Keith Kidwell's Comments to the County Commissioners | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Good Evening Mr. Commissioners and fellow citizens. Several weeks ago Duke Energy presented a report about the potential use of the Chocowinity Industrial Park, and the fact that what we have there is a fabulous piece of business real estate that could attract many hundreds of new jobs. John Nelms of Duke said to me “why would you build a jail there? Jails can be built anywhere”. Gentlemen we need these jobs. We need more concentration on education. Mayor Williams in Aurora is losing students to Pamlico County due to severe issues with the schools there. Beaufort County Community College is dealing with facilities that are desperately in need of repair. We recently experienced the closing of Pungo District Hospital, Our emergency services cannot communicate with each other, and you think the biggest problem we have here is the need to quickly replace the jail. I have had many people ask me why are they doing this, why are they in such a hurry, why in Chocowinity. Just a couple of weeks ago the USDA turned you down for financing and let me quote from their letter as to why “we will require a General Obligation Bond as security for the proposed financing package. The passing of the bond will ensure the community is indeed in support of the project and hopefully eliminate future litigation”. Now I know several of you are saying, look at what the people have done that are against the jail, they are going to cost the county more money because we can’t get USDA financing. Gentlemen the USDA did not say they will not finance the jail, they said they would not finance it without a referendum vote. Take a deep breath and think about this. The Federal Government, the Obama administration, the most liberal administration in the history of the United States, recognizes that you are violating our constitutional rights, yet you four fail to see that! The time has come for you to realize that your judgment is failed on this project, your position is wrong, your priorities are misaligned with what the true needs and desires of the citizens are. If you continue in this direction one may be led to believe that you are now proceeding because you have gotten in so deep you now don’t want to admit your folly. Very much like The Emperor in the “The Emperor’s New Clothes” “The Emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, "This procession has got to go on." So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn't there at all.” Gentlemen this has not gone too far to stop, unlike the people in the story we will not let you think we don’t realize your folly, but if you stop it now we will breathe a collective sigh of relief and applaud you for seeing the light, for doing what is right, for abiding by the law and your oath. Gentlemen don’t be naked emperors, be upstanding commissioners.