The Wayne County Board of Commissoners approved a land purchase that could pave the way for a new Brogden Primary School. page 6
IN MEMORIAM
Pikeville lost a giant this week when former Town Board member Lyman Galloway passed away. Page 11
Some Mount Olive residents are blowing the whistle after learning that Mount Olive Interim Town Manager Glenn Holland — who is also now the town's bonded finance officer — is working for two other municipalities.
BY KEN FINE / P.12
OCTOBER 26, 202 5 Volume 3, Issue 12 NEWOLDNORTH.COM
WAYNE WEEK (ISSN 2993-9666) is published weekly — except the week of Christmas, Easter, and July 4 — for $125 per year by New Old North Media, LLC, 219 N. John Street, Goldsboro, NC, 27530. Periodicals postage paid at at Goldsboro, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WAYNE WEEK, 219 N. John Street, Goldsboro, NC 27530.
CONTENTS
4 N.C. Republicans OK new map
Congressman Don Davis will now face an uphill battle should he choose to run to return to Washington in 2026.
6 New Brogden Primary is in play
The Wayne County Board of Commissioners, at the request of members of the Board of Education, approved the purchase of 56 acres school district leaders hope will soon house a new Brogden Primary School.
8 Work to begin at Union Station
Members of the Goldsboro City Council approved a contract with T.A. Loving Company that will, in the coming months, result in the stabilization of the Wayne County landmark.
11 Pikeville giant passes
He served his country during the Vietnam War — and was honored by his nation for valor. But in his later years, Lyman Galloway decided to fight for Pikeville, the community he and his wife fell in love with after his time in the Air Force was through.
14 Cover story
Some Mount Olive residents are speaking out after learning that the town's interim manager — who also serves as its bonded finance officer — is currently working for two other municipalities.
18 Spectator
High school photojournalist Seth Hendricks shot both the Wayne Christian and Eastern Wayne Home coming games.
20 Public Notices
NEWS + VIEWS
N.C. Republicans pass new map
Don Davis is the member of Congress most likely to lose his seat in 2026 as a result of the change.
Two votes that unfolded in Raleigh earlier this week that fell along party lines secured a victory for the Trump Administration, as members of the North Carolina Senate and House acknowledged that the congressional maps that will now be used in the 2026 midterm election were designed to ensure the president retained the mandate lawmakers say he earned in 2024 and therefore deserves to keep.
But Congressman Don Davis, who currently represents, among other communities, Wayne County — and is the incumbent who was universally identified as the target of the redistricting move — said the maneuver “goes against our core values.”
“Many from across eastern North Carolina, including both Democrats and Republicans, have reached out to me to make it clear that they are not asking for a new congressional map,” he said before the votes. “They believe that this fundamentally goes against our core values and would undermine everything we stand for.”
The map passed anyway, and reflects the latest development in a back and forth that began when Texas lawmakers approved a map designed to send an additional five Republican members of Congress to Washington.
Since then, California Democrats and Missouri Republicans have followed suit.
And now that North Carolina has done the same, lawmakers in Kansas, Utah, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Indiana — legislatures controlled by both Republicans and Democrats — are considering making district line adjustments of their own.
Wayne Week has reached out to Davis, through his senior advisor, Hannah Spengler, for comment on whether he intends to seek a return to Washington via the newly drawn 3rd Congressional District, but did not, as of press time, receive a response.
Should Davis ultimately make himself available, his thoughts will appear in a future edition of the paper. n
— From staff reports
FORMER DISTRICT M AP
NEW MAP AS OF OCTOBER 22, 2025
First step taken toward new Brogden Primary
The Wayne County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of more than 50 acres of land Wayne County Public Schools officials hope will one day house a new Brogden Primary School .
BY KEN FINE
In a move that Wayne County Public Schools leaders are characterizing as a “huge first step,” the Wayne County Board of Commissioners approved, during its Oct. 21 meeting, the purchase of 56 acres of land WCPS hopes will one day be the home of a new Brogden Primary School.
And now that the deal has been given the green light, the school district can apply for a Needs-Based School Construction Grant that would fund 85 percent of the construction of the school.
In a letter sent by WCPS Superintendent Dr. Marc Whichard to County Manager Chip Crumpler that was obtained by Wayne Week, Whichard said the current Brogden Primary facility had “reached the end of its life cycle” — a comment that is consistent with concerns he has been raising about the condition of the school since shortly after he signed on to lead the district in 2023.
In fact, in August of that year at a Wayne County Board of Education retreat, he told members of the school board that from 50-year-old mobile units being used as classrooms to a deteriorating interior of the main facility, the conditions at the school were an “emergency.”
“When (the principal) was showing me around her building, I propped up on a window. Luckily, I didn’t prop up and lean up. It would have fallen out, it was so rotten. And, when I pulled my hand back, there were insects that came out,” Whichard said then. “Brogden Primary, after we get Fremont settled, it’s not just a blinking light. It’s a strobe red light, in terms of emergency issues.”
The land, itself, which is located off Old Mount Olive Highway, is currently owned by Burch Farms LLC and “directly abuts” the existing school, a fact the superintendent said bring with it “numerous advantages.”
