Wayne Week — March 24, 2024

WEEK Wayne PARKING PASS

Downtown officials say parking regulations are good for merchants, but dozens of business owners told the Goldsboro City Council that two-hour time limits and tickets would hurt their bottom line.

by Ken Fine / p.12

ALSO INSIDE:

The man who was nearly beaten to death during a home invasion federal prosecutors allege was orchestrated by a former Wayne County Sheriff's Office deputy says he has been offered a settlement in exchange for his promise to not file a lawsuit.

p.6

MARCH 24, 202 4

Volume 1, Issue 32 NEWOLDNORTH.COM

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CONTENTS

5 Observing the Easter holiday

While we will, as part of a tradition that has been a standard practice in the newspaper business for decades, forgo publishing a print edition on Easter Sunday as the community marks this significant holiday, our committment to getting you timely reporting on a hearing at which former Wayne County Sheriff's Office Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox is expected to enter a signed plea agreement has compelled us to release a special digital-only edition Thursday, March 28.

6 Hernandez offered settlement

When he was a teenager, Christian Hernandez was left for dead in the trunk of a car after a violent home invasion federal prosecutors allege was orchestrated by a former member of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office. Years later, Hernandez says he has been offered a cash settlement if he agrees to never file a lawsuit.

10 Our take

The Goldsboro City Council made, in our view, a wise decision when it decided to delay fining people who violated the city's two-hour downtown parking regulations for the next 60 days. Perhaps, the moritorium will provide officials and business owners time to find some common ground, as what has become a bitter back and forth continues.

12 Cover story

Downtown Goldsboro officials say enforcing parking regulations downtown will benefit local merchants, but many of those who own businesses in the city's core say two-hour parking signs — and warning tickets that are being issued to those who violate the time limit — are scaring away customers and costing them money.

A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS

OBSERVING THE EASTER HOLIDAY

This weekend is an opportunity to reset our priorities — and look toward the future.

We understand what Easter means to Wayne County.

It is a time for families to gather, for sons, daughters, and grandchildren to come home, and for many, a traditional trip to church sporting our Sunday best.

And after that service, there will be plenty of time for the Easter Bunny, excited children tracking down hidden eggs, and then for extended family and friends to gather around a well-laden dinner table complete with all of the recipes that have been featured fare for generations.

We know you look forward to the holiday, and so do we.

And we should because this coming week is special.

Many memories will be made and shared, and priorities will be reset as families find their way home.

After all, that is what Easter is all about — honoring the highest of sacrifices and understanding the hope and love it represents.

We get that. This is, and has always been, a community of faith and family.

An Easter service is a celebration of those momentous values — and a chance to refocus on what really matters, at a time when so few seem to remember.

And the holiday’s message is so important right now. We know you feel it, too.

Because while so many across the nation seem to be turning away from faith and the lessons that have been shared in families for generations, more and more of us are feeling the calling to get back to a center, to reprioritize our lives.

Consider it one of the many blessings that come with living in Eastern North Carolina. Down here, we never stray too far away from the traditions that made us who we are.

We know — because you have told us — just how many of you have faith front and center in your lives.

It’s why you have responded to the many challenges facing our community with optimism that if we keep pushing, Wayne County will, indeed, realize the best version of itself.

It’s why you refuse to back down or give up when it feels, at times, like we are losing the

battle for the future we all want for our children and grandchildren.

It’s why you live that commitment and that call to service every day, not just on Sunday.

And it’s why, every so often, it is important to pause and reflect on what really matters.

For that reason, as is tradition for many media outlets, we have chosen not to publish a traditional paper the week of Easter.

“Consider it one of the many blessings that come with living in Eastern N.C. Down here, we never stray too far away from the traditions that made us who we are. ”

It allows us to concentrate on those same principles, the same call to return to and honor family and faith. And it gives our employees the chance to mark the holiday — and to be with loved ones — too.

But we have another important obligation.

There is a big story coming this week — a proceeding involving former Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox, a case we have been following intently for

many months now. We do not know exactly what is going to happen — there have been quite a few surprises in this case already — but we do know that the former lawman has signed a plea agreement that, should Chief United States District Judge Richard Myers II accept it, will see him admit guilt on at least some of the federal charges he is facing.

