixon may be right in calling
attention to it.
' But in a small town it's not necessarily a bad situation.
'tThe town manager, professionally immersed in in the
business of governing, is often better equipped to provide
direction for a town than is a mayor Who must divide his
time with private business.
' Cox has no vote in matters pertaining to the town
manager's office, and if the council becomes disappointed
with his services it can always look for a replacement.
This is probably an adequate safeguard against undue
muscle-flexing in the manager's office.
I On the other hand, Nixon is retired and would also have
plenty of time to stay on top of town affairs.
I There are two good candidates in the race.
^"Ultimately, the voter must make his decision based on
; Which candidate he feels will make a better mayor.
?>In this particular instance the perils of dual office
"? folding appear to pose no real threat to the well being of
the town of Hertford.
?"? We must weigh "too many cooks spoil the broth" against
r "two heads are better than one" in casting our ballots.
Letters to the editor
f: Bloodmobile to visit
Bditors, THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
I -Citizens of Perquimans County, we need your help again. On
* November 14, the Red Cross Bloodmobile will visit our com
munity. The Bloodmobile will be at the Hertford Baptist
?Church on Market Street in downtown Hertford. The hours of
the visit will be from 12 to 6 p.m. Our goal for this visit is 100
pints.
I would like to take this opportunity to express the many
thanks you deserve for your time and devotion voluntarily
given to one of the most important community programs. Your
continous assistance to the Blood Program is greatly ap
preciated.
A.L.West
Jaycee Bloodmobile Chairman
BPW's rich history
Editors, THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
The Hertford Business and Professional Women's Club
(BPW) was organized in 1948 and sponsored by the Rocky
Mount BPW Club. Our club is 32 years old. As a result of
coopertaion and alot of enthusiasm, the club continues to be
one the most active women's organizations in Perquimans
County.
National Business Women's Week is being observed this
week, October 21-27. Initiated in 1928 and sponsored by the
National Federation of Business and Professional Women's
Clubs, the purpose of the week is to pay tribute to the
achievements of all working women.
The Hertford BPW Club has had some very outstanding
projects. Some past projects that are well remembered are the
Loan Closet, Candy Stripers class at Perquimans High School,
and the Club sponsors a scholarship to the senior who enters a
health field.
The Hertford Club with 20 members, and under the
leadership of President Linda A. Grieve, continues the
following club projects: the Christman Tree Lighting,
Scholarship, Candy Striper Classes, Loan Closet, Young
Careerist, Girl Scouts, Ice Cream Social and Meet the Can
didates.
The Hertford BPW Club wishes to thank all the people who
have supported them during the past years, and who still
continue to support them.
Linda Grieve,
BPW President
My turn
. 'i
mike Mclaughlin
I got my ftalgling sea legs cut out from under me twice this
past weekend in my efforts to become a genuine coastal
dweller. v
The first time came when I purchased a rod and reel at an '
Elizabeth City discount house. I had visions of reeling in a
cooler full of Outer Banks blues in my first fishing excursion
ever to that Mecca of surf casting.
Never a true sportsman. I wasn't about to lose the big one
over a snapped Une. I loaded up the reel with 20 lb. test line
only to have it spew back out in a tangle not once, but t?jce.
Surely it was something I was doing wrong, I thought to
myself. I loaded up the reel again and again it spit out a tangle
of nylon. Muttering more than a few choice expletive deleteds I
pored over the instruction manual.
Finally, after eliminating every possible and probable
mistake I could have made in loading the reel, I noticed a tiny
part on the drawing that wasn't showing up on my reel. It
seems the Japanese maker of my discount product had left off
a piece essential to its proper operation, the anti-reverse
lever.
The reel would spin freely in either direction, a situation not
conducive to proper fishing.
Scratch the fishing plans. Knowing my luck I probably
wouldn't have caught anything anyway.
The second setback came when my wife and I joined a group
of adventuresome town rowdies for a stuffing session at
C.&H's Oyster Bar.
When we walked in the door the U-shaped bar was packed
with patrons shoveling raw and steamed oysters into their
gullets and chasing them down with slightly warm beer.
We squeezed up to one end of the bar beside six loud drunks
who were toasting with half-drained liquor bottles. The guy
sitting beside me had a three day beard and pupils that looked
like tiny watermelon seeds floating in a red sea. f \
He must have told me at least (our times that he was SI years
old and had never gotten married.
The oysters were great, though. We were a little g m shy and
went for the steamed ones.
I guess I got carried away with the gussling, stuffing, salty
mood of the place. I just kept dunking those fresh oysters in
butter and cocktail sauce until my belly was about to explode.
By the time I pushed away from the bar I was feeling green
around the gills. Upon arrival home I was most definitely
seasick. The next morning I woke up with a mule kicking
around in my stomach.
The whole point of this is to illustrate the difficulty of getting
adjusted to a place where the cows walk around on four legs of
equal length.
It's amasing how much of the N.C. State-Carolina rivalry
seeps across the state and into Perquimans County. I
guarantee you even the East Carolina fans had their eyes
glued to the boob tube when the two football teams clashed on
Saturday. :
It was a rough afternoon for state fans. One disappointed fan
came, by the house just after halftime to pay off the friendly
wager we had on the game. He was more easily discouraged
than was the state football team, though, as the red tide surged
to two touchdowns before he got up the sidewalk.
The gentleman still wasn't convinced that the 'Pack
really back. He said he d better not come in and watch the rest
of the game because he had a few more bets to pay off about
town.
He had a large bag of ice in the back of his pickup, I guess to
chill whatever he was going to use to drown his sorrows.
As it was, the Tarheels foiled the 'Pack's comeback efforts
with a little help from the zebra squad.
