Political Cycle of Shame | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Politics in Beaufort County have always been like the step-child of dysfunctional parenting. Election after election is analogous to the generational cycle of the domestic violence in bad families. Ultimately, one can only break the cycle of this sorry state of affairs when they leave the family, and never turn back.

    In my 14 years of serving as a Beaufort County Commissioner, I have seen, first hand, these step-children born as the sorry products of each election, and it just never changes, unless those elected make the hard choice to leave the family, and strike out on their own.

    When I first was elected back in 1994 - the second Republican elected since reconstruction and the first ever re-elected in Beaufort County - I was inundated with well wishers and folks asking for political favors. I was the top vote getter (around 2,300 votes) in that off-presidential general election: This was the second "Limited Voting" election in the history of the county. At that time I was more receptive of these requests, but stopped short of working for their special interests.

    In this most recent election, I was again the top vote getter (3,934 votes) in that off-presidential general election: This was the tenth "Limited Voting" election since that pre-1992 solid Democrat board of Beaufort County County Commissioners caved-in to the Clinton Justice Department, and accepted "Limited Voting" for the electorate of Beaufort County. As I have stayed in office, except when I took a break between 2002 and 2004, I have long since stopped listening to the local special interest groups, and no longer have to listen to them, or try to understand their insipid "Group-think" special desires. I have taken this hard-line approach because I see so clearly, from my vantage of long serving the public, the debilitating effects of this appalling practice.

    Now, the "Group-think" specialists in Beaufort County generally do not beg of me, never attempt honest debate, and always give gobs of money to my competition. What we always discover in Beaufort County is that the money comes with spools of string attached. I am beginning to believe around here, it has always been that way.

    Good governing in this southeastern sector of our Republic? Not hardly.

    In 1996, Hood L. Richardson was first elected to the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners. When he ran for office, he was rather acerbic, made no promises to the special interests, and little has changed since then. Accordingly, Hood does not receive special interest money either.

    Over the years, we in Beaufort County, have had quite a few issues that needed clear thinking, untarnished by the needs of the special interest groups, whose individuals use government, and the trappings of government to score influence, and make money from the situations that arise. However, and this could be the saddest reality of all, some folks within this exclusive group just want to belong, and they willfully march to the beat of the rhythmic rhetoric that keeps them moving forward as a group. These followers generally do not have a defined purpose that can be intellectually qualified, they are just following the herd, and for them their inclusion within one of these exclusive groups is reason enough for them to allow themselves to be driven headlong in the morass.

    Politicians who represent the best interests of all their constituents can't be concerned about belonging to these groups, and consequently, these politicians, with their good measure of integrity intact, can't be needful of campaign dollars with so many strings attached. If you are the rare politician, with that distinct measure of integrity, you cannot afford to be attached to the string that is reeled in. It certainly is apparent here in Beaufort County now, with the Beaufort Regional Health System debacle needing the unbiased judgments of wise elected leaders at the appropriate time, we cannot afford to these influential unelected groups setting the stage for the decisions that must be made.

    The truth of the matter as to why there is this ongoing rush by the "Group-think" to do what is expedient, and so very wrong on so many levels remains unclear; yet what is demonstrably clear is that Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson, as our tireless county representative to the hospital board of commissioners, stands in their way of their special needs, and they are angry about him, and to a lesser extent, me as well.

    At one time in Beaufort County's past this would have signaled the end of a local politician's public service, especially if the once powerful special interest groups were successful in enticing the Washington Daily News in taking up their banner and working for them, which they have in this case of giving away the local hospital to UHS.

    Not in today's time, with the democratization of the internet at hand. Both my publication, Beaufort County Now, and the Beaufort Observer are independently beating the WDN's online edition in traffic, and my BCN is killing them in search. When the Washington Daily News promises in their editorial, December 5, 2010, "Simply put, any county commissioner who doesn't support UHS should be voted out of office at the earliest opportunity. And given the apparent anger of the electorate in this county, that development isn't out of the realm of possibility.", rings a bit hollow to any county commissioner, who is independent of the special interest "Group-think" and possesses a backbone.

    I, and Hood, and currently three other commissioners intend to let the bid process continue until the BRHS commissioners have made their decision, and then the Beaufort County Commissioners have had an ample opportunity to make theirs. Currently the special interest groups only have two county commissioners in the tank - special interest crowd pleasers Jay McRoy and Al Klemm. I suggest that the Washington Daily News be careful what they promise against politicians of integrity and their constituents, whom they represent. There is such a thing as the boomerang theory.

    The Washington Daily News' rush to be the media spokesman for this special interest "Group-think" could have one time struck fear into the hearts of those who are independent of the same "Group-think" that often leads communities to act stupidly, and possibly inflict despicable punishments upon those who are different, less impressionable than those who just want to belong to some exclusive group.

    In the past, politicians often wilted under this brand of pressure, caved-in to this media proposed perception of public opinion, and exhibited no courage to make better decisions built upon principle, not public pressure. More often than not, these WDN media driven decisions ended badly for Beaufort County.

    Speaking for myself and my political friend of many years, Hood Richardson, we have long ago broken with this political cycle of shame, and hopefully, we can continue to do our part to make the political environment safe for principled politicians, who want to practice their public service in a county that is not run by the special interest groups, who buy unscrupulous politicians, and promise other politicians with integrity oblivion.