So, while we remain committed to marking Easter by not distributing a print edition March 31, we also think it is important that we tell you what unfolds in that courtroom as quickly as possible.

Here is what we are going to do.

A special online-only edition of Wayne Week will publish Thursday, March 28. Inside its pages, assuming the hearing is not delayed — and at this point, we have no reason to believe it will be — we will provide you with a

blow-by-blow of the details of Cox’s plea and Myers reaction to the agreement.

That way, you will have the news as soon as it breaks, but you — and we — will not be distracted from Good Friday and upcoming Easter Sunday observances.

Sure, we could wait a week.

But we feel this story is too important to you, the taxpayers and families of Wayne County.

You deserve to know, and should know as soon as possible, the dispensation of what has been a shocking turn of events — an unprecedented federal indictment involving two of the WCSO’s highest ranking officials.

The accusations that have been made, and their implications, are so serious and important that we did not feel they should be put on hold.

So, we will bring them to you, and the community as soon as we can.

We have said before that the safety of our community should be Job 1 for any county official — not to mention those who swear an oath to serve and protect.

And there is no doubt in our minds that the disposition of the Cox case — and whatever fallout might come as a result of his plea — will get us one step closer to making sure our Sheriff’s Office is living up to that calling.

Setting this county on the right course is critical.

And in the coming weeks, we will talk about just how Cox’s expected guilty plea plays into what we believe has the potential to spark a rebirth inside the WCSO.

In the meantime, enjoy your Easter celebration with your families.

And don’t forget to check your email — the account you provided to us when you signed up for your Wayne Week subscription — Thursday evening for our special edition.n

Note: If you have a preferred email account you do not believe we have on file, send an email to wayneweekdigital@newoldnorth.com and tell us where you would like Thursday’s special edition sent. Also note that once you click the link, there will be an option to download the edition, should those who have difficulty reading on a screen like to print out the PDF for a more traditional reading experience.

NEWS + VIEWS

Home invasion victim says he has been offered a cash settlement

U.S. prosecutors say former Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox orchestrated the attack that nearly cost then-14-year-old Christian Hernandez and his sister their lives.

BY KEN FINE / Wayne County

More than six years after a Wayne County teenager was left for dead in the trunk of a car on Peele Road after a home invasion — a crime federal prosecutors allege was orchestrated by a former high-ranking Wayne County Sheriff’s Office deputy — the now-20-year-old said he, through his attorney, has been offered a cash settlement in exchange for his vow to not file a lawsuit against the agency or the county it operates in.

And while Christian Hernandez has not yet made a decision on how he will proceed, he said he will be keeping a close eye on what unfolds when former WCSO Drug Unit Chief Michael Cox appears before a federal judge this week — a hearing that is expected to include acknowledgement of a plea agreement signed by Cox that, if accepted by United States Chief District Judge Richard Myers II, would allow him to avoid a jury trial that could have resulted in life imprisonment were he convicted on the more than a dozen charges levied against him.

The alleged connection between Cox and the incident Christian claims destroyed his life came to light during a pair of 2023 hearings at which Cox was attempting to secure pretrial release — when Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Duffy was unwrapping, for Myers, why the government believed the former deputy to be too “dangerous” to re-enter society.

Christian, thanks to a screenshot of a September Wayne Week article that covered one of the hearings sent to him by a friend, realized that the July 2017 home invasion Duffy was talking about was the same one that resulted in him and his sister nearly being killed.

And, after some digging, he also figured out that the man being accused, Cox, was the same deputy who led a controversial raid of Christian’s family home in 2011 and arrested his father.

“I wish this would just go away — all this pain — but now, I can’t avoid it, you know? Before, not knowing who did it, in a weird way, it made it easier. Like, maybe it was

random or something and they had the wrong house,” he said. “But now, every time I look at (a WCSO deputy), it’s like, ‘One of you did this to me and my family. I was just a little kid. My sister was only 19. How could you do this?’

I feel like I have to look over my shoulder everywhere I go.”

• • •

To understand what Christian says has been haunting him for the last six-plus years, it is necessary to rewind to the evening a 14-year-old

was playing video games in his living room while his sister was cooking a meal in the kitchen.

As the young man remembers it, it started as a seemingly normal night.

“I was playing my game and I had a headset on,” he said.

But then he started feeling “vibrations.”

