34 | March 2020
@therant905
LOCAL MATTERS Commissioner candidate angered by 'Mexican burlesque' halftime show Randy Todd, a GOP candidate for one of three seats on the Lee County Board of Commissioners, took to Facebook during February’s Super Bowl to complain about what he called the “Mexican burlesque” halftime show, writing that it should be done “in English next time” or else held in Mexico. “I just watch (sic) the Super Bowl halftime and I thought I was watching a Mexican burlesque show maybe or do it in English next time or have the Dam (sic) bowl game in Mexico,” he wrote around 8:30 p.m. on the night of the game. Todd, the owner of Todd’s Upholstery on Horner Boulevard in Sanford, was referring to a performance by singers Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, neither of whom is from Mexico. The post was apparently only visible to Todd’s friends, but The Rant was made aware of its existence, and Todd later confirmed that he’d written it. He acknowledged learning after his post that neither singer is from Mexico and apologized for identifying them as such. “I don’t keep up with J-Lo. It was all in Spanish, and I didn’t know the difference,” he said. “It was still burlesque. I’ve seen prostitutes on the street with more clothes on. I probably should have thought a little more about it. Maybe I should have said ‘a Spanish nation.’ But the brain goes to where we’re having the most trouble, and right now that’s Mexico.” Todd offered an apology and said he was offended that the show amounted to “pornography.” “If someone took it the wrong way, I’m sorry,” he said. “But I was very upset that I’d just watched pornography. They had a pole on the stage, for God’s sake.”
It’s been two years since Britton Buchanan’s debut on NBC’s The Voice, and the Sanford singer and songwriter has released two singles so far in 2020 — “Cross My Mind” and “Juliet’s Lullaby,” both currently available to download and stream. Keep up with Buchanan’s progress on Twitter at twitter.com/brittonbuchanan
Complete County Committee urges public participation in Census 2020 The Lee County Complete Count Committee met at the Enrichment Center in February to discuss plans to increase public participation in the upcoming 2020 Census. The Census is a population count mandated by the U.S. Constitution and conducted every ten years by the U.S. Census Bureau, a nonpartisan government agency. The 2020 Census will count the population in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. Census data will determine representation in the United States House of Representatives and the allocation of billions of dollars in federal funding for housing, emergency services, healthcare, education, roads, and many other programs and services. Community funding is a driving motivator for the Lee County Complete Count Committee. Currently, Lee County receives an estimated $1860 per person annually in census data driven funding. This means the community lost approximately $18,600 person person over the last decade for every
person that did not get counted in the 2010 Census. According to Census Bureau staff, Lee County had a 60 percent response rate in the 2000 Census and 74 percent in the 2010 Census. The committee is aiming for a minimum 84 percent response rate in 2020. Lee County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Amy Dalrymple leads the Lee County Complete Count Committee. “Ensuring we have a complete count in Lee County is essential to the future of our community,” she said. “There is a lot of confusion over what the Census is and what will be done with the information. The job of the committee is to help educate the community so they know this is a population count, not a residency questionnaire; and that data gathered is confidential and for analysis and information only. Most importantly, the public needs to understand this is our opportunity to get our population numbers correct so that we have fair representation and
funding that will support our community for the next decade. If we get it wrong, it stays wrong for the next ten years.” Invitations for the 2020 Census will be mailed to households beginning in March. The committee is sponsoring a Lee County Census Week from March 28 to April 4, with Lee County Census Day planned for March 28 and National Census Day scheduled for April 1. The committee is working on increasing public access points for computers to allow people with limited internet access the opportunity to complete their Census online. Lee County Government has created a Lee County NC Census Week event page on the county Facebook page - facebook.com/leecountync — and the Lee County Complete Count Committee will be sharing information on through various channels to ensure everyone counts in the 2020 Census. For additional information and questions, please contact the Lee County Manager’s Office at (919) 718-4605.