“We will be able to connect directly to the sewer line that the current school uses which will save on costs during construction. Existing traffic patterns and roads around the school can potentially be modified to improve school traffic,” he wrote. “Most significantly, the gym, cafeteria, playground, and fourteen classrooms on the fourth-grade wing at the current school were recently renovated and would be reused in the construction of the new Brogden Primary School. According to a recent estimate I received, this would save up to $13,000,000 in construction costs.”
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund was established by the General Assembly in 2017 to “assist counties with their critical public school building capital needs,” and grants are funded with revenue generated from the North Carolina Education Lottery.
Money is only, however, available to eligible counties and those who receive funding for an elementary school like Brogden Primary are capped at $42 million.
Should Wayne County receive a grant from NCDPI, the state would require a 15-percent match, but until the plan is complete, it is unclear how much county taxpayers would be expected to contribute.
Tuesday evening, Whichard offered additional justification for pursuing a new Brogden Primary School — and heaped praise on commissioners for continuing to make decisions he believes are strengthening ties between the county board and their counterparts on the Board of Education.
“With Fremont Elementary completed, and the new Rosewood Middle underway, Brogden Primary is the next aging school on the Wayne County Board of Education’s list to be replaced. The main building which houses the majority of students was built in 1955 and is in dire need of a facilities replacement,” he told Wayne Week “I sincerely appreciate the ongoing support of our county commissioners. They continue to be a tremendous partner as we look towards the future of our schools in Wayne County. As I have shared with them, this land purchase will have many benefits.” n
Dog of the Month
Council OKs first phase of Union Station stabilization effort
In less than two years, nearly $1.5 million has been raised to save the Wayne County landmark.
BY KEN FINE
Passenger trains might not yet be passing through downtown Goldsboro, but in the coming months, residents will start to see an increase of activity at historic Union Station, as members of the Goldsboro City Council approved a contract with T.A. Loving Company Oct. 20 that marked the beginning of stabilization of the deteriorating landmark.
And when, moments after the vote, former Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation Executive Director Julie Metz provided the board with an update on the project, she, on more than one occasion, got emotional talking about those who did not live to see the station’s next chapter begin.
Without them, she said, the building — and the memories made inside it during the more than 100 years since it was constructed — would have been lost.
But the truth is, it was Metz, who launched the Saving Union Station group in late 2023, who many believe deserves much of the credit for the rebirth that will soon be possible once T.A. Loving completes “Phase One” of the stabilization effort.
It started two years ago when, long after she resigned her post, Metz got wind of an appraisal report from Birch-Ogburn & Co. — an assessment that valued the Wayne County landmark at negative $791,100 and outlined “detrimental conditions found within the property.”
And she learned that without nearly $1.5 million to stabilize the facility — money that would need to be raised quickly — Union Station would, quite literally, fall to the ground.
So, she put together a PowerPoint presentation and a cadre of advocates.
She successfully persuaded both the City Council and Wayne County Board of Commissioners to contribute $375,000 apiece to the effort.
And she wrote, pro bono, a grant that recently netted another $600,000-plus for the project.
When asked by Wayne Week at the onset of her effort why she was taking the condition of Union Station so personally, she replied that in her view, everyone who has ever lived in Goldsboro should have the same mindset because of what it represented.
“Goldsboro was built on this station,” she said then. “So, we were built because of this building and our forefathers had great ambitions for the citizens of Goldsboro and our community.”
And as someone who had successfully championed the revitalization of downtown, she did not want to be associated with what she considered a failure by the city to protect a one-of-a-kind piece of history.
“I would think that the city should be embarrassed. They have clearly forgotten about (Union Station’s) existence over the last four years,” Metz said. “Nothing has been done to it. Even the vegetation hasn’t been dealt with.
Now, it’s just sitting here neglected and forgotten. It’s just so darned sad.”
• • •
Now that nearly all of the $1.5 million is accounted for — save for roughly $89,000 that is currently being raised in the memory of the late Judge Charles Gaylor — the work to officially save the landmark can officially begin.
And Metz unwrapped for the council exactly what T.A. Loving hopes to accomplish when Phase One kicks off in the coming weeks.
Here is what residents can expect to see:
• Temporary stabilization of key structural elements (West Portico, South Wing, East Elevation columns)
• Reconstruction of load-bearing masonry wall at West Elevation of South Wing
• Repair and replacement of wood roof brackets and roof structure at North and South wings, East and West Porticos
• Redirection of building perimeter drainage
• Repointing of critically deteriorated exterior masonry columns and wall areas
• Replacement of temporary roof structure at the truncated tower
• Roof framing repairs at North and South wings
• Remove concrete slab and debris, Interior South Wing
• Backfill crawl space of South Wing and prep for slab-on-grade
• Replacement of sump pumps
• Removal of concrete at Exterior West Wall; Backfill to finished grade elevation
Goldsboro Mayor Charles Gaylor is among those excited to see what the future holds for the station. And when he spoke to Wayne Week earlier this month about his late father’s love for the landmark, he said writing the first chapter was not about realizing a revitalized station. Rather, it was a chance to give future generations the option to be a part of its second act, should they determine it is in the best interest of the community.
That, he said, is a lesson he learned from his dad.
