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CONTENTS
4 Boyette calls search 'ridiculous'
During the Goldsboro City Council's first public discussion about its upcoming search for a permanent city manager, Councilman Chris Boyette said the process is a waste of taxpayer funds because current Interim City Manager Matthew Livingston has, in his view, earned the position.
6 BOE weighs driver shortage fix
Many future Wayne County Public Schools employees could be forced, as part of their duties, to obtain a special license and take on bus routes to help the district alleviate woes associated with its driver shortage.
10 2024 election — in review
More than 70 percent of eligable voters cast a ballot in Wayne County and a controversial officeholder lost her seat. Meanwhile, Pikeville residents are eyeing 2025 — and a chance to replace the town's embattled mayor.
14 2025 election preview
There will only be a few local elections on the ballot in 2025, but for residents of the town of Pikeville, the stakes could not be higher.
16 Our take
Veterans Day feels different this year, as local residents and military advocates continue to keep an eye on how leaders in Washington will define the future of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
20 Spectator
Stagestruck brought "Newsies" to life inside the Paramount Theatre, as local actors had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands.
STUMPF
NEWS + VIEWS
Boyette calls manager search “ridiculous”
District 2 Councilman said he believes Interim City Manager Matthew Livingston is the right man for the job and that his contract offer is a “sweetheart deal.”
BY KEN FINE
Two weeks after the majority of the Goldsboro City Council voted to not extend a contract to Interim City Manager Matthew Livingston — and to instead launch a search for the person who will ultimately lead staff inside City Hall — several members of the board said they were pulling for the man who currently holds the post.
And Councilman Chris Boyette took it a step further, characterizing the decision to hire a firm to look for a new chief executive as “ridiculous.”
“I think it’s a complete waste of tax funds and a complete waste of the city’s funds to initiate a search to find a manager that can be successful when we have a manager in that position that is successful,” he said during the council’s Nov. 4 meeting. “It’s just my opinion. I know I’m just one vote. But I think it’s ridiculous to spend taxpayer money to do a search for that position.”
Mayor Charles Gaylor was more diplomatic. He began the discussion by notifying the council that four proposals from search firms would soon be available in their email — that in all likelihood, the process would cost taxpayers between $20,000 and $35,000.
“It’s not gonna be cheap,” Gaylor said. “But we’re gonna do it and we’re gonna do it well.”
And while the mayor told Wayne Week earlier this fall that he advocated for a search from the moment, back in February, that Tim Salmon resigned his position, he stuck, Monday, to his more recent position that whatever the board decided to do moving forward, Livingston had earned his respect.
“I’ve enjoyed working with you as our interim city manager. I think you’ve done a very good job as our interim city manager,” Gaylor told Livingston during the discussion. “I hope that you will be involved in that search. I hope that you’ll be an applicant in that search. If you choose not to, I hope that you’ll remain with the city in some other capacity. But we’ll have that conversation another day.”
• • •
Had Gaylor had gotten his way, the council would have launched a search for a new city manager more than eight months ago, but
when he took the idea to the council, members balked.
“When we first made the swap off of Tim, I was very strong that it was time to go and do a search,” the mayor said in October. “We had search firms — I had two of them, actually — that had given us some pricing information on what that would look like. I took it to council.”
Several of those council members who, at the time, voted against Gaylor’s plan, said they were reluctant, back then, to agree to an immediate search because they did not want to limit the pool by asking candidates to come to Goldsboro to clean up “a mess” that included a Finance Department that was still not caught up on its audits.
But last month, four members were finally ready to bite the bullet.
And during the council’s pre-meeting closed session Oct. 21, two official votes were held — one that rejected offering Livingston a contract and another that launched the search.
Councilwoman Jamie Taylor, Councilwoman Hiawatha Jones, Mayor Pro Tem Brandi Matthews, and Councilman Roderick White were the four who green-lit the search.
But according to sources inside the room, Matthews nearly voted the other way — offering the “three who wanted Matt” her vote as the “fourth” to give them a majority if they revealed the identity of the confidential source that has provided Wayne Week information about private discussions involving former City Councilman Antonio Williams’ lawsuit against the city and the preliminary audit report from the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor that uncovered wrongdoing committed inside City Hall by staff and council members during Salmon’s tenure.
