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North Carolina politics 2010:
A big year for Republicans? Don't count on it GOPers
Filing for state and county offices began Monday in North Carolina; and while Republicans are hoping for a big year nationally, it doesn't appear that the Grand Old Party of years gone by has either the horses or money needed to change the state or Dare County power structures.

First of all, you need to have someone to beat someone, as the old saying goes. And second, as ol' Jesse Unruh of California once famously said, "Money is the mother's milk of politics."

Dare County Republicans don't have enough of either ingredient, and in Raleigh the party is badly hurting for lack of mother's milk, according to a highly credible party loyalist in this report.

Hatteras Islanders slam Dare County commissioners for lack of support
"I'm angry and disappointed," an Island business leader told commissioners at their recent board meeting. "The negligence must stop."

"We need an ambassador from Hatteras Island," she said.

Aside from her grievances over beach closures and matters of concern to all county residents, perhaps the lady forgot that Hatteras Island already has an ambassador. He's the vice chairman of the county commission, Allen Burrus, a businessman, native of Hatteras Island, and a champion of its interests.

Still, her suggestion of a local ambassador was a reminder that other residents of Dare County may wish they had an ambassador, or commissioner or school board member, elected by the people living in their district rather than by voters countywide. Some North Carolina counties do it that way, most do not.

Commissioner Burrus has proved he could win on the basis of local support, but Dare County has had elections where candidates were rejected by voters in the districts they represented yet won because of countywide voting.

It's an archaic system − and of questionable legality − that dates back to when a few county bosses managed to control everything.

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Southern Shores fires combative town manager
The mayor and town council don't put it that way. Instead, all they will say is they voted unanimously Tuesday night (Feb. 2) to accept the resignation of Charles B. Read, Jr., as town manager, effective immediately, and replaced with him Police Chief David Kole (below).

Kole remains police chief but now, in addition, is interim town manager. The 5-0 vote was taken in public following a closed door session.

While Mayor Hal Denny and the four other council members won't comment, it was only a matter of time before Read would be forced to leave following the ouster of Mayor Don Smith in last November's election.

Smith and Read (on the right in happier days) were close friends. Smith wanted to make Read police chief following the death of Thad Pledger. After that effort failed, he arranged the hiring of his equally combative friend Read as town manager, despite the fact Read had no experience related to the position.

Last January and February, during their bitter contract dispute with the independent Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Department, Smith and Read (with Read writing most of Smith's statements) denounced the SSVFD, its chief and its budget request as "deceptive, dishonest and unacceptable."

The two then threatened to create a town fire department, and Read shopped neighboring Kitty Hawk and Duck with Smith's approval in hopes one of them would agree to take over fire protection in the interim.

Word quickly got out, of course, and SSVFD Board Chairman George Kowalski (left) served notice on the town that the SSVFD had terminated its contract with Southern Shores because of what was described as the town's breach of contract.

Both Read and Smith eventually backed off, and a new 10-year SSVFD contract was arranged. But since then, Read has failed to gain many council endearments by regularly promoting himself in town email advisories. What's more, he campaigned not too covertly in the town sponsored emails for the re-election of Mayor Smith, who was challenged by former mayor Denny.

Denny said at the time "I became very disenchanted with what was happening in the town. And I think I can do a better job of leadership and get it going in a positive direction."

Voters agreed. They elected Hal Denny mayor and along with him Kowalski, a write-in candidate who defeated incumbent Brian McDonald, who was perceived as a Smith ally because Smith had recruited him as a council member.

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Former Edwards buddy gives FBI copy of 'sex tape'

The Smoking Gun:
Nick Danger spelled backwards − Easley's private email account
"The governor wrote backwards," according to Sherri Johnson. She was communications director for former Gov. Mike Easley, who used a private email account − Regnad Kcin − in conducting state business.

Nick Danger was the name of a fictional private eye − 'the third eye when two aren't enough' − who, while sitting in his office, saw his name on the glass door spelled backwards: Regnad Kcin.

Johnson denies, as does Easley, that on his orders she passed the word to state public information officers to delete Regnad Kcin messages sent to and from the governor's office.

However, the former governor's press secretary, Renee Hoffman, has sworn under oath that Easley wanted the emails deleted so they would not become public.

Raleigh's News & Observer and several other news organizations have sued Easley and others involved in the alleged cover-up because under state law email messages are public records the same as other state documents.

Debbie Crane (right), a former public information officer for the state Department of Health and Human Services, was fired after making the cover-up allegations. She told The Observer that on Easley's orders other press aides publicly called her "dishonest, untruthful and insubordinate."

"Being called a liar by Mike Easley," Crane said, "is a badge of honor."

Ironically, Easley, a two-term state attorney general before becoming governor, is being defended by the state Attorney General's office in this case.

Easley's other problem is an ongoing federal grand jury investigation of how he conducted his office. His so-called "go to guy" for those who sought action faces 51 counts of corruption.

A 64-page indictment alleges that Ruffin Poole, 37 (left), "the little governor," as he known, engaged in bribery, racketeering, money laundering and extortion during his years as Easley's personal assistant and special counsel.

