In a post today at Under the Dome (a service of the Raleigh News and Observer) Ryan Teague Beckwith pointed out what he thought was the political overstatement of the day:

He quoted BlueNC and NC Politico writer (and friend of mine) Betsy Muse:

“If you live in North Carolina and your home isn’t under a rock, you know that Dan Besse is a Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor.

And then attempted to hit her with the N&O’s “big stick”:

Dome believes that rock is known as the sun.

Unfortunately, Beckwith pointed out his failure (as a writer and representative of the N&O). Along the way, though, he pointed out a failure by our own Jacksonville Daily News.

If Dan Besse isn’t publicly known as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor, whose failing is it? The news organizations, of course. A candidate can only do so much. He (or she) can only buy so much ad space. It is the newspapers, television news agencies, and political parties job duty to report on candidates for election.

The Jacksonville Daily News website has one mention of Dan Besse and it’s an opinion piece from the Freedom Communications, Inc. flak in Raleigh, Barry Smith. The same opinion piece is also the only mention of State Senator Walter Dalton, Canton-Mayor Pat Smathers, and former Easley-administration official Hampton Dellinger.

Come on, Daily Newsers. Can’t you do better than that? You’ve finally realized there’s a Congressional race brewing, how about covering the other ballot items?

And, hey, since we’re on the topic of covering politics, why don’t you have a politics web-log?  I know a guy that’d be interested in writing it.

Has anyone noticed something different about the iTunes podcast store? When perusing the podcast section by category, I end up in a very unsexy list-like interface. Completely not cool. There’s no extra information on the podcasts, just the basic information (title, artist, genre, etc.).

It’s making it quite complicated to shop for new and exciting podcasts, that’s for certain.

Somebody at the local nutjob message board has been sending offensive private messages to the female users.

Remember the controversy surrounding Onslow County Commissioner Delma Collins’ 2006 failed campaign for Clerk of Superior Court?

The North Carolina State Board of Elections has released its findings regarding Commissioner Collins. In a letter dated November 5th, the Board noted that Collins accepted business contributions (in-kind contributions from Donald Keith Branch of Allstate Insurance and Michael Lazzara (Yes, the City Councilman)), paid cash for advertisement purchases, and submitted campaign finance reports late. All of which are violations of campaign finance regulations.

The letter also suggets that Collins submitted information that could not be corroborated:

You stated that the Onslow County Board of Elections instructed you to file a final report after the elections in the event that you exceeded the threshold. You also stated that Ed Brown, candidate for sheriff, received the same instructions. Neither Mr. Brown nor the Onslow County Board of Elections corroborated your statements.

The letter also directs Collins to re-open his campaign committee, pay a fee of $1,288.72, file an amended report to include all receipts and expenses, and providing a sworn statement describing the source of funds used to purchase advertising from the Jacksonville Daily News.

They’re well-earned, but not excessive, punishments.

I wonder, though, if the letter was signed November 5th, when the Jacksonville Daily News is going to get around to reporting the news?

The below post has been edited slightly and sent to Jacksonville’s Daily News, Swansboro’s Tideland News, Morehead City’s Carteret News-Times, Greenville’s Daily Reflector, Elizabeth City’s Daily Advance, Kinston’s Free Press, Havelock’s News, Nags Head’s OuterBanks Sentinel, New Bern’s Sun Journal, Washington’s Daily News, Topsail’s Free Voice, Goldsboro’s News-Argus, and Wilmington’s Star-News.

Remember when I emailed the Onslow County Board of Commissioners regarding my concerns about the proposed OLF sites nearest to Onslow County?

It’s been a month-and-a-half and still no response.

Yesterday, NC’s Governor, Mike Easley, said this:

“They see an OLF as almost all burden and no benefit. That is why I am urging our congressional delegation to ask the Navy to take these views into account and develop alternative proposals.”

The “they” in Easley’s comments are the communities in Eastern North Carolina where the Navy had originally planned to build their outlying landing field.

The Governor wants the Navy should find other locations for the OLF. This position puts him at odds with our Senators, Elizabeth Dole (R) and Richard Burr (R) who feel the sites identified are adequate and that the Navy can choose from that list.

Why is any of this important? How does the Onslow County Board of Commissioners’ lack of effort matter?

There has been great resistance against the Navy to build an OLF in northeastern North Carolina, but there has been little of that resistance regarding the southeastern sites. The Navy will get their unnecessary outlying landing field. It will be built and it will destroy acres of games lands, research forests, and wetlands. It will cause a small temporary economic boost, but will cause long-term economic decline as the field will be used for a decade, then abandoned. The use will be temporary, but the loss will be permanent.

The Onslow County Board of Commissioners are standing idly by and missing out on the opportunity to be leaders in Eastern NC. Because of that lack of leadership by Onslow’s Commissioners, the Navy will get what they want and the wishes of the citizens will be ignored.

