Monthly Archives: October 2015

What’s the Disconnect? A Total Disregard For The People’s Will

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Councilwoman Kelly Jarman is depending on you to FORGET her misdeeds and total disregard for the people’s will with the recent Nepotism Policy Amendment she helped push through. Some folks will give her a “free pass” for incomprehensible reasons.  She knew the people were adamantly against this policy change but stubbornly ignored the residents of Kinston.  And this is why we fail as a City. We keep electing elitist crony politicians that ignore the real answers to the obvious problems we face. This is not sound reasoning when considering a candidate who will spend a minimum of four (4) years making life changing financial decisions for residents while leading our City. Unqualified elected leaders put an undue burden on all residents of Kinston. Past municipal elections have been a partisan popularity contest.

Jarman is married to Lenoir County manager, Mike Jarman and serves on the Recreation Commission, a joint City/County funded entity. The Recreation Commission has more power than other commissions and boards. They make influential recommendations to City Council on joint spending that rarely go challenged.  This nepotistic arrangement is a big no-no! yet it has existed for the last four years while the public acknowledges the act but gives silent consent through inaction.  After all, holding governmental officials and elected officials accountable is taboo or may offend someone (tongue in cheek).  Read HERE for more detail and HERE for a news column calling for Jarman’s resignation from the Recreation Commission.

We need candidates with knowledge of how the private sector works.  Ms. Jarman’s entire career has been with the school system, her salary paid for through taxes.  Hence, Jarman may be more prone to think of and spend public money as an entitlement.  Those in the private sector understand struggles that Jarman simply cannot. She actually stated that because the school system allows nepotism the City should follow suit.  See this VIDEO.  Of the reasons she gave for allowing nepotism in government, the most incomprehensible was that nepotism will increase our tax base.  No, I’m not kidding! See my blog on the great debate HERE.

Early voting is going on now at the Board of Elections at 110 S. Herritage St. weekdays from 8:30 AM ’til 6:30 PM and closes 8:30 AM ’til 1:00 PM Saturday.  Municipal election day is Tuesday, November 3rd from 6:30 AM ’til 7:30 PM.  This may be the most important and pivotal election in the history of Kinston.  It’s time to elect responsible leadership.  Vote today!

T-Shirts like the one shown above are available for a suggested $10 donation to cover cost. Available in Large and X-Large.  Please send your request to nixcjohn@gmail.com

And They’re Off!…. Candidates Jockey For Lead In Non-Partisan City Council Debate

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In a refreshing candidate forum held tonight at St. Augustus AME Zion Church in Kinston, eight(8) candidates for City Council gave their views on how to lead this town of around 20,000. With three(3) seats up for grabs and two incumbents trying to hold onto their seats the forum exposed each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses.  Like any candidate forum, there were varying degrees of preparedness and understanding of exactly how a municipality functions.

This was the Second Non-Partisan Municipal election in Kinston since Attorney General Eric Holder pre-cleared Kinston for non-partisan elections after an extensive lawsuit for the reversal of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.  See SCOTUS lawsuit Nix v. Holder.  It was pleasing to see a shift in thinking and public consensus.  This debate was hosted by the Kinston-Lenoir County NAACP, a non-partisan group.  The NAACP will not endorse any candidate(s).  It is also reported the Democratic Party will follow suit in not endorsing.  

The same three(3) questions asked of each candidate.  The candidates were:

1) Michael Davis  a Vietnam Veteran   2) Sammy Aiken  incumbent (retired Navy)  3)Gordon Vermillion  business owner & past two term City Councilman  4) Tharol Branch  native Kinstononian  5) Felicia Solomon  former Lenoir County Schools principal  6)  Kelly Jarman  Lenoir County Schools administrator and incumbent  7)  Steve Ragan   Weyerhauser employee and Planning Board member 8)  Lennie Peterson  US Army veteran & Ex School Bus driver

Queston #1 – City Council recently voted to allow family members of Council members and the Mayor to be hired.  Will you vote to reinstate the Nepotism Policy?  If Yes, why.  If No, why.

Six candidates stated they were opposed to this recent action except Kelly Jarman and Michael Davis.  Michael Davis stated he was concerned his children wouldn’t be able to work for the City.  Jarman defended and justified her unpopular voting record on this issue by stating the School System and Military have similar policies, only 30% of the population in Kinston have college degrees so we need to keep jobs opportunities available, and nepotism will increase our tax base.  (This reasoning both confounds and contradicts)

Question #2 – Public Safety Chief Johnson is retiring. What should be done with Public Safety?  (Admittedly the question was misleading and vague.  There has been talk of hiring a Police Chief and a Fire Chief in lieu of one Public Safety Director)

All candidates gave a clear and concise answer and agreed City Council should seek out and hire separate department heads and hire a well qualified Police Chief due to the serious crime problems Kinston is experiencing  except incumbent Kelly Jarman.  She touted the excellent job our current police are doing and public education programs but stated separating the departments would depend on “who we find” to replace Johnson.

