nty Schools Please join Pender Cou ing
in celebrat
, November 16-22
Volume 44, No.8
2014
POST Voice The Pender-Topsail
&
Lindsey Luther
Kent Harrell
Staff photos by Andy Pettigrew
School officials welcome input Pender County Commissioner George Brown called for more involvement by commissioners in the school bond projects. Brown made the comments at Monday’s commissioners meeting. “I want to have a decent relationship with the schools to make sure this process goes smoothly as possible. I would like our board to ask our manager to imitate some type of formal process where we can work with the school board to make sure the commissioners are informed and in the loop,” Brown said. “When I go to vote on funding something and increase taxes, I want the taxpayers to know they have a board of commissioners that will be engaged, aware of what this money is for, and have a seat at the table in this process.” School Board member Tom Roper says he welcomes input and a working relationship with the commissioners. “I would welcome George or any of the commissioners for that level of dialogue,” Roper said. “Whatever forum he feels he would like to be engaged in with the School Board, I think that is great. We keep the taxpayers in mind as well. We have yet to ever go over budget on anything we have done.” Commissioners and School Board members had joint Priority One meetings in the past, but Roper says those meetings have not been effective. “Priority One meetings in
History comes alive at Moores Creek
There is also the possibility of a second recount, but two recounts is the limit.
Brown calls for board to work closely with school officials on bond projects By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher
50 Cents
The Media of Record for the People of Pender County
Recount this week in Harrell-Luther race With just 13 votes separating Kent Harrell and Lindsey Luther in the race for the District 5 judges seat, election officials in Pender and New Hanover counties will recount the votes. About 61,500 votes were cast in both counties in the race, with only 13 votes separating the candidates. Pender County Election Board director Dennis Boyles says Pender of ficials met Wednesday after noon at 2 p.m. for the recount. The results were not available at press time. “There is a state recount for a N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice Race as well,” Boyles said. Boyles said county voting machines modules will be rerun and checked along with absentee and provisional ballots that were deemed valid.
The Pender Patriots ended their 2014 football season in the first round of the playoffs at top-rated James Kenan. Read more on page 1B.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Luther has 13-vote lead
By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher
Pender season ends
the past several years have been broken. It has not been consistent. It’s just something that needs to be more substantive and on a regular basis,” said Roper. Roper says the School Board is already under a great deal of oversight when it comes to school bond projects. “Everything we do has to be approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. We are under a lot of scrutiny already, but we would certainly welcome any dialogue with the commissioners.” Roper compared the bond project process to building a home. Different parts of a project are funded as the project progresses toward completion. Bonds are approved and money is made available for different projects as needed. The total amount approved by voters – $75 million – is not borrowed all at once. The school plan is a series of smaller bonds not to exceed the total approved amount. Brown says he believes taxpayers want the commissioners involved in the school projects. “I think we are going to have to know what is going on a be a part of it, and have some say so in a lot of this. I think the citizens expect a little oversight on the part of the commissioners and justification on how we are spending their tax dollars and increasing their taxes. The commissioners are going to be more involved than they ever have been,” Brown said.
Pender High School drama students (above) warm beside the fire Saturday night at Moores Creek National Battlefield in Currie. The park held its annual candlelight tours Nov. 14-15. The students, playing the role of patriots, brought the history of the park to life. Across the creek (right) the loyalist camp was complete with bagpipes. Park officials expanded this year’s event with more reenactors. See more photos of the event on Facebook.
Manager candidate backs out; interviews continue By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher Pender County Commissioners are back to interviewing candidates for the county manager’s job after the top candidate decided to withdraw from the process. The Post & Voice reported
in the Nov. 6 edition the board had narrowed the search down to one individual and the county manager job was on the agenda for Monday’s board meeting. “He had some family issues that surfaced very late in the ball game. He called me last week very apologetic, but at
the same time it’s better now than to get down here and realize it,” Williams said. “We had reached a verbal agreement but he called and it’s a family issue. I really thought he was a good candidate.” Williams says there are several other candidates that rated high in the last round of
interviews and commissioners, including commissionerelect David Piepmeyer, will talk with them again. “I’m thinking this will set us back two or three weeks,” Williams said. “We still hope to have a manager in the office by January to begin the new budget process.”
Carolina Blvd. still open in Topsail Beach By Tammy Proctor Post & Voice Staff Writer In a 4-1 vote, the commissioners of Topsail Beach voted not to close Carolina Blvd. Commissioner Julian Bone
voted to close a portion of Carolina Blvd. for the Emma Anderson Chapel. The vote was the closure of an issue that was debated for several months by the commissioners. On Oct. 25 the town
conducted a public hearing. “I think the people on that street were in favor of not closing it,” said Commissioner Tom Eggleston. Commissioner Mor ton Blanchard said he felt this
issue was important to gauge public opinion. “I thought this was something we needed to hear from everybody,” said Blanchard.
Continued on page 2A
Board gives money for museum By Andy Pettigrew Post & Voice Publisher County commissioners approved a request for $1,500 to go toward renovation of the barn behind the Pender County Museum in Burgaw. Jeanette Jones with the Pender County Historical Socity and Museum, asked the board to approve funds to repair the blacksmith shop,
Continued on page 2A
Staff photo by Andy Pettigrew
Museum officials want to repair the blacksmith shop behind the Pender County Museum in Burgaw.
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