Liberal Larry Britt--Hollow as a pumpkin | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    Former Beaufort County Republican Party chairman, Larry Britt, came to the October Beaufort County Commissioners meeting and read his latest epistle about the need for a new jail. That was bad enough. He then sent his flawed thinking to the Washington Daily News who printed it as a letter to the editor on Sunday October 13.

    Larry says he knows we need a new jail and Sheriff's Office because he's visited both places. He probably decides whether he needs a new car by kicking the tires as he walks around the car lot. He says knows better than the rest of the people because he's attended Jail Committee meetings. That's like John McCain saying we need a tax increase because he's attending meetings with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama.

    It is difficult to know where to start criticizing one of the most liberal Republicans in Beaufort County. Larry said when he ran for County Commissioner: "The most important issue facing Beaufort County is the need for a new jail." And he said that before the so-called experts made their reports.

    Some background may be helpful in understanding where Larry is coming from.

    Liberal Larry runs the Beaufort County Republican Club, along with RINO, (Republican In Name Only), Al Klemm. They seized this club name after it was abandoned by what is now the Conservative Republican Club. That group felt a need to distinguish ourselves as being conservative Republicans. The Klemm and Britt Club has always been called the "Liberal Republican Club" by us conservatives. Al Klemm and Larry Britt are so enlightened they invite Democrats to be guest speakers. Liberal Larry used his position as Republican Party Chairman to write letters criticizing what conservative Stan Deatherage and I were doing as elected officials. It never occurred to Liberal Larry that he was being disloyal to his chairman's office.

    There's already been a great deal of words spilled about building a new jail. No doubt there will be more. But here's the infamous "bottom line": If the county ends up spending millions of dollars on a new jail, and if it is moved out of Washington it will be because of one person: Al Klemm. RINO Al Klemm makes the swing vote along with three Democrats to build a new jail five miles from the county seat and move the sheriff's offices, the 911 services, the magistrates and emergency management as far from the center of Beaufort County population as possible. It is not surprising that, Liberal Larry is supporting his RINO buddy, Al Klemm, in making another bad decision for Beaufort County. Liberal Larry and RINO Al are becoming known as the John McCain and Lindsey Graham of Beaufort County.

    Liberal Larry's first paragraph in his letter is a complaint about every one saying the same thing as to why we do not need a new jail. Larry, that should be your first clue that there is some merit in what many people are saying: Now is not the time to impose an increase in taxes on the people of Beaufort County. Liberal Larry believes that because people have not attended the jail committee meetings they do not know enough to talk about jail issues. Liberal Larry did attend the jail committee meetings and he is simply saying what he was told to say at the first meeting. That is "We need a new jail". The jail committee meeting is the last place to get information about the need for a new jail. The majority on that committee decided and voted to build a new jail before the consultants even finished their report. Al Klemm cast the deciding vote when he voted with the Democrats. They just decided to build a new jail because...well, we don't know. They've never explained their reasoning - except Larry visiting the current jail and attending a few meetings..

    There is no business or safety justification for a new jail. The jail committees--there were two--have never justified the construction of a new jail by an independent party without conflicts of interests. The architect who is trying to get the contract to design a new jail says we need a new jail. But the problem with that is that if he says we do not need a new jail, he does not have a job? Liberal Larry has not figured it out.

    Most amazingly, Larry justifies his position by saying he has visited the jail and the Sheriff's Office. Wow, what a way to do a facilities assessment. Several years ago there was a book published that touted "Management By Wondering Around." (MBWA) That's how Larry came to his conclusion that a new jail is needed. No data. No facts. No identification of alternatives. No pros and cons of the options. But most of all, no solid data on what we can afford. And it seems it never occurred to Larry to assess (or have someone do it for him) what negative impact a 10-15% tax increase imposed on the Beaufort County economy will have in the middle of a recession.

    Larry goes on to spread misinformation when he talks about the unsafe jail and crowded conditions in the sheriff's office. He never tells us what those unsafe conditions are. He ignores the fact that the jail has passed state and local inspections. It has to by law to remain open. The answer is, there are no more unsafe conditions in this jail than there are in any other jail in North Carolina. We addressed the last complaint by installing a mesh system on the jail bars so prisoners cannot reach thru the bars. However, the place, as is all other jails, is full of criminals. So, Liberal Larry, tell us specifically what is unsafe?

    Larry's WBWA tells him the Sheriff's Office is crowded. Wonder why it never occurred to him to look at why so many people are desk jockeys rather than patrolling the county? As for overcrowding in the Sheriff's department, we have more employees than ever because of the club the county commissioners paid for the sheriff to join. It is called CALEA, a national association of law enforcement departments. The North Carolina Highway Patrol just dropped their membership saying there was not a sufficient benefit in belonging, just an expense. Presumably, if we dropped our membership we would put more bureaucrats out in the county investigating crime and that would make some office space available in the Sheriff's office.

    Larry asks the question: "How do they know we do not need a new jail?" That is easy. The jail meets state standards. It meets health department standards. It meets applicable building codes. The jail we now have has never been condemned by the state jail inspectors in spite of the failure of the sheriff to make repairs and carry out safety checks.

    Some say the jail is overcrowded. And sometimes it is. But we can keep our excess prisoners in Pitt County when need be for $400,000 per year, building a new jail will cost $4,000,000 in operating expenses and raise property taxes 15 percent. This is an easy business decision. We save 3.6 million dollars each year by not building a new jail, contracting out the overflow and eliminated the transportation costs..

    But Larry does have one point. People need to know what goes on in Jail Committee meetings. But most folk can't afford to take time off work to go to such meetings. Jail committee meetings will now be filmed for the benefit of the public. Now you will be able to see how little Liberal Larry really knows. Some commissioners have been privately blocking the filming of these meetings but when forced to a public vote they could not stand the heat of denying the public information. The vote was 4 to 3 in favor of filming.

    But here's the all-important bottom line: Let the people decide. Larry and Klemm opposed letting the people vote. They must not have very much confidence in the people to vote the right way. That is absurd, arrogant and terribly condescending to the people of Beaufort County. The simple truth is that Larry and Klemm simply know they don't have a case that can be made to convince people to vote for a new jail. They don't trust the people. And that's all you need to know about them.