New Town Manager

I like what I read about the experience and education of the new Town Manager. I look forward to meeting her.

I have just one piece of advice - but she seems sharp enough to figure it out herself. Don't have a protracted turnover. I suggest no more than two or three days. Any more than that tends to confuse staff about who they really work for.

He's Back!

The comings and goings of local peripatetic journalist and curmudgeon Tony Tharp are sometimes mysterious. He disappeared from the 'net at the end of December and was apparently off line for the entire month of January.

Now he's back. Here's the link.

If you want to know what's going on in Pamlico County that's worth thinking about, bookmark Tony's site and check it frequently.

If you want to know what to THINK about what is going on, you might want to put your own critical thinking skills to work. There are worse places to start with your critical thinking, though you might want to avoid some of Tony's ad hominem tendencies.

Even so, I'm always glad when he's back on line.

Cox v. Town of Oriental - South Avenue Suit

For those following my suit against the Town: last week the Town requested a 30-day extension of time to reply to my filing with the Court of Appeals. So we are now looking at March to complete the filings with the Court of Appeals. I'll keep you informed.

January 21 County Commissioners' Meeting - Oriental Commissioners Lose

There's an old rule of thumb in politics as well as other areas of human endeavor - if you are in a hole, stop digging!

At least two of the three-member delegation from the Town of Oriental to the County Commission need refresher training on that point.

Mayor Bill Sage, accompanied by Commissioner Summers and Commissioner White represented the Town in an effort to obtain support from the County Commission for a proposed local bill from the state legislature to extend Town jurisdiction over adjacent waters to a distance of 200 yards. After complimenting the previous speaker (who reported results of the annual audit) for a succinct presentation, Mayor Sage proceeded to give a convoluted and lengthy presentation. So far as I could tell, he provided no visual aids except the text of a proposed bill. At one point, he mentioned "public trust waters."

When commissioners asked some fairly direct questions (was there a public hearing? did the Town Board approve the text of the proposed bill?, etc.), he avoided direct answers. The questions grew increasingly skeptical, if not downright hostile. Discussion about "public trust waters" was mostly in opposition to the Town's scheme.

County Commissioner Kenny Heath made a motion to the effect that the commissioners not only don't support the draft bill, but will not support it unless there is a county-wide public hearing. The motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Summers asked to speak during public comment period.

Bad idea.

When you're in a hole, stop digging.

Wheels Of Justice

Some say the wheels of justice grind exceeding slow. As a case in point, I filed my complaint against the Town of Oriental August 2, 2012. After a lot of preliminaries, My attorney has just today filed a brief with the North Carolina Court of Appeals. The Town has thirty days to file its brief. So it will be at least mid to late February before the Court begins to process the case.

Patience is a virtue in such circumstances.

Oriental Town Board Meeting November 13, 2013

I attended last night's meeting of Oriental's Town Board.

I'm not quite sure why I keep going. Possibly because I believe in democracy and think everyone should take part. Possibly because I remain puzzled about why so little of importance gets done, why so much of the activity is expended on trivialities and so little on planning for the future.

You can learn a bit by reading Town Dock's account:

"Oriental’s Town Board met last night. Among other things, the Board okayed, in a 4-1 vote, the lettering for a Town Hall dedication plaque that will list the Town Board members and the Town Manager at the time of the renovation. Cost: upwards of $875 (on top of the $160 spent on an earlier rendition the Board rejected.) Commissioner Larry Summers said after the meeting that he voted against it because “I don’t believe in self-aggrandizement.” He said it was also, “quite a bit of money.”

"Earlier in the meeting, the Board put off spending money on 20 chairs for the public to sit on the Town Hall meeting room. Some commissioners said they thought the price too high. The chairs, from Staples, were listed as $54 apiece.

"It was also stated at the meeting that the dock the Town got in the Chris Fulcher land swap cannot be extended now — it’s not CAMA that decides if it can be made longer, as first thought. Turns out it’s up to the Corps of Engineers, whose review is seen as a more onerous process. The dock will stop at 80 feet. The town’s already spent $12,000 to have planks laid and other modifications."

But that's not all. The board held a public hearing on an amendment to the GMO "for clarification," the mayor explained. Balderdash! The purpose of the amendment was to "get" one of our citizens. This was never clearly explained, but one of the commissioners let slip the true objective.

A good question to ask at one of these hearings about an amendment is: "what is the problem to which this is the solution?"

We should be about fixing the town's figurative and literal potholes, and not pursuing personal vendettas.

Is that too much to ask? Maybe it is.

Now The Town Of Oriental Has Three New Faces On The Board

It remains to be seen whether the outcome of yesterday's election is good news, bad news or just news.

