The
Johnston County Board of
Elections agreed at
Wednesday's hearing to put
off Ronald
Johnson's
challenge of an opponent's
eligibility until 9 a.m.
next Wednesday. The delay
was requested by attorney
Jack O'Hale, who was
retained Tuesday afternoon
to represent David
Marshburn, a
candidate for Board of
Education Mr. Johnson
contends doesn't lawfully
reside within the bounds
of newly established
District 7, which is
centered around Clayton.
"Frankly, I'm not ready to
present this case today,"
Mr. O'Hale told the Board
of Elections. "There's a
lot to this case," he
added.
Mr. Johnson, who filed his
challenge on December 19,
cited a state law that
requires election-related
disputes to be resolved
within 20 days. County
Attorney Slusser said the
law specifies "20 business
days," which would make
January 23 the deadline in
this case because of
holidays and weekends.
But that falls after a
January 12 deadline for
printing ballots for the
March 5 Primary Election,
which includes the opening
round of this year's
non-partisan school-board
races in which 14
candidates have filed for
four of the board's seven
seats.
After checking their
personal calendars, the
four members of the Board
of Elections conducting
the hearing agreed to
recess Wednesday's session
till next week, when the
board will again meet at
the Courthouse so
proceedings can be
live-streamed on the county's
YouTube channel>
The board was down to four
members taking part in
Wednesday's proceedings
after its chairman, Gordon
Woodruff, recused himself
because he is employed as
counsel by the Johnston
County Board of Education.
John Shallcross was
subsequently chosen by
election-board members to
serve as interim chairman
throughout any and all
proceedings related to Mr.
Johnson's challenge.
(Coincidentally, both Mr.
Woodruff and Mr. O'Hale
are former members of the
Board of Education.)
Here's the list of
candidates for
the school-board seats up
for election this year,
including places of
residence as listed with
the Board of Elections
when they filed:
• District 3
– Jason Shuler of Zacks
Mill Road, Benson;
incumbent Kay Carroll of
South Lakeside Drive, Four
Oaks.
• District 4
– Ken Ramey of David
Circle, Angier; David
Spain of Wyndham Drive,
Garner; Emily Burke of
Kasey Dee Circle, Garner;
Telia Y. Virgin of
Willowcroft Court, Garner;
April Lee of Coaster
Court, Angier; Tasa
McGowan of Glenbrook
Court, Garner.
• District 6
– Rick Walker of of
Slateford Drive, Clayton;
incumbent Lyn Andrews of
Hickory Crossroads Road,
Princeton.
• District 7
– Jeff Sullivan of
Wedgewood Place, Clayton;
David Marshburn of
Robertson Street, Clayton;
incumbent Ronald Johnson
of Westminster Drive,
Clayton; Sam Solmonson of
Lynn Drive, Clayton.
Even with board seats for
the first time assigned to
residency districts, all
candidates will continue
to be on the ballot for
countywide voting.
VIEW the map
of recently adopted
districts for electing
school-board members>
County
OKs tax break for new
industry at Four Oaks
Johnston's
County Commissioners
agreed Tuesday to refund a
portion of property taxes
paid over a seven-year
period by a steel-tubing
manufacturer if the
company employs 21 persons
by 2026 and invests $40
million by 2028 at a site
beside I-95 north of the
US 701 interchange just
south of Holt Lake.
Wisconsin-based Scot
Industries Inc. is
described as "a leading
North American supplier of
specialty tubing
products." Chris Johnson,
the county's economic
development director, told
commissioners the firm has
agreed to voluntary
annexation by the Town of
Four Oaks, which is also
expected to grant
property-tax rebates.
The county's agreement
with Scot calls for
refunds of 90% of property
taxes paid the first three
years, declining in steps
to 50% the seventh year.
Taxes on "personal
property" including
equipment inside the plant
will be reduced by 50% for
five years. Once those
obligations are fulfilled,
the company will be
responsible for paying its
yearly property taxes in
full.
