Comments | Eastern NC Now

Concerned Taxpayer, it will be interesting to see the audit report if that is truly the case. Reconciling the bank accounts is one of the most basic accounting functions. To not even know how much cash the City has would mean a lot more was done than shredding documents. I am also curious to know who in the Finance Department you think is unqualified. I've always heard good things about Tammy Swindell's abilities. Martin Starnes is also a reputable governmental auditor. Are you suggesting that issues started in FYE25, or do you think there is a continuing "mess" that they have missed or ignored?

If nefarious things are occurring in the Finance Department to the extent that you seem to be suggesting, I would expect to see significant findings in the audit report, as well as criminal charges. The actions that you are suggesting are fraudulent.

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 5:07 pm By: Auditor

I am a citizen who spent years auditing municipalities. You do not have to have a completed audit report to know how much money the City has or spent in the previous fiscal year. The City is required to maintain its books "free of material misstatement". In fact, the state forbids auditors from making substantial changes to a municipality's books without a corresponding "write-up". If a city does not have staff capable of maintaining its books, then they typically hire an outside firm to make sure that balances are reasonable. Either way, the auditor will make minimal changes to the City's financial data, if any.

Everything you need to know is held within the City's accounting system. Including how much money was spent, budget to actual comparisons, cash balances, debt balances, and fund balances. With that information, you can certainly pass a budget.

Either you don't understand governmental accounting or you are purposefully misleading citizens. I'm not sure which worries me more

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 2:56 pm By: Auditor

I see a lot of people on here talking out of their ass!
They smear a Republican challenger by trying to associate him with the names of people they dont like.

Kidwell is spreading this BULL Sh*t! Its called dirty politics and Kidwell knows how to do that well.

Now he is whining that he is having to stay local here in Dist 79 to defend *his seat! My point is he should have been staying here all along to support his constituents instead of dumping all over them...why because he thinks he is a King. He got a wake-up call.

Politicians are like diapers and should be changed OFTEN! And for the same reason. They become dirty.

JUST SAY NO TO KIDWELL!

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 10:22 am By: Washingtonian

Interest how the liberals are telling this. Yesterday talking to one that person mentioned about the poor lady that took a wrong turn and ended up getting shot in the head.
Sadly they believe what they say regardless of what the video's show that she was attempting to kill an ICE officer with a lethal weapon and she alone chose to put herself in the situation to get shot and killed.

Commented: Friday, January 9th, 2026 @ 6:44 am By: Countrygirl1411

AO - The NC state legislature is not a place one finds "career politicians" because it does not pay enough, unless they are in leadership, to live off of. It is a part time position, and not terribly well paid for that.

In public office, we need people who represent principles, and previous political experience gives voters the information on where they really stand on issues, not what they say because they think it will get them elected. Asking voters to elect someone who has no prior record for them to look at is asking voters to buy a pig in a poke. The previous experience may not necessarily be in elected office. They may have served in their respective political party or a policy-driven organization like a taxpayers movement. The TEA Party is an example. It may have been in some appointed capacity.

Stan is right about the guidance thing. A new politician recruited by a person or group will usually turn heavily to that person or group for advice, especially if they are a member of the same public body. There is an old political saying that "ya dance with who brung ya." In this case, it was a liberal anti-gun RINO, Jimmy Dixon who brought Armstrong into this race and that is more than enough for concern. Even worse, he did that recruiting on behalf of Phil Berger. Inexperienced elected officials are, all too often, easily led by more powerful politicians.

The word in Raleigh was that Berger's PACs were going to spend $4 million to try to defeat the 6 conservative leaders of the House Freedom Caucus, including Kidwell. So far I have seen no sign yet of that money but it is still early. However, the word is also out that after spending $14 million of that special interest money in his own district before filing even started to trash his primary opponent, Berger may be running short of money. That may cut what he has available to attack House conservatives like Kidwell. Berger's PACs tend to operate primarily by mass mailings of postcards.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 2:07 pm By: John Steed

Leftist Roy Cooper "screwed the pooch" in dealing with Covid here in North Carolina: What does it mean when he says Donald Trump would be, "an existential threat to our democracy."

First of all, the United States of America is not a "democracy." It is a Constitutional Republic.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 12:54 pm By: Stan Deatherage

Yeah, I get your argument. Beaufort County Conservative Republicans are screwed either way and you want us to screw ourselves your way. What a choice. The local Republican Party is in freefall.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 11:57 am By: Van Zant

P.S. - Personal destruction is a bit more than a personal slight or insult. There are things being cooked up by these haters AS WE SPEAK.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 10:44 am By: Van Zant

There seems to be a big difference between those who look at races based on issues and those who have their panties in a twist over something they see as a personal slight or insult.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 10:11 am By: Bubba

Does anyone believe that someone installed by the RINO Raleigh elite would do anything meaningful to advance local interests? Horsehockey! Talk to Republicans in any area where they have had an operative like Armstrong installed from Raleigh. They take orders from the Raleigh political bosses and just make you think they are representing you. Kidwell has shown he will not take orders from the RINO Raleigh political bosses. Instead, when they do something leftwing like Shrimpgate, he will fight them tooth and nail.

There are things Kidwell has done like calling for Stacey Davis' resignation that I disagree with, but I am not going to get tunnel vision over that. I am going to keep my eye on the big picture.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 8:56 am By: Conservative Voter

CT: Who is The Penguin's handler?

Paul Varcoe

What is Varcoe and who did used to work for?

A carpetbagger and a carpetbagger.

What do you get when you add together The Penguin, Varcoe and Buzzeo?

Three elitist Yankees who feel as though they're entitled to dump on native conservatives that don't buy their crap and have the intestinal fortitude to call them out ON their crap... publicly.

Some of y'all act like you love Kidwell more than Peter loved the Lord; its mind boggling.

Commented: Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 @ 9:17 pm By: John Valley

If you like illegal immigration, you should love electing a big farmer like Armstrong. The reality is that exploitation of illegal alien labor is part of the business model of big farmers and they are NOT going to do anything that would end their access to that labor. They may talk and posture like they will, but the bottom line is that for them and their fellow big farmers, they want to keep the illegal aliens around.

Armstrong's recruiter, Jimmy Dixon is a good example. In the legislature, he skulks around in the backrooms doing whatever he can to sabotage any legislation that cracks down on illegal aliens. North Carolina does NOT need another Jimmy Dixon in the legislature, but that is what you would have with Armstrong.

It would be interesting if we could get ICE to visit the farms of Armstrong and his key big farmer supporters. One wonders how many illegal aliens they would nab?

Kidwell has always been a very dependable vote in favor of cracking down on illegal immigration and deserves our support. Maybe that is a big part of the reason these big farmers want him gone.

Commented: Thursday, January 8th, 2026 @ 8:30 am By: borderhawk