I think the present board, which will be replaced next month, has not moved the Town forward in any way. It has been a disappointing board. It has been a disappointment both for what it has done and for what it has left undone.

The failings are those of individuals, but also failings resulting from the dynamics of small town politics.

Some of those failings can be addressed by changing the structure of Town government. It should have become clear over the last two years that the Board of Commissioners doesn't want to hear from the public.

We can change that. If we amend the town's charter so that at least a majority of the commissioners are elected to represent districts, every citizen would have at least one commissioner who would have to listen. It might also help to have the commissioners elect the mayor. That would certainly bedebatable, but we need to have that conversation.

Let's put the matter on the ballot by petition.

We can shoot for the May primary.

Tomorrow Is Election Day: Vote Wisely

I wish Oriental's voters could all have been at tonight's meeting of the Pamlico County Board of Commissioners. They would have seen the kind of board at work that the Town needs.

Those who have been following the issue know about Alan Propst's articles in Pamlico News and the Sun Journal exposing the effort of an out of state corporation to unlawfully convert a very large tract of land from wetlands to farmlands. If successful, this could result in vast profits for the firm and vast damage to the county.

The Pamlico County courtroom was filled with citizens concerned about the environmental damage this plan could cause.

As commissioner Chris Mele explained, the commissioners learned about the problem only two weeks ago. The last thing the county needed was the kind of dithering that has become routine in Oriental.

At tonight's meeting, the County Comissioners took three actions aimed at gaining control over the situation:
1. Approved a letter from the chair of the Board of Commissioners to the US Corps of Engineers detailing the reasons the Corps decision concerning the Trent Road parcel should be reexamined;
2. Referred a draft ordinance to the county planning board, which would require notification of such actions to the County Government as well as to state and federal officials;
3. Agreed to ask our legislators to seek a local bill clearly granting legal jurisdiction to the county over wetlands matters.

All three measures were unanimously approved. Clearly the commissioners had shared views with each other and with the county manager and had achieved a measure of agreement before the meeting. Only a few small details were discussed and quickly resolved.

Just as clearly, the County Commissioners were aware of public sentiment on the matter and arranged the agenda so that the problem could be presented to the board and the public.

It was a well-run meeting, addressing and engaging public concerns, and taking action.

Would that we had a mayor and Board of Commissioners in Oriental capable of such effective measures.

Some Thoughts On Oriental's Future - From A Candidate

Ben Cox has posted some thoughts on his facebook page. If you are thinking about supporting him, take a look here. If you aren't thinking about supporting him, you should think about changing your mind. What does he think should be done? The information is here.

You should also write in Lili Stern and Barbara Stockton. If you want things done to improve the future of Oriental, Barbara Stockton is the only Barbara to vote for.

While you are at it, cast a vote for Lori Wagner for mayor. You'll be glad you did.

Oriental Town Board Special Meeting

Without getting into all the details (you can read about it on Town Dock), yesterday's special meeting of the Town Board confirmed that not a single incumbent, including the mayor, should be reelected.

In a nutshell, the four members of the Town Board who attended refused to adopt the mayor's proposed motion to sell Town water to Wal-Mart with no conditions. Then they appointed a committee to "negotiate" with Wal-Mart  before they capitulate. Committees spread the responsibility around.

I intend to vote for Lori Wagoner for mayor, Ben Cox for commissioner, and to write in votes for Lili Stern and Barbara Stockton for commissioner.

For those concerned about "wasting" a write-in vote, I remind you that one current incumbent, Warren Johnson, won his seat on a write-in vote. A vote for a candidate who either can't or is unwilling to do the job is truly a wasted vote.

Oriental Race For Commissioner

As Ben Cox announced at last week's candidate forum, he has started a facebook page for his campaign. He has just added an important note relating to the Town's law suit concerning South Avenue.

The issues concerning rights of way may seem complicated, but they really aren't. Those who are curious and also who understand that commissioners should focus on the future of the Town as well as the present can read his fuller explanation here. I recommend it.

2013 Oriental NC Candidate Forum On Line

Now that Town Dock has put the audio recording of last Wednesday's candidate forum on line here, I no longer have to rely on reports by attendees. I can hear for myself how the candidates responded.

That being said, I have heard nothing that changes my judgement. I support Benjamin Cox for Commissioner and Lori Wagoner for Mayor.

It's all about the future of the town.

2013 Oriental NC Candidate Forum

I received a pretty complete report from Wednesday night's Candidate Forum.

No surprises.

Nothing happened to change my judgments in my last post. I will vote for Lori Wagoner for mayor and Benjamin Cox for Commissioner.

Voting shouldn't be about charisma or other personality attributes - what matters is policy. Who has the best chance of leading Oriental into a better future?

Not the incumbents.