It’s more than halfway through October and there’s still been no election coverage by the Jacksonville Daily News. Time has become short, so some folks are taking matters into their own hands.

The Neighbors group of citizens hosted a candidates forum tonight at the Jacksonville Commons Recreation Center. I wanted to attend, but, unfortunately, I couldn’t.

I emailed the challenging candidates that have email addresses registered with the Onslow County Board of Elections.

Follow the jump for the details.

Read The Full Story…

Well, the website does, at least.

And I must say, it’s a long-needed and much improved upgrade.

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I received quite the treat today, courtesy the Onslow County Board of Commissioners (and no, not responses to my email regarding the U.S. Navy’s outlying landing field proposal).

Board Chairman, Martin Aragona, Jr. has proposed that the Board explore dropping some of the Board’s benefits (health and dental insurance) to fund video taping and broadcasting (via Jacksonville’s G-10 service) ONWASA and Onslow Board of Education meetings.

From the agenda for the Board’s October 15th meeting:

ITEM 13 Consideration to Reduce the Board of Commissioners’ Compensation to Fund the taping of ONWASA and Board of Education meetings; and Endorsement and Implementation of the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution - (Page 178-180) Chairman Aragona has requested consideration of this agenda item, which includes a summary of salary and benefits compensation to the twenty most populated counties in North Carolina. Onslow County is the  tenth most populated.  Also included is a December 12, 2004 Jacksonville Daily News Article in which Commissioner Aragona proposed eliminating the medical and dental benefits to the commissioners in order to fund the taping of Board meetings. Chairman Aragona will open the floor to a special public comment on the issue, allowing citizens to speak for five minutes on the issue.

Chairman Aragona wishes to make three recommendations and proposals:

1. To eliminate the Commissioners’ medical and dental health benefits, effective January 1, 2008, or whenever first allowed by law, resulting in a net saving of $26,941.80

2. Proposal to use the funds for $13,470.90 worth of taped regular meetings of ONWASA as well as $13,470.90 worth of taped regular meetings of the Onslow County Board of Education.  These taped meetings would be aired on G-10, Time Warner Cable Jacksonville, Charter Cable and Time Warner Newport.

3. In keeping with the principals and spirit of the 27^th Amendment to the United States Constitution, a proposal that no action varying the compensation of the Board of Commissioners shall take effect until an election of the Board of Commissioners shall have intervened.”

I would say that this is certainly a welcome move towards open government. It’ll be interesting to see the debate on this.

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Some candidates for Jacksonville City Council and mayor have been busy getting signs out and about.

Unfortunately, other than reading about Alva Williams not supporting Sturgeon City, Rails to Trails, the conference center (which failed to garner much public support and, thus, never took off), or the City Hall renovations, I know of no reason why I should (or should not) vote for any of these candidates, nor can I recommend a candidate to a voter.

What are the policy positions of these folks? What makes Sammy Phillips better or worse than Jacqueline Forhan? Why would Jerome Willingham be better than incumbent Turner Blount?

And the most important question of my day…Who is Jim Palmeri and why should anyone write him in? If he wanted to be elected to the City Council, why didn’t he file?

So, in summary: I repeat my previous question:

Where’s the news? Where are the candidates?

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Today I sent the following email to the Onslow County Board of Commissioners regarding my opposition to the U.S. Navy’s proposal to build an Outlying Landing Field in or near Onslow County. 

I stand to oppose, and urge your opposition, of the U.S. Navy plan to build an Outlying Landing Field near or within Onslow County.

As you know, the U.S. Navy has added two locations to their list for an Outlying Landing Field near Onslow County. These locations, within the Hofmann Forest and Angola Bay areas, are game-lands and are often used for hunting, fishing, camping, and other outdoor activities. These locations are integral to North Carolina’s conservancy efforts and are home to numerous and rare species of animal and plant life. Several animals that are found nowhere else in the world live in these areas. Should the U.S. Navy build an outlying landing field in either area, they will destroy huge swaths of wetlands and forested areas and cause an damage to our environment.

There are questions whether or not an outlying landing field is required anywhere. On September 18^th, Rear Admiral David Anderson told the Outlying Landing Field Study Group that an OLF is not needed to train the two new Super Hornet squadrons scheduled to be stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. According to Anderson, Cherry Point has the required facilities to ensure these pilots are properly trained as is and that a new training facility would be unnecessary. Skip Zobel, a retired USN Captain and former commander of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia said in a September 25^th interview with WVEC-13 in Virginia Beach, VA that the existing facilities at the Naval Auxiliary Landing Field located at Fentress, Virginia and Naval Air Station Oceana will fulfill the training requirements for the squadrons based there.