“A lot of what he would say was you take on a preservation project not to see it through, but so that you’re leaving the option for someone else to fix it. Because if you’re tearing it down, you know good and well that another one’s never going to get built,” the mayor said. “You’re not allowing the next generation that might be able to find a way to get it across the line that opportunity. And I have no doubt in my mind that the approach of stabilizing Union Station — just to at least ensure that that option stays on the table for whoever comes next — I know he’d stand by that, because we don’t know what the future holds unless we make a really, really firm decision to rob ourselves of the potential for a future.” n
ALLISON JULIA ALVES
- OCTOBER 14, 2025 -
With hearts full of gratitude and awe, McKayla and Aaron Alves are overjoyed to introduce our precious daughter, Allison Julia Alves, who was born early at 34 weeks at ECU Health in Greenville on October 14, 2025.
Though she arrived sooner than expected, we know God’s timing is always perfect — that He knit her together so beautifully and continues to hold her in His hands every moment.
We are already seeing His faithfulness in every tiny breath and every answered prayer, but please keep our family — Allison’s brother, Abbott James Alves, sisters, Alaina June Alves and Anna Jane Alves, and grandparents, Julia Pate, Susan and Keith Boswell, and Kelly and Robert Alves — and little Allison, herself, in your prayers as she grows stronger each day.
We trust that the same God who brought her into this world will guide her every step of the way.
“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
— Psalm 139:14
In Memorium
Galloway, a man who never stopped believing in Pikeville, passes
Lyman Galloway served his country with honor and then, found a little slice of Eastern North Carolina to call home — one he believed, until his death, was worth fighting for.
BY RENEE CAREY
Lyman Galloway loved Pikeville — so much so, in fact, that after serving for many years as a member of the town board, he couldn’t stay quiet when he saw something going on in his community that he thought did not benefit the residents of the town.
He was known for his curmudgeonly behavior — for not being shy about speaking up or worried about how he came across.
After all, his age did have its privileges.
So, when the mayor of Pikeville decided to try to sneak a form of government change through the board and didn’t make any real effort to get the input or the approval of the taxpayers he was supposed to be serving, Galloway let him know, in no uncertain terms, what he thought of the maneuver.
And when that same mayor tried to tell him he was “out of order,” Galloway told him what he thought about that, too.
We were there when it happened.
It was cinematic.
These days, those who speak up are looked upon as boat-rockers — people who just like to stir things up.
In fact, many of us sit back because we don’t want that rabble-rouser label.
And our county has suffered because of it.
But people like Lyman Galloway are not willing to let those who purport to represent their community do so without accountability and explanation.
So, they get loud — even when those in power would prefer they shut up.
But what is so interesting about Galloway and others like him is that they aren’t gadflies looking for attention.
They sincerely love their communities, and they are tired of watching them disrespected or destroyed.
And make no mistake, Galloway loved Pikeville.
He served even after his time on the board
was through, simply by holding those who were charged with carrying the leadership torch that he had to put down years ago accountable for the decisions they were making and the rules some of them were trying to break.
It was his gift — even if it was in a rather irreverent package.
We lost Lyman Galloway this week.
And it was a hit for not only those of us who respect people who speak up and stand up, but most assuredly for the people of Pikeville.
We cannot tell you the number of folks who have told us about the impact Galloway had on the community — or how much his insight mattered to those who are now trying to point the town toward a brighter star.
Yes, he was much more direct than some people would have liked.
Yes, sometimes what he said stung.
And yes, he did not suffer fools.
watched the show.
But he loved Pikeville too much — just like, we are sure, many of you respect and want to care for your little slices of Wayne County.
So, he couldn’t just sit back and shake his head, or shrug his shoulders because he “just didn’t have the time” to get involved.
He came to board meetings and said his piece. And it mattered. There are different ways to support your community.
But what Galloway lacked in finesse he made up for in determination — that the community he loved would be well-represented and well taken care of by the people who had sworn to serve it.
There is a lesson there, one we have talked about often.
And as we move forward with the next steps for this county, it is one we feel bears repeating again and again.
Your voice matters.
Galloway had other things to do.
He could easily have sat back and just
You can work to protect its history and to pass along its stories and introduce its heroes to a new generation like the late Judge Charles Gaylor — another titan we lost this year.
You can serve for decades in public office — even when your own business and family needed you — like some of the other political figures we have lost over the last few years like Ray Mayo, Chuck Allen, Al King and Rick Pridgen.
You can fight behind the scenes to make your community better, without regard to the accolades and attention you deserve but never sought, like Troy Pate, Jimmie Edmundson, and Hal Tanner Jr.
And then there is the third kind of service, the one that is accomplished every time someone speaks up when it’s not easy, who says the hard stuff when no one else has the courage to say what needs to be said, and
who doesn’t just complain in private because it could cost them to get involved publicly.
That was Lyman Galloway.
Sometimes, we need people who are brutally honest to point us in the right direction — people who those in power often wish would stay home.
We need men and women who have been a part of much bigger battles to give us perspective.
Galloway was both.
If you read his obituary, you will note that he was decorated for valor during the Vietnam War.
He saw some stuff.
He had to have.
But he did what he had to do to serve his country valiantly — understanding the cost that goes along with protecting your country and the ideals, like freedom, it stands for.
