The Culture of Corruption in Washington and Raleigh comes home to Beaufort County | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

The Culture of Corruption drifts down to even our local officials.

    One of our observers just sent a rant on "Can someone tell this single voter how the taxpayers in BC can stop this jail from being built without a voter referendum?"

    There are many in Beaufort County who understand that we cannot increase the tax burden on our people and do not understand how the majority of the current County Commission can be so insensitive to the very real hardships many families in Beaufort County face in these times.

    I own more than one piece of property here in Beaufort County and as I was waiting at the Tax Office Window for the lady to make the right allocations in my bills, I saw a number of people come up beside me and pay at the next window. One man especially brought home the reality of where we are in this depression. He laid his tax bill on the counter and then began to unfold crumpled dollar bills and some silver coins to count out the total amount he owed while his hands trembled. He leaned back and said, "That covers it but that's all I got". "That's all I got" is what many are saying as they try to pay utility and heating bills and this Gang of Four wants to create a situation that will raise your taxes even higher.

    That experience at the Tax Office, along with watching the arrogance of some of the County Commissioner Board members, pushed me to appear before them during their Public Comments section of the January 6, 2014 meeting.

    The following is my prepared statement:

    Mr. Chairman, Members of the Board

    I would like to suggest to you that there is, I and many with whom I talk, think there is a growing feeling among the public that there is a Culture of Corruption in the way our government is operated. Many with whom I talk here in Beaufort County feel the culture of Corruption is shifting down to our local level.

    We have witnessed the President of the United States twisting and distorting our Constitution with mandates, Executive Orders and changing laws without the proper process as is being pointed out by 11 Attorneys General at this very moment in a law suit they have filed.

    A number of people from Beaufort County have just witnessed the Kangaroo Court Action of the State Board of Election in a decision to expel Delma Blinson, one of the most competent members from the Beaufort County Board of Elections. This was done without allowing available evidence to be presented and going against the Party rules in order that the Board support a purely political position of satisfying their endorsement of Thom Tillis for Senate. They did not follow the law, they twisted it to serve their political purposes.

    Now we witness this Board of County Commissioners adopting the same Culture of Corruption by not acquiring adequate information on the vital issue of the Beaufort County Jail, making decisions in violation of the Open Meetings law and blocking a public referendum on what is estimated to be a 20 to 30 million dollar expenditure from a Tier One County in the middle of the worst depression since the Great Depression in the 1920's.

    This cannot be done without using the power to raise taxes on people that are having trouble paying their heat and light bills now and for many small businesses to meet their next payroll.

    If there is truly a need to build a new jail the County Commission should show the character of providing leadership to take the issue to the people and show them why this is the best idea. I have enough confidence in the people that they would make the right decision if you gave them the necessary information upon which to base a decision.

    The Gang of 4 has stifled further debate and one of you commissioners has stated that because some on the board fought against a School Bond Referendum then that should be precedent for the Democrats to block a Public Referendum on the Jail. Not sure this is adult reasoning, but I am sure it is not consistent with the N. C. Constitution. A statement has been made by another commissioner that if a Referendum was held the New Jail would be defeated. So the majority of the board has blocked allowing the people to vote on it.

    It is the opinion of some researchers that you are in violation of the North Carolina State Constitution. Article V Section 4 reads, in part: "The General Assembly shall have no power to authorize any county, city or town, special district, or other unit of local government to contract debts secured by a pledge of its faith and credit unless approved by a majority of the qualified voters of the unit who vote thereon, except for the following purposes:..." and building a jail is not one of those purposes.

    A group of people that I represent tonight would ask that you DO NOT spend money with Architects or Engineers on the Jail Project until after the November Elections. That gives the people the ability to decide this issue.

    We further express our opinion that if this project continues and monies are spent before the November Election and without a Public Referendum that there will be a Law Suit brought against this Board.

    Each one of you put your hand on a Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution of North Carolina. The plain meaning of Article V Section 4 is that the people should decide, in spite of the fact that it has been warped and distorted in recent years. We respectfully ask each of you to honor your oath. But be advised that we will take whatever actions are necessary to preserve and defend our constitutional rights under Article V and until such legal issues are resolved we implore you to not spend any county money until you know you have the legal authority to do so. I don't pretend to know all the legal issues here, but I would suggest that you don't either. Therefore, you should not waste taxpayer money until you do know you are on sound legal grounds.