“It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard,” one of the sources said. “She was literally trying to extort council members so she could go after who was talking out of closed session. And what’s wild is that my understanding is whoever it was who was talking is federally protected because they are a whistleblower. In my mind, I was shaking my head.”
And when the room fell “silent,” Matthews stuck to her word — casting a vote, instead, to hire a search firm.
“How are you gonna play that kind of game when the discussion is about the future of our
city?” the source said. “And that right there is our mayor pro tem. What a disgrace.”
No mention was made Monday of the Oct. 21 votes — or why they unfolded in closed session in violation of North Carolina Open Meetings Law.
But Boyette did talk, generally, about something he suggested should have stayed behind closed doors — a contract Livingston brought to the board that the councilman told the public was too good to pass up.
“I know we can’t discuss that contract because it’s not a public document … but that contract that has been presented to us, I don’t know another way to say it, it’s a sweetheart deal,” he said.
And while he did not, initially, elaborate further, Human Resources Director Burnadette Carter-Dove was asked to provide her analysis of Livingston’s salary — and how it compared to similar positions.
“We have done several internal compensation comparisons with other municipalities in our area and outside the area,” Dove said. “I can tell you that the current salary that our manager is making is low. … We are very thankful for what we have, and what (Livingston) has settled for in the city of Goldsboro.”
Boyette then chimed in one last time.
“I would remind the council of that particular parameter in the contract that has been presented to us and also point out that any time that the council is ready to move on that contract, that contract is still before us for consideration and approval,” he said. “It could be voted on and approved to accept that contract as presented.”
No motion was made to do so.
It is unclear when the council will hire a search firm, but Gaylor committed Tuesday to ensuring things moved as quickly as possible.
And in the meantime, sources inside City Hall confirmed that several department heads have requested the opportunity to advocate for Livingston — and gain an understanding of why the council felt a search was necessary — during meetings with individual elected officials set to unfold in the coming days.•
Chris Boyette (right)
If you have been with Wayne Week since the beginning — or signed up within our first few weeks — you are nearing the end of your 1-year subscription period.
WCPS policy would require many new hires to drive buses
In an effort to solve the district’s driver shortage crisis, Board of Education members are considering requiring nutrition workers, custodians, and instructional assistants to get special licenses — and to run bus routes.
BY KEN FINE
If the Wayne County Board of Education approves the measure presented to them Nov. 4, future Wayne County Public Schools instructional assistants, school nutrition workers, and custodians will be required to “obtain and hold” a commercial driver’s license and be willing to serve as a bus driver as a condition of their employment.
WCPS spokesman Ken Derksen said the proposal is “intended to be another tool that the school district can use to help address the bus driver vacancy challenges being experienced by some schools” — and emphasized that it would not impact current employees of the district.
But despite multiple requests, including one that specified the topic and noted a 10-minute phone call would suffice, Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard did not make himself available for questions about the potential employment requirement — and instead relayed, through Derksen, that “his schedule” would not “permit him to be able to speak” with Wayne Week
Had he agreed to the interview, Whichard would have been asked if he was concerned that the policy might discourage people from applying for instructional assistant, nutrition, and custodial positions within WCPS — that, in other words, it could add, to the bus driver shortage crisis, creating voids in departments responsible for, among other things, feeding students and maintaining sanitary conditions on campuses.
Here is the policy as it was presented. It is worth noting that unless the BOE decides otherwise, two more reads are required before it can be approved:
School Bus Driver Agreement
I, ______________________________, understand that as a condition of new or continued employment as a teacher assistant, cafeteria worker, or custodian first hired or re-employed after January 1, 2025, or a bus monitor hired, on, or after, [DATE], I am required to hold or obtain and to maintain a valid North Carolina Commercial Driver’s License (“CDL”) with P & S Endorsements (with school bus driver certification) to operate a school bus on a regular or substitute basis, as needed.
