Is Mayor Sadler trying to wreck Washington's Historic District? | Eastern North Carolina Now

Washington's National Register Historic District provides many benefits.  It helps promote tourism.  Being in the district allows property owners to receive tax credits for repairs and renovations if the property is used commercially, such as downtown business buildings, rental housing, and B&B's.  It also provides other benefits to residential property, and helps maintain property values.

National Register Historic District status, however, can be lost, along with its benefits, if too many properties are changed in ways that destroy their historic character.  One way that happens is allowing use of inappropriate building materials like vinyl siding.

Recent appointments by the mayor's political machine to the Historic Preservation Commission, are cause for alarm.  Qualified and knowledgable people who had experience themselves in restoring historic properties were passed over so that "anything goes" types could be appointed.  There is a real danger of these new members of the commission jumping in bed with the vinyl siding / vinyl windows sales grifters and creating a real threat to the continued existence of our National Register Historic District.

Mayor Donald Sadler has an ironclad control of city government.  His machine elected three council members, a majority on the council.  They are Mike Renn, Richard Brooks, and William Pitt.  Prior to hooking up with the Sadler machine, Pitt had for years been a thoughtful and independent voice on the council, but not anymore.  Now, he is one of the three Sadler rubberstamps.