All but one of Smithfield's
incumbents win re-election:

Doris Wallace upsets Councilman
David Barbour in West Smithfield

He was seeking re-election to a third four-year term as the Town Council's West Smithfield representative. A retired school teacher and community activist, she was making her third attempt to win a seat on the council. She got 98 votes while Mr. Barbour won 209 in a COVID-delayed district election in 2022, then finished fourth in a contest for three at-large seats in 2023.

Ms. Wallace is presently serving as vice chair of the town's Planning Board – a position she will relinquish when she joins the council next month.

The closest contest in Smithfield on Tuesday was Gettys Cohen's nine-vote win over Felicia Baxter for the East Smithfield district seat. Dr. Cohen was appointed in August by the council to temporarily fill that seat, which was vacated by the death of Councilman Marlon Lee in May.

Incumbent Councilman Sloan Stevens had the largest margin of victory in Tuesday's election when he received 71.5% of the South Smithfield district's vote among three candidates in the running. He joined the council following a COVID-delayed municipal election in 2022.

Incumbent Mayor Andy Moore got 65% of the vote in his quest for a sixth two-year term in office. Also re-elected Tuesday was Councilman Travis Scott, who will begin his third four-year term in office next month.

READ the JoCo Report's rundown of election results for all of Johnston's towns>
 

A GHOSTLY
TALKING-TO

"Mattie Pou" (a.k.a. Theressa Rose) drives home her opinions about issues of the day (in the early 20th Century) during last week's Ghost Walk hosted by the Johnston County Heritage Center. The 21st annual edition drew 575-600 "tourists" to Smithfield's Riverside Cemetery – a record number, says the center's director, Todd Johnson. Miss Pou, by the way, was the sister of Smithfield's Edward William Pou, who served in the United States Congress from 1901 until his death in 1934.
 

Several Johnstonians associated with Down Home North Carolina, an advocate for "poor and working-class people in small towns and rural communities," asked the County Commissioners Monday evening to "stand in the gap" against impending federal and state funding cuts for human services.

"This is a direct threat to our stability and our well-being," exclaimed Shakira Frasier. "When tax policies favor hand-outs to the wealthy over investments in the common good, consequences trickle down to our main streets and our kitchen tables."

"We urge Johnston County electives to be a voice of reason and compassion," she continued. "We call on you to advocate tirelessly for the re-opening of the government and for the full funding of essential services, especially health care."

Joe Kennedy, who said he works in aid for the homeless, pointed to President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" enacted by Congress which he said will hurt Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries and recipients of food stamps through the USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). "Families don't need less support," he declared.

"(You) commissioners are our first line of defense," added Yolanda Petersen. "You are in a position of advocacy for those who cannot help themselves."

Their statements came during the board's "Public Comment" segment when commissioners listen to citizens' concerns without responding. Nevertheless, Commissioner Ted Godwin offered some rebuttal during "Board Reports and Comments" at the end of Monday evening's session.

"The liberal media has painted a picture that so many people buy into," Mr. Godwin said. "They talk about tax cuts for the rich" yet "most of those people don't realize that half of the people in this country don't pay any income taxes" and therefore aren't eligible for tax cuts.

"Abraham Lincoln said government shouldn't do for a man what a man should do for himself," Mr. Godwin continued. "We ought to look after our fellow man through our churches, civic organizations – and at times the government as well."

The Down Home delegation offered commissioners a resolution prepared by the statewide organization for its county chapters. It asks for "clear explanations of how Federal Government shutdowns and state budget delays impact county services" and calls for a public hearing on those impacts leading to "interventions by city, county, state, and federal agencies to mitigate harm."

The board took no action on the proposed resolution. READ the full text here>

Where to find relief for food-stamp cutbacks
One immediate impact of the current record-setting shutdown of the Federal Government is a cutback in food-stamp assistance. Addressing growing concern for families facing food shortages, the County of Johnston has posted on its website a list of local community food banks>

From the county's Facebook page: In the third quarter of this year, 28,961 Johnston County residents received a total of $12,598,794 in SNAP benefits.

Financing for new Clayton High awaits state's approval

Commissioners on Monday deferred making a formal commitment of county financing for the $134-million "rebuild" of Clayton High School until the N.C. Local Government Commission bestows its blessing on the borrowing. That's expected before the commissioners' next scheduled meeting on November 17.

Barnhill Contracting wants to start construction in mid-December to meet the project's goal of completion by late 2027. The plan is to keep the present Clayton Hill facilities in operation while the new school is being built. Most of the older portions of the school will be demolished after students and staff moved into the new quarters.

Because the project was omitted from the bond issue approved by voters last year, the county is looking at Limited Obligation Bonds that can be issued now without voters' approval. Because of the county's "good financial shape," County Manager Rick Hester said Monday he expects a favorable interest rate on a 20-year loan.

Appointments to Board of Health, Juvenile Crime Council
Commissioners confirmed two appointments Monday:
• Dr. Brian T. Naig, a Benson optometrist, to the Johnston County Board of Health.
• Traynham Dorn, a Smithfield-based public defense attorney, to the county's Juvenile Crime Prevention Council.
 

