The Perquimans
350
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Robinson will keep his badge
Ben Hobbs
Hobbs
> V
V
takes
•>
board
*
seat
Vice-chairman
Mack Nixon is
loser in 4-way
race for 3 seats
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Republican challenger
Benjamin Hobbs led aU candi
dates in the bid for the three
available county commission
er seats with 1,090 votes.
Hobbs’ home precinct,
Bethel, gave him a big boost in
the race, with almost 300 votes
more than Charles Ward, his
closest challenger. Hobbs also
carried the New Hope
precinct.
The seat wiU not be the first
elected office for Hobbs. He
formerly sat on the non-parti
san school board for eight
years.
He said honesty and his
willingness to listen to the peo
ple are two of the qualities he
believes will make him a good
commissioner.
Incumbent Evelyn Stubbins
received the second-highest
number of votes, 1000.
Stubbins has served on the
board for three years, having
b6en chosen by the commis
sioners to fill the unexpired
term of David Bines, who died
in office. She found she
enjoyed serving and opted to
run in her own right for a full
term, she said.
>iStubbins was the top vote-
^ker in Belvidere, East
ifertford, Nicanor, Parksville
^d West Hertford.
t^tWard, the present board
3>hairman, earned 652 votes,
;^ile Nixon, board vice-chair
man, tallied 566 votes. Both
men said they wanted to stay
on the board to see projects,
including the development of
the commerce centre on
Harvey Point Road and the
water upgrade presently
underway, through to comple
tion. Both incumbents said
they were pleased to have been
able to provide necessary ser-
,yices without a tax increase
over the past few years,
t Although there were three
^ats up for grabs, county vot
ers could vote for only one can
didate under the electoral plan
approved by the U.S. Justice
Department.
The winners will be sworn
in at the commissioners’ meet
ing in December.
Vote totals are unofficial
until thq county canvass.
Interim sheriff
defeats deputy
by landslide
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Interim sheriff Ralph
Robinson claimed a landslide
victory Tuesday, defeating
independent Billy Spruill,
2,420-717.
Robinson, 71, defeated for
mer sheriff David Lane in the
Democratic primary in May
by over 300 votes. Lane
resigned in July effective Aug.
1. The county commissioners
tapped Robinson to serve out
Lane’s unexpired term, which
ends Dec. 1.
Spruill, presently a
Perquimans County deputy,
announced his intention to
mount a petition drive to get
his name on the ballot for the
general election in late May.
He collected the required sig
natures to run as an indepen
dent candidate.
In response to a question
naire from The Perquimans
Weekly two weeks prior to the
election, Robinson said he
decided to run for sheriff after
being asked to seek the posi
tion by county residents who
told him they were not satis
fied with the direction in
which the sheriffs department
was going.
“After much soul searching
I decided that I would run as
your democratic candidate for
sheriff,” Robinson wrote in his
questionnaire response. “I felt
that I could make a difference
in the county by unifying law
enforcement groups to better
serve the people.”
Robinson said there is much
that needs to be done in the
area of drugs and drug-related
crime. He said that if elected,
he would join the drug task
force. He added that he has
Sheriff-elect Ralph Robinson Billy Spruill
already begun to inititate steps
to secure state and federal
grant monies to defray the
costs of task force member
ship.
The sheriff, who also serves
as the county’s D.A.R.E. offi
cer, said one of the most press
ing issues in law enforcement
today is the need for public
involvement in community
policing efforts. Robinson said
working together, communi
ties and law enforcement agen
cies can develop a safer envi
ronment.
Robinson cited dedication,
honesty and the fairness that
he has displayed to the people
of the county as a deputy and
D.A.R.E. officer as qualities he
would bring to the office that
would make him a good sher
iff. He added that he has a good
work ethic and he will install
that same work ethic through
out the department. In addi
tion, Robinson said his years
of law enforcement and man
agement skills would help him
develop a cohesive law
enforcement team. He also
said his people skiUs and com
passion are positive qualities
for a sheriff.
Robinson could not be
reached for comment at his
home on election night. By
state statute, deputies serve at
the pleasure of the sheriff.
Robinson has not stated in a
public forum whether he will
keep SpruiU on as a deputy.