Subject to the medical exemption provided in Policy 7401, Duty to Drive a School Bus and Exemption, I acknowledge that the duties set forth in Policy 7401 are considered essential function of this position and my inability or unwillingness to drive a school bus may result in loss of employment with Wayne County Schools.
Employee’s Signature Date
To ensure that the school system maintains a sufficient number of qualified school bus drivers and substitute school bus drivers to efficiently and effectively operate the school transportation system, all instructional assistants, school nutrition program workers, and custodians first hired or re-employed following a break in continuous service after January 1, 2025 (as set forth in Policy 7400), must obtain or already hold
a North Carolina Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with P&S Endorsements (School Bus Certification) and be willing to drive a school bus within 180 days of their start date. Bus driving duty shall be considered an essential function for each of these positions.
CURRENT EMPLOYEES
Employees subject to this policy shall sign a bus driver agreement and obtain or
maintain a CDL with P&S Endorsements (School Bus Certification) as a condition of their new or continued employment with Wayne County Schools. Nothing in this policy is intended to establish or create a right to drive a school bus.
Instructional assistants, school nutrition program workers, and custodians, employed prior to January 1, 2025, and continuously re-employed with no break
Continued on page 8
Wayne County!
in service since that date, and prior to the effective date of this policy, are exempt from this policy and are not required to obtain or maintain a valid CDL with P&S Endorsements (School Bus Certification) and sign the bus driver agreement.
All instructional assistants, school nutrition program workers, and custodians currently employed by Wayne County Schools and who are subject to this policy and do not have a bus driver agreement on file with the Human Resources Department must, within 30 days of the effective date of this policy, execute a bus driver agreement. Additionally, within 180 days of the effective date of this policy, all employees subject to this policy must:
1. Obtain a North Carolina Department of Transportation Medical Card or a North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles Medical Waiver from a licensed health care provider allowing the employee to drive a school bus in NC; and
2. Make a good faith effort to register for and attend the first available bus certification class offered. Continued employment is contingent upon the employee completing all requirements and obtaining a CDL with P&S Endorsement (School Bus Certification) within 180 days of the effective date of this policy.
NEW EMPLOYEES
Prior to their first date of employment with Wayne County Schools, all individuals hired as instructional assistants (Excluding Exceptional Children Teacher Assistants), school nutrition workers, or custodians, whether a new hire or a re-hire for an annual position, shall:
1. Sign a bus driver agreement;
2. Obtain a CDL Permit with P&S Endorsements (School Bus Certification) and schedule a driving test according to their individual permit status in coordination with the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
3. Obtain a North Carolina Department of Transportation Medical Card or a North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles Medical Waiver form a licensed health care provider allowing the employee to drive a school bus in NC.
Beginning January 1, 2025 the exclusion to drive a bus for non-EC Teacher Assistants will be at the Superintendent’s discretion.
Employment as an instructional assistant, school nutrition worker, or custodian is contingent upon the employee completing all requirements and obtaining the appropriate license and certification within 180 days of their first date of employment.
ASSIGNMENT AS A SCHOOL BUS DRIVER
All employees subject to this policy must be available and willing to drive a regular
bus route as needed and as directed by their school principal.
Any instructional assistant, school nutrition program worker, or custodian subject to this policy who is not currently assigned a regular bus route will be expected to drive a school bus when a substitute school bus driver is needed.
Failure to drive a school bus may result in loss of employment. Additionally, all employees subject to this policy who are not assigned a regular bus route or serving as a substitute school bus driver may be required to serve as a bus monitor.
EXEMPTIONS
Employees subject to this policy may qualify for an exemption from this policy. Employees who are exempt from this policy may be required to serve as a school bus monitor or perform other duties upon school administration’s request.
1. Generally Employees who do not meet the medical certification requirements for and are not approved for a Medical Waiver to obtain a CDL with P&S Endorsements (School Bus Certification) from the Division of Motor Vehicles must promptly provide a copy of the Department of Transportation medical examination report completed by a licensed health care provider to the Human Resources Department and will be exempt
from the duty to drive a school bus for the duration of the disabling medical condition.
