Dear Commissioners, June 6, 2012 | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Publisher's note: Citizen Smith is at it again with his latest Dear Commissioners letter to the governing body of Beaufort County. While some may think that Citizen Smith is "against economic development in Beaufort County," I rather think that Mr. Smith is exercising his First Amendment guaranteed right to speak his mind.

Dear Commissioners,

   The recent suspension of Mr. Tom Thompson’s pay until he meets his requirement to prepare and present the Economic Development Commission’s annual report for 2011 is long over due. The action should be made retroactive to April 19, 2012 … at least.

   The fact that there has never been a documented annual report presented during the last ten years is an alarming lapse in oversight both for the EDC’s board and for the county commissioners.

   The Economic Development Commission’s organizational structure has its executive director also sitting as the paid chief executive officer of the Committee of 100, while at the same time regularly selecting Committee of 100 firms as the recipients for the lion’s share of taxpayer funded and EDC sponsored grants and guaranteed loans. Common sense requires that detailed attention be given to avoiding any conflict of interest under such circumstances. However, in ten years neither the Economic Development Commission’s board of directors nor the county’s board of commissioners ever required that the executive director comply with Article VIII of the EDC’s own July 2001 by-laws.

   Is there some reason taxpayers should not feel that reasonable and prudent steps to protect their interests were overlooked? Year after year, a handful of Mr. Thompson’s pet projects, along with his closest associates and most vocal supporters were given tax funded assistance through his efforts; yet, no official action was ever taken to require that documented and standardized reporting be provided as a protection for the public interest. In fact, commissioners have gone to great lengths to shield the EDC from examination and criticism.

   Having understood the importance of this agency’s need for accountability when you drafted Article VIII of the EDC by-laws, how could you not understand or fulfill the need for documented review once the operation was actually begun and taxpayers’ money was put at risk?

   Would you have allowed your own money to be handled in this manner?

   Please send me a copy of the EDC’s 2011 report when it arrives.

Regards,

Warren Smith
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