Question #3 – What do you foresee for change in Kinston to make it a better place to live and work?  (This was a vague open-ended question.  But there was some common ground with the answers)

Peterson struggled initially but eventually stated we needed jobs and address crime. Ragan connected the fact that our crime issues have a negative effect on our business climate and the desire for industry, businesses, and families to come to Kinston and stay in Kinston.  He stated the only way for us to solve this issue will be a Unifed Effort putting partisan politics aside.   Incumbent Jarman stated our lower utility rates, the promise of baseball coming back to town, the coming Land Use Plan, Queen Street revitalization and enforcing the Unified Development Ordinance will make us better.  Solomon wants us to work together and invoke community responsibility.   She stated we have the “right people at the right time” to solve Kinston’s woes.  Branch stated we need a change in leadership, claimed current leadership has destroyed much African-American historical structures and built an entrance to a Confederate Cemetery after tearing down a popular pool hall.  He charged the Board of Elections with continuing racism and  Jim Crow laws.  Vermillion spoke of his two term experience, the fact that we were the only two time All American City in the country, downtown revitalization and the increase in tourism.  He sees a bright future for Kinston.  Aiken spoke solely of eliminating crime.  Davis wants to change the way we think, educate everyone on gangs, change our entire leadership and stated we are failing as a City and as a people.

After viewing this debate and how these candidates fielded the questions, there is no doubt the “Nepotism issue” could be a deciding factor.  See “One Issue Could Decide Council Race”.   You need to decide for yourself.  Please continue to follow future debates and look for the traditional PodCasts on www.Kinston.com this Thursday with Bryan Hanks and his crew.  We’ll continue to bring you up to date news on the www.dailynewsfix.org.  Use the Subscribe feature to have the “Fix” delivered to your inbox when published.

 

 

One Issue Could Decide Council Race

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October 22, 2015 begins One Stop or “early voting” for municipal elections in Lenoir County, NC.  There’s one race that peaks my interest, maybe because it’s so close to home and the outcome will  continue to affect my wallet, my business, my investments, my family, and my way of life as a taxpaying resident of Kinston.  Eight(8) candidates will vie for three(3) seats on the Kinston City Council.  This race has my full attention and for good reason.

Several weeks ago Councilman Wynn Whittington brought an issue to the council floor. He made HIS problem OUR problem.  His brother had applied for a job and was turned down due to his the City’s  nepotism policy.  He wanted to examine the policy for fairness, and through a series of motions and votes the policy was amended three weeks later to the public’s dismay.  I exposed these shenanigans in earlier blog(s) BLOG #1  BLOG#2 and Kinston Free Press column.

Even with over 300 citizens signatures on a petition calling for a NO vote on the amendment, Whittington, Kelly Jarman, and Joe Tyson pushed it through.  Joe Tyson will not run again, Whittington will continue in his elected role for at least two more years, but Kelly Jarman is the lone incumbent in this three seat race to be decided on November 3rd.

Jarman is the wife of Lenoir County Manager, Mike Jarman.  She also serves on the Kinston-Lenoir County Parks and Recreation Commission, a City/County funded board.  This conflict of interest and form of nepotism was pointed out in a news column a few weeks ago in which she was asked to resign from that commission – Read HERE.

Cast an educated vote!  Tuesday, October 13th, the NAACP will be holding a debate at St. Augustus Church, 318 E. North St., Kinston, NC from 6:30PM – 8:00 PM.  Reportedly all candidates will attend.  I feel certain one of the questions will focus on the “Nepotism Policy Amendment”.  If not, they will have missed the mark. Within this one issue lies the key to effective leadership by an elected official ~ Listening to the Will of the People and acting accordingly. 

Each candidate will also have an opportunity to sign a  pledge introduced by resident Logan Thurman at the October 2nd City Council meeting.  The Pledge states that if elected the first order of business will be to reverse this misguided policy change.   We’ll report an eyewitness account of this debate and where these candidates stand on this most important single issue and!  Stay tuned….

 

Lenoir County Republicans Bring Conservative Candidates To Kinston for Shrimp-a-Roo Fundraiser

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The Daily News Fix

Thursday, October 22, 2015 is the first day of One Stop voting (early voting) in Lenoir County’s municipal elections.   The timing could not be better for a Lenoir County Republican Party’s fundraiser.  The event is a Shrimp-a-roo to be held from 6PM-9PM at the Kinston Nature Center in Kinston, NC.   The venue is outside under the picnic pavillion on the Neuse River.  We should have a nice fire for you to enjoy on a crisp October evening!