“You know how in older houses you can feel the vibrations when people are walking?” Christian said. “Well, it felt like it was more than one person. Then, it felt like somebody was running through the house.”

Worried about his sister, he took off his

headphones and jumped out of his chair.

“That’s when I heard my sister screaming,” he said.

Christian started running toward the hallway, but froze when one of the two men who was “on my sister” pointed a gun at his chest.

“He said, ‘Freeze. Don’t move,’” Christian said. “That’s when they took us in the kitchen and duct taped us.”

Their hands now bound behind their backs, the brother and sister were

Christian Hernandez says he has been offered a cash settlement for injuries suffered during a 2017 home invasion. PHOTO BY CASEY MOZINGO

Continued from page 6

dragged to the living room.

At that point, a third intruder emerged.

“They were screaming, ‘Where’s the money at? Where’s the money at? Where’s the drugs?’” Christian said. “We kept telling them we had no idea what they were talking about.”

But his sister had access to the family’s savings — not even $1,000 — and gave it to the men.

“They got mad,” Christian said. “They said, ‘That ain’t what we’re looking for. Don’t play with us.’”

And then, “boom.”

“They pistol-whipped her,” Christian said. “She’s screaming. She’s bleeding. Boom. They pistol-whipped her again.”

Moments later, they dragged her to the kitchen and slammed her head into an active burner on the stove — leaving a “massive” wound that exposed her skull.

“I thought she was gonna die, but I’m only 14 years old. I’m telling them, ‘We don’t know what’s going on,’” Christian said. “Bam. They pistol-whipped me.”

The violence would continue for nearly a half-hour.

“They kept hitting me with the gun and at one point, they hit me in the face and I had blood spraying out of my nose,” Christian said. “I was on my knees and when they hit me that last time, I fell. I tried to open my eyes, but I was real dizzy.”

That’s when the teenage boy blacked out — regaining consciousness only as two of the men dragged him outside and threw him into the trunk of a car before, not even a minute later, “stuffing” his sister next to him.

“They shut us in there, but I could hear them talking. One of the guys got mad because they didn’t find nothin’ and said, ‘(Expletive) this. They got to die,’” Christian said. “They were about to come kill me and my sister.”

Luckily, another of the three talked him out of it, saying, ‘Don’t make it worse. Let’s go. Let’s just go.’”

And when they finally left, Christian pulled the emergency latch inside the trunk and he and his sister drove to their aunt’s house.

911 was called, but as they waited for first responders, the brother feared his sister would die before help arrived.

“There was blood everywhere. My sister, I think she was getting ready to bleed out. Her whole head, it was just covered in blood,” Christian said. “And I was drenched in blood. The police, they kept asking us, ‘Did somebody die? Did somebody die?’ They found so much blood.”

Christian had a severe concussion and a fractured jaw.

His sister, who was in much worse shape, was treated and, like her brother, ultimately recovered physically.

Duffy said the entire series of events only happened because of Cox.

According to a sprawling indictment handed down by a federal grand jury Aug. 17, 2023, and made public by U.S. Attorney Michael Easley Jr. two weeks later, Cox texted, to a Goldsboro drug trafficker, a photograph of Christian’s father which was obtained from CJ Leads, a secure database for use solely by law enforcement on May 18, 2017.

Less than a month later, he sent the man another text, the government claimed — a message that included a “pin drop” providing the “exact location” of what Cox allegedly stated was “the man’s house.”

The drug trafficker responded that he was “going to pay em visit,” and, the following day, allegedly texted Cox again to tell him he “went out there n scoped it out.”

Ten days later, the home invasion unfolded — and was just one reason, Duffy said, Cox should be denied pre-trial release.

“He took his badge and used it as a weapon,” Duffy told Myers during that hearing. “It staggers the imagination.”

• • •

After that night back in 2017, Christian said his life quickly spiraled.

He said he has nightmares — ones that typically end in his sister being executed.

“I go back and think about what happened that night and I get emotional. I couldn’t do nothin’,’” Christian said. “I know I was young.

I know I was only 14. But I hate how I just sat

there and watched my sister get hit like that. She’s bleeding out and I can’t do nothing.”

But night terrors are only part of the struggle.

Shortly after what he considers a brush with death, he dropped out of Eastern Wayne High School.