Johnston Community College is joining Wolfpack Connect, a new initiative of the North Carolina Community College System in partnership with N.C. State University that offers guaranteed admission to State for eligible community-college students.

Students who earn an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree, maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and meet transfer-application deadlines will be guaranteed admission into more than 100 majors and concentrations at N.C. State.

The program will begin accepting eligibility forms in January for Fall 2026 admission. For more information, follow this link>

JCC provided this photo of last week's signing of the agreement: (left to right) N.C. State Senior Vice Provost Don Hunt, JCC's President Vern Lindquist, and JCC's Vice President of Curriculum Instruction Marc David.







 

 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL REPORT 

Last week's results for Johnston County's teams:
(season's records in parenthesis)
CLAYTON 20 (8-2), CLEVELAND 3 (9-1)
Both Clayton and Cleveland advance to the state 7-A playoffs.
NASH CENTRAL 54, AMERICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY 31 (4-6)
American Leadership Academy advances to the state 2-A playoffs.
MILLBROOK 25, CORINTH HOLDERS 6 (4-6)
No more games this season for Corinth Holders.
SOUTHWEST EDGECOMBE 49, NORTH JOHNSTON 20 (5-5)
North Johnston advances to the state 4-A playoffs.
PRINCETON 50 (6-4), ROSEWOOD 42
Princeton advances to the state 3-A playoffs.
SOUTH JOHNSTON 35 (7-3), WEST JOHNSTON 15 (4-6)
Both South Johnston and West Johnston advance to the state 6-A playoffs.
SMITHFIELD-SELMA DID NOT PLAY (1-9)
No more games this season for SSS.


 

 WHAT'S COMING UP 

Annual Veterans Day observance at SSS on Tuesday
The 11 a.m. event in the main gymnasium at Smithfield-Selma High School is open to the public and will also be live-streamed on the Johnston County Public Schools YouTube channel. GET more details including the live-streaming link>

School board to meet next Monday instead of Tuesday
Because of Tuesday's Veterans Day holiday, the Johnston County Board of Education will conduct its normal second-Tuesday meeting at 4 p.m. Monday.
VIEW the agenda once it's posted online before the week's end>

Downtown wine walk and amphitheater concert Friday
The "Harvest Sip & Stroll" wine-tasting event continues from 5 till 9 p.m. at participating businesses. It's a fund-raiser for Harbor of Johnston County. Tickets are available online via the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation>
The concert at the Neuse River Amphitheater features Love Tribe, a five-piece Rock band. It's the last of this year's "Fall Fridays" series produced by Smithfield Parks & Recreation. The music starts at 7 p.m.

SRAC's "Swimsgiving" seeks donations of food items
From noon till 5 p.m. this Saturday, the Smithfield Recreation & Aquatics Center will offer recreational swimming free of admission charge for each person who brings four cans or non-perishable items of food for distribution to the needy. For more information, call the SRAC at 919-934-2148.

SALVATION ARMY SEEKS VOLUNTEER BELL RINGERS
The Smithfield Salvation Army is looking for additional volunteers to man the traditional holiday Red Kettles starting November 14 and continuing through December 23. Bell-ringing hours are 10 a.m. till 7 p.m. This year's fund-raising goal is $115,000. Here's the link to sign up as either an individual or an organization>
 

 DEATHS AND FUNERALS 
Click on the name to read an obituary, usually posted by the funeral home:

GEORGIANNA VINSON O'NEAL, 79 – date of death not shown

EDITH JULIA LEE CASEY, 91 – died November 3

JIMMY (JAY) BROOKS WOOD JR., 63 – died November 2

TONY McARTHUR LOYE, 83 – died November 1

LINDA JANE BUDD HANSEN, 74 – died October 30

GILBERT RIVERS UPCHURCH, 89 – died October 30

LARRY WAYNE WOODALL, 83 – died October 30

CECIL RAY BARBOUR, 89 – died October 29

LINDA ANNE SEXTON, 69 – died October 29

THEODORE ALBERT CARACCIOLO, 78 – died October 284
 

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 A WORD (OR TWO) FROM THE EDITOR 

What's the reason behind voter-turnout disparity?

A remarkable result of Tuesday's municipal election in Smithfield is a striking disparity in voter turnout among the town's four electoral districts.

While 453 cast ballots in South Smithfield, just 236 voted in West Smithfield and 273 in the East district. North Smithfield's voters totaled 327.

Districts with lower turnouts produced the closest margins of victory among the four Town Council races.

That paltry turnout in West Smithfield is especially disappointing since that district is where we've seen a dramatic increase in residential development over the past few years. More than 300 West Smithfield residents voted when the same two candidates faced off in 2022, prior to the recent housing boom.

It appears our newest residents as a whole aren't engaged in the democracy of municipal government. Perhaps that will change by the town's next election in 2027.


SMITHFIELD'S FALL COLORS
And it's not just the reds and golds of trees about to lose their leaves for the winter. It's that, augmented by the year-round greenery of pines beneath a "Carolina blue" sky. Susan Lassiter recorded this colorful portrait on her cellular phone during an afternoon walk along South Smithfield's Cedarwood Drive.
 

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