And yet, we bet many of you out there who knew him and respected him probably did not even know he had been so honored.
That was another of Galloway’s gifts. Real heroes don’t attention-seek or toot their own horns.
They serve a higher calling with dignity and respect.
And so, you see, Lyman Galloway loved his community too much not to serve it, so he did so in whatever way he could.
Our hearts go out to his family as they move forward without him.
We hope they know how much their loss will be felt and remembered by the many of us who were fortunate enough to watch him in action.
And as our final tribute, we challenge those of you in whom he left the care of his beloved community — and others who are facing challenges in their own hometowns — to be a Lyman Galloway.
If you do, you might just be a part of saving your community. n
ANOTHER CURIOUS CASE IN MOUNT OLIVE
Sometimes, figuring out what is really going on in a town is a little like trying to solve an Agatha Christie murder mystery with the help of Hercule Poirot.
(Sidebar: We always try to come up with references that resonate with our younger readers. This one is for the golden-agers among us. If you know, you know.)
For those who don’t recognize the name, Poirot was a very famous, infamous really, detective who was called in to solve some of the most complicated of crimes.
To do so, he had to keep an eye out for all sorts of not-too-easy-to-see clues, and to be a keen observer of human behavior.
So, we have been curiously watching what is going on in Mount Olive, with an eye toward seeing what the next best step is for a town that deserves to get back on track.
But before we explore the latest developments in the Curious Case of Mount Olive, let us remind you of a very important piece of information as the election that will allow you to choose a mayor and board members continues to play out at the polls.
We think only a few of the people running for positions on the board are ready for the
kind of sleuthing it is going to take to get to the bottom of the mess that has been made — financially and otherwise.
This is not a come-in-the-door-with-a conclusion-and-a-vote-to-solve-the-problems situation.
It is much deeper than that.
So, when we realized that only four of the candidates seemed up to the task — and some of them are running against each other — we suggested that perhaps we needed a few write-in possibilities.
But, on that front, a word of caution.
Be very, very careful when evaluating who you put on the ballot.
If one of them is a name that has been in any way mentioned when it comes to the Mount Olive Municipal Airport debacle — or if it is someone you believe to have been a behind-the-scenes player in some of the decision-making — DO NOT write them in.
Because there is a leadership vacuum in the town.
No question about it.
And whenever there is potential disruption in the leadership in a community, the wolves descend.
So, if it looks like there might be an ulterior motive, or if there are any questions at
all about influence, connections or involvement in the decisions that led to the airport mess, the moratorium, or the misuse of taxpayer funds, do not take the risk.
The reason we are cautioning you again, by the way — and sending a not-so-subtle hint that we need serious and qualified people to step up to serve — is that one of the first decisions that needs to be made is about the town manager.
As you know, we think Interim Town Manager Glenn Holland is a standup guy who offered to step in on a temporary basis to cover the position and to help his town out when the manager’s job was open. He did it, entirely, because he loves Mount Olive.
But he is not qualified to be the town manager, and we think he would be the first person to tell you that.
In fact, on Monday, he described himself to us as a “water guy” — and admitted he would be much more comfortable “back at the plant.”
And if the current board wanted to do right by Holland, that is where they should send him until he decides to call it a career.
Which leads us back to the analogy we started with.
We find it puzzling that the town board decided to end its search for a town manager — even though there were, reportedly, a couple of candidates with real experience and an interest in taking on the challenge. We also find it strange that Holland is currently on the payroll for two other municipalities — one in Johnston County and the other in Sampson County — and the majority of the board didn’t stop and think, “How can a man commit himself to the mountain of a task that is saving a distressed municipality from collapse when he is essentially a department head for Newton Grove and Princeton?”
In other words, any person with half a brain would know that there is zero chance Holland could, given his other professional commitments, go all-in for Mount Olive. So, let’s think like a detective.
Why, when the board had obviously chosen someone for the interim who was truly an interim — who was just a good guy trying to help his community and who was absolutely not qualified to take on such a significant project — would those same officials vote to end the search?
Interesting, huh?
And consider this, too.
Remember that we told you that the League of Municipalities had refused to work with Mount Olive because it did not have its financial house in order?
Well, why in the world would the board let Holland — again, a man with great intentions, but a self-described “water guy” with no background in accounting — become the town’s bonded finance director?
Talk about a clown show.
And here’s another thing.
We would like to think that the residents of Mount Olive deserve an explanation — for all of the above and more.
Maybe there’s a good reason the board spent thousands of tax dollars only to end up suspending its town manager search.
Maybe they believe Holland can give 110 percent as town manager while he’s, at the same time, serving the residents of Princeton and Newton Grove.
(News flash: Holland told us Monday he understands that working other jobs while he is supposed to be running Town Hall looks bad and if he needed to stop doing one or the other to make that bad look go away, he would choose to stop being Mount Olive’s interim chief executive because his heart is with the OTHER work.)
Maybe the three board members who represented the majority that made this decision — you know, the three who opted to not run for reelection — have a story to tell about why this is “right” for you, the taxpayers.
Maybe Mayor Jermone Newton has thoughts. Well, we — and many of you who stay in touch with our team and share your concerns with us almost daily — would certainly love to hear from them.