“My head was (expletive deleted) up, so I basically dropped out of school right after it happened,” Christian said. “It was so hard for me to pay attention. I would look at the board and the teacher is teaching and I am just zoning off thinking about that other stuff.”

And he lived in fear of going home — so much so that he “started roaming the streets.”

“In my mind, I didn’t have a choice,” he said. “I started staying with friends.”

When he tried to sleep, the smallest break in the silence would set him off.

“I would hear noises outside and … run to the window to make sure nobody was breaking in,” Christian said. “So, I didn’t sleep. I couldn’t sleep. I would stay up all night until the sun came up. It’s still like that.”

And when his body finally shuts down — when he is forced to close his eyes — he relives the events that unfolded six years ago, but with a more jarring ending in which his sister is gunned down.

“It’s like I can’t forgive myself. I couldn’t protect her,” Christian said. “I would rather they would’ve killed me than beat on my sister like that.”

“I'll be honest with you. I used to ride around Goldsboro hoping I would run into the people that did this to me — to my family. But I've decided to go at this another way. I'm not going to put justice into my own hands. I'm gonna have faith the law will work all this out.”

• • •

Luckily, the love of a good woman — and the recent birth of their son — has restored some of his faith in humanity.

And through therapy, he hopes his mental health will continue to improve — that he can “live a normal life, a happy life, without having to worry about watching over my shoulder.”

But he, at 20 years old, seems to have accepted the fact that he might never fully recover from the trauma he suffered those many years ago.

And the truth is, he will never feel complete until justice finds the people responsible for the “hell” he lived and the “constant nightmares” he endures.

“I’ll be honest with you. I used to ride around Goldsboro hoping I would run into the people that did this to me — to my family,” Christian said. “But I’ve decided to go at this another way. I’m not going to put justice in my own hands. I’m gonna have faith that the law will work all this out.”

So, while it remains unclear whether or not Christian will agree to the cash settlement he has been offered, he said that either way, he will watch the conclusion of Cox’s case closely.

Because justice, he said, is the only way forward.n

A photo of Christian Hernandez taken after the home invasion.

★ All Wayne County residents vote for the At-Large Candidate!

It is the chicken and the egg scenario when it comes to the concerns about downtown parking — or use any other phrase that might occur to you that suggests that there is no easy “one size fits all” answer.

The idea, of course, is to prevent people from using downtown parking spots — especially the coveted ones along Center Street — as a parking lot, leaving their cars there all day, or for days on end, so that no one can use them to patronize downtown businesses.

And the bottom line is that is really, really, important if you want people to think of coming downtown first to eat, drink, shop, and play.

There has been too much good work downtown to watch support disintegrate because there is nowhere to park.

But there is a yin to that yang.

If there are parking restrictions that make people nervous that they are going to get a ticket if they stray just a minute over the twohour limit, they are going to find their lunch, dinner, coffee, or birthday gift — or get their hair done and hold their baby shower — somewhere else.

Recently, 33 downtown businesses signed a petition telling the city of Goldsboro that their revenue and customer flow have been affected by that very parking worry.

See? Which caused which, and what is the solution that accomplishes both objectives — available parking spaces and making sure they are not used improperly?

Well, that’s the rub.

There are other concerns to explore on both sides of the issue.

First, you cannot stop people from hogging downtown parking places for hours and days on end unless there is a parking regulation restricting the amount of time they can stay there. The Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp. is 100-percent right about that.

So, if you want to deter people from Waynesborough House and other downtown residential units from using those spots — and to park in the lots assigned to them — you have to make sure they know that if they do, they will get a ticket. Every single time.

But it is also true that there is a safety factor, a major issue for the dozens and dozens of residents who have sounded off on the parking issue at the last several City Council meetings.

Anyone who has parked downtown knows that there is a panhandling problem in the area. And while it might not be the extreme issue that one might find in bigger cities, there is absolutely a risk associated with

A TICKET FOR DOWNTOWN

asking downtown business employees — and customers, too — to walk through the city’s core to get to cars parked “off street.”

If you have encountered one of those individuals, you know that they can be scary — and aggressive. We have encountered them ourselves, both in broad daylight and at night.

So, it is not OK to brush aside those concerns because safety is absolutely an important factor to consider when discussing this issue.

And we’re just going to state the obvious. Many of those people who are doing the late shifts downtown are young women. They work at boutiques or as hostesses and servers at restaurants.