READ the
county's announcement
with more details about
the project>
On another
industrial-development
matter at Four Oaks,
commissioners approved a
$500,237 contribution from
the county to help pay for
roadway and water and
sewer extensions at Four
Oaks Industrial Park on
the east side of I-95 near
the town. Total estimated
cost is $5,341,411 with
the N.C. Department of
Transportation providing
$3 million and the Town of
Four Oaks pledging
$1,841,174.
County
has a new Human
Resources director
Paulette
Williams was introduced to
commissioners at Tuesday's
morning session as the new
director of the county's
Human Resources
Department.
(County of Johnston
YouTube screenshot)
Employed by the county in
March 2016, she succeeds
retiring director Lu
Hickey, who has held that
position since December
2010. Ms. Hickey joined
the county's staff in
1998.
County
adds new position of
deputy attorney
Jennifer
O'Connor was introduced to
the board by County
Attorney Jennifer Slusser
as the county's first
deputy attorney. (County
of Johnston YouTube
screenshot)
Ms. O'Connor will be in
charge of legal matters
concerning the departments
of Social Services and
Child Support Enforcement
– matters she has been
handling under contract as
an associate with attorney
Andy Holland. As a result
of her employment by the
county, that contract will
not be renewed.
New
member appointed to the
Heritage Commission
Gary
R. Underwood of Hobson
Lane, Smithfield will fill
the remaining vacant slot
on the Johnston County
Heritage Commission
following his appointment
by commissioners on
Tuesday. Several other
members recently
reappointed to new terms
are Pearl Blackmon of
Smithfield, Charles W.
Creech of NC 39, Zebulon,
Carolyn G. Ennis of
Smithfield, Catherine
Rusher Gutierrez of Selma,
and Vicky Temple-Rains of
Princeton. The commission
oversees activities of the
Johnston County Heritage
Center.
County
adopts policy for
funding non-profit
agencies
Commissioners
accepted staff's
recommendations for a
policy setting forth rules
for the county's annual
funding of non-profit
agencies. County Attorney
Slusser said applicants
will be asked to submit
their requests "at the
beginning of March" for
staff to evaluate as a
recommended budget is
prepared for adoption by
the Board of Commissioners
prior to July 1, the start
of the fiscal year for
County Government. The
policy includes a rule
that an agency must have
been in operation at least
three years to be
considered for funding.
County
offers online listing of
property for taxation
Tax
Administrator Jocelyn
Andrews told commissioners
Tuesday that Johnston
County property owners for
the first time have the
option of completing their
annual real and personal
property listings online.
To do so, taxpayers will
need to refer to listing
forms mailed to them for
an account number and an
online record number in
order to proceed through
the following link: johnstonnc.com/list>
A timely reminder:
2023 property taxes must
be paid no later than
tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 5)
to avoid penalty and
interest charges.
A technical glitch
silenced the audio
for live-streaming of the
commissioners' evening
session on Tuesday. Posted
on the county's website is
the board clerk's summary of
actions taken during
that session>
November
brought a reduction in
Johnstonians employed
The
N.C. Department of Commerce
reports that 108,862
Johnston County residents
held jobs in November – down
from 109,277 in October –
yet the jobless rate was
unchanged at 3.1% as the
number of unemployed
Johnstonians declined ever
so slightly from 3,532 to
3,520. The statewide rate
for November was 3.4% while
the national rate was 3.7%.
Soggy
December pushed '23
rainfall total to
53.26 inches
And
that's well above our
average annual rainfall of
47.75 and more than 11
inches above the total of
42.11 in 2022. This past
month Cornell Cox recorded
5.91 inches of rainfall at
his Backyard Weather Station
in South Smithfield. Will
2024 bring us at least one
measurable snowfall?
WHAT'S COMING UP
Town
Council to consider
rezoning for 222-lot
subdivision
The
Smithfield Town Council's
regular monthly meeting
begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday
at Town Hall. The agenda
includes a public hearing
on a request to rezone
138.63 acres on the east
side of Buffalo Road near
Holland Drive to allow 222
single-family residential
lots. Also, the council
will receive an
independent auditor's
report on town finances
for fiscal 2022-23 which
ended last June 30.
