Newspapers / The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, … / Jan. 20, 1994, edition 1 / Page 1
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Community: Sports: Farm: Heart Association Pirates defeat Williams will receives recognition Camden, fall to attend farm management from state; Page s — ■ Edenton: Pages seminar: Page 7 THE PERQ1 11 -1:1 - Ct/1 :./9h 2C vGLi\TY LI' F.^RY '■ C0 £ ■■ y ST 44 WEEKLY Volume 63, No. 1 Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, January 20, 1994 35 Cents Justice Department preclears electoral plan New plan effective immediately By SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor Perquimans County voters will cast ballots in the May pri mary and November general elec tion for members of both the board of county commissioners and school board a little differ ently than in the past. The county’s new electoral plan was precleared by the U.S. Justice Department last week, changing the methods of election for both boards. The legislation changing the election methods will be implemented with the 1994 elections. The new plan expands both Apricot to expand operations By SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor An empty manufacturing plant will be filled and at least 30 jobs created when the planned expansion of a local business is complete. The Town of Hertford and Centura Bank recently teamed up to make $650,000 in loan funds available to Apricot, Inc., a manufacturer of ladies apparel. The funds will be used for the acquisition and renovation of the building formerly occupied by Don Juan Manufacturing. Apri cot’s present location is within site of the new plant. The loan is a combination of a $325,000 in bank funds and $325,000 awarded to the town through a state Community De velopment Block Grant. In return for the loan. Apricot, Inc. has committed to move its operation to the new location and create at least 30 additional jobs. The company presently has a work force of about 185. Apricot, Inc., formerly DiJop, moved its operation from New Jersey to Hertford in 1982. Owned by the Terranova family, the manufacturer first occupied a rented plant. In November 1987, Apricot, Inc. moved into a new facility on Don Juan Road. The construction of that plant was also made possible through a public-private partnership.. The Town of Hertford plans to annex the Don Juan building, according to town manager John Christensen. The annexation will bring about $7,000 per year to the town in ad valorem taxes. Hartigan Management has been retained by the town to ad minister the project. Funding for administration was provided by the CDBG program, Christensen said. 'There will be no cost to the town resulting fi-om the loan, he added. Centura Bak will service the loan. THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY DEADLINES • News Release Monday - 3:00 p.m. • Advertising Monday - 3:00 p.m. boards from five to six members, and eliminates residency require ments for candidates. Formerly, county commissioners were cho sen to represent one of three dis- tricts, and school board members to represent one of the county’s five townships. Candi dates could only file for available seats within the district or town ship where they lived. At election time, all voters could choose can didates from each district and township. Under the new plan, any qualified resident can file for a seat on either board, regardless of where they live. Also changed was the num ber of candidates for whom vot ers can vote. The new plan calls for limited voting, which means that each voter can choose only one candidate on the ballot. The three candidates with the most votes will be declared the win ners. Because school board elec tions are non-partisan, the top three finishers In the May prima ries will be elected with no run offs. County commissioners races are partisan. In those elections, the top three vote-takers on both the Democratic and Republican tickets in the primary will be de clared party nominees with no second primary. Those party candidates will then face off in the November general elections. The top three finishers in Novem ber races will take office in De cember. 'Three seats will come up for election every two years on both six-member boards. Winners will serve four-year terms. The commissioners and school board will appoint mem bers to fill the new slots created by the electoral change in their memberships early next month, as required by the Justice De partment. The two appointed should be representative of the black citizens of Perquimans County. The appointees will serve until December when those elected in November take the oath of office. 'The local NAACP will make recommendations to both boards regarding appoin tees they feel will best represent the black commimity. An NAACP member, who spoke on the condition of ano nymity, said that the NAACP met Monday after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration to dis cuss appointees to both boards. 'The source said the NAACP will recommend David Bines for the commissioners seat and the Rev. D.S. Whitehurst for the school board. Bines, the source said, will file to run for the seat in May. Whitehurst may wait until 1996 to seek election because he would have to run against a black incumbent, Walter Leigh, if he filed in 1994. 'The source did say that the NAACP will not try to keep other black candidates from seeking election. County manager Paul Gre gory said 'Tuesday that Shirley Yates and Archie Miller were ap pointed by the commissioners to serve as a review committee for appointee nominations to that board. 'The committee will make a recommendation to the full board on Feb. 7, and the seat will be filled on that date. Schools superintendent Ran dall L. Henion said the school board has also appointed a re view committee for nominations to its board. Henion said applica tions for appointment are avail able at the school board office, and the review committee, com posed of Ben Hobbs and Walter Leigh, will make a recommenda tion to the full board at a special meeting to be called before the Justice Department’s Feb. 10 deadline to nil the seat. 'The filing period for the May primary opened Jan. 3. Michael y * Perquimans County NAACP Chapter president Fred Yates presented Ronald Penny with a plaque of appreciation for speaking during the 8th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at Saunders Grove Baptist Church Monday. Penny impressed upon those who gathered the need to re establish and uphold moral and family values in his passion ate speech. (Photo by Susan Harris) Penny: King’s example is call to action By SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor North Carolina State Per sonnel Director Ronald Penny stirred a full house at Saunders Grove Baptist Church Monday at the 8th cinnual Dr. ^Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance sponsored by the Perquimans County Chapter of the NAACP. Penny, an Elizabeth City at torney before his appointment by Governor Jim Hunt, said the King holiday should be more than a time to rejoice over ac complishments and reflect on the past. “We must learn from our past, we must prepare in our present and we must plan for our future,” Penny said. Penny said the community seems to be crumbling. 