Comments by The Shadow | Eastern NC Now

No, Bobby Roberson was not bad at all. He was the best, most honest, most pro-taxpayer city manager we have had in years. The time I first concluded that Max Perrault was worthless was when I heard that Max and his sidekick Tyre were yelling and cussing at Roberson.

Commented: Friday, October 16th, 2026 @ 6:46 pm By: The Shadow

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Surely, the city attorney must have known that law, yet the golden handshake was paid out to Russell. But it gets worse. I am also told by attorneys that North Carolina law prohibits personnel changes by local government bodies during the period between an election and when the newly elected local government body comes into office. A request to resign would be such a personnel change, and this vote occurred during the period when it is by law not allowed.

Surely, the city attorney must have known that law, too. So, the question is - Why did he allow this clear breach of NC law? As Shakespeare would say, something is rotten in the state of Washington, NC.

Nick Fritz was talking about trying to claw this golden handshake back. Is that why thugs were sent to harass first his business and then his family, leading to his resignation to protect his family?

As to this new contract, it is an insult to citzens, voters, taxpayers, and city elected officials

Commented: Monday, October 12th, 2026 @ 9:29 am By: The Shadow

There seems to be a struggle in Beaufort County over school board seats between teachers on one side and parents on the other. On election day at my polling place, I found 4 or 5 teachers playing hookey from their jobs campaigning for ex-teacher Monica Davis. I am told that similar groups of teachers were present in other polling places in that district. They were all working to try to replace the most vocal supporter of parents right, Steven Rader, with a teacher.

One wonders if they told school administrators that the reason they were abandoning their classrooms that day was to play politics against a sitting member of the school board? Or did they give false reasons. If the former it raises questions about the school administration. If the latter, it raises the question of whether any action has been taken over false reasons for a day off.

Regardless, the 6th district primary was a battle between teachers and parents. Parents lost. The winner has been a longtime Democrat.

Commented: Friday, October 9th, 2026 @ 6:56 pm By: The Shadow

This smart meter thing was a snow job from a salesman for the vendor. They approached someone high in the city bureaucracy, either the head of the utilities or the city manager, but they clearly got both on board. The city bureaucracy swallowed the salesman's spiel, hook, line, and sinker. Was any payola involved? If it was, you can be sure it will stay hushed up. Salesmen dealing with either corporations or government tend to giving expensive gifts rather than cash.

This deal was done during the Sadler era. The mayor and council of that period probably did little to look into it. Why the new council just goes along with it is mindboggling.

This vendor is setting themselves up for a continuing income stream of service fees and billing, with extra consumer fees for using credit cards. The system will make it difficult for the city to seek a competitor in the future. They will have welded themselves to Tyler Tech.

Commented: Wednesday, August 26th, 2026 @ 5:45 pm By: The Shadow

Citizens should know about Washington's most absurd taxpayer ripoff, that nothing has been done about. During the Sadler era, two DEI positions were created, using Police Department funds, one each to "help" black and Hispanic residents. There is no set work schedule or duties, but high level paychecks. These positions were totally unnecessary and just a burden on taxpayers, and it was particularly galling to pay for them out of the police budget.

These positions were continued in this year's budget. City Manager John Rorie just moved them from the police budget to another department, but kept the taxpayers paying for this ripoff. The city council needs to answer for this outrage.

This is just one blatant example of the wasteful and unnecessary spending our taxpayers are burdened with.

Commented: Wednesday, August 5th, 2026 @ 11:11 am By: The Shadow

Washingtonian, The thug-ocracy around Sadler and Tyre has made this town a pint-sized banana republic. Their goon squad sent to intimidate the customers and employees of Fritz' restaurant and then to go to Fritz' home in Smallwood to threaten his family was reprehensible. Their campaign on the internet to intimidate Joe Davis is reprehensible. It is still unclear what their approach to Perrault may be. They are trying to marginalize Brabo.

Citizens need to rally around the elected officials not subservient to Sadler and Tyre. We need an end to this era of dirty local politics.

Commented: Tuesday, May 19th, 2026 @ 7:11 am By: The Shadow