Comments for What does it mean to be a Conservative? | Eastern North Carolina Now

Washingtonian: Regarding the City of Washington government - So slow, too slow; poor management interminably; informing the public through all available media, so the people might be aware of all that is afoot, might be a good start to accelerate from the certain status of their state of the pathetic; a terrible condition of any government.

Commented: Thursday, June 26th, 2025 @ 11:35 pm By: Stan Deatherage

Washingtonian: You are right; it ain't fair. Public education, more and more, is becoming a smooth hustle for the Left, and the public owning these schools rather than tearing them down, or allowing them to fall into complete disrepair is what I believe to be the best option to aid in turning the public's education around, and do it NOW.

Of course, we will probably need one more smart commissioner first.

Commented: Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 @ 11:30 pm By: Stan Deatherage

On the City Government, I know first hand of terrible management and corruption for decades, but now, I hearing such stories from many of my constituents that beckons many memories of bad governing: One instance of discussion appears to be, after all the fanfare about this drone opportunity at the airport: What is happening now? What did occur to explain why so little has happened in that regard of NOW?

Explanations are warranted.

Commented: Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 @ 1:18 pm By: Stan Deatherage

City government is a two man show. The current city council is a toothless joke because a majority is in the mayor's hip pocket. If he says jump, they ask "how high?". Between the major and the manager, I suspect that if the item in on the mayor's personal agenda, he calls the shots, and if not, it is the manager. Of course, Sadler's wife is the power behind his throne, and in many ways, she may be the one calling the shots. At city council meetings, one can witness her furiously texting the mayor up at the front telling him what to do, and him looking down at his phone reading her text instructions. And she holds no elected office. What a sad state our city government is in. Our school board and county are not any better.

Commented: Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 @ 11:23 am By: Concerned Taxpayer

Yes, we have a bureaucratic mess at the city, county, and school board level, but the internal chemistry of each differs. The voters need to make serious changes all three places.

For the city, there is a pathetically weak city council and two power centers, the mayor and city manager. The city council as currently composed exercises no more power than the old USSR's Supreme Soviet did. It is a functional rubber stamp. Three council members are the mayor's flunkies, elected on his slate, giving him an automatic majority control. One is functionally illiterate and can barely read or write. One is not even a real resident, having a fake address downtown but really living in or near Aurora. Then there is Lou Hodges, who was not on Sadler's slate but is a wannabee, constantly sucking up to him. That leaves only one council member not a guaranteed Sadler vote, and he can do nothing. It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall if the mayor and city manager disagree on something to see which one, when push comes to shove, really has the most power of the two. The city council as it now sits, is a total joke. Hopefully that will change in this year's election so the Sadler machine can be dethroned. Washington is now a Tammany Hall type regime.

The county school board is totally under the thumb of the Big Cheese superintendant. A majority of the board are total flunkies of the superintendant. Two of the board members have daughters who are principles and the superintendent can impact their careers, so they have to follow his agenda. The chairman, T.W. Allen is a total joke who is weak as water. The superintendent can often be seen at meetings sitting beside him telling him what to do. He probably could not function at all without the superintendent's direction. Two other members are also yes-men or women to the superintendent. There is some hope on this board as four of the nine members have demonstrated the ability to often think for themselves and not blindly rubber stamp the superintendent's wishes, but they are still a minority.

The county commission also has some hope as three of the seven members have shown they can think for themselves. The problem is a commission chairman, Frankie Waters, who is under the spell of the county manager and confers too much power on him. Waters heads a coalition of two liberal Democrats and two liberal Republicans. Between Waters and the county manager, it is the manager with the stronger personality, so he calls the shots. Waters has cancer and may not run again, so the chemistry in county government could change.

Commented: Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 @ 9:35 am By: Rino Hunter

John is right on this one.

Overpaid bureaucrats, instinctively searching for their own special level of mediocrity, while urged forward in their endeavor by an incredible low level of elected officials here in Beaufort County is a huge problem, and will remain such until the local people rise up, and seize control by voting real Conservatives into office.

Commented: Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 @ 1:47 am By: Stan Deatherage

Washingtonian, it is all too common for local top bureaucrats to accumulate too much power they should not have when the elected boards that are supposed to be their bosses are weak or complacent. That creates a local "deep state". We have that locally at the county, city, and especially school board level. The tail is wagging the dog in too many instances. The way to solve that is to elect people to governing boards who will assert the powers those boards possess to keep the bureaucracy in line.

If you have to fire these bureaucrats, the thing to keep in mind is that while they are pulling the wool over the eyes to their governing board, they are also probably writing contracts for themselves to make it hard or expensive to fire them. The way around that is to find the circumstances where they can be fired for cause. That saves the taxpayers a whole lot of money.

Commented: Saturday, June 21st, 2025 @ 4:14 pm By: John Steed

I am absolutely one of those encouraging Nick Fritz to run for office.

The biggest problem in government is having politicians /government officials that are not intelligent.

Nick Fritz is not that guy.

Commented: Saturday, June 21st, 2025 @ 10:50 am By: Stan Deatherage

Concerned Taxpayer & John Heermann: we are taxed at four levels: the city, county, state, and federal government. Each level is orders of magnitude larger as you go up. Currently, 40% of all of the country's income finds its way into one of those four divisions. The governments use this money to redistribute it to their individual causes. In your opinions, what can and should we do at the city level to be more efficient?

Commented: Saturday, June 21st, 2025 @ 10:10 am By: Nick Fritz

Pt 2: Have you ever found that some problems existing are ignored because of who owns the property? Have you ever found that some dilapidated buildings arent even listed in the tax records? Have you ever accused the city Housing authority of corruption, then requested public records, only to be ignored? How you ever found that lawyers will lie and throw shade on a citizen, to get on behalf of their clients? Have you ever complained about a new housing development near you only to find the police show up to write traffic tickets on your neighbors going to work the next day? Have you ever found that the NC state regional offices are all slack and behave the same as the City of Washington towards citizens. Have you ever reported to a policeman in a "see something,say something reference, only to have them look at you like you are a criminal and bothering them. Have you ever been stranded and have city cop tell you to call a cab. 3 continued:

Commented: Friday, June 20th, 2025 @ 1:28 pm By: Washingtonian

Our nation was founded because the people were tired of being overtaxed. The series of taxes that led to the Revolution were adopted by the British parliament, but since George III was the face of the British government, he was the target of people's anger. He certainly did not object to those taxes, so that was justified.

The Democrats of today tax us more than the British parliament did in those days, so it is the Democrats who are the modern tax tyrants.

Commented: Thursday, June 19th, 2025 @ 3:49 pm By: Concerned Taxpayer

Nick,

First, thanks for the comment, a rarity of the scarcist kind. Speaking of kind, your comment was well received, and when I read this great kindness within your commentary to my long suffering wife, she kind of teared up a bit due the fact that all grades of incredible mendacity hurled toward me and my family over the years, as I am the first Conservative elected in the history of Beaufort County, in 1994, at least one with an R by his name.  

Oh, the stories I could have been told, and probably will at some point ... when the time is most appropriate, when the effect is most absolute due to the fact that here NOW - "The times, they are a a-changin'" - www.youtube.com

Thank-you again, and the feeling is mutual in that I admire your incredible energy to know, and the humility to learn all there is to know. That strength of yours is, including your stellar work ethic, will continue to become the secret to your many successes.

Commented: Thursday, June 19th, 2025 @ 12:47 pm By: Stan Deatherage