'The majority of African-American children are bom out of wed lock, he said, and grow up in homes without a male role model. 'These children are often touched by violence, poverty and failure in education. “We must reclaim our com munity,” Penny said. He referred to a Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation study conducted In North Carolina which he said cited serious ra cial problems in the state’s communities and schools. 'The study is troubling, he said, be cause it shows that people are growing apart. Penny also talked about the problems of crime in society. “Crime is alive and well and thriving, even in Perquimans County.” Penny said the Reynolds study indicated that whites fear young black males due to the rise in crime. He said part of the fear may be justified when crime statistics are reviewed. A murder occurs in the state ev ery 12 hours and 22 minutes. 'The most firequent murderer and victim are black males, ages 20-24. A rape occurs in the state every 3 hours and 47 minutes. The most frequent rapists are black males, ages 21-25. “We seem to be coming apart at the seams,” Penny said. Penny said involvement is the key to restoring values, and that the example for action was set by Dr. King and Jesus Christ. Lip service will not change things. Penny said. ‘We must re-establish the moral fiber of our community,” Penny said. “What was moral in the beginning is moral in the end. \^^at was immoral in the beginning is immoral in the end.” Penny said yoxmg people must be taught that violence, stealing, promiscuity, hatred, prejudice, drugs and disrespect are wrong. He called on those present to take a special Inter est in young men to help them stay on track. “Ladles and gentlemen, we can’t depend on the government to do everything,” Penny said. The community and the family must reach out to pro vide a good start in life emd positive role models for all chil dren, he said. “We must bring this com munity together.” Penny advocated working against racial ignorance and stereotypes and “realize that there is more that brings us to gether than separates us...We (Americans) have a common bond.” Too often differences are magnified, rather than similari ties, he said. ‘Today should be a starting point, so we should extend an olive branch out there.” Penny said he believes by working together, the commu nity can move forward, rebuild ing itself and restoring hope, faith and opportunity. “Together we can insure that this nation is ‘one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.’ ” Also on the celebration pro gram were Estelle Felton, the Rev. Willie Moore, the Rev. D.S. Whitehurst. Vera Murrill. the Rev. J.H. London, Fred L. Yates and the Rev. Hearlen 'Trotman. Music was provided by the Per quimans Commimity Choir and Anita Tlllett. Greetings were brought from Perquimans County by commissioners chairman Mack Nixon, the town of Hertford by mayor John Beers and the town of Winfall by councilman Willie Moore. Please turn to page 3 for more on Penity’s speech. Crowell, the Raleigh attorney who has represented the county during the process of changing its electoral system, advised Per quimans County Board of Elec tions Supervisor Ginger O’Neal that the filing period will not have to be extended past the scheduled Feb. 7 closing date due to the changes. O’Neal did have to contact Leo Higgins, the only candidate to file for either board prior to Justice Department preclearance of the electoral plan. Higgins, a county commissioners candidate, was required to re-file under the new plan. Since that time. Mack Nixon has also filed for re- elec tion. Charles C. Cheezum became the first candidate to file for the school board Tuesday. Cathy Terranova also filed Tuesday. Plan okay ends years of work By SUSAN R. HARRIS Editor U.S. Justice Department pre clearance of Perquimans Coun ty’s new electoral plan ends years of work spent hammering out a new plan conducive to electing minority candidates. 'The move to change the elec toral plan was sparked in 1987, when the Perquimans County Chapter of the NAACP threatened to file a lawsuit against the county after the county commis sioners appointed a white to fill a seat on the county board created by the resignation of an elected member. 'The NAACP pushed for a minority appointee. At that time, there were no minority members of either board. In an effort to avoid a law suit, the commissioners ap pointed a biracial Electoral Study Committee. The committee and the county enlisted the assis tance of attorneys and consul tants, and studied the issue, trying to design a plan that would increase the possibility of minority representation on both boards. 'The committee initially at tempted to divide the county into districts in a manner that would create at least one or two dis tricts with a majority of black residents. Because the county’s population dispersement made drawing new districts to include the minority districts virtually impossible, the committee looked for alternatives. In 1989, the electoral com mittee submitted a plan to the state legislature for passage. 'That plan increased the membership of both boards from five to seven members and eliminated resi dency requirements for candi dacy. Voters could vote for as many candidates as there were positions to be filled. 'Two new members were to be appointed to each board to serve until the seats came up for election. Although the NAACP, study committee and members of both boards felt the plan was a good one, the U.S. Justice Department ripped it to shreds in April 1990. Going back to square one, the electoral committee began meeting again, ultimately author ing the plan precleared by the Justice Department last week. In the meantime, Perquimans voters elected black representa tives to both boards under the old electoral plan. Walter Leigh was elected to the school board from the New Hope Township in 1990. He ran against a white candidate. Shirley Yates was elected in 1992 to serve as a county commissioner represent ing the 2nd District. Yates was one of three candidates, includ ing two whites, to seek election for two available seats.
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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Jan. 20, 1994, edition 1
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