2. Temporary Local Medical Exemption
A Temporary Local Medical Exemption for employees with a current CDL with P&S Endorsements (School Bus Certification) will be handled at the lowest level possible. These exemptions will be for short durations based on an employee’s request supported by a note from a licensed health care provider for a specific amount of time. These exemptions are not permanent and will typically be granted for six (6) months or less. Temporary Local Medical Exemptions are only available to employees who already hold a valid CDL with P&S Endorsements (School Bus Certification). For example, an employee who is prescribed medication which requires that they not drive while on the medication can be temporarily exempted by the school level Bus Supervisor or Director of Transportation.
3. Local Long-Term Medical Exemption
If an employee does not receive a Medical Waiver from the Division of Motor Vehicles and is therefore ineligible to obtain a CDL with P&S Endorsements (School Bus Certification), the employee may submit a written request for a Local Long-Term Medical Exemption to the Human Resources Department.•
WAYNE COUNTY VOTED
More than 70 percent of Wayne County's registered voters cast a ballot during the 2024 election, with the overwhelming majority doing so before Election Day.
And while most local officeholders remain the same after nobody challenged them in the general after a busy primary season, one incumbent was sent packing — in blowout fashion.
Embattled Register of Deeds Constance Coram will lose her position after Tina Arnder beat her by more than 12,000 votes.
But Arnder will not be the only new face serving after being sworn in. Bridgette Cowan will take a seat on the Wayne County Board of Education after Patricia Burden decided to not run for re-election.
And the Superior Court will get a new judge, Billy Strickland, who celebrated a 6,000-vote victory.
The following section contains a data-driven reflection of the elections and a way-too-early look at a 2025.
TOTAL EARLY VOTES CAST IN WAYNE COUNTY
TOTAL EARLY VOTES CAST
IN WAYNE COUNTY
GOLDSBORO
WAYNE COUNTY
NOTE: All data is current as of press time.
SOURCE: Wayne County Board of Elections
x designates an incumbent who ran unopposed
ELECTION 2024: LOCAL RACE RESULTS IN WAYNE COUNTY
WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: AT-LARGE
Wayne Aycock: 36,814
WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: DISTRICT 1
x Barbara Aycock: 8,536
WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: DISTRICT 2
Antonio Williams: 4,259 Steve Wiggins: 2,069
WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: DISTRICT 3
x Bevan Foster: 6,557
WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: DISTRICT 4
x Tim Harrell: 7,407
WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: DISTRICT 5
x Chris Gurley: 7,372
WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: DISTRICT 6
X Joe Daughtery: 6,080
WAYNE COUNTY REGISTER OF DEEDS
Tina Arnder: 32,170 Constance Coram: 19,931
WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION: AT-LARGE
Tommy Sanders: 24,344 Kathy Larson: 16,892
WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION: DISTRICT 2
x Len Henderson: 4,333
WAYNE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION: DISTRICT 3
Bridgette Cowan: 4,274 Richard Taylor: 2,295
N.C. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: DISTRICT 010
John Bell: 24,357 Beatrice Jones: 15,638
N.C. STATE SENATE: DISTRICT 04
Buck Newton: 30,722 Raymond Smith Jr.: 22,004
N.C. SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE: DISTRICT 09B SEAT 01
Billy Strickland: 29,754 Ericka James: 23,077
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ELECTION 2025
A way-too-early look at 2025
As voters decompress after a busy election season, many Pikeville residents have their eye on next November.
BY RENEE CAREY
As Wayne County residents reflect on the results of the 2024 election season — and contest winners look toward their future assignments — it would be safe to assume that most are not looking ahead to November 2025 just yet.
In fact, for the vast majority, there will not be a local vote of consequence required of them until 2026.
But for those who reside in Pikeville, a high-growth area which has, since June, been embroiled in a scandal involving its mayor, Garrett Johnston, many are already working behind the scenes to determine whom they will support to replace him as filing deadlines approach.
It started with the publication of the contents of a several-hour conversation between Johnston and two town residents — a discussion that was recorded and subsequently released without the mayor’s knowledge.
