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r’fc^.Lil'ANS COUNTY LI5RARY
113 W A C A D E ■ Y 3 T
HERTFORD .jC 37944
OCT 2 8 1998
Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 66, No. 44
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Be safe on
Halloween
Halloween is here and trick-
-or-'treaters will be roaming
neighborhoods across North
Carolina in search of goodies.
Insurance Commissioner Jim
Long reminds everyone that
despite the fun of Halloween, it
is also one of the most danger
ous nights of the year.
“Pedestrian injuries, burns
and falls account for the
majority of injuries on
Halloween,” said Long. “As
Insurance Commissioner and
Chair of the North Carolina
SAFE KIDS Coalition, 1 am
dedicated to preventing child
hood injuries and helping
homeowners avoid costly
insurance claims on their
property.”
Hertford Police Chief Dale
Vanscoy said the town will
observe trick-or-treat hours
Saturday, 2-5 p.m. He said that
last year’s incident-free
Halloween celebration during
daylight hours prompted him
to set similar hours this year.
He said children should be
accompanied by adults or
older, responsible teenagers as
tiiey make their way through
town.
Perquimans County Sheriff
Ralph Robinson said those
who trick-or-treat in the coun
ty should obey all traffic laws,
and extra care should be taken
for traffic stops and starts.
The North Carolina SAFE
KIDS Coalition is dedica,ted
solely to the prevention of
unintentional childhood
injuries. The North Carolina
Department of Insurance is the
lead agency for the state coali
tion and is one of more than
200 local and state SAFE KIDS
coalitions in the country. To
learn more about SAFE KIDS,
call your local coalition or con
tact the NC Department of
Insurance’s Office of the State
Fire Marshal at 1-800-634-7854.
Commissioner Long, SAFE
KIDS and local law enforce
ment offer the following
HaUoween safety tips:
Children and parents
Inspect all Halloween treats
before eating.
Avoid wearing masks that
will hinder children’s vision.
Apply face paint or cosmetics
• directly to the face.
Carry a flashlight and use
retro reflective tape on cos-
Itume to see and be seen easily.
Wear a flame-resistant cos
tume in which children can
easily walk and avoid tripping.
Wear only shoes that fit. Adult
shoes are not appropriate for
trick-or-treaters as they can
trip and fall.
Carry only flexible props
.such as knives and swords;
remember anything that chil
dren carry can injure them if
they fall.
Stay on the sidewalks, do
not cut across yards - lawn
ornaments and clotheslines
may be invisible in the dark.
Cross only at corners and
look left-right-left before cross
ing. Never dart out from
between parked car.s
Homeowners
Turn all outside lights on.
Leave them on all night to
deter vandalism.
Repair walkways, railings
and steps leading to your
home. Keep walkways and
steps clear of decorations and
debris such as fallen leaves
which tend to get slippery
when damp.
Don’t use candles in
Halloween decorations which
may come in close contact
with trick-or-treater’s cos
tumes.
Move cars, bikes, planters
and items normally left out
side to a locked garage or
inside the house to deter theft
or vandalism.
Swimming pool owners, be
sure the pool’s cover is secure,
gates are locked and lights are
on around the pool.
Candidates’ forum draws small crowd
Local candidates
share basic
platforms
By SEAN JACKSON
With a crowd of more than
50 county residents on hand,
local political candidates
addressed their platform
issues during a Meet the
Candidates forum at the coun
ty courthouse last Thursday
night.
The event was sponsored by
the Hertford Business and
Professional Woman’s Club.
One hand for the event were
the four candidates running.
for three slots on Perquimans
County’s Board of
Commissioners, the two candi
dates for sheriff. Clerk of
Court Gail Godwin, two supe
rior court judge candidates,
and the two candidates for the
N.C. House of Representatives’
86th District seat.
After preliminary remarks
by HBPW members, county
commissioner candidate Ben
Hobbs opened the forum.
Hobbs, a Republican, is run
ning against incumbents Mack
Nixon, Evelyn Stubbins and
Charles Ward — all Democrats
— for a spot ont he county
board.
All candidates were asked
to address their qualifications
and intentions for making a
difference in their respectives
offices, if elected Nov. 3. Each
candidate was given five min-
qtes to speak.
Hobbs, who served two
terms as a member of the
Perquimans County Board of
Education, said that he would
ensure that county tax dollars
were spent wisely.
“I don’t have a (spending)
program, but I do have an idea
of what I want,” said Hobbs. “1
think taxes should be as low as
possible.”
Hobbs also said that indus
trial growth is a necessity, but
that growth should not hinder
the county’s current quality of
life.
“It is not progress if we lose
quality of life,” he said. “We do
Donation challenge.
SQUAD
Imergency neacAi service
PHOTO BY SUSAN HARRIS
Frank Polanish of Albemarle Plantation issued a challenge to county residents to match his
$650 contribution to the Perquimans County Rescue Squad. Poianish dispiayed his boat
iast spring at a yard sale sponsored by Plantation residents to benefit the voiunteer rescue
squad. He pledged to give a portion of the proceeds on the 21-foot skiff to the rescue
squad if the boat soid as a resuit of the yard saie. The boat deal was completed recently
and, true to his word, Poianish calied the squad and made his donation to squad treasurer
Biiiy Winsiow (ieft) and Captain Mary White. Winslow and White said the donation wiii be
used to heip equipment ambulances with vitai equipment.
Four go
for three
seats
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Three Democratic encum
bents and one Republican
challenger will vie for three
available seats on the
Perquimans County Board of
Commissioners Tuesday.