Town Of Oriental Elections

Out of town this week, so no posts so far. But tonight is a big event in Oriental - the candidate's forum. And voting starts tomorrow.

With ten candidates for five seats on the Town Board, voters will face some difficult choices. My advice: don't reelect any incumbents. I thought about posting my reasons, but decided against it. My reasons have to do with policy, not personalities, though in some cases it is hard to separate the two.

I don't know anyone who follows town affairs who believes the present Board has done well.

I will vote for Benjamin Cox. He has the knowledge and skills to contribute valuable insights to the Board.

Something to bear in mind is, voters don't have to vote for all five commissioner seats. There are good reasons to vote for the one or two that you support and no others. There is also the option of casting write-in votes. I could be tempted, for example, to write in Lilli Stern's name. I think she is going to contribute a great deal to the Town, whether in office or not.

I intend to vote for Lori Wagoner for mayor.

Time for a new broom.

Water For Wal Mart

At last week's Town Board meeting, Oriental Town Manager Wyatt Cutler claimed that selling Town water to customers outside the Town (i.e. Wal-Mart) is good, because we make money for the Town. Reference was also made to the fact that the Town agreed to provide water to the Dollar General store, which is also out of Town. Commissioner Venturi pushed the same line.

It is true that the Town has been providing water to Dollar General since they opened.

It is not true that the Town made money from providing water.

It's like the old joke: "we lose money on every sale, but make up for it in volume."

In fact, during the decade from 2001 to 2011, the General Fund (Oriental taxpayers) was subsidizing the Water Fund (water users, including Dollar General) an average of from $35,000 to $50,000 a year.

It could happen again if the Town isn't careful to keep rates high enough to cover ALL of the expenses of operating the water plant, including depreciation.

Throw The Bums Out

The clear conclusion that any citizen of the Town of Oriental can draw from last night's Town Board meeting is that none of the incumbent candidates should be returned to office.

Not a single one has shown anything other than contempt or disdain for concerns of the citizens. None has shown any interest in seeking advice from citizens, many of whom have more knowledge and experience than those in office.

It was not always so. Those who held office from 2005 to 2009 were far more open to inputs from citizens than those currently holding office.

What can we do? A good start would be to replace the whole crew - lock, stock and barrel. In the vernacular - throw the bums out. All of them.

Elections start two weeks from tomorrow. Oriental voters begin casting early votes during one-stop on October 17 at the County Board of Elections in Bayboro.

Oriental Town Board Whines About Wal-Mart

At a spirited special meeting last night of the Oriental Town Board, a standing-room only crowd voiced overwhelming opposition to the planned Wal-Mart Express to be built just outside Town.

After a dozen citizens spoke, all but one opposing Wal-Mart, the Town Board considered an eight-page resolution drafted over the previous 36 hours by Commissioner Venturi. Commissioner Summers, in the only sensible move of the evening, moved to "table" the resolution until the Board's next meeting. His resolution didn't pass. The Board then recessed for fifteen minutes to read the resolution they had just refused to table.

After the recess, Commissioner Bissette moved to amend the resolution by deleting approximately two pages of the resolution. The amended resolution, essentially a lengthy whine asking Wal-Mart to play nice, was adopted.

If you think my characterization a bit harsh, you can read the resolution here:  http://www.townoforiental.com/vertical/sites/%7B8227B748-6F08-4124-B0ED-02789B9A2F82%7D/uploads/Too_-_Wal-Mart_Resolution.pdf

I agree with the commissioners who pointed out the Town has, at best, only limited powers in this case. Why is that? It is the result of decades of dithering and refusal to look aggressively to the future.

Examples:
Six years ago, the Long Range Planning Committee refused to even mention the possibility of expanding the Town by annexation. Such a move would be very much more difficult now;

In the 1990's, the Town sold its sewage treatment plant, rather than seeking state and federal funds to repair and modernize it. Result: the Town lost control over its future;

Six years ago, the Town made a poorly-conceived effort to remove a restriction on Extra Territorial Jurisdiction in Pamlico County. We wasted the support of our representatives in the state house and senate by a very clumsy approach;

And on and on.

We have an important municipal election coming up. Let's put some people in office who want to DO things.

Town Of Oriental: Let's Have More Studies

Attending Town Board meetings in Oriental can be very frustrating. No one wants to actually take action.

Over the past several weeks, there has been an outcry against the plan announced by Walmart to put a Walmart express just outside the town limits.

The issue wasn't on the agenda for last Tuesday's Town Board meeting. That didn't keep a hall full of people from speaking out during public comment period, but the board maintained its customary silence toward the public.

Not entirely. One commissioner outlined a number of practical problems he saw as affecting the Town and explained what he is looking into - that was Larry Summers, whose points were met with studied indifference by the rest of the Board.