But, you see, nobody can seem to get anyone to answer a question — except for a few board members and residents who are as flummoxed about what is going on as we are.
And there has been exactly zero discussion of any of this during Town Board meetings.
That’s right.
We are the ones who announced the end of the manager search to Mount Olive residents.
The board has still not publicly justified that move.
But let’s get back to playing detective. There are some factions in the Mount Olive government.
And there is a battle going on for control — with some pretty significant players who have been able to have their way for many years, if not decades, through employment with the town and/or family connections. They didn’t want anyone in the manager’s office whom they could not control.
And, of course, a good man with a big heart was an easy sell — and much better than bringing in someone who might have actually ferreted out what was really going on.
Don’t believe us?
We will remind you that it took outsiders and high-priced consultants to put out the fire at the Wayne County Public Schools Central Office.
The same was true inside Goldsboro City Hall.
So, if Mount Olive taxpayers want to fix what’s broken, they are going to have to keep a close eye on not only who is making the decisions, but who has a vested interest in not fixing things and/or outing those who might have, in the past, done the town wrong.
And they need to insist that the first day the new board and mayor take over that a real search begins for a qualified and determined town manager.
Because as we said a few weeks ago, Holland deserves better than being thrown into a no-win situation and being the one who goes down in flames should the state, indeed, take over Town Hall.
Because that is what happens when the Local Government Commission comes to town.
The organization cleans house.
And the thought of a man who only said, “yes,” because he loves Mount Olive becoming a sacrificial lamb is nauseating.
But unless you, the taxpayers, make the right decisions on Election Day — and hold the feet of whomever wins to the fire — none of that will happen.
Said another way, you need to stay involved. Keep attending meetings and asking the questions.
Believe it or not, when people look more closely and speak up and get involved, “stuff” that did not seem possible a year or two ago all of a sudden is not only doable, but a priority.
Just ask the “Golden Girls,” a group that started the whistleblowing in Mount Olive and have made accountability a watchword again.
So, yes, your voice matters.
And we remain confident that a community as strong as Mount Olive, and one with so much potential, deserves better than it has gotten over the last decade.
The good news?
This can be fixed.
It might take some time, but nothing that’s worth it ever comes easy.
So, don’t be afraid of the fact that this is going to take work and vigilance from the people who run the community — and oversight from their bosses.
And don’t ever forget that those bosses are you, the taxpayers. n
Some Mount Olive residents are blowing the whistle after learning that Mount Olive Interim Town Manager Glenn Holland — who is also now the town's bonded finance officer — is working for two other municipalities.
BY KEN FINE
“To be honest with you, I never intended to still be here.”
-
Glenn Holland
Sampson County.
But some Mount Olive residents who reached out to Wayne Week were outraged when they came across Warren’s quotes in an article that was published in the Sampson Independent. Why?
Because Newton’s Grove’s water and sewer director — the man the mayor said was available 24/7 to handle issues for the town — is Glenn Holland, Mount Olive’s interim town manager.
And it turns out that Holland also provides consulting work as a backup “operator in responsible charge” for the Johnston County town of Princeton.
But the interim manager said he sees no problem with working for other municipalities while he serves as Mount Olive’s chief executive and, as of recently, the town’s bonded finance officer.
“I can go ahead and tell you that what I do after five o’clock until it’s my time to be back here and what I do on the weekends is my business and nobody else’s,” Holland said. “I’ll be the first one to admit that Mount Olive is in trouble. But I didn’t create the problem and I am trying to help with the problem. But I’m not, you know, I’m not gonna turn my life upside down.”
• • •
Holland’s role as Mount Olive’s interim town manager began after a majority of the Board of Commissioners voted — during a meeting that Mayor Jerome Newton urged them not to conduct because it was scheduled outside of the public’s view on short notice and he would, therefore, be unable to attend — to fire Jammie Royall.
But in his mind, it was a temporary assignment.
“To be honest with you, I never intended to still be here,” Holland said, adding that he has not even moved into the town manager’s office.
He assumed that, back in February, when the board approved paying the
Eastern Carolina Council thousands of dollars to assist the town with a manager search that he would, in short order, get to go back to work “at the plant.”
“Absolutely,” he said when asked if they were aware of the work he was doing for Newton Grove and Princeton. “I was asked if I was willing to come in and help short term, so I said, ‘Yes. I’ll do whatever the town has asked me to do because the Town of Mount Olive has been good to me and I’m gonna give back. So, that’s what I thought — that it was only gonna be for a little while.”
Frankly, he would have preferred it that way.
“There is a lot more freedom whenever you’re just working at the treat-
Continued on page 16
ment plant and you’re not a public figure and you’re not sitting up here dealing with everything,” Holland told Wayne Week
But then, without disclosing it publicly, the same board majority that voted to fire Royall — Barbara Kornegay, Danny Keel, and Tommy Brown — allegedly decided to suspend the search, despite the fact that, according to District 2 Commissioner Delreese Simmons, “we had at least two qualified candidates who wanted the job.”
That is when it dawned on Holland that he would be asked to remain in charge until further notice.
A lot, though, has changed since he accepted the interim role at the beginning of the year.
Several town employees are no longer working at Town Hall — from two members of the Water Department staff to the town’s finance director.
