Your Public Square Disclosing what is True, what is Real
In the Age of Coronavirus, the Beaufort County Commissioners Meet for their April General Meeting
January 12, 2022 - Publisher's note: Due to a publishing SNAFU, I have been remiss in my duties, here at BCN, regarding the proper categorization of county government publications; in particular, the Enhanced County Government Videos, begun August 1, 2019.
Therefore, to thoroughly correct this miscue, I will make the proper categorical correction, and bring these archives forward beginning on January 12, 2022; mixing these historical patterns of fact in with the current news of our day. Some posts brought forward will not be video broadcasts, but most informative posts as to who and what you Beaufort County Commissioners are, and how they govern.
The largest accomplishment of the meeting was that the Beaufort County commissioners did prove that they could meet under extreme circumstances, and that they would meet again openly in May on multiple occasions - the General Meeting, Equalization and Review (E & R), and there will be some budget workshops.
Other than the stark social distancing of the commissioners at this first April meeting in the Age of Coronavirus, and only one member of the public that straggled in, the meeting was much of the same as many others of recent: Commissioners unwilling to seriously discuss issues without considering how best to vote as a group because of political coalition pressures. An unusual side note was when the county attorney became politically involved, again, on one of the issues that I presented, which he is passionate about in complete opposition - his desire to limit the involvement of the public in exercising their 2nd Amendment rights.
But, putting this public attorney /client squabble aside, I shall digress, I had written earlier that I had three issues to discuss regarding the People's business; issues which turned out to be arguably the most consequential issues of the commissioners' meeting, other than the jail door issue.
For 18 months, the county jail has been egregiously under utilized due to a hardware malfunction in keeping all the jail doors' locking apparatus functioning properly. Now, after 16 months since Commissioners Richardson and Deatherage brought this issue of great concern to the county administration's attention, the process has finally moved into a state of initial fruition.
The discussion of the jail door repair: Below.
And now Stan's Three Issues as witnessed below from these video segments representing these 3 pertinent items of county business.
The Coronavirus response in North Carolina, at the governmental level, has been implemented unilaterally by Governor Cooper by virtue of Emergency Powers general statutes, which required concurrence by members of the Council of State that the governor did not acquire to first shut down the public schools, then the restaurants, now effectively limiting business with his extra-constitutional authoritarian edicts.
My public approach in this discussion of what the Beaufort County Commissioners' position should be in this conundrum of arresting the Coronavirus was to stimulate an open discussion among the Beaufort County commissioners. This did not happen, with Commissioner Booth unwilling to listen, and the balance of the other commissioners unwilling to take an active interest in robust public discussions of their best ideas of how to respond to the Coronavirus. This is a serious issue, especially at the local level, as we make some attempt to carry out what might be edicts of Governor Cooper that may be unconstitutional - his unilateral Emergency Executive Orders prohibiting the constitutional rights of North Carolina's businesses and citizens. What this will boil down to is Commissioner Stan Deatherage writing another resolution detailing the better way forward in Beaufort County and North Carolina that fellow commissioners will probably have little interest in supporting or even negotiating to make more effective.
The discussion of the Coronavirus Response: Below.
Dispirited, but not deterred, I will write that resolution, and easily sensing that there will be some commissioners that will not take this seriously, I write a very serious resolution searching for the support of serious county commissioners.
The second issue, Resolution Regarding Refugee Settlement in North Carolina, was crafted by a constituent who has a firm grasp of local, state, national and world events and the ramification of their machinations was brought forward, negotiated and passed by the slimmest of margins, when Commissioner Frankie Waters desired to strip the meat of the resolution and just ratify the resolve piece - "Be it therefore resolved that Beaufort County refuses to accept settlement of refugees in our county, and that this decision be communicated to the state and federal governments."
Knowing that Commissioners Rebholz and Evans would only vote for this resolution if Commissioner Frankie Waters (the leader of the moderate Republicans) led them there to do so, I jumped at the opportunity to instantly accept Commissioner Waters's negotiation to minimalize the resolution even though the resolution would have read far better and exhibited greater resolve to include the supporting language. But still, a win is a win, and they have long been few for the Conservatives on this Beaufort County Board of County Commissioners.
The discussion of the Resolution Regarding Refugee Settlement in North Carolina: Below.
My third issue involved my endeavor to create safer work environments for our Beaufort County employees by resolving to begin to allow some extra-qualified employees to constitutionally protect themselves and co-workers in the case of a deranged individual consumed with the evil purpose to attack a government facility that was not already protected by some security aparatus. This issue had been originally introduced in January, 2020. In November of 2019, I had introduced a similar, but markedly different (since if effected all rightful law abiding citizens to carry rather than far less than 1% of that original number rather than qualified Beaufort County government employees) resolution to allow all Conceal Carry permitted citizens to carry on most government property.
Interestly, Beaufort County's board attorney, David Francisco, has recently interjected himself into the political discussion on this 2nd Amendment /safety issue, and this night did publicly suggest to the commissioners, who appointed him to his job to advise, that the November initiative for resolution could not be discussed because of a commissioner 6 month disqualification to re-submit. He argued that both resolutions (including the re-submited January resolution that was never voted on) were too similar since they both involved our citizens' 2nd Amendment protections; however, I reminded him of the marked difference that either resolution represented effects upon too very different classes of people: The population at large (everyone) versus county government employees (those that work for one community's county government).
Beaufort County's commissioners will have a chance to vote on this Second Ammendment /public safety issue at the May general meeting, regardless of whether the county attorney is disinclined to appreciate its political or governmental relevance.