The U.S. Navy has made these decisions without regard for, or respect of, local governments or local residents. These latest actions by the U.S. Navy are reminders of the steam-roller attitude that nearly caused 140 residents of Beaufort and Washington Counties to lose their homes and farms. Many of these families are generational owners and have been residents for decades. It was only by the residents’ and community leaders’ sheer outrage that construction for the outlying landing field was delayed. State and Congressional leaders were very late to come to the aid of their constituents and I hope that we do not have the same delay in governmental leadership here.

In summary, I urge you, as the representatives for Onslow County to join with the 26 other county governments in opposing the placement of an outlying landing field in Eastern North Carolina. It will destroy pristine and valuable game-lands and displace or kill wildlife. It is unnecessary and wasteful of land and money.

I did receive a response from Ms. Beth Purcell, Clerk to the Board of Commissioners, explaining that the proposed sites are outside of Onslow County.

I responded to Ms. Purcell.

I agree, none of the sites are in Onslow County. Two sites are located in the Hofmann Forest area in Jones County near the norther Onslow border and one site is located in the Angola Bay area in Pender County near the southern Onslow border.

These sites will impact citizens of Onslow County and I believe that it is important for the Onslow County Board of Commissioners to address the potential impacts of an outlying landing field so close to Onslow County.

Onslow County is one of the leading communities in Eastern North Carolina. This is an important topic and I would appreciate the Board of Commissioners examining the issue and urge the Board to oppose the U.S. Navy’s plan.

I’m hoping that I will receive a response from the Commissioners.

Send your own email to the Board of Commissioners opposing the outlying landing field in Eastern NC.

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HB 1761, Job Maintenance and Capital Development Fund was originally only supposed to give $40 million to Goodyear Tire and Rubber in an effort to keep them in their Fayetteville, NC home. In that form, it passed the NC House and Senate (Onslow Reps Cleveland*, Grady, and Tucker and Onslow Senator Brown all voted for the bill), but was felled by the Governor’s veto stamp.

An extra session was convened yesterday and today to reconsider the bill. During the sessions, a new and improved version was drafted. This new bill takes an investment of $200 million and gives grants to Goodyear ($24.5 million), Bridgestone Firestone ($22.5 million), and allows for up to $60 million to be given to 5 companies over 10 years. These companies would also be able to lay-off up to 20% of their workforce and still be eligible for the grants.

The House approved that new and improved measure 61-44 (Onslow Reps Cleveland* and Grady voted No, Tucker was excused) today.

*Via email today, Representative Cleveland told me that he did not support either measure.

I do not support either bill at this point.

Why then did he vote to pass the original measure? Is it because it wasn’t a big deal at the time and no one thought the Governor would follow through with a veto? Did he think that this episode of taking from the citizens of Onslow County would go unnoticed?

Also today, the so-called compromise bill passed the Senate 25-16. Onslow’s Harry Brown also changed his vote to “No” after supporting the previous bill.

In an email, Brown said this:

A compromise bill passed the legislature this afternoon which was essentially the same bill the Governor vetoed. I voted against the bill.

This compromise bill is larger and more expensive than the original, spreads the money around to 5 companies, and gives those companies license to fire one-fifth of their workforce. It’s not the same, it’s not close to the same as HB 1761. But, even if it were “essentially the same bill”, why did Brown switch sides?

Governor Easley, please veto this bill. It’s bad legislation. It sets a bad precedent and it’s bad for North Carolina. Please. Veto. This. Bill.

Update: I guess it’s official: Governor Easley doesn’t read this blog. He signed the bill into law just more than an hour after receiving it from the General Assembly. WUNC’s Laura Leslie has the statement.

On Friday, August 24th, the Governor signed into law the Fire-Safe Cigarette Act/Fire‑Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act or House Bill 1785.

Just out of curiosity, I looked at the House Vote records for the bill. Onslow’s representative, George Cleveland, voted against the bill in the House a total of three times (twice for the readings in the House and once for concurrence of the Senate changes).

This law requires cigarette manufacturers to test, certify, and label cigarettes as “in compliance” with the statute. The performance measure is that “no more than twenty‑five percent (25%) of the cigarettes tested in a test trial in accordance with this section shall exhibit full‑length burns”.

Cigarettes are the leading cause of home fires and deaths. This legislation will reduce the number of these deaths. Our Representative George Cleveland doesn’t believe that’s something worth standing up for.

It’s time to send a new Representative from Onslow County to Raleigh. It’s time to send someone that’s going to act in the best interests of the constituents.

Edited: Changed subject from “Why doesn’t George Cleveland Want to Protect the Citizens of Onslow County?” to “Letter to the Editor: Why doesn’t George Cleveland Want to Protect the Citizens of Onslow County?”.