We have had months of agitation over the issue of controlling or regulating boats in the Anchorage. Quite apart from the issue of whether this is a real problem, the Board has seemed uninterested in taking action.

Except for Larry Summers. Larry talked to our state representative and was told he would be willing to sponsor a local bill modeled on one for Carolina Beach, that would grant the Town authority over adjacent waters out to 200 yards. Larry made a motion to go forward with that proposal. To actually act on the matter.

His motion did not receive a second.

Larry tried again to discuss the matter at yesterday afternoon's meeting of the Harbor Committee, explaining that the actual bill would be drafted by the legislative staff in Raleigh. Commissioner Venturi countered that we should refer it first to the Town Attorney (whose expertise in state legislative matters has been hitherto concealed) and who opined that we should first know what we want to DO with the authority before we ask for it. Presumably that would require some more surveys and a new ad-hoc committee.

Speaking of ad-hoc committees, the ad-hoc advisory committee on the water system has met and actually done something. Jim Barton, who has taken charge reported Tuesday night on the accomplishments to date, developing manuals and directives that the Town is required to have, but doesn't. He also pointed out that any ad hoc committee ceases to exist after the election.

The Town continues to speak of a "water board," which apparently never existed - at least there is no ordinance establishing one. On two recent occasions, Larry Summers attempted to introduce an ordinance and received no second.

Oriental Planning Board: Back To The Future

Last night's meeting of the Town's Planning Board considered a number of issues that, to long-time residents, would have seemed "old hat."

One such issue was a request by Town Manager Wyatt Cutler for the Planning Board to revisit the issue of the Growth Management Ordinance limitation on overall building footprint. Section 77 of the GMO contains a number of limits on lot coverage. What got Mr. Cutler's interest is the provision limiting the maximum footprint for a building to 5,000 square feet in zone R-2, 6,000 square feet in R-3, 6,000 square feet for residential buildings and 8,000 square feet for non-residential or mixed use buildings in MU and MU-1. Wyatt pointed out that, curiously, there is no footprint limit in our most restrictive residential area, R-1.

These numbers were hammered out about six years ago with great acrimony in a series of meetings involving many members of the public. Like every such agreement, the GMO represents a carefully-balanced set of compromises among residents with differing views.

The present Planning Board showed no great enthusiasm to take on the issue of amending this part of the GMO. In fact, when Wyatt repeated his observation that there is no limit in R-1, Board member David White suggested that maybe there should be one.

Another old issue was raised during public comment period when local resident Pat Herlands asked the Board if they were considering reexamining the desirability of conditional zoning. All five members responded that they were not planning to reconsider that.

Here is an earlier post of mine from three years ago on the conditional zoning issue.

Oriental, NC Water Board

Yesterday (Friday, August 16), the Oriental Town Board held a special meeting to discuss the state of the Town's water treatment plant and the related issue of whether to adopt an ordinance officially establishing a town water board.

One of the mysteries to me is why that should even be at issue. The state of the Town's water treatment plant is atrocious, as a number of us learned during an official tour of the plant last May 21st. There can be no doubt that the Town Board of Commissioners needs to receive independent advice on the needs of the plant. All other standing advisory boards are established by ordinance. We know how many members there are, what qualifications are sought, how long the terms of appointment, what are the functions and responsibilities of the board. Why not do the same with the Water Board?

When I sought that information five years ago, I found no ordinance at all. Only rumors that such a board once existed. That is not acceptable.

At Friday's meeting, Captain Jim Barton, United States Navy, (retired) and Oriental resident, provided a well-organized, lucid presentation on what our water plant requires and what it doesn't have. He made it abundantly clear that the plant is not operating the way it was designed, and that these deficiencies have existed for years.

Maintaining water chemistry requirements for the Town's system presented no mysteries to someone who has been responsible for boiler water chemistry of a 1200 psi steam plant. Deviations from those requirements can cause catastrophic boiler failures and loss of life. Compared to that, the challenges of operating the Town's water plant are comparatively small, but nevertheless important.

The Town Board has had in its hands for months an ordinance drafted by Commissioner Summers that would have formalized an advisory board. Some board members argued that the ordinance wasn't perfect, and board member Venturi insisted that the Town Board should meet with the apparently nonexistent water board to discuss the ordinance.

At this stage, it appears that Captain Barton will be an essential member of any Water Board that is established.

Barton explained that under present Town Manager Wyatt Cutler, improvements have already been made. Other planned near term improvements include replacing inoperative control panels with more modern and reliable equipment, as well as replacing and repairing failed control valves.

These failures would not, in my view, have happened with a proper valve maintenance program and an effective Operation and Maintenance manual.

At Friday's  meeting, the Town Board appointed a drafting committee of perhaps a half dozen members.

Good way to get nothing done.