Elections Have Consequences | Eastern North Carolina Now

    This post by Ray Leary, where this post originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    This was the response from the Anointed One to Eric Cantor just after the inauguration in 2009. The entire statement was; "Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won."

    This may be the most true and profound statement by the Anointed One in six years. Nothing else has come even close unless you want to consider this; "If you like your plan, you can keep your plan."

    The Anointed One is a national political figure. What about the state and locally elected officials? Are there consequences in these elections? You bet there are!

    County Commissioner Klemm directed the economic development program in Beaufort County after he was elected in 2006. This brought the county the industrial park north of Washington. This brought us Tommy Thompson and the Quick Start buildings in the industrial park. How did that work out for the tax payers?

    Next, Commissioner Klemm, a republican, joins fellow board members, three democrats, in promoting a new public safety center to be constructed in the Washington Industrial Park. After the City of Washington would not agree to this plan, he moved on to the Chocowinity Industrial Park. The Chocowinity Industrial Park is located south of Chocowinity and is wholly owned by Beaufort County. But, it does lie within the extra-jurisdictional boundaries of the City of Chocowinity. Therefore, it was necessary to obtain approval of the Chocowinity Town Board and craft a change to the town's zoning codes to have a clear path for the proposed project. A public hearing was scheduled in Chocowinity prior to adopting the changes. A large group of concerned citizens turned out to oppose the changes, but they were not allowed to speak unless they owned property adjacent to the Chocowinity Industrial Park. All present at the meeting were instructed by the town's attorney that the board would only entertain sworn testimony concerning the legal issues related to the zoning changes. No general comments were allowed in support or opposition to the zoning changes. There was no consideration given to the people's concerns. The changes were approved unanimously by the Chocowinity board. It should be noted that a majority of the Chocowinity board has been in office for several years and have been unopposed or weakly opposed in the last two elections. Yes, elections have consequences and in the next elections for the Chocowinity Town board there will likely be consequences for the current members.

    One can look at the recent primary runoff for the sheriff's office. There were two people that have long been connected to the incumbent sheriff that were defeated by two that have little or no connection to Sheriff Alan Jordan. This is a clear indication that prior performance has consequences. The county sheriff is a very powerful elected government official. The methods employed in exercising this power while performing the county's business and how the use of that power is perceived by the people who vote is, without a doubt, the reason the runoff election turned out the way it did. The folks have lost confidence in the existing institution and are demanding a change. Just what that change will look like is yet to be seen. Both candidates for the sheriff's office have promised more accountability and transparency. Perhaps the new sheriff will be more accommodating to the county commissioners and will turn over records pertinent to the tax payers without having to be ordered to do so.

    What about the clerk of superior court? The clerk is an elected official with authority codified in the General Statues of North Carolina.

    G.S. 28A-2-1) The clerk of superior court of each county, ex officio judge of probate, shall have jurisdiction of the administration, settlement, and distribution of estates of decedents including, but not limited to, estate proceedings as provided in G.S. 28A-2-4.

    G.S. 28A-2-4) Subject matter jurisdiction of the clerk of superior court in estate proceedings:

    (a) The clerks of superior court of this State, as ex officio judges of probate, shall have original jurisdiction of estate proceedings. Except as provided in subdivision (4) of this subsection, the jurisdiction of the clerk of superior court is exclusive.

    I want to emphasize this point. The definition of "exclusive" in this setting is; only available to or used by one person, group, or organization. There is a process to appeal the clerk's rulings, but it can be expensive. Persons without the resources to fund an appeal are left with whatever the clerk determined. Those persons that do have the resources seldom have to appeal, because as a person of means, the rulings are predominately in their favor - also known as cronyism.

    The general statues also define what constitutes a legal will. However, the clerk of court often exercises some latitude in making that determination. There is a current case before the clerk where a will is being contested. The person contesting the will is the daughter of the deceased. The person that wrote the will is the sole beneficiary. The testator could not read or write. Hmm... The daughter has expended several thousand dollars in attorney fees because the clerk determined the will to be valid.

    And then there is the matter of an assistant clerk of 11 years that was terminated after pointing out some issues concerning another staff member. The staff member referenced here is a family member of a prominent county official. The clerk tolerates and promotes a hostile work environment in the court house that is unprofessional and not compliant with his oath or ethics of the office. A highly qualified unaffiliated candidate for this office is on the ballot this year.

    Earlier this year while canvasing for petition signatures for the unaffiliated candidate for the clerk's position, I encountered a person that works in the court house. Knowing the signed petition would become a public document, this person told me they could not sign the petition because there would likely be retribution if the clerk were to see their name on the petition. If true, this represents an abuse of power.

    These things happen as a consequence of electing officials that work more toward satisfying a small group of power brokers and insiders than serving the needs of the people that elected him or her. Of course the strict obedience to party affiliation also serves to perpetuate the problem of electing poor leaders. There are a significant percentage of unaffiliated voters registered in Beaufort County. These voters are not happy with either party, but are unable to affect significant changes without support from members of the two predominant parties. Does everyone not know that one does not have to vote for a candidate representing "their" party in the general election?

    Yes, the Anointed One said elections have consequences. Let us choose our new government leaders wisely in November 2014. Let us have some positive consequences as opposed to the status quo.


    Ray Leary is resident of Chocowinity where he lives with his wife Sue. He is a graduate of Washington High School, Class of 67. He retired in 2008 from a career in management with Weyerhaeuser, having worked at both the Plymouth and New Bern facilities. Since his retirement he has worked part-time as a consultant in the pulp and paper industry. He was a founding member of Houghton Cascade Holdings, LLC where he now works as a consultant.