Event sponsors include NC House Representative John Bell, IV and NC Senator Louis Pate. NC Appellate Court candidatesHunter Murphy and Richard Dietz will be mingling with the crowd along with Superior Court candidate Stuart Stroud (see bio below) from Lenoir County.  Kinston City Council candidate Steve Ragan (page link) will also share his plan to improve our hometown.  This event is a meet and greet format AND a chance for Republicans to highlight these…

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Lenoir County Republicans Bring Conservative Candidates To Kinston for Shrimp-a-Roo Fundraiser

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Thursday, October 22, 2015 is the first day of One Stop voting (early voting) in Lenoir County’s municipal elections.   The timing could not be better for a Lenoir County Republican Party’s fundraiser.  The event is a Shrimp-a-roo to be held from 6PM-9PM at the Kinston Nature Center in Kinston, NC.   The venue is outside under the picnic pavillion on the Neuse River.  We should have a nice fire for you to enjoy on a crisp October evening!

Event sponsors include NC House Representative John Bell, IV and NC Senator Louis Pate. NC Appellate Court candidates Hunter Murphy and Richard Dietz will be mingling with the crowd along with Superior Court candidate Stuart Stroud (see bio below) from Lenoir County.  Kinston City Council candidate Steve Ragan (page link) will also share his plan to improve our hometown.  This event is a meet and greet format AND a chance for Republicans to highlight these gentlemen who are working hard to serve us all.   And, the Judges and Judge candidates will Judge the shrimp dishes!

We may also have a surprise candidate or two pop in…… don’t tell anyone but some big announcements may be coming our way!

Entertainment? We’ve got it! The bluegrass sounds of “The Gun Boat Boys” will be wafting through the trees and down the river!  Gotta love a little banjo on cool, crisp evening in front of an outdoor fireplace.

Okay, for the food!  We’ll have four (4) kinds of Shrimp.  Like Bubba says, “You can cook shrimp all kinds of ways, Forest!”  We’ll have Jambalaya, Boiled Shrimp, Shrimp Stew, and Scampi plus all the fixins’.  Beer, wine, and refreshments are included in this ‘All You Care to Eat’ affair.  Celebrity Chefs will be local favorites David Mooring, Jimmy Hill, and Tommy Pressly.  The price is $40 per person and tickets are available now.  You may call Lenoir County Republican Chairman, John Nix at 252-560-2150 to secure your tickets today.

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Stuart L. Stroud, Superior Court Candidate District 8A

Stuart L. Stroud is a native of Lenoir County and is the oldest child of Reginald and Maidred Stroud.  Stuart graduated from South Lenoir High School in 1985.  He received his bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989.  He then went on to graduate from Law School at Campbell University in 1992.  While in law school, he was a member of the trial advocacy team and was honored to be included in “The Order of Old Kivette” for having excelled in advocacy in regional trial competition.

Stuart began working for the law firm of Wallace, Morris Barwick and Rochelle in 1992 and has been a partner in that firm, now Wallace, Morris, Barwick, Landis and Stroud, PA,  since 1997.  Stuart is a member of the North Carolina State Bar and the N. C. Bar Association.  Stuart is admitted to practice in all state courts of North Carolina as well as Federal District Court- Eastern District and the Fourth Circuit US Court of Appeals.  

Stuart’s legal practice initially focused on Criminal Defense in District and Superior Court and traffic offenses.  However, for the last 15 years he has focused on civil litigation representing clients in a variety of legal disputes across eastern North Carolina and has tried jury trials in over 20 counties.  Stuart has also been certified as a Superior Court Mediator since 1999.  Mediators assist other attorneys and their clients in resolving their disputes without litigation.  In 2008, Stuart was invited to join the Eastern North Carolina Inn of Court.

Stuart and wife, Kelli Barefoot Stroud reside in Kinston and have one daughter, a sophomore at Appalachian State University.

Stuart is active in his church and is currently finishing his third, three year term as a member of the Vestry at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and has previously served as the Senior Warden.  Stuart was honored to receive the Order of Saint George Award from the Episcopal Church and the Boy Scouts of America in 2015 for his dedication to the youth of the church and his service to the Boy Scouts.  Stuart is a former assistant scoutmaster with Troop 41 in Kinston and still serves on the Troop Committee.

Stuart earned his Eagle Scout award in 1983, is a Vigil honor member and Founder’s award recipient from the Order of the Arrow, and a former Lodge Chief of Croatan Lodge.  Stuart has served as Council attorney for The East Carolina Council for over ten years.  In 2011, Stuart received the Silver Beaver Award for his service to the Caswell district and East Carolina council.  Stuart has also been on the board for the Pride of Kinston, the Chamber of Commerce, the Red Cross and is a member of the Rotary Club of Kinston, the Committee of 100 and is a supporter of the United Way.

Stuart, in his spare time, likes to hunt (previous sponsor and committee member with Ducks Unlimited and is a member of the NRA), fish, exercise, read, backpack, cook and spend time with his extended family.