So yes, there is a real concern about them walking alone along a not-too-well-lit street to get to a parking lot — even if it is only “100 yards away” from where they work.

No one wants to put their daughter, wife, or granddaughter in that sort of situation — no matter how tough they are. And saying that crime is a “separate” issue that has “nothing to do with parking” is

completely missing the point.

Here’s some good news.

The Goldsboro City Council made a momentous decision recently that will increase the safety of its residents — the absolutely necessary vote to fund salaries that will eventually put more officers on the streets.

More officers are a deterrent, and we will see the results of that investment soon. You can bet our local police department is more than ready to start working harder to prevent crime, and to keep a closer eye on gang members, drug dealers, and other criminals who might think they can steal and rob at will.

And the city is making other adjustments as well. More lighting has been installed in public parking lots and even more is being planned. And that matters — a lot. Crime thrives in the shadows.

So, when the safety measures are in place, perhaps the parking enforcement plan will be met with less resistance.

Because if we’re being honest, we suspect there is some truth to the claim that a few of

the people who have a problem with two-hour parking limits simply want the convenience of parking close to where they work. The only way to know that for sure is to eliminate the very valid concerns that exist.

And once changes have been made to accomplish just that, well, perhaps there is a compromise that can be reached.

But there is another little problem — and to see it, all you have to do is take a drive down Center and Mulberry.

City employees and city vehicles are parking in on-street spots — for hours and hours on end.

We have seen it with our own eyes and would bet the farm that if you pick a weekday and camp out, you will too.

There is no excuse for that.

If Goldsboro wants downtown businesses to work with them, there must absolutely be an immediate edict issued to all city employees. Park where you are supposed to. Period.

It is a do as we say, not as we do kind of thing.

And it is no wonder it angers the business owners who must now tell their employees

they have to walk to a public lot, while city employees take up the very spots officials say need to be open for the benefit of those merchants.

That’s a measure that can — and should — be implemented by the City Council ASAP.

So, as you can see, there are a whole bunch of sides to this story — and a whole lot of partial solutions.

But what we don’t need right now, especially with everything that has been going on in this community lately, is a bitter downtown parking battle with one side getting its feathers ruffled and the other ready to do battle.

Running a business these days is not easy. The costs are high, and finding good employees and keeping good customers has been and will remain a struggle as inflation continues to rise and more and more families are being careful about their spending.

And let’s not forget that we asked downtown businesses to make some hefty sacrifices in the last few years, as COVID closures did a number on many of them that are just now beginning to get back on their feet.

But they have stuck with downtown Goldsboro. Others have invested hundreds of thousands getting buildings ready and are active participants in the efforts to keep downtown lively and growing.

Putting another obstacle in the way before their concerns are addressed seems unwise.

Here’s more good news.

The Goldsboro City Council seems to have come up with a more measured approach. The slow rollout of parking restrictions and enforcement and listening to the concerns of the business owners as well as the advice from the DGDC seems to be the right answer.

The board isn’t rushing into this. Its members are listening. And that is a hallmark of strong leadership.

If there is a real parking problem downtown, the extra 60 days will give us all time to see it firsthand.

And if city employees’ and city-owned vehicles are off the street — and downtown residents park in the lots provided to them by their landlords — there might not even be a need for a parking limit.

The mayor could broker some kind of compromise which allows those who need to park near their businesses the chance to do so as long as they respect the space allotments. And maybe some of them could use public lots once safety issues are addressed.

But all of this takes discussion and a willingness to address the issue with the future of the city’s downtown in mind.

And while the DGDC is right to say that available parking boosts business — and that there is not a capacity problem downtown if people properly utilize the existing 3,000-plus spaces — there is an opportunity to break

bread with the disgruntled parties.

To be fair, downtown officials have already done some of that, by the way, offering placards for salon and spa customers who need more than two hours for their appointments. And by not taking them up on that — according to the DGDC, only two businesses have requested those placards — business owners are weakening their position.

What they should have done is what Councilman Roderick White did.

He conducted a “boots on the ground” experiment — heading downtown for a haircut and a meal. He was third in line at the barber shop and after waiting and a quick trim, realized that with a two-hour limit, he only had 30 minutes for a meal at Laughing Owl.

That testimony might actually lead to an extension in the time limit from two to three — or four — hours.

