Gang of Four rushes jail along, at two million dollar risk | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    Editor's comments: Those in attendance at the special called meeting of the Beaufort County Commission today (2-27-14) were exposed to one of the worst displays of arrogance in government we have ever seen in 38 years of attending such meetings. Robert Belcher, Al Klemm, Jerry Langley and Ed Booth displayed the same kind of arrogant  - Let Them Eat Cake - attitudes that we have seen coming from Washington, DC in recent years. They were elected to represent the people. Instead they in effect said "to hell with the people."

    Here's the setup: There has been much debate about whether and where Beaufort County should build a new jail and sheriff's office. The four (Gang of Four) has consistently failed to even attempt to explain why they favor building a new jail at this time. The come into meetings, make motions and vote with little debate from both sides and then vote. Always 4-3. Obviously the deals have been made in a back room before the public meetings. It is not that "honorable people can disagree on issues" but rather it is a case of not having respect for the people enough to explain their actions and the reasons for them.

    But there is an election coming in seven months. Three seats will be open. But rather than delay the decisions that would cost millions of dollars to let the people decide on building a new jail they voted 4-3 to spend as much as two millions before that election. They did so, obviously, because they fear the people will overturn them and they moved to spend the money before the people can speak at the next election, hoping to get the project beyond the point of no return before they lose their majority.

    It is pure arrogance of power. And we would suggest that the people of Beaufort County should not stand for it.

    Here's the story: By the narrowest of margins (4-3) the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners Thursday (2-27-14) either took a giant step forward toward building a new jail or it wasted two million dollars. Which will become true will be determined in the November election by the people who go out and vote for Commissioner.

    The action was to approve architect and construction manager contracts and to authorize the staff to apply for a loan to finance the contracts and the building of a new law enforcement center at the Chocowinity Industrial Park.

    Yes, that statement you just read is correct. They voted to pay up to as much as two million dollars to design a jail they do not have the money to build at this point. If they are unsuccessful in obtaining financing, they were told they would still probably have to pay that two million as a result of the contracts they approved even if a jail is not built.

    There are those, including us, who believe that whether to build a new jail will be the key issue in this year's commissioner election. Three of the four seats are up for election. Two of seats who voted to build the new jail (Ed Booth and Al Klemm) are up for re-election. Stan Deatherage, who voted no, is also up for election. The filing deadline is Friday (2-28-14). Deatherage is scheduled to file Friday. Al Klemm has said he will not run for re-election and Ed Booth has filed. So if Klemm is replaced by a "no" vote on the jail then all this will be for naught, except the architects will pocket a boatload of money. Thus, ultimately it is the voters who will decide this issue.

    So why the rush? That issue is raised in the first video clip. See if you can hear an answer to that question and if you find it, please let us know.

    Below are some video clips from the meeting. The first clip begins with Commissioner Hood Richardson asking the County Attorneys if they have reviewed the proposed contracts and were they prepared to say whether the contracts are adequate to cover the county's interest. Judge for yourself how they answer. The remainder of the first clip is the debate about whether to approve the architects' contract to design the facility, ending in the 4-3 vote with Belcher, Booth, Klemm and Langley voting yes and Brinn, Deatherage and Richardson voting no.



    The second clip is essentially a technical discussion on the Construction Management contract.



    The following short clips are the "after-meeting reactions" of Commissioners Deatherage, Brinn and Richardson, along with comments from commissioner candidate Keith Kidwell:









    Editor's note: We are publishing these statements from those who agreed to make a statement. The other four commissioners departed immediately after the meeting ended. It is the policy of the Beaufort Observer to give any official an equal opportunity to be heard until they have refused to respond three times. All four of these commissioners have previously refused to respond to our inquiries so we no long solicit comments from them. If any of these wish to have their comments added here we will be happy to oblige them the same consideration. Similarly, if any other commissioner candidates wish to offer their comments we will likewise oblige them.

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