And while Johnston has refused to step down despite being excoriated by hundreds of local residents for incendiary remarks he made about nearly every town employee, including Police Chief Rodney Jarman and Town Manager Tim Biggerstaff — both of whom have publicly called for his resignation — what he said has not been forgotten.
He lied about having support from the Local Government Commission and House Majority Leader John Bell to change the town’s form of
government — a maneuver that was ultimately squashed as a result of public pressure.
He called Jarman a “no neck,” “big ass,” “narcissist,” and said the “law enforcement crowd” was “guys with daddy issues that need a badge to feel powerful.”
He made fun of an employee he said was “dyslexic” and therefore could not be trusted to “read meters,” and claimed another, who was recovering from cancer, was “basically just here for the benefits.”
And his most searing evaluation, which he gave to Biggerstaff, included name-calling and an inference that there was something inappropriate about the fact that the manager had adopted a 13-year-old boy.
The aftermath of the publication of Johnston’s comments saw more than 100 residents converge on the Pikeville-Pleasant Grove Fire Department July 8 — most to confront the mayor and demand his immediate resignation.
But he declined to do so, leaving his fate in the hands of those voters who will head to the polls in less than a year.
Quietly, several potential candidates for the post have emerged in recent months as it remains unclear whether Johnston will seek re-election.
But the mayor did, at that public meeting in July, offer his reasoning for staying on the board.
“How many politicians take hits worse than this?” he said. “They don’t quit.”•
{ our TAKE
}
WHY WE FIGHT
This week, the nation will pause to remember.
Some will thank a veteran — either those they see in uniform or those they know have served in the past.
Others will think about the thousands of U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who are currently deployed in dangerous places around the world — and the families they have left behind.
Veterans Day is a national commitment to acknowledge the sacrifices that are being made —
right now — to keep this country safe and free.
It is a big deal in many places around the country — and a national holiday.
As it should be.
Flags will fly, parades will be held, and there will be speeches and honors bestowed — a nation’s moment of gratitude.
And, most importantly, the country will think — even if only for a day — about the people who fight every day to make sure their flag waves and their freedoms are protected.
Nothing prevents warfare or promotes peace
more than putting faces to the uniforms that are on the backs of those on whom we rely to fight.
We sleep well because we know they are there — because they grab a gun or load up a plane to make sure that nothing is going to hurt us, not on their watch.
We know they will be there not only for their nation, but for other innocents who need them around the world.
They are heroes in every sense of the word.
And this nation should be grateful for that, not just this week, but every day.
Veterans Day allows us to think about not only the potential losses that could come, but also to acknowledge those whose lives have been forever altered when they served.
We can pause to honor those who have lost limbs, suffered brain injuries, or whose service left a mark that will be with them forever.
Being a nation that honors those who serve requires us to think about them, too, and to acknowledge the high cost of freedom.
And we will, on Veterans Day — and hopefully, every day — remember those who have taken
that oath and stood those posts. They have sacrificed so much for us.
So, yes, on Nov. 11, this nation will pause to say thank you.
But here in Wayne County, we don’t need a day in November to remember.
We have been part of this nation’s family of service members for decades — and the home away from home for both young men and women serving their first posts and seasoned warriors who have many deployments under their belt.
We know it matters, a lot, so we don’t wait for a designated day.
That’s why we show how much the service members in our community mean to us with small gestures and in big ways — with everything from a simple “thank you” or a secretly paid check at a restaurant to watching over families who have to manage life or the holidays without someone they care about.
Our schools take care of the children, and neighbors keep an eye on families.
And we do it because we know that service members are not the only ones who serve.
And we do not forget those who have served us across the generations — the sacrifices they have made, the memories that have changed their lives forever, or their reverence and sorrow for their comrades in arms who did not make it home.
We remember that, too.
This community and its residents have rallied around Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and the men and women who serve there for generations.
Families who have had a patriarch who has served on the Military Affairs Committee now have a son or daughter holding the seat.
It is a responsibility that has been passed like a sacred torch — and one this community takes seriously.
We know it matters. We know they matter. So, that’s why, on this Veterans Day eve, we want the community to remember that the fight for our veterans and for our base is not over.