A warning from the state about alleged violations of the decade-old moratorium on new wastewater flow — one that included a threat of criminal prosecution of town leaders should it happen again — made things worse.
“ We had at least two qualified candidates who wanted that job.”
If that was not enough, a bombshell investigative report was published in August by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor — one that revealed a myriad of discoveries inside the Water Department and at the Mount Olive Municipal Airport that drew increased ire from residents.
And then, the League of Municipalities said it was severing ties with the town until it got its financial house in order.
Holland believes that after the November election, the new board will look to replace him.
And based on what the several candidates who spoke to Wayne Week about their vision for the town’s future said on the record — those comments were published in the Oct. 19 edition of the paper — he is likely correct.
Commissioner At-Large candidate Don Fairman said in his view, the only reason a manager was not hired earlier this year is because the current board was not “cohesive enough to have made a decision.”
And Jessica Simpson Olliver, who is
running for the District 3 seat, said the town deserves “a professional who can handle the task at hand.”
Her opponent, though, said Holland, himself, might not be the only issue.
Everyone working inside Town Hall, according to Gena Messer-Knode, needed to be evaluated.
“For me, here’s the problem with Mount Olive — and I have said this repeatedly. We have to stop hiring our friends and our family. And we have done that. We have done that since the day I moved into this town 30 years ago,” she told Wayne Week. “So, when you ask me about Glenn, I can’t speak on just Glenn because I need to
“And I don’t mean paying $5,000 or $6,000 to a company for no reason.”
While he defended his ability to juggle jobs in three counties at the same time, Holland said he understands that some might question how he can be all-in for Mount Olive when he is, essentially, on call when Newton Grove and Princeton need him to do the jobs they pay him for.
“If it’s a concern, I’ll take my name off everything in Mount Olive today. Put me back where I was. Put me back at the plant and let me alone. I ain’t got a problem with it,” he
“ Managers, we are not 9-to-5 employees, and anyone who takes on that kind of responsibility who operates that way is never going to have success. ”
see the whole structure. I need to see the whole organization.”
District 4 candidate C.J. Weaver, an experienced first-responder, put it a different way — and used an analogy about the need to figure out what in Town Hall needs “a helicopter” and what needs “a Band-Aid,” before identifying the search for a town manager as “the helicopter.”
“Whether that’s Glenn (Holland), another candidate, or whoever, we have got to have a buck-stops-here person who is held to a standard by the board,” Weaver said. “Let’s use a NASCAR analogy. You can have the best car and the best pit crew, but if you don’t have the right driver show up on Sunday, you’re not going to get the win.”
And Simmons left no doubt about his position — particularly given the fact that he was willing, several months ago, to vote to hire one of the candidates interviewed during the search that got suspended, a “really qualified” man he says was ranked “Number One or Number Two” by “every single member of the board.”
“We need to start over,” Simmons said.
said. “But right now, my job is to do the very best I can do for the Town of Mount Olive and the citizens and wherever they put me at, as long as they feel like I’m making progress, I’m not one to walk away.”
Several municipal leaders with positions akin to Holland’s who spoke to Wayne Week on background think moving on from Holland — or, at the very least, requiring him to resign his positions with Newton Grove and Princeton should he continue as the interim town manager — would be the best thing for the town.
“I have never met Mr. Holland, and I have no doubt he took this on for the right reasons, but I’m sorry. There is absolutely no way Mount Olive, especially when you take into account how much trouble that town is in right now, can afford to have someone who clocks out at 5 p.m. or whatever and clocks in for another town in another county,” one of them said. “Managers, we are not 9-to-5 employees, and anyone who takes on that kind of responsibility who operates that way is never going to have success. And from what I’m hearing, success — or a lack of success — in the coming months could make or break Mount Olive. n
the SPECTATOR
Coming home
Wayne Christian and Eastern Wayne High School recently held their Homecoming games. High school photojournalist Seth Hendricks was at both
PHOTOS BY SETH HENDRICKS
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Jessie Lee Williams, Sr., late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 5, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 5th day of October, 2025.
Valorie Denise Brown, Administrator of the Estate of Jessie Lee Williams, Sr. 875 Dollard Town Road Goldsboro, NC 27534
Published October 5, 2025, October 12, 2025, October 19, 2025, October 26, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of James Ernest Dove, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 5, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 5th day of October, 2025.
Allison B. Dove-Jones, Administrator of the Estate of James Ernest Dove 2423 Pa Will Trail Burlington, NC 27217
Published October 5, 2025, October 12, 2025, October 19, 2025, October 26, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF GEORGE ALAN AYCOCK
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of George Alan Aycock, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 5, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This the 26th day of September, 2025.
Melynda Sullivan Snead, Administrator of the Estate of George Alan Aycock c/o Caroline Taylor Phillips, Attorney at Law Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, L.L.P. P. O. Box 1616, Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616
Published October 5, 2025, October 12, 2025, October 19, 2025, October 26, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF JOHN M. LEWIS
All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against John M. Lewis, deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 5th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 5th day of October, 2025.
