Do We Need Enemies With Friends Like These? | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: This post, by Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson, is the first part of a two part series.

    It is no secret among the truly conservative county commissioners and conservative Republicans that Democrats have held leadership positions on the Board of County Commissioners for the past 12 years. It was 12 years ago that Republicans became the majority on the Board. Although a Republican has always been chairman during the past 12 years, Democrat policy has prevailed. This is because Beaufort County has the same swamp as the state and federal Republican parties. Party platforms set out the policies of the party at each level of government. Not all of the Republican elected officials follow it. Those who do not follow the platform are RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) This is why the wall on the United States Southern Border is not being funded. Same thing in Beaufort County.

    Look at what happened last year and again this year. The liberal Republican Beaufort County Chairmen that were elected had to have Democrat votes to win. Proof of this is that both Frankie Waters and Jerry Evans voted for Democrats to be Vice Chairman in return for those two Democrat votes that made Waters and Evans Chairmen.

    Further proof lies in the Republican County Commissioners Board's failure to follow the Republican platform causing the rapid rise in taxes and along with the increase of 90 new employees on the county payroll during the past two years. Simply stated, Republican principles are: lower taxes, smaller government and less regulation. The Beaufort County Board of Republican majority commissioners failed on all three principles.

    We need to face the fact that the Democrats are still in control. Both Jerry Evans and Frankie Waters were registered Democrats within a few months of their registering to run as Republicans.

    So where has the Beaufort County Republican party been during tall of this time? The answer is sitting on their hands.

    During November (after the 2016 elections) Stan Deatherage and Hood Richardson requested that the Beaufort County Republican Executive Committee make known to all Republican Commissioners that both the Chairman and Vice Chairman should be Republicans because five of the seven commissioners are Republicans. The Republican Executive committee agreed and the following letter was sent to the three other Republican Commissioners who are Frankie Waters, Jerry Evans, and Gary Brinn.

    The Republican Executive Committee appointed a committee to work with Republican Commissioners to insure that Republicans filled both the Chairman and Vice Chairman's Seats. That committee consisted of Paul Varcoe and Steve Rader.

    The results of that committee's work are depicted in the following letter and email.



The letter to plead for a Republican dialogue between Conservatives (Hood Richardson and Stan Deatherage) and moderate (Gary Brinn) to liberal Republicans (Jerry Evans and Frankie Waters) on the Beaufort County Board of County Commissioners on the method of selecting a chairman: Above. Frankie Waters reply to Hood Richardson: Below.
        The RINOs would not agree to anything. Three Republicans and two Democrats voted for Jerry Evans to be chairman. Two Republicans and two Democrats voted for Democrat Jerry Langley to be Vice Chairman.

    We will have a follow up article on the role less than honorable role Paul Varcoe played in this debacle.