Voters will get a chance to bring much needed change to the court system in Beaufort County | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: Ray Leary's weekly column appears in the Beaufort Observer.

    If you have had reason to interact with the court system in Beaufort County in recent years, as a juror, witness, defendant, plaintiff or settle an estate, you know our court system is in great need of reform. On November 4 the voters of Beaufort County will have a chance to begin making that much needed change to the Beaufort County justice system. They will get to pass judgment on the operation of the Clerk of Court's office. The County Commissioner or Sheriff races get more attention, and while those races are indeed important, the voters need to not sacrifice the opportunity to reform the office of the Clerk of Superior Court. Contrary to what the WDN would have you think that office is in great need of reform. The current Clerk operates the People's office of Clerk as a patronage system operating to protect his own self-interests (i.e., keeping his job).

    Recently, September 21, 2014, the Washington Daily News ran a front page article by Vail Stuart Rumley, with the headline of, 'Clerk's office passes audit with 'flying colors.' Really? This was a financial audit. It did not reveal anything about how the Clerk's office treats the people that come to this office for service. The audit did not reveal anything about the hiring practices and qualifications of the deputy and assistant clerks. It said nothing about the cronyism and patronage the current Clerk uses to staff that office. It did not reveal anything concerning the morale of the employees. It did not reveal the fact that the Clerk doles out special favors to select citizens. The audit did not reveal the fact that the elected Clerk is often absent from the office during regular business hours. The audit did not reveal that persons are going to the DMV office to get their license reinstated to then find that the paperwork from the Clerk's office has not been correctly filed to allow reinstatement or decrease the insurance points? It did not reveal that some citizens are delayed in being released from the Department of Corrections due to misplaced court rulings or just plain incompetence. There is no indication in the audit that any citizens were interviewed who interacted with the Clerk's office during the period evaluated.

    The financial audit certainly did not reveal how property is disposed of by the Clerk's office. Please take a look at the public notices posted in the local "newspaper of record." Occasionally you will see that property is to be sold at public auction on the 'courthouse steps'. At other times you will see that property is to be placed for auction at the 'usual place' at the courthouse. Does anyone know where the 'usual place' is located? Is this some type of code that only a few understand? And you might be forgiven if you wondered if these paid notices have anything to do with how the "newspaper of record" treats the current Clerk.

    Yes, passing with 'flying colors' is possible, if there is only one parameter measured. But one point on a chart does not constitute a trend. Read the entire audit report, and nowhere in the report is the phrase, 'Passed with flying colors' as the WDN's headline implies. This article was thinly veiled attempt, no pun intended, to support the Democrat candidate in the upcoming election. The voters will determine if they want to continue with the aforementioned proclivities of the current Clerk, not a group of financial auditors from Raleigh or the "local newspaper of record."

    Re-electing incumbents who violate their oath of office is not the answer for improvement in government, especially when the incumbents ignore the wishes of the voters, or worse, do not even seek to determine the wishes of the voters. All elected officials are accountable to the voters and elections are the means to hold them accountable.

    This is where we are, and individually and collectively each of us can change it. Please do not let this opportunity pass. Beaufort County can have a local government that is responsive to the voters, and the electorate is the only entity that can bring this about.

    Vote deliberately and responsibly in Beaufort County on November 4, 2014.