But refusing to accept the city’s olive branch at all only emboldens those who argue the petition isn’t really about the very legitimate concerns about a particular time limit or safety.

White seemingly proved that what is on the books right now could result in a potential loss of business.

And while we agree with DGDC Executive Director Erin Fonseca that the whole point of the streetscape project was to bring to the city’s core a “walkable” experience — that had White parked in a public lot, he would not have had to bail on his meal at Laughing Owl — that might only stick once the aforementioned safety concerns are put to bed.

So yes, this one is tough. There is no answer that will completely satisfy everyone.

The only thing we know for sure is that both sides have good points — and that both the business owners and the DGDC are intent on making downtown the best it can be.

Here’s our take, for what it’s worth.

Let the police get their numbers back up and let the city address the “bad look” of its own staff parking in spots they are not supposed to, and let’s see what happens.

If you’re a business that requires people to be in your establishment for longer than two hours, request the placards and see if that system is even tenable.

Maybe it will actually work. And if not, telling the council why might strengthen your position.

Providing that feedback to members of the City Council — the men and women tasked, by Mayor Charles Gaylor, with fine-tuning the policy before whatever it ends up looking like is finalized and put into motion — is the only way to ensure they get this right.

But the back and forth needs to end.

It isn’t helping anyone achieve what, believe it or not, is a shared mission — creating a stronger and growing downtown Goldsboro.n

PARKING PASS

Downtown officials say parking regulations are good for merchants, but dozens of business owners told the Goldsboro City Council that two-hour time limits and tickets would hurt their bottom line.

by Ken Fine

Young women have shown up to City Council meetings to share stories about being accosted and propositioned by “aggressive” panhandlers — both in broad daylight and when they get off from work long after sunset.

Business owners have repeatedly stepped up to the podium — painting pictures of decreasing revenue and clients who have told them they plan to patronize other establishments.

Accusations of “selective enforcement” have been flying — claims that the person handing out warning tickets is ignoring vehicles that belong to city employees, including city-owned trucks with Goldsboro’s logo affixed to them, despite the fact that, according to time-stamped photographs shared with Wayne Week, they are camped on Mulberry and other streets for far longer than two hours at a time.

And more recently, a petition signed by nearly 100 people — a document containing the names of everyone from real estate agents, tattoo artists, and hair stylists to restaurateurs, landlords, and boutique managers — has been submitted to the council.

Continued on page 14

DOWNTOWN PARKING

A parking study was executed in 2016 and 2017 that anticipated future parking demand of 593 spaces by 2026. Only 55 spaces have been added since then.

The following map shows the area of two hour onstreet parking:

PARKING TIME EXTENSION PERMITS (PTEP)

The City of Goldsboro implemented parking time extension placards for certain businesses Here are some fast facts:

1

. Businesses that have customers who regularly require longer than two hours to receive services can apply.

33% of parking violations in 2024 have been at the 100 block of South Center Street

DOWNTOWN GOLDSBORO

Two hour on street parking, 8:30 am to 5:30pm, Monday through Saturday

2024 PARKING VIOLATIONS UPDATE

These are the top three highest number of violations. All other violations would be left side parking, wrong direction on a one way street, and parking in a prohibited area and add up to less than half of the number of the prohibited area category.

2. Businesses must complete the one page online application.

3. According to the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp., only two salons have taken them up on the placard system.

SOURCE:

The outrage over a decision to begin enforcing downtown parking regulations that have, according to the city, been law since 1972, is not going away. And while some who own businesses in the city’s core have celebrated the regulations and Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp. staff argue it would ultimately be a win for stakeholders, they are seemingly in the minority

But several members of the City Council said they believe another 60-day delay — the board officially approved the extension of what has been characterized as a “soft rollout,” a time before actual fines are implemented for those who violate the twohour limit — would give officials a chance to continue to revise the policy so, as Mayor Charles Gaylor put it, the “medicine” might “go down a little bit different.”

“I’m encouraged by the progress that’s being made,” Councilman Chris Boyette said. “We’re going to get there with something that’s beneficial to all concerned. Let’s see where we are at the end of another 60 days.”

Master Plan.

And DGDC Business & Property Specialist Greg Mills said that history is important to consider.

“This is not a recent event,” he said. “Data has been gathered for many, many years.”