Personally, I wish the officials had not decided to take such
an active role in deciding the outcome of the game. I think
Carolina would have won it anyway and the poor officiating
only served to give all these state fans moping around town a
face saving excuse.
Taking a look backward
OCTOBER 1*1
By VIRGINIA WHITE TRANSEAU
PATROLMAN GASKILL ORDERED TO DUTY IN
MANEUVER AREA: State Highway Patrolman Jack Gaskill
has been ordered to serve in the maneuver area for an in
definite period. Patroman Gaskill left here for Hoffman, NC,
last Friday, where he is expected to be stationed for two weeks
and possibly for the remainder of the maneuver period, which
ends about the first of December.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT: Mr. and Mrs. T. W. TlUey
announce the birth of a son. born Saturday October 25th, 1941
at General Hatspital in Norfolk, Va.
JOINS NAVY RESERVE: Ambrose B. Long, Hertford,
Route One, has joined the U.S. Navy Reserves. Mr. Long
reported for duty on October 14th, 1941.
OLD DOCUMENT: According to E. H. Cannon many ar
ticles are discovered in clothing sent to his cleaning and
pressing establishment; but on Wednesday, he discovered an
old clerk of court document issued in 1809, which he believes
may be highly valued by its owner, and since he has no way of
knowing the rightful owner, the paper may be recovered if the
owner will call at the Perquim ans Weekly office for it.
The old document is well preserved and is issued to one
Joseph Albertson for service as a witness in the Albertson vs.
John -B. Blount case heard at the March Term of Superior
Court, 1809. According to the order, Albertson was entitled ta
six shillings a day for three days' service, or a total of 1%
shillings. He was also paid 3.2 shillings for traveling a distance
of 12 miles at 8 shillings per 30 miles. The order was signed by
a Robt. W. Friaton, Clerk.
Young hunter
J ? Voting torn Sawyer, B-B gun shouldered, goes after the big game near Belvidere. Before you ask, his name really is Tom Sawyer. (Photo by NOEL
TODD-MCLAUGHLIN). .
N uclear abandonment no surprise
I
; Washington, N.C. ? Last
4 ? Monday's announcement by
?;? -Virginia Electric and Power
Company that it wu aban
doning its two nuclear reac
tors under construction at its
North Anna nuclear plant site
in Virginia due to national
power came as no
surprise to operation over
charge.
J. Larkin Little, chairman
of the consumer group bat
tling VEPCO over exorbitant
electric rates, however, said
the timing was surprising.
"Actually. VEPCO stopped
construction on the two
reactors quite some time ago.
and obvciously, Monday's
story was an effort by their
public relations department to
make the most of a bad
situation." Little said.
VEPCO's announcement
would be almost laughable if it
didn't concern such a serious
subject. Little said. "There
are not many power com
paniei in the nuclear
generating business aa
responsible for the national
ttnreat ever nuclear electric
power generation as VEP
CO," little contended.
"VEPCO has had ao
company in the country by the
Nuclear Regulatory Com
mission," Little pointed out.
VBPCO'f statement Out
might convert the two new
sites at North Anna to coal
Town officials will
attend league session
RALEIGH - The challenges
acing municipal govern
nents in the next decade will
>e the focus of the 70th Annual
Convention of the North
Carolina League of
Municipalities, which con
/enes in Winston-Salem,
October 2>-30.
The two and one-half day
convention is expected to
ittract 1,500. mayors, gor
verning board members,
administrators and state and
federal officials. Hea&quar
teres for the convention will be
the M. C. Benton Convention
Center in downtown Winston
Salem.
Mayor Bill Cox and council
members John Beers and Pete
Broughton will attend from
Hertford.
"Challenge of the INO's" is
the theme for the annual
meeting, with a series of
speeches, workshops and
concurrent group sessions
scheduled. The delegates will
be involved in discussions
including energy, state and
federal assistance programs,
the 1980 census, wage and
price guidelines, downtown
revitalisation, balanced
growth, and the Reenactment
of General Revenue Sharing.
Concurrent sessions on
Tuesday, October 29, will
allow municipal officials to
choose from topics of interest
to both administrators and
ekies and towns.
Greensboro Mayor Jim
Melvin, League President,
will open the Convention
Sunday night. New officers of
the League President will be
elected Monday afternoon and
installed at the closing lun
cheon oh Tuesday.
In addition to the series of
workshops and general
sessions, a large exhibit of
municipal equipment and
servies will be open during the
Convention. The delegates
also will view a new television
documentary portraying city
life in North Carolina, be
entertained by a "mock" city
council meeting, and spouses
of the delegates will be given
tours and their own workshops
by the host city of Winston
Salem.
The league is a federation of
438 towns and cities in North
Carolina, which serves as the
voice of municipal interests in
legislation and governmental
research. Its professional
staff is headquartered in
Raleigh, in the just-completed
Albert Coates Local Gor
venment Center.
tf)
Arrest made on ~
break-in at school
Victor Whitehurst, 18, of 312
Stokes Drive, Hertford, is
expected to face charges this
week in connection with with
sevral breaking and enterings
occurring between Otc. 9 snd
Oct 14 in Hertford
Whitehurst is charged with
a break-in at Hertford
Grammar School that oc
curred after school hours on
Oct. I, according to Hertford
Police Chief Marshall Merritt.
Upon entering the building,
Whitehurst allegedly broke
into a candy machine in the
r*a lounge i
into a motor vehicle.
A 1968 Ford Galaxy owned
by Janes Manley White of 306
King Street was broken Into on
Oct. 13 at the owner's
residence. Nothing was taken
from the automobile, Merritt
said. MM-.