Judge Issues Order on Jail | Eastern North Carolina Now

Beaufort County's Commissioners refuse to meet to discuss jail in a Special Called Meeting.

    In what will come to be known as the most important issue for Beaufort County since a mob of UHS (now Vidant Health) well-wishers chose to give away its public hospital to a for-profit corporation, for a pittance; the proposed building of a new jail has taken a strange turn, and like the hospital debacle, is quickly moving beyond the governmental grasp of the county commissioners. Still it would have been a more representative move for Beaufort County's elected leaders to have taken the time to meet in an open meeting to consider the just issued order from Judge Sermons.

    In North Carolina's county government paradigm, the county commissioners have the constitutional mandate to set policy for spending, and the consequential taxing (that mandated right and responsibility by virtue of the statutory Police Power), which is an unrelenting necessity in the face of unabated spending of the public's treasury. There is absolutely no way a county government can set policy for additional spending, and that especially includes bonds by referendum, without the resultant eventual raising of taxes. That is the math for Democrats and Republicans alike - even RINOs, which are most prevalent in Beaufort County.

    When a Superior Court judge issues an order from the bench, such as Judge Wayland Sermons has done regarding the existing jail, on occasion, that judge will include purposeful comments that could easily be construed as directives upon interpretation. Such is the case with Judge Sermons's order, where the Judge has commented, directed, instructed, commanded - your choice depending on your point of submission - for the county to continue to plan to build a suitable new jail as a prerequisite to him allowing the existing jail to be reoccupied and remain open. By his order the Judge feels that this is solely his call to make even though the county had met all conditions: by the local building inspectors and the state Department of Health and Human Services. My interpretation, as a lowly county commissioner, is that if the commissioners must perform as per the Judge's wishes, as per his order, we will advance the Judge great succor to not overrule the implied written permissions of the local building inspector and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Furthermore, the Judge will allow the county commissioners the opportunity to continue to operate the jail as to save the Beaufort County tax payers from spending an additional estimated 190,000.00 per month to house the inmates off-site, while keeping jail personnel still employed. For that one judiciary kindness, we, county commissioners, must so very thankful, as should the taxpayers of Beaufort County as well.

    Furthermore, it is my opinion that this is also the Beaufort County Democrat position, succinctly put: Have the Democrat Judge legislate from the bench, to the extent that his presumed power will allow, to thereby provide political cover for the complicit 4 Democrats on Beaufort County's Board of Commissioners, to build an unpopular capital project, in an unpopular location, and by an unpopular method - the skirting of the standard bond referendum capital raising practice.

    But Stan: What would you have us do otherwise?

    In short: stand-up to the Judge, and stand-up for the voters / taxpayers as is the commissioners' sworn constitutional duty to do so. When the Beaufort County Commissioners stood-up up for the voters / taxpayers, when the Beaufort County School Board overreached and sued the taxpayers for more funding, with only the county commissioners standing in their path, our landmark case ultimately prevailed, as was ruled by the North Carolina Supreme Court, making it much harder for overbearing, poorly managed school boards having any real, further unfocused ability to sue for easy and exorbitant funding; not only here in Beaufort County, but across the state of North Carolina as well.

    Currently, we possibly may have an overreaching Democrat Judge; however, we do not have have a majority of county commissioners, due to the board's four Democrats: Chairman Jerry Langley, Vice-chairman Al Klemm, Ed Booth and Robert Belcher, who, obviously, should work with the board's Republicans: Hood Richardson, Stan Deatherage and Gary Brinn to stand-up for the taxpayers of Beaufort County. This has been proven by vote after vote in the Beaufort County's management of its jail.

    This is a problem that only elections can take care of. If this situation disgusts you, I suggest you get involved and endeavor to make a difference by offering your support to politicians that most represent your principled ideals. The Tea Party proved that this brand of electorate advocacy can make a difference. One might hope that the electorate might help with these county commissioners, who do not take an active role in representing the taxpayers of Beaufort County.

    You can read Judge Sermons order by clicking here.