The discussion of the Resolution Allowing Concealed Carry for Beaufort County Employees in Most of Beaufort County Government's Buildings: Below.
If you are interested in our Archive of the Beaufort County Commissioners' General Meetings can be found here in this aforementioned enhanced format.
Additionally, if you wish to catch up on some of the most important Beaufort County Commissioners meeting of 2019 through 2022, click here.
Go Back
Therefore, to thoroughly correct this miscue, I will make the proper categorical correction, and bring these archives forward beginning on January 12, 2022; mixing these historical patterns of fact in with the current news of our day. Some posts brought forward will not be video broadcasts, but most informative posts as to who and what you Beaufort County Commissioners are, and how they govern.
The largest accomplishment of the meeting was that the Beaufort County commissioners did prove that they could meet under extreme circumstances, and that they would meet again openly in May on multiple occasions - the General Meeting, Equalization and Review (E & R), and there will be some budget workshops.
Other than the stark social distancing of the commissioners at this first April meeting in the Age of Coronavirus, and only one member of the public that straggled in, the meeting was much of the same as many others of recent: Commissioners unwilling to seriously discuss issues without considering how best to vote as a group because of political coalition pressures. An unusual side note was when the county attorney became politically involved, again, on one of the issues that I presented, which he is passionate about in complete opposition - his desire to limit the involvement of the public in exercising their 2nd Amendment rights.
But, putting this public attorney /client squabble aside, I shall digress, I had written earlier that I had three issues to discuss regarding the People's business; issues which turned out to be arguably the most consequential issues of the commissioners' meeting, other than the jail door issue.
For 18 months, the county jail has been egregiously under utilized due to a hardware malfunction in keeping all the jail doors' locking apparatus functioning properly. Now, after 16 months since Commissioners Richardson and Deatherage brought this issue of great concern to the county administration's attention, the process has finally moved into a state of initial fruition.
And now Stan's Three Issues as witnessed below from these video segments representing these 3 pertinent items of county business.
The Coronavirus response in North Carolina, at the governmental level, has been implemented unilaterally by Governor Cooper by virtue of Emergency Powers general statutes, which required concurrence by members of the Council of State that the governor did not acquire to first shut down the public schools, then the restaurants, now effectively limiting business with his extra-constitutional authoritarian edicts.
My public approach in this discussion of what the Beaufort County Commissioners' position should be in this conundrum of arresting the Coronavirus was to stimulate an open discussion among the Beaufort County commissioners. This did not happen, with Commissioner Booth unwilling to listen, and the balance of the other commissioners unwilling to take an active interest in robust public discussions of their best ideas of how to respond to the Coronavirus. This is a serious issue, especially at the local level, as we make some attempt to carry out what might be edicts of Governor Cooper that may be unconstitutional - his unilateral Emergency Executive Orders prohibiting the constitutional rights of North Carolina's businesses and citizens. What this will boil down to is Commissioner Stan Deatherage writing another resolution detailing the better way forward in Beaufort County and North Carolina that fellow commissioners will probably have little interest in supporting or even negotiating to make more effective.
Dispirited, but not deterred, I will write that resolution, and easily sensing that there will be some commissioners that will not take this seriously, I write a very serious resolution searching for the support of serious county commissioners.
The second issue, Resolution Regarding Refugee Settlement in North Carolina, was crafted by a constituent who has a firm grasp of local, state, national and world events and the ramification of their machinations was brought forward, negotiated and passed by the slimmest of margins, when Commissioner Frankie Waters desired to strip the meat of the resolution and just ratify the resolve piece - "Be it therefore resolved that Beaufort County refuses to accept settlement of refugees in our county, and that this decision be communicated to the state and federal governments."
Knowing that Commissioners Rebholz and Evans would only vote for this resolution if Commissioner Frankie Waters (the leader of the moderate Republicans) led them there to do so, I jumped at the opportunity to instantly accept Commissioner Waters's negotiation to minimalize the resolution even though the resolution would have read far better and exhibited greater resolve to include the supporting language. But still, a win is a win, and they have long been few for the Conservatives on this Beaufort County Board of County Commissioners.
My third issue involved my endeavor to create safer work environments for our Beaufort County employees by resolving to begin to allow some extra-qualified employees to constitutionally protect themselves and co-workers in the case of a deranged individual consumed with the evil purpose to attack a government facility that was not already protected by some security aparatus. This issue had been originally introduced in January, 2020. In November of 2019, I had introduced a similar, but markedly different (since if effected all rightful law abiding citizens to carry rather than far less than 1% of that original number rather than qualified Beaufort County government employees) resolution to allow all Conceal Carry permitted citizens to carry on most government property.
Interestly, Beaufort County's board attorney, David Francisco, has recently interjected himself into the political discussion on this 2nd Amendment /safety issue, and this night did publicly suggest to the commissioners, who appointed him to his job to advise, that the November initiative for resolution could not be discussed because of a commissioner 6 month disqualification to re-submit. He argued that both resolutions (including the re-submited January resolution that was never voted on) were too similar since they both involved our citizens' 2nd Amendment protections; however, I reminded him of the marked difference that either resolution represented effects upon too very different classes of people: The population at large (everyone) versus county government employees (those that work for one community's county government).
Beaufort County's commissioners will have a chance to vote on this Second Ammendment /public safety issue at the May general meeting, regardless of whether the county attorney is disinclined to appreciate its political or governmental relevance.
If you are interested in our Archive of the Beaufort County Commissioners' General Meetings can be found here in this aforementioned enhanced format.
Additionally, if you wish to catch up on some of the most important Beaufort County Commissioners meeting of 2019 through 2022, click here.
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