Comments | Eastern NC Now

Mr. Fritz,when you write for a publication such as this,it tells all of us exactly who you are and it isn't good.

Commented: Saturday, January 10th, 2026 @ 8:13 am By: JR

Historically, I am a strong supporter of enforcing our immigration laws, and remain so. I will not be led astray by who I personally like or dislike. The state house race is very clear in that regard. Kidwell is a proven friend and supporter of enforcement of our immigration laws. Armstrong is part of the Big Ag cabal that sees exploitation of illegal aliens as part of their business model and will do everything they can to keep the illegal aliens among us where they can exploit them. If you like illegal immigration, you will love a Big Ag guy like Armstrong. Whatever they may tell you, the Big Ag people will always stab immigration enforcement in the back. Sending someone who is not on our side on illegal immigration to Raleigh would be sickening.

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 8:09 pm By: borderhawk

News Flash - The Beaufort County Republican Party is STILL not conducting legal business. They are being run by an illegal shadow committee with no oversight. At this time, they are attempting to purge people they do not like from the executive committee illegally with no legitimate committee process. They are worse than the mafia and it is not even arguable. The people that have hijacked the party are very bad people.

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 7:09 pm By: Van Zant

Auditor, you are certainly correct that this information is held inside the city's books. Auditors can not add or delete information, only verify and perhaps reorganize. The problem is that the books are not open to the public. Since November 4th, I've requested three simple bits of information several times: 1. If any debt has been added during this fiscal year, and what our current total debt is. 2. What percentage of the budgeted amounts has been spent in each fund and how much we are below budget. 3. If we wanted to pay off any debt, how much is unrestricted and available for us to do so. When I asked Greenville for this information I received it in a few hours. I have yet to receive it from Washington.

Your accusation of my ignorance or deception is curious. I do not claim to be anything more than a citizen-representative reporting back to my fellow citizens. While I am certainly not a municipal accountant, and I suspect neither are the other 99.99% of residents and former city councilmen and mayors, I have a rudimentary grasp of finance and accounting. Like most, I rely on the high-paid director of finance, the finance department, and the expensive outside annual audit for information. When none of that information is supplied expeditiously or intelligibly, I have little recourse except to become suspcious and seek outside opinions. If you have this skillset, I highly encourage you to investigate and I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

My goals are pretty straightforward. I want to lower our property tax rate and naturally the budget is a fairly big part of that. The audit is inordinately important to me because I cannot get these numbers from our finance department and I'm trusting that I will get them from the auditors.

I do not leap to the conclusion that things are nefarious. The state auditor said that sloppiness is far more common than graft. What I am saying is that this information has been elusive. I cannot speak to past experience or history, I can only speak to my personal experience since November 4th. And I intend to continue relaying that experience openly to all who care to hear about it. I appreciate your reading and I appreciate any advice and criticism.

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 6:03 pm By: Nick Fritz

Auditor, there has been lots of funny business going on by the defeated regime, and there is little doubt the records left behind are a mess. It would not be surprising if there was a lot of shredding going on during their way out. The remnants of the outgoing regime resisted getting qualified people in to look into their mess, but there is now a very highly qualified person in interim city manager Bobby Roberson to start picking up the pieces. Bobby has a very thorough understanding of local government. One thing that needs to be looked into and clawed back is the corrupt golden parachute given to the old city manager.

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 3:58 pm By: Concerned Taxpayer

But, Washingtonian, Armstrong has CONNECTED HIMSELF with those RINOs. Who were his three special guests at his kickoff fundraiser? One was local King RINO Frankie Waters. Another was the man who recruited him to run, Raleigh RINO Jimmy Dixon. The third was Raleigh RINO Steve Troxler. Armstrong chose to surround himself with those people. He chose Frankie Waters to go with him to file for office. You know what they say about birds of a feather.

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 11:14 am By: John Steed

Lock her up! Then deport her!

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 9:27 am By: Bubba

Amused - There is always the question with a novice candidate of why they are running. The answer will tell a lot about what kind of public official they will be. Someone who appears from time to time at county commission or city council or school board meetings for public comment will often be a person genuinely interested in the work of that body. The same is true of someone who from time to time goes to Raleigh to speak with legislators on issues. Then there are people who have been active in organizations which regularly communicate with a public body on issues.

The issue of why someone is running gets more complicated when they are recruited to run. Then the issue becomes, what is the agenda of the person or group that recruited the candidate? It is here that a politically inexperienced candidate is more easily controlled by someone else. It may be that the recruiter looked for a politically inexperience candidate for precisely that reason.

When it is Jimmy Dixon doing the recruiting, that should be a huge red flag to conservatives. He is a major Raleigh RINO manipulator.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 3:29 pm By: Conservative Voter

Amused Observer: I agree with everything you said to a point; that point being, most new politicians need guidance from leaders that understand the system, and actually how to truly "represent the people" by well knowing their constituents.

New politicians in Beaufort County have not done that well of late, except a precious few, and I can easily make that call.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 12:59 pm By: Stan Deatherage

Its absurd to think someone isnt a good choice because they dont have previous political experience. Career politicians seem to be self centered and corrupt. We'd be better off if more good people were willing to run and really represent the people instead of themselves and their cronies.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 12:44 pm By: Amused Observer

JV - We know who Armstrong's handlers are, Frankie Waters and Jimmy Dixon, both RINOs of the worst order, and since Armstrong has no political experience at all, he will be completely under their spell. It is laughable that Kidwell would take orders from the likes of Varcoe, or anybody else for that matter. He knows issues and policy very thoroughly himself and has never been anyone's puppet.

Frankie Waters wanted Armstrong to run for county commission for the seat he is vacating. Think about that. Fake Frankie Waters knows Armstrong and sees him as someone who would be the same sort of sellout county commissioner that Waters himself has been. But those from Raleigh got to Armstrong with a better offer and Frankie is now prancing around in Armstrong's entourage in his House campaign.

If you want to see what Armstrong would be as a legislator, just look at what Frankie Waters has been as a commissioner. I cannot imagine that any thinking conservative would want to saddle us with a legislator who thinks like Frankie Waters.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 11:34 am By: Rino Hunter

Corruption is corruption. The big picture for many of us is close to home. Who should I fear the most? The Senate money monster in Raleigh that may be beat soon, or the power mad monster in Beaufort County that is beating on people I know AS WE SPEAK.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 10:36 am By: Van Zant