It is no secret that Seymour Johnson is facing the possibility of being relegated to a training base, and one of its storied squadrons facing deactivation.
It is the kind of decision that comes from Washington bureaucrats and military leaders who are charged with looking at dollars, cents, and statistics and not the heart of the community where a base is located.
It is our job to remind those who are making those decisions in the capital about just how much this community has supported — and supports — SJAFB.
So, when there is a Veterans Day commemoration, we show up, just like we have for years. And when there is a chance to show military personnel why this community is truly their home away from home, we should be there. Relationships are what keep bases thriving
and protected in a community.
It is a skill that has been perfected by those who have been the advocates for Seymour Johnson in years past — like Troy Pate Jr. and the late Hal Tanner Jr. — and that have gotten us the years of the positive relationship we have had with the Air Force.
That’s why when Pate walked into the Pentagon, people would leave their offices to greet him in the hallway.
They knew he got it — that he really cared — because those generals and other high-ranking Air Force personnel passed through this county on their way to other posts and knew that they had a home away from home on Evergreen Avenue.
And they never forgot — particularly when the Base Realignment and Closure process nearly shuttered SJAFB.
We need more connections like the ones Pate and Tanner fostered for generations.
And that brings us to a hard truth — and a call to arms.
There are many people who think that any criticism of those who are charged with forming those relationships today is a strike against the base itself — that it could potentially damage the possibility of keeping Seymour Johnson here and whole.
That’s just not true.
So, it would have been OK to have admitted that we missed the signs that the 4th Fighter Wing and its fleet were in jeopardy.
But when the warning was sounded that the base could be headed for major changes, those who run the organizations we trust to watch over our interests in Washington dismissed the concerns.
“Everything is fine,” they said.
It wasn’t.
So, city and county leaders have hired a lobbying firm to get us back on track — professionals who are being asked to get us the information, to re-establish the connections, and to make sure the base’s future is secure.
And that is what we need right now — serious hard work and information, as well as accountability.
We cannot reconstruct those strong relationships and advocacy that we have enjoyed for decades until we do.
So, before you hear a call for “more funding” — and you already heard some it at the tail end of the Goldsboro City Council’s Nov. 4 meeting — remember this.
Now is not the time for more money for wining and dining Air Force brass. It is about serious intervention — state and local leaders who are ready to fight for our community and remembering that the work of keeping a base in this community is not just about fancy parties and VIP tickets at the air show.
In other words …
It. Takes. Actual. Work.
The good news is we have already seen some yeoman’s efforts.
Sen. Ted Budd and Rep. Don Davis are why
we have a chance.
Their efforts to alter the decisions made regarding the F-15E are why we are still in the game.
But don’t be fooled by press releases and spin.
Anyone who really knows understands that there is a lot more work to be done.
The decisions will be made in the future — the near future — and if we do not continue to be in the conversation and to hold our lobbying firm accountable we will not be able to impact those outcomes.
So, we need advocates who are focused, informed, and who know our community and the professionals who understand what is about to happen in Washington and who know the players who will make the decisions.
And we have many of those “experts” in the statehouse, too — advocates who fight every day.
House Majority Leader John Bell has been a champion for SJAFB since he cut his teeth fighting construction of wind turbines that would have put an end to low-level Strike Eagle training flights.
He knows whom to talk to and what to say.
He has important connections.
He has the governor — and governor-elect’s — ear.
Without him, we do not have enough of a voice.
So, while we can talk about more money for local efforts to support the base, it is perhaps less
important to pad the budget of local advocates than to invest in much more dedicated pursuits. We are in the heat of a battle that has serious implications for our future.
This is not about dinners and parties. Not anymore.
And we, the people, have a job, too. All of us. We need to keep doing what we do best — helping make our community feel like home for the thousands of airmen and their families who come through Wayne County.
We can create those relationships and nurture them every day, on every street, in our neighborhoods, schools, and community.
It is why so many service members choose to come back after they retire.
It is why we — and so many of you — have created lifelong friendships.
We have made this their adopted hometown. And we are the key to keeping it that way — on Veterans Day and every day.
