Comments for CONFUSION, CORRUPTION AND COLLUSION AT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY REPUBLICAN CONVENTION | Eastern NC Now

I am going to offer a counter argument on the real population of Beaufort County: It is growing. How do I know this?

I have estimated a great increase traffic, and the electorate roles of registered voters, which suggest to me that between 57,000 and 64,000 humans, including Illegals, actually live in Beaufort County.

If a true census was performed, I believe that difference in population would shrink.

Commented: Thursday, April 2nd, 2026 @ 11:01 am By: Stan Deatherage

Joe Davis is a business man and has some for site. Beaufort County is losing population. What could help? Our very mishandled and deteriorated School system could be corrected so that we could become the bedroom community for Greenville. Schools are the first thing that young couples look for to move into a community. As for retirees, we need GP's and convenience. Where are the jobs? Warren Field was to become the Drone development center for the East Coast. What an opportunity with the new demand for more war machinery and the interest in Drone development for law and private industries. What happened? Drumman came sniffing around after the air-port expansion. Who followed up? What a chance for jobs. We have 25 boat builders in a 35 mile radius of Washington. Are we taking advantage of this opportunity? Chocowinity has an industrial park with a rail track running through it. This is like water-front property for heavy industry. They can't get together on what to do with it.

Commented: Wednesday, April 1st, 2026 @ 1:13 pm By: Buzz Cayton

When Executive Committee members to this day are not entirely sure who is on their sub-committees and these sub-committees do not report to the overall committee, that is certainly a lack of transparency. Even more so when the sub-committee is taking actions that should be reserved for the overall committee.

Also, note the nastiness in the tone of many of the "establishment" members. What they attribute to Mr. Richardson regularly more often comes from them. That same trait was evident in the proceedings of the ridiculous court action Ms. Garris brought against Mr. Richardson that was dismissed after a comical display by the Garris faction. Leadership requires effort and hopefully ethics. There is not much on display from this group.

What they are doing now is a doubling down on their Victory Committee plans for the County Commission general election. Working for the party itself is not something they are mature enough to do.

Commented: Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 @ 8:09 pm By: Van Zant

I have a feeling mister.Richerton may have either checked out mentally during the convention, or was that he wa at a completely different event.

I i don't even know where to begin with the inaccuracies.Here it's like he's gaslighting, everybody that actually attended the event. At no time did michelle knicks even once state that you had to be a precinct delegate to go to the state convention?She said that you had to be present at the county convention in order to go to the state convention, which is not a county role.It is a statewide rule, and Mr Richardson knows this, but just wants attention. Furthermore, everyone was pleasant at the convention.Except for Mr Richardson, as is par for the course. Buzz Cayton presented a sensible resolution which passed and I supported for a list of all Executive Committee members to be made public, which is not unreasonable. However, Mr Richardson was asking for a list of victory committee members which I obtained at the last executive committee

Commented: Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 @ 3:55 pm By: Rational Observer

Two more points. Mr Richardson's absence from the last Executive Committee meeting was very refreshing. It was the first time in months that I saw a meeting where everybody was civil to each other.That didn't mean that everyone agreed because they didn't. But we were able to conduct business and have civil discussions without the constant demagoguery of Mr Richardson. Buzz Cayton was able to present a great idea of having a precinct committee so that we can get our precincts active. Concerns about a lawsuit were addressed. The members of the Victory Committee were identified per my personal request ( and we're then promptly misidentified by Mr richardson in this article where he includes someone who's not a member and excludes someone who is.) Mr Richardson is characterized by one thing and one thing only, and that is a desire for power.And it's disgusting to me. I even agree with some of his political views ... actually probably a majority. But he is the singular, most destructive force to the Republican Party in Beaufort County because he lacks simple decency.

Commented: Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 @ 4:09 pm By: Rational Observer

Are you sure you were at the 2026 Beaufort County Convention? Ms. Nix (from CARTERET), never once stated you had to attend the Precinct Meeting to attend the convention. It was made clear at the Precinct meetings that you had to provide the Chairman a request to be elected a Delegate to the Convention in absentia, prior to the convening of the Precinct meeting, and was even displayed at the top of the precinct delegate list form. Reading is fundamental, Hood.

Four of the six resolutions you submitted on behalf of yourself and others were ruled out of order for the same reasons - they were in direct conflict with the State and County Plans of Organization. This was explained to you by Chairman Nix prior to the convening of the convention. The resolution you presented from the floor was called out of order because the point was moot, as the names of the Victory Committee were already provided at the Executive Committee.

Commented: Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 @ 10:47 am By: Katrina

What have we learned?
1. Without doubt Edwards is the commission candidate picked by Democrat in Drag Frankie Waters.
2. Woolard is saying some of the right things except for his incorrect statements here that are a red flag. He is also a Victory Committee member which is not a badge of honor either.
3. Deatherage has an actual conservative record.
This shouldn't be hard for informed conservatives.

Commented: Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 @ 11:12 am By: Van Zant

What we need is a conservative team on the county commission that will 1) elect Republican leadership instead of a coalition with liberal Democrats, and 2) reduce our taxes. We have to elect two commissioners we can depend on this year if we are to do that. Since Edwards has Rebholz as his mentor, he is the one I trust least among the Republicans. Deatherage and Woolard are the two that can make it happen, and we do not need silly personality fights.

Remember, voters are much more concerned about actual issues than they are about internal workings of the Republican Party.

Because of the shacky limited voting system where all candidates are still running against each other in November, there is very little the party organization can do in the election, but conservative voters will have to make the choice in a way that gets us out from under the situation that has left Democrats calling the shots on a 5 to 2 "Republican" commission.

Commented: Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 @ 8:53 am By: John Steed

Ashley: Nope, not me. This is all Hood, or the Beaufort Observer team, which is a separate entity from me - Eastern NC NOW.

I currently have plenty on my plate, and do not need any "saving," especially since my "ilk" respect the fact that I have never voted to increase wasteful spending, or taxes in the 25 budgets that I have participated in as a Beaufort County Commissioner, a reality that no other Beaufort County Commissioner in the history of Beaufort County can claim, except one other than myself ... And, that would be Commissioner Richardson - The Hood (29 budgets governing as a Conservative).

Eastern NC NOW allows all written positions here, and will allow the well considered position of the Beaufort County GOP whenever it wishes to come clean with all that needs to be told to this publication's readership ... Just to set the record straight, once and for all.

Just a word of advice, as someone who has won this seat seven times as an governing advocate for my Constituents, your false flag comment - "You two have allowed the people to have their taxes doubled or even tripled in many cases" - regarding my commitment to properly representing my constituents suggests here that you are intellectually removed from the truth, and that is a poor position for a candidate to place themselves in if they are truly serious in the honest debate to gain the right to serve the good people of Beaufort County.

Commented: Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 @ 12:23 am By: Stan Deatherage