Comments | Eastern NC Now

Replying to Washingtonian re: Mayor Brabo's B&B on Market Street — now THAT is an interesting development worth watching. So let me understand the full picture: we have a council coalition that halted a police chief search to manufacture leverage for their city manager pick, and simultaneously the Mayor's own property is heading before the Board of Adjustments? Washington's governance soap opera just added another episode. I'm not saying these things are connected. I'm saying when you've already watched this council operate the way it has, you don't take coincidences at face value anymore.

Commented: Friday, April 10th, 2026 @ 10:36 am By: RiverCityRealist

I am sorry Rational Observer; you make a good point here in you last comment; and at first blush, I thought you might be one of the RINOs within the structure of the Beaufort County GOP, who wakes up everyday bent on destroying Hood Richardson, and by association, "Your Truly." For myself and The Hood, there is no true Beaufort County GOP, and there has not been for more than a decade, but that is another long story that is not worth wasting anyone's time over ... Not yet.

Hood is a smart man and he is an honest man, and those two qualities are hard to find in politicians. Hood also often views issues in black and white, which is the intellectual construct of successful civil engineers. I know this from experience, as I was once a young surveyor, who has worked projects for CEs, and they were always very sure about what they wanted as an end result, but how they achieved their directive was often different; however, in the final analysis: They were Hell-bent to achieve a finite end, and I have always respected that about civil engineers.

Maybe, this helps me understand The Hood, his value as a public servant, and how necessary he is to contrast Real Republicans from those that are fakes, which are in great abundance here in Beaufort County ... Mostly because the local GOP not only allows it, they support well the RINO amongst us.

Commented: Friday, April 10th, 2026 @ 9:42 am By: Stan Deatherage

1/2 Hood, your entire argument rests on a fundamental misrepresentation of what the First Amendment actually does.

The First Amendment prevents Congress from creating laws that prohibit free speech. It does not apply to internal rules of private organizations, including political parties. There is nothing in the Constitution that prohibits an organization from setting reasonable limits on conduct during its meetings, especially when those limits are necessary to maintain order and prevent the spread of misinformation.

Your claim that this was a “secret meeting” is simply false. The meeting in question was open to all Executive Committee members. That is exactly how Executive Committee meetings are structured. There is nothing in the State Plan of Organization that requires these meetings to be open to the general public, nor is there any requirement that nonmembers be given the floor to speak.

Commented: Friday, April 10th, 2026 @ 8:55 am By: Katrina

All states need legislation like this.

Commented: Friday, April 10th, 2026 @ 8:50 am By: borderhawk

Rational Observer: Are you whining about The Hood because he was unsuccessful in winning over the RINOs? Winning over Beaufort County RINOs is an impossible task. This I know from tremendous experience, and I am not Hood, so don't throw Hood in your tiny box of 'Hood just does not kiss up enough to our favored RINOs on the Beaufort County Commission.'

Commented: Thursday, April 9th, 2026 @ 10:30 pm By: Stan Deatherage

I have real concerns about Rorie's record and I think the behavior described toward Mr. Roberson is inexcusable if accurate. But I'd also want to hear Perreault and Tyre's side before drawing final conclusions. Public officials deserve the chance to respond to allegations this serious, even when the allegations are from highly credible sources.

Commented: Thursday, April 9th, 2026 @ 8:25 pm By: ThinkingItThroughNC

The theme of most his articles are about how oppressed he is and such a victim. Give me a break. If he talked about issues and why the conservative side of it is better than the Democrat side I'd have some respect. But that's not what he does. He plays the leftist can book of being a victim constantly. In fact he's part of the problem.

Commented: Thursday, April 9th, 2026 @ 9:14 pm By: Rational Observer

This new city manager sounds a lot like the current authoritarian government in Germany that will arrest citizens for insulting politicians. One posted on social media that the highly unsuccessful economics Minister in the last government was a "moron" and got arrested for that post. He is far from the only one. Washington does NOT need a pompous bureaucrat of this ilk.

Commented: Thursday, April 9th, 2026 @ 8:45 pm By: John Steed

I don't have a strong opinion on Rorie one way or the other — I just want the process to be fair and transparent. Rushing a vote on a permanent city manager when serious questions are still unanswered is exactly the kind of governance that got us into state fiscal oversight in the first place. Slow down. Get it right.

Commented: Thursday, April 9th, 2026 @ 8:10 pm By: JustALocalTaxpayer

If Mr. Richardson spent 1/10th of the energy attacking Socialist Democrats as he spends attacking fellow Republicans in his ugly quest for power we would not be in the trouble we are in now. The single greatest impediment to Republican unity, consrvative policy implementation and defeating all Democrats is the power-hungry insanity of Mr. Richardson. I'll never understand the appeal of this man who has accomolished almost nothing in 30 years in office for conservatism because of his toxic personality and quest for absokute power.

Commented: Thursday, April 9th, 2026 @ 6:25 pm By: Rational Observer

This city manager seems even worse than the last one. Why is Perault teaming up with Tyre? Tyre is a hard core leftis and does not even really live in Washington.

Bobby Roberson is a straight up guy and a conservative Republican.

Commented: Thursday, April 9th, 2026 @ 2:52 pm By: Concerned Taxpayer