Ben Hobbs will take on
Mack Nixon, Evelyn Stubbins
and Charles Ward, the three
incumbents.
Each candidate was asked a
series of questions regarding
why they are seeking office,
what qualities they bring to
the board that would make
them good members, and the
role of local government in
economic development, paving
private roads, wastewater
treatment and garbage pick
up. Each candidate was asked
to rate Perquimans County
government on a scale of 1-10
with 1 being poor and 10 being
superior. Their answers and
their personal profiles in
reverse alphabetical order.
Present commissioners
chairman Charles Ward
Mi
Ben Hobbs
served on the board from 1980-
1984 before being re-elected in
1994. Ward, 60, is a
Perquimans County High
School graduate who left the
county to attend apprentice
school at Newport News
Shipbuilding before returning
to the area in the 1970s. The
merchant and his wife, Alice
Jeanne, live in Bethel.
Ward is seeking another
term on the board for what he
said others might think is a
corny reason.
“1 think a lot of Perquimans
County and I try to do what I
can to try to help,” Ward said.
He said in light of his contacts
on the state level through vari
ous boards and commissions,
he can help the county in ways
that those without those con
tacts may not be able to.
He believes one of the quali
ties that make him a good com
missioner is his financial skilL.
“I try to spend the county’s
money just like it was my
own,” Ward said. “I try to
make sure that we get all the
Mack Nixon
services we need and at the
same time not get too extrava
gant.”
Ward said the tax rate has
remained steady during his
present tenure on the board,
and part of the reason is
because he and the other com
missioners have turned down
some requests for funding.
“You have to say no to frivo
lous things or else you’d have
to raise taxes every year,” he
said.
Government should play a
large role in economic devel
opment, according to Ward.
“1 think it needs to play a
big role, the county and the
state (governments) both,”
Ward said. “1 was really
instrumental in getting this
industrial park. That’s one
reason I’d like to see another
term. I’d like to see the park
begin development. We’re
working closely with three or
four businesses now. But the
county has to have the ser
vices ready, the infrastructure
likes roads.” Before the land
need more jobs. I think the
Commerce Centre is the right
way (to increase jobs.)”
Growth in the tourism
industry, Hobbs said, is anoth
er way to increase the county’s
tax base.
Nixon, running for his third
term on the board, followed
HObbs. Nixon touted the
board’s record of securing
funding for capital projects at
Hertford Grmmar and
Perquimans Central schools —
more than $9 million — with
out a tax increase.
“We’re not going to spend
money unless it’s absolutely
necessary,” he promised.
Nixon said that the
Commerce Centre is expected
to receive a letter of intent
from a prospective occupant
“any day” and that industrial
growth will continue through
the efforts of the county com
missioners.
Nixon said that he has
assisted on a number of ongo
ing projects and would like to
serve another four years to see
those projects completed.
Stubbins, a retired educator
who is running for re-election
after serving three years on
the board, cited two priority
issues — welfare reform and
county youth — as her cause
for running.
WorkFirst, she said, is
reducing the county’s funding-
assistance cases, but residents
Please see FORUM, page 15
Hertford would
benefit from
state bond OK
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Hertford officials have
endorsed a statewide bond
measure that could bring
grants and low-interest loans
to help offset the cost of the
town’s needed $4.8 million
water and wastewater
upgrades and ejjpansion.
“North Carolina’s towns
and cities need to address crit
ical needs now before it’s too
late,” said Hertford Mayor
John G. Beers. “These bonds
will keep our water safe and
clean and help spread econom
ic prosperity to all areas of the
state.”
The statewide bonds would
provide $800 million in loans
and grants to local govern
ments to build new water and
sewer treatment facilities,
expand capacity to new busi
nesses and homes and upgrade
deteriorating facilities. The
bonds would also provide $200
million to connect under
served areas to natural gas
lines. Beers said Hertford
could qualify for some of the
bond funds.
Town Manager John
Christensen said state bonds
could make funding Hertford’s
utility upgrades less costly for
its residents.
“When the voters approve
the bond issues, that money
could be a potential source for
Please see BONDS, page 12
Evelyn Stubbins
purchase for the commerce
centre. Ward said the county
lost potential businesses
because a suitable site could
not be found with a willing
seller.
Ward said garbage collec
tion is a county function and
that wastewater is presently a
state function. However, he
said that local governments
may eventually have to get
involved with wastewater
because of new environmental
rules. He said if septic tanks
are not allowed in years to
come, local govfernments may
be forced to stop development
or adopt county-wide sewage
plans.
Roads, he said, are a state
function. The commissioners
routinely pass along requests
for county roads to be taken
over by the state to DOT.
Ward would rate
Perquimans County govern
ment a 9.
“1 serve on a lot of boards,
but the county commissioners
in Perquimans County work
Charles Ward
just as good as anything I’ve
ever been associated with,”
Ward said. “We have diverse
backgrounds, but we get
together in one accord. I’m
proud to be a part of it.”
Retired educator Evelyn
Stubbins, 55, had just planned
to serve out the unexpired
term of David Bines to which
she was appointed by the coun
ty commissioners. But she
found that she enjoyed her
foray into public office and
opted to run her first cam
paign this year.
“1 have this wealth of expe
rience from the last three
years,” Stubbins said. “My
original intent was just to fill
the term. Once I got involved, 1
reaUy found that 1 enjoyed it. 1
feel I can help do things by
being on the board.”
One of the qualities
Stubbins feels makes her a
good commissioner is that she
strives to help all people, and
has no personal agenda.
Please see Board page 15