Obama names Perdue to defense council
Raleigh (AP) − Gov. Beverly Perdue has been picked to sit on a council of the nation's governors that will discuss National Guard and homeland defense issues with the U.S. military.

President Obama said late Thursday he planned to appoint Perdue and nine other governors to what he called the Council of Governors. The new council is designed to work closely with the defense and homeland security secretaries and other national security advisers to exchange views and advice.

Another state senator won't seek re-election
Candidate filing period begins Monday.
Raleigh (AP) − The state Senate is losing another another veteran Democrat with Thursday's announcement by Sen. Larry Shaw, 60, that he won't seek re-election this year.

Shaw of Cumberland, who is in his seventh two-year Senate term and previously served a term in the House, raises to seven the number of Senate Democrats since last fall who have resigned or said they won't run for re-election.

Dare County unemployment rate hits record high 15.5%
That's the highest it's been since the North Carolina Employment Security Commission began tracking statistics more than 30 years ago.

Only five of the state's 100 counties topped Dare's December jobless rate: Graham with the highest, 17.6%, followed by Scotland, 17.1; Rutherford, 16.9, and Caldwell and Edgecombe, each with 16.7%.

Cherokee equaled Dare County's 15.5%, which jumped from the previous record high of 11.6% unemployed in November. Currituck County swelled from 7.1 to 8.9%.

A few other counties, with the November figures in parenthesis: Beaufort, 11.9% (11.4); Bertie, 10.8% (10.4); Camden, 8.2% (7.8); Chowan, 11.5% (11.7); Hertford, 9.3% (9.2); Hyde, 12.2% (8.8), Pamlico, 9.8% (10.2), Pasquotank, 10.1% (9.7), Perquimans, 9.9% (10.4); Tyrrell, 12.6% (10.8), and Washington County, 12.8% (12.3).

Canal dredging delayed by water issue
Tom Bennett, manager of the $2.25 million Southern Shores project, says dredging has been delayed by the contractor's inability "to effectively eliminate" fine silt from the water being pumped out by the dredge.

"This." he said, "explains the starting and stopping of the dredge," which was to have started full-scale operations two weeks ago.

Bennett said the dredging crew has been "investigating another method of silt control... We are hopeful that these new measures will allow the project to finally move forward."

No Heritage Day for Kitty Hawk this year
Victim of budget squeeze
For nine years the town that was home to the Wright Brothers during preparations for their historic First Flight has celebrated its heritage with arts, crafts, music and fun on the last Saturday in September.

But it won't happen this year. Not unless a financial angel should appear, or the town council changes its mind about appropriating about $7,500 or so, the amount of expense money provided last year to the volunteer committee that does all the work in arranging the special day.

At a recent budget workshop, council members said they couldn't justify the expenditure while cutting back elsewhere in their effort to avoid a town tax increase.

Heritage Day has never made any money but last year's event at The Promenade, which, as always, was provided rent-free, drew thousands of visitors to Kitty Hawk.

It was preceded by a 5k marathon − “the largest Heritage Day race ever” − and featured a free performance by the celebrated Four Star Edition of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Band.

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Teacher uses own money to buy 15 computers for her class

Pine Island residents oppose plans for hotel, condos
Jason Summerton of Carova Corner got hold of the plans for what he said "is Ironically named 'Swan Beach Preserve' ...(they) include a hotel, bungalows, a chapel, bait shop, gym, and even a fishing pier out into the Atlantic Ocean."

The county planning board is to consider conditional zoning for the development at its next meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Bonner Bridge replacement delayed again
Dare County commissioners were informed this week of the latest delay by top officials of the state Department of Transportation, who said construction of the new bridge will not begin until the spring of next year, at the earliest.

It had been expected to begin sometime this year. But because of bridge design changes another environmental impact study is required.

"Federal and state agencies have done environment studies over and over again since 1993," said Allen Burrus, a Hatteras Island businessman who is vice chairman of the county commission. "Let's get moving on this before people get hurt."

Environmental activist groups continue to hold out for a 17-mile bridge that would by-pass the Pea Island Wildlife Refuge, and some have suggested that the cost, which the state considers prohibitive, could be off-set by tolls.

County commission chairman Warren Judge rejected that idea saying it was "offensive" to think of charging residents a toll to get to and from their jobs every day, or charge visitors" who want to see the Cape Hatteras lighthouse.

The mid-Currituck County toll bridge, Judge said, "is a matter of providing an optional route for the convenience of visitors to Corolla; whereas, we are concerned with maintaining the only safe transportation corridor for our residents’ safety, health and welfare.’"

For the latest on the mid-Currituck bridge, click here.

Offshore drilling back on the table

Corolla could get the state's last approved charter school

$4.9 million upgrade for Wildlife Refuge
The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced that the Alligator National Wildlife Refuge in Dare and Hyde counties is getting a new $4.9 million, 18,000 square foot visitors center and headquarters building as part of the $787 billion federal "stimulus package" passed by Congress last year.

A Bloomington, Colorado, company has been awarded the construction contract.

The new center, said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, "will help spread the word about wildlife and their habitat needs along the North Carolina coast."