AU vote totals are unofficial
untU the county canvass.
Super meets super
' Jh
■
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Former Perquimans County Schools Superintendent John Biggers and his wife, Katherine, welcome
Superintendent Gregory Todd and his wife, Libby, to Perquimans County. The two superintendents met at a
reception honoring the Todds held at the new Hertford Grammar School multi-purpose room Sunday after
noon.
Chamber plans Christmas parade
Christmas will come to
Perquimans on Dec. 5 when the
annual holiday parade steps off at 2
p.m.
Sponsored by the Chamber of
Commerce, the parade theme is A
Carolina Christmas. Chamber orga
nizers are asking bands, businesses,
and church, civic and school groups
to participate in the parade.
Grand marshalls for this year’s
holiday event are N.C.
Representative and Mrs. BiU Owens.
Appications are available at the
Chamber or by calling 426-5657.
How Perquimans voted
BeMdete
Bethel
EHertford NewHope
Nicanor
Parksville W. Hertford
Absentee
Sheriff
Robinson
191
596
371 353
85
521
242
61
Spruill
109
159
53 161
22
91
102
20
Commissioner
Hobbs
67
452
101 191
18
147
68
46
Nixon
36
82'
54 159
17
105
98
15
Stubbins
129
132
209 128
36
239
112
15
Ward
64
161
84 70
34
144
78
17
Ciean Water
Act (Bonds)
U.S. Senate
In favor of
2,651
Edwards
1,798
Against
604
Faircloth
1,389
State House District 86
Howe
38
Natural Gas
Bonds
Culpepper
1,925
In favor of
2,071
Embrey
747
Against
942
U.S. House District 3
Hertford Bonds
Williams
1,582
In favor of
450
Jones
1,579
Against
168
Nubel
23
Local, state,
bond
referendums
approved
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Hertford voters approved the $4.8 million
bond referendum for water and wastewater sys
tem upgrades Tuesday, 450-163. County voters
also overwhelmingly approved both clean
water and natural gas bonds. The clean water
referendum passed locaUy 2,651-604, with natur
al gas getting the nod, 2,071-942.
Hertford officials have been studying the
capacity and condition of the town’s water and
sewer systems for several years. Needs total
about $4.8 mUlion.
The lion’s share of the funds — over $3.8 mil
lion — will go to the wastewater system. Town
Manager John Christensen has said in several
Hertford Town Council meetings and public
hearings to discuss the needs in the water and
wastewater departments that the wastewater
system needs a total overhaul. Capacity wiU be
increased from 400,000 to 700,000 gallons per
day.
Christensen said growth on U.S. Highway 17
has already stressed the sewer system. The ren
ovations would include upgrading burdened
pumping stations to better handle the flow from
the highway, as well as have the capacity to
serve the commerce centre on Harvey Point
Road just off of Highway 17.
In addition, the upgrade will give Hertford
the capacity to treat Winfall’s sewage. Winfall
will pay all costs associated with that endeavor.
The town also plans a $990,000 water depart
ment expansion to include installing a third
weU, updating old and obsolete equipment.and
painting both water tanks.
While Hertford residents approved borrow
ing up to $4.8 million with the passage of the
bond referendum, town officials have said that
grant applications have been submitted to try
to get state and federal assistance with the pro
jects. The town will only borrow on its own
what it cannot finance through grants.
If the state clean water bond referendum
passed (the outcome of the referendum
statewide was not known at press time),
Christensen said Hertford could also be in line
for grants resulting from that bond issue, or
less costly state funds.
The state funds would provide $800 million
in loans and grants to local governments to
build new water and sewer treatment facilities,
expand capacity to new businesses and homes,
and upgrade deteriorating facilities.
The local bond issue approved general oblig
ation bonds, meaning that the town will back
the issue with its taxing power. Christensen
stated during discussion of the bond referen
dum this summer that he does not anticipate
raising taxes to pay the bonds. The town raised
its water and sewer rates by 14 percent in the
fiscal 1998-99 budget to help offset the cost of
repayment.
Town officials said if the bond referendum
had not passed, the town would have been
forced to seek alternative and more costly
financing for the needed unproverpents.