Teresa E. Lewis, Executor of the Estate of John M. Lewis
c/o Mark J. Hale, Jr. Baddour, Parker, Hine & Hale, P.C. Attorneys for Estate P.O. Box 916
Goldsboro, NC 27533-0916 (919)735-7275
Published October 5, 2025, October 12, 2025, October 19, 2025, October 26, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF JIMMIE LEE EDMUNDSON
The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Jimmie Lee Edmundson, Deceased, of Wayne County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before January 5, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 5th day of October, 2025
Donna Edmundson, Executor c/o Henry C. Smith, Attorney Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, LLP
P.O. Box 1616
Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616
919-734-1841
Published October 5, 2025, October 12, 2025, October 19, 2025, October 26, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF LINWOOD EARL GRADY
The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Linwood Earl Grady, Deceased, of Wayne County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before January 5, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 5th day of October, 2025
Sheila Grady Morales and Pamela Grady Street, Co-Administrators c/o Henry C. Smith, Attorney Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, LLP P.O. Box 1616
Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616
919-734-1841
Published October 5, 2025, October 12, 2025, October 19, 2025, October 26, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF LILLIAN OVERMAN BRIDGERS
The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Lillian Overman Bridgers, Deceased, of Wayne County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before January 5, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 5th day of October, 2025
John W. Bridgers, Executor c/o Henry C. Smith, Attorney Warren, Kerr, Walston, Taylor & Smith, LLP P.O. Box 1616
Goldsboro, NC 27533-1616 919-734-1841
Published October 5, 2025, October 12, 2025, October 19, 2025, October 26, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against the Estate Kelsie Edward Imes, deceased of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before January 12, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 12th day of October, 2025.
Katheryn Imes Administrator of the Estate of Kelsie Edward Imes 809 South Andrews Avenue Goldsboro, NC 27530
Published October 12, 2025, October 19, 2025, October 26, 2025, and November 2, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Jackie Kearney Taylor, deceased of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 12th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 12th day of October, 2025.
Hillarie Taylor Williams, Administrator of the Estate of Jackie Kearney Taylor 205 North Woodridge Drive Pikeville, NC 27863
Published October 12, 2025, October 19, 2025, October 26, 2025, and November 2, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF ELSIE P. MOYE
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Elsie P. Moye, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 19, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 19th day of October, 2025.
Robin Jackson Executor of the Estate of Elsie P. Moye 334 Leon Flowers Road Mount Olive, NC 28365
Published October 19, 2025, October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, a nd November 9, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Barbara B. Hughey, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 26, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 26th day of October, 2025.
John Danny Davis III, Administrator of the Estate of Barbara B. Hughey 157 Landis Road Stantonsburg, NC 27883
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, and November 9, 2025, November 16, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF ROBERT JOSEPH MANISCALCO
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Robert Joseph Maniscalco, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 26, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 26th day of October, 2025.
Jessica Pounds
Executor of the Estate of Robert Joseph Maniscalco 142 Bennett Farm Lane Goldsboro, NC 27530
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, and November 9, 2025, November 16, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Charles Mercer, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 26, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 26th day of October, 2025.
Kimberly Mercer Boswell, Administrator of the Estate of Charles Mercer
4064 Nahunta Road
Pikeville, NC 27863
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, and November 9, 2025, November 16, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF LILLIAN COLEEN DAVIS BEST
All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Lillian Coleen Davis Best, deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 26th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 26th day of October, 2025.
Karen Best Hobbs, Executor of the Estate of Lillian Coleen Davis Best c/o Mark J. Hale, Jr. Baddour, Parker, Hine & Hale, P.C. Attorneys for Estate P.O. Box 916 Goldsboro, NC 27533-0916 (919)735-7275
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, November 9, 2025, and November 16, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF PEGGY JOYCE CRISP GURLEY
All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Peggy Joyce Crisp Gurley, deceased, of Wayne County, are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 26th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 26th day of October, 2025.
Sharon Gurley Jeans and Carolyn Gurley Rathbone, Co-Executors of the Estate of Peggy Joyce Crisp Gurley c/o Mark J. Hale, Jr. Baddour, Parker, Hine & Hale, P.C. Attorneys for Estate P.O. Box 916 Goldsboro, NC 27533-0916 (919)735-7275
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, and November 9, 2025, November 16, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Bettye Jean Boone Lewis, late of Wayne County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below on or before January 26, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate are asked to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 26th day of October, 2025. Kim Lewis Howard, Administrator of the Estate of Bettye Jean Boone Lewis 10114 Sunnifa Aly Orlando, Florida 32832
October 26, 2025, November 2, 2025, November 9, 2025, and November 16, 2025
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Goldsboro will conduct public hearings during the course of their open meeting which starts at 5:30 P.M. on Monday, November 3, 2025, in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 214 North Center Street to consider the following requests.
CZ-03-25 Eagles Reach: The applicant is requesting to rezone from Wayne County Community Shopping to City of Goldsboro Residential-6 and General Business Conditional Zoning District to construct a 174-lot townhouse subdivision, with 3 commercial lots. The property considered for zoning reclassification is located on the south side of US 70 West, on both sides of Isaac Smith Road, approximately 235 feet North of the intersection with Westbrook Avenue. The property is further identified as Wayne Co. Pin#: 2617-13-0043.