VIEW the
complete agenda that's
posted on the town's
website>
School
board's monthly meeting
next Tuesday evening
The
Johnston County Board of
Education's January
meeting will begin with a
closed session at 4 p.m.
Tuesday followed by the
open business session
around 5 o'clock. The
board meets at the school
system's headquarters on
US 70 Business east of
Smithfield. VIEW the
agenda once it's posted
online>
Community
Narcan training at Ag
Center next Tuesday
The
Johnston County Opioid
Task Force with assistance
from the Selma Police
Department will conduct a
public workshop on how to
recognize and respond to
an opioid overdose from 3
to 5. p.m. next Tuesday
(Jan. 9) at the Johnston
County Agricultural Center
off NC 210 west of
Smithfield. Training will
be offered in
administering Narcan, an
antidote to drug
overdoses. The workshop is
free of charge but
reservations are required.
For more information, call
919-989-5200.
DEATHS
& FUNERALS
Formerly a boarding home on Smithfield's
Second Street across
from the Courthouse, the
140-year-old Lee House
was moved to its present
location on Outlet
Center Drive in 1988
after the county
conveyed the structure
to Preservation North
Carolina, which
subsequently deeded it
to the Smithfield-Selma
Chamber of Commerce
(today's Triangle East
Chamber).
A
WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE
EDITOR
Historic
preservation has come a
long way in N.C.
The
News & Observer
named Myrick
Howard as the
newspaper's "Tar Heel of
the Year" for 2023. Who's
he? you may ask. For the
past 45 years he has
directed the work of Preservation
North Carolina, an
independent non-profit
organization that "has
saved more than 850
endangered historic
properties," according to
its website – mostly
through acquisitions
followed by either selling
or donating the structures
to individuals,
developers, or
organizations that promise
to give them new life.
"I think a lot of
people have been very
disenchanted with what
happened during the last
20 years in the name of
progress," Mr. Howard
said in a 1979
interview. "A lot of
things were torn down
that people really cared
about."
That has changed in a
big way since then.
Downtown Smithfield lost
more than half a block of
vintage commercial
buildings along Market
Street across from the
Courthouse in the 1970s to
make way for the new home
of Smithfield Savings
& Loan (today's Wells
Fargo bank) and an
adjacent parking lot. Lost
was the multi-story
Tuscarora Inn on the
corner and storefronts
that housed our early
Rose's and Leder Brothers
department stores among
other mercantile stalwarts
of mid-20th Century
Smithfield.
Starting in the 1980s, the
tear-down trend began to
wane, and Preservation
North Carolina was
involved in one of them:
the saving and moving of
the Lee House for
restoration as the home of
the Smithfield-Selma
Chamber of Commerce on a
site donated by the Dick
Fleming family of Carolina
Pottery fame.
Other noteworthy projects
that came later but didn't
require assistance from
Myrick Howard's agency
include the huge Austin
Department Store on Third
Street which was converted
into apartments for the
elderly through efforts of
the Downtown Smithfield
Development Corporation,
the reactivation of
Selma's train depot which
serves as
"Selma-Smithfield Station"
for Amtrak service thanks
to funding through the
N.C. Department of
Transportation's Rail
Division, and the A.G.
Glenn Building which
formerly housed Smithfield
High School and now
accommodates
administrative offices of
Johnston County Public
Schools.
Other examples of
important Smithfield
buildings that might have
been lost are the Hastings
House and Legion Hut on
Front Street, the
gymnasium at what was once
the campus of Johnston
Central High School in the
Belmont neighborhood, and
perhaps even the
century-old Johnston
County Courthouse that got
new life when major
additions were attached to
it in the late 1980s and
1990s.
"Unfinished
business" includes
restoration of the Hotel
Gabriel Johnston (right),
which remains in a
dilapidated state even
after its purchase by a
potential developer a full
year ago, and the
Freedmen's Schoolhouse on
North Fourth Street which
is currently undergoing
restoration after its
identification as a
significant landmark of
Smithfield's
African-American history.
Thank goodness people like
Myrick Howard have showed
us that "progress" isn't
always defined by tearing
down something old simply
to put up something new.
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