So, we hope you will join us as we do everything in our power to ensure the 4th remains first and Team Seymour always has a home right here in Wayne County.
And we hope that as you line the streets of downtown Goldsboro during what promises to be another incredible Veterans Day Parade, you will remember that the men and women bringing unmatched air power to those who threaten our freedoms are why we, in our own way, fight.•
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GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
There has been a bit of excitement at the last few Goldsboro City Council meetings.
And, frankly, it left us scratching our heads and wondering if some members of the board really understand ethical behavior — or the importance of the decision of who will lead the city as its next manager.
You see, there are some shenanigans going on — again.
And as all of us have learned over the last few years — by watching the personnel decisions of multiple public bodies, including the city — when there are shenanigans, there is something shady on the agenda.
So, we found it a bit odd that after “deciding” in October during an illegal discussion in a closed session to conduct a search to fill the job vacated by former city manager, Tim Salmon, the decision seemed to be a little less firm at the city’s Nov. 4 meeting.
There was a push made to keep the current interim city manager, Matthew Livingston — that he should simply be appointed to the job without a search.
After an impassioned statement from council member Chris Boyette saying that conducting a search “would be a complete waste of tax funds” and insisting that Livingston has earned the seat, he then posited that the contract Livingston offered the council was a “sweetheart deal” and that hiring him would be another smart fiscal decision.
And then, the city’s Human Resources director was summoned to the podium to further assert that the price her current — and possibly upcoming — boss was offering to accept for being the city’s next chief executive was indeed a bargain.
If you found your mouth dropping open after hearing that a current employee of the city manager was asked to attest to the efficacy of his proposed contract in a public meeting, on the record, in front of God and everybody else, remember that just a couple weeks ago, those same council members defended a decision to hold discussions of the city manager’s employment and performance in private because of “personnel concerns.”
Sheesh.
But oh, there was more. Much more.
We learned that, perhaps, the reason behind the momentum to bag the decision to conduct a search was because one of the votes against extending Livingston a contract was “negotiable.”
It seems that one council member — one who has had more than a few occasions where she has said things she did not intend for the public to hear — decided to make an offer during the closed session in October.
You see, Mayor Pro Tem Brandi Matthews was willing to make a deal — her vote to hire Livingston in exchange for the identity of the source who has been sharing some of the information from those closed sessions with Wayne Week. Yep, you heard that right.
Matthews’ red-eyed and furious need to know the identity of the secret source was enough for her to put her vote up “for sale.”
Wow.
Let’s forget about the obvious problem with a council member who makes such an offer.
Unethical is putting it lightly.
And it is particularly nauseating that this behavior came from the No. 2 on the board — a woman we, once upon a time, endorsed, by the way, because we hoped her incredible leadership qualities and care for her district would move her toward a bright future.
But what is really troubling is that her “proposal” reveals that Matthews’ first thought was not what was best for the citizens of Goldsboro, but rather satisfying her own curiosity, and perhaps trying to exact a little bit of revenge.
In case you are not aware, the people Matthews is bargaining with have nothing to offer her.
They don’t know who our source is — and they never will.
And you, the community, should be grateful to that whistleblower.
The person who is sharing information is very much concerned about the direction the city has taken in the past and wants to ensure that the real story, the real information, gets to the taxpayers, residents, and voters who have entrusted their city’s future to this council.
And there is a reason, obviously, based on what we have learned about the search for a new city manager.
We can’t believe we have to say this, but look, this is an important job.
We have seen it over and over again — a lessthan-vetted candidate coronated into a position ending up being more of a problem than a solution.
And we have seen what happens when a real search is done, with definable criteria and a hire earns the offer.
The first results in more trouble like late audits, misappropriated COVID funds, and personnel complaints.
The latter results in budget-conscious, responsible leadership that takes an organization forward.
Goldsboro cannot afford another round what we got last time.
But there is something else to consider here, too. Livingston is, by all accounts, an impressive man with a real passion for Goldsboro and the employees that make the city function.
And it is not his fault that the council has left him in the lurch for eight months — or that his employees are now comfortable with him as their boss.