CZ-04-25 Tucker Trace:
The applicant is requesting to rezone from the Highway Business/Residential-16 to Residential-6/General Business Conditional Zoning to construct a 120-lot single-family detached residential subdivision, with 3 commercial lots. The property considered for zoning reclassification is located on the South side of Tommy’s Road, approximately 369 feet East of the intersection with US Hwy. 117 North. The property is further identified as Wayne Co. Pin#: 3601-50-3388
CZ-06-25 Borden Mills: The applicant is requesting to rezone from Residential 6 and institutional 2 to General Business Conditional Zoning District to construct a 144 Unit Apartment Complex. The property considered for zoning reclassification is located on both sides of North William Street, at the intersection with Royal Avenue. The property is further identified as Wayne Co. Pin#:’s 3509-19-1639, 3509-196339, 3509-19-4602.
CZ-07-25 Village One: Senior And Veteran 60+ Housing: The applicant is requesting to rezone from the Residential-6 to Residential-6 Conditional Zoning District. The property considered for zoning reclassification is located on the north
side of Wilmington Avenue, approximately 192 feet East of the intersection with Sycamore Street. The property is further identified as Wayne Co. Pin#: 2599-91-2474.
All interested persons are encouraged to attend. To accommodate disabilities and to comply with ADA regulations, please contact City Hall if further assistance is needed. All inquiries regarding this matter may be directed to the City of Goldsboro Planning Department at (919) 580-4313 or online at www.goldsboronc.gov.
Mark E. Helmer, Planning Services Manager
Published October 19, 2025, and October 26, 2025
GENERAL NOTICE OF TAX FORECLOSURE SALE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAYNE
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO. 25CV001889-950
WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO, Plaintiffs vs.
THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF SADIE REID and all assignees, heirs at law and devisees, together with all of their creditors and lienholders, regardless of how or through whom they claim, and any and all persons claiming any interest in, by, under or through the Estate of SADIE REID, Defendants
Under and by virtue of an Order of the District Court of Wayne County, North Carolina, made and entered in the action entitled “WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO vs. THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF SADIE REID, ET AL., the undersigned Commissioner will on the 29th day of October, 2025, offer for sale and sell for cash, to the last and highest bidder at public auction, at the courthouse door in Wayne County, North Carolina, in Goldsboro at 10:00 a.m. the following described real property, lying and being in State and County aforesaid and more particularly described as follows:
720 E. CHESTNUT STREET, GOLDSBORO (PIN: 3509241354)
Beginning at a stake six feet from Hobson’s corner in the Slocumb lane S 3° 55’ W 209 feet to a stake then westerly and parallel with said Slocumb lane 52 ½ feet to a stake then northerly parallel with the first line 209 feet to the said lane then easterly with the lane 52 ½ feet to the first stake. The object of this deed being to convey ¼ acre (formerly ¼ acre over Slocumb lane) of the land by J.W. Hinsdale and J.W. Bryan to said Peacock by deed recorded in Book 54 Page 284 Registrar Office Wayne County NC.
The sale will be made subject to all outstanding city and county taxes and all local improvements assessments against the above-described property not included in the judgment in the above-entitled cause. A deposit of 5 percent (5%) of the successful bid will be required or $750.00, whichever is greater, in the form of cash, certified check or money order. This the 22nd day of September, 2025.
Andrew J. Neal County Attorney Attorney for Plaintiff P.O. Box 227 Goldsboro, NC 27533 (919)705-1713
Published October 19, 2025, and October 26, 2025
GENERAL NOTICE OF TAX FORECLOSURE SALE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF WAYNE
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION
FILE NO. 23CVD001218-950
WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO, Plaintiffs vs.
THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF RUDOLPH SUGGS and all assignees, heirs at law and devisees, together with all of their creditors and lienholders, regardless of how or through whom they claim, and any and all persons claiming any interest in, by, under or through the Estate of RUDOLPH SUGGS; CASSANDRA SUGGS and SPOUSE, if any; NANCY FOWLKES and SPOUSE, if any; Defendants
Under and by virtue of an Order of the Clerk of Superior Court of Wayne County, North Carolina, made and entered in the action entitled “WAYNE COUNTY and the CITY OF GOLDSBORO vs. THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF RUDOLPH SUGGS, ET AL., the undersigned Commissioner will on the 29th day of October, 2025, offer for sale and sell for cash, to the last and highest bidder at public auction, at the courthouse door in Wayne County, North Carolina, in Goldsboro at 10:00 a.m. the following described real property, lying and being in State and County aforesaid and more particularly described as follows:
308 CREECH STREET, GOLDSBORO (PIN: 3509330677)
Being all of Lot 10 as shown on the map of East End Redevelopment Area No. Two, Project No. 88-C-7715, a plat of which is recorded in Plat Cabinet I, Slide 389, in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Wayne County.
The sale will be made subject to all outstanding city and county taxes and all local improvements assessments against the above-described property not included in the judgment in the above-entitled cause. A deposit of 5 percent (5%) of the successful bid will be required or $750.00, whichever is greater, in the form of cash, certified check or money order. This the 22nd day of September, 2025.
Andrew J. Neal County Attorney Attorney for Plaintiff P.O. Box 227 Goldsboro, NC 27533 (919)705-1713