Then, a consultant was hired — a man who, in early 2023, unwrapped that data during a public forum.

His conclusion?

Downtown Goldsboro had exceeded assumptions made about just how much demand there would be for parking on Center and surrounding streets.

So, he presented, to the 50-plus people in attendance, several options he believed could help the city mitigate potential woes for those wanting to eat, drink, and shop downtown.

The overwhelming majority said they would favor regulations akin to what the city rolled out a few months ago.

But when the signs went up and warning tickets started appearing on windshields, it started a firestorm.

“We're going to get there with something that's beneficial to all concerned. Let's see where we are at the end of another 60 days.”

– Councilman Chris Boyette

problem downtown.”

“Before this started, I don’t remember hearing anything about parking problems downtown,” said Weeks, who operates two Cry Freedom Missions storefronts on Center Street. “But we’ve sure got a problem now.”

The DGDC doubled down, too.

The data, its staff said, shows that in the long run, keeping on-street parking clear will encourage more business, not less, in the city’s core.

“Parking regulation is really put into place to generate more turnover, which benefits our businesses by bringing more people to their door to spend money,” DGDC Executive Director Erin Fonseca said. “So, parking regulation is not personal. If we shift our mindset about those on-street spaces and we think about the stakeholders and who those are that are really spending dollars in their businesses, that should be our priority.”

Mills agreed.

It started nearly a decade ago, when, in 2016, the city commissioned a parking study to anticipate future parking demand as a result of the realization of the Downtown

And it became clear that enforcement of the policy had drawn the ire of many of the very shop owners the rules were supposedly put into place to help — one of whom, sitting City Council member Beverly Weeks, doubled down Tuesday on her belief that “I really don’t believe we have a parking

He has heard, he said, all the complaints that have been voiced at recent City Council meetings — and then some.

And he has even processed the claim that the downtown parking policy is a money grab, an allegation he called Continued

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“ludicrous” earlier this year.

But what the parking policy will do, Mills said, is create an environment that fosters responsible parking and a downtown that is not clogged with long-term cars that sit in spaces for days, limiting where potential shoppers can park their vehicles if they want to patronize a merchant.

And it will also stop employees and business owners from monopolizing premium spots.

“What’s really going on is that it is about downtown economic development,” he said. “And it is critical to have a managed parking plan to have successful downtown development, whether it is Goldsboro or Mount Airy — pick a city.”

Capacity is not the problem, as officials agree the nearly 3,600 parking spots located in the city’s core are more than enough to accommodate everyone who needs a place to leave their vehicle.

But, the DGDC argued, when business owners and employees avoid utilizing public lots for “convenience,” they make it appear as though there are no spots for paying customers.

“I think one of the things we need to continue to do is reinforce how important the public lots are,” Mills said. “The

distance to public lots is about 100 yards for most of our businesses.”

And if downtown employees were to use them, there would be plenty of spaces for patrons close to the businesses they have traveled downtown to spend their money in.

“The average parking space in front of your store is worth $20,000 to businesses. That’s the research,” he said. “That is what is most important, is that customers have the best access they can to come in and shop in the business.”

Since the “soft rollout” began, the city has issued more than 300 warning tickets for those who violated the twohour time limit.

Mills said the location of the majority of those offenses — “hotspots” identified as the 200 block of North Center Street and the 100 block of South Center Street — is telling.

“Some businesses are just choosing to totally ignore the law. I don’t know any other way to say it,” he told the council Monday. “The thing is, (whether fines are being issued yet or not) it’s still the law. It’s a signed ordinance. So, a lot of people, as you can see, are choosing to violate the law.”

They are “choosing” to do so despite the fact that the city has worked, over the last several

“Some businesses are just choosing to totally ignore the law. I don't know any other way to say it. The thing is, it's still the law. It's a signed ordinance.”

– Greg Mills, DGDC

months, to address several of the concerns addressed by those who have been outspoken about everything from poor lighting in public parking lots that create safety concerns to services they offer — mainly, hair styling for women — that require more than two hours.

“They have been working to improve lighting in those lots,” he said, showing council members aerial photographs taken “around 9 p.m.” he says demonstrates morethan-adequate lighting in several downtown public parking areas.

And as for extended time needed for hair and other appointments? The city, he said, offered a concession — creating placards for those salons to distribute to patrons who required longer than two hours in the chair.