This mess, in other words, is not of his making — but rather, a result of a perfect storm that includes an inexperienced council and a mess left by his predecessor that, quite necessarily, dragged this process out.
Where does that leave us?
Honestly, kind of all over the place. For starters, Boyette is right. Livingston has
probably earned the city manager position and in a perfect world, a contract could be signed and the city could move forward.
But Gaylor was also right when he said that a search was always the best practice when it came to a job of such import.
That is why we have said, and will repeat, that the latter is, in our view, the safest play — unless something changes dramatically in the coming weeks.
Here’s why:
Livingston should not have to settle for what Boyette characterized Monday as a sweetheart deal.
His employment should not be based on some low-ball city manager salary bid.
If he is, in fact, the right man for the job, he should get the money he deserves.
So, if those who are supporting him are so certain that he is the right person for the job, so much so that he should skip the vetting process altogether, why not make it a done deal by conducting the search and then making it official?
That is the only way the council will be able to rise above the scrutiny of those who have already lost faith in government.
And it will also send a message to the public that no one on this board feels that after they ascended to his or her seat they immediately attained the golden crucible of supreme intelligence and flawless judgment.
So, yes, this is a tough situation.
And yes, it was botched from Day One — even if the reason is totally understandable.
But we cannot help but wonder why in the world Livingston wouldn’t want to earn the job the cleanest way?
Why wouldn’t you put your credentials up against any other applicant who wants to lead Goldsboro?
He has done the work for eight months and changed the culture — in great ways — inside City Hall.
He has earned the faith of several council members, including the mayor.
Now, it’s time to silence those who have every reason to believe something shady is going on by bringing on the competition.
And again, it’s worth noting that the general consensus among city employees is that Livingston has done a good job stepping in as interim city manager.
He has done the work — minus a couple pretty rookie mistakes — and has gotten the city into a stable state post-Salmon.
And yes, he deserves credit for that effort.
We understand something else, too.
Of course city employees want to see Livingston continue.
They are still reeling from their experience with Salmon — and are just glad that they no longer have to deal with the stress and the problems they say were a daily part of their workday.
It’s better. It really is.
But those who say that is no reason to coronate a city manager have a point as well.
Here’s why:
The city of Goldsboro faces some significant challenges ahead, not the least of which is getting the work done on infrastructure improvements, massive sewer plant concerns, and making sure the city’s financial health remains on track.
And in the interest of complete honesty, we were stunned to hear the council and mayor jump up and down about the fact that FIVE YEARS later, the city of Goldsboro finally has a clean audit that was submitted on time.
City Finance Director Catherine Gwynn has done an abysmal job of managing the city’s audits — and should be one of the first people on the new city manager’s evaluation list, not getting credit for finally getting it right after a half-decade.
And that could, potentially, be a reason to consider a fresh set of eyes.
But just because there might be a new city manager is no reason for current city employees to clutch their pearls.
Those who are doing a good job — and most really are — might be pleasantly surprised by the result of a search.
Look at the difference having a vetted leader has made in the county schools.
And again, there is absolutely a chance that Livingston will be that best choice for the city.
But if he is, he should be paid commensurate with that experience and confidence, not as a bargain basement substitute.
Too often, leaders in this community have tried to save money in all the wrong ways — either by postponing decisions until small molehills became big mountains or by trying to get workers and work done on the cheap.
It doesn’t work. It just doesn’t.
We can point to example after example of good old boy deals and back scratching that ended up costing our communities dearly.
No one should ever walk into any job that matters in this community without so much as a hard look and a little competition — no matter what the powers that be behind the scenes have planned.
Goldsboro is at a crossroads, a place where the next few years will be permanently altered by the decisions that its leaders make right now.
Residents deserve the best we can get to make that roadmap.
So, we look forward to seeing if Livingston has what it takes to put his credentials before the people and to earn the job without a quid, pro, quo.
If he does, he will have not only earned the confidence of the community, but he will also have earned the title.
And, perhaps most importantly, the council will have given the public no room to question its motives.•
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the SPECTATOR
Actors and actresses from StageStruck dazzled the crowd inside the Paramount Theatre Nov. 3 during the production of "Newsies."