“Sadly, only two of the salon spas that this parking management strategy was aimed towards have gotten permits. And the parking officer said he’s never seen one,” Mills said. “There’s been no takers. That kind of speaks for itself.”

Many businessowners have argued that one of the major contributors to perceived parking woes downtown is the fact that city employees and residents of apartment buildings refuse to park in lots

For nearly 100 years, O’Berry & Lewis, Inc. has maintained the same passion and drive the agency was founded on through excellent service and reliable insurance solutions. We continue to execute this vision by providing a professional and personable experience for every client with their best interests in mind.

Continued from "Parking," page 16

provided to them.

And it is unfair, they have said repeatedly, that everyone else should have to “suffer” as a result.

But Mills argued that even if that were the case, the only way to stop their long-term parking is to enforce time limits — a measure, he told the council, was “an industry standard” in cities across the state and beyond.

“The street belongs to everyone,” he said. “Until there is regulation about parking from the city, you can’t modify behavior. If there is a regulation, then those people will be motivated to move to the lot that has been built for them because if they don’t, they are going to get a ticket.”

Fonseca agreed.

“It’s all about mindset. Until we change people’s mindsets, we’re stuck,” she said. “You know, this has turned into a really emotional thing for certain people. Change is hard. I get that. But if you want progress, you need change.”

consequence,” their hope is that their concerns will be met by the council — that at the end of the latest 60-day moratorium on parking fines, the policy will be killed.

“By reinstating the previous unrestricted parking, we can restore the vitality of our downtown district and support the economic viability of our community,” the petition reads. “We respectfully request that you reconsider the parking ordinance and work collaboratively with downtown businesses, as we have had a lot of negative feedback from our customers saying they no longer want to come downtown.”

“For me to enjoy downtown — to walk and look at everything and take in the sights — I just think that we really need to look at the two-hour limitation.”

But the nearly 100 people who signed the petition say they are seeing the opposite — that they feel despite the sizable investments they have made to ensure downtown is the thriving core it was intended to be, their businesses are now at risk because the city is trying to remedy what they perceive as a “non-issue.”

– Councilman Roderick White

“As representatives of these businesses, we urge you to reconsider the current parking regulations and restore the previous nonregulated parking. The following businesses have already experienced a notable decline in customer traffic and subsequent financial setbacks due to the parking ordinance,” the petition reads. “These businesses rely heavily on convenient parking options for their customers, and the recent changes have created unnecessary barriers to access. With the recent parking restrictions, potential customers are deterred from visiting our establishments, opting instead for locations with no timed parking. This has led to a direct decline in revenue for our businesses, making it increasingly challenging to sustain operations.”

And while they noted they believe what they say they are experiencing is an “unintended

It is unclear what the council will decide two months from now, but based on the feedback they provided Monday, nothing feels like a forgone conclusion.

Boyette said he was “genuinely encouraged” by improvements being made to public parking lot lighting and has been assured a Goldsboro police officer would eventually be assigned to downtown.

And Councilman Roderick White said he, too, sees some “positives.”

But he also decried what he considers an inadequate number of handicapped spaces and said during a recent trip downtown to get a haircut, it became clear that two hours was not enough time to enjoy his experience.

“For me to enjoy downtown — to walk and look at everything and take in the sights — I just think that we really need to look at the two-hour limitation,” he said.

Gaylor said his hope is that during the 60-day extension, council members will work toward “continued revisions of the process,” and made it clear that nothing is yet set in stone.

“My intent is we need to get this thing how this council wants,” he said.

For Weeks, that might very well mean the end of the policy altogether.

“I am very much not in favor of the twohour parking. Again, I just really do not believe we have a parking problem downtown,” she said Tuesday. “And I really feel like if 33 merchants have signed that petition and are losing money and customers, we really need to honor them. How can we ignore the men and women who have made downtown the success that it is?”n

John D. Lewis

Gaston Lewis

He Is Risen

In celebration of this glorious season, we will be closed Easter Sunday.

the SPECTATOR

Going green ... and clean

The St. Baldrick's Foundation wants to rid the world of childhood cancer — and several local residents, to help raise money for what they consider a more-than-worthy cause, ridded themselves of their hair at Goldsboro Brew Works: The Filling Station.

Photos by Casey Mozingo

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