Albemarle Tradewinds March 2018 Web OPT

Letter from a concerned citizen in Perquimans County
There are upcoming elections, and the Sheriff is one
of those offices which is chosen by the people – I.E.
voted into offi ce. In fact, according to the North Carolina
Sheriff’s Association:
“The Office of Sheriff is an office provided for by the
North Carolina Constitution. Sheriffs occupy an elected
offi ce just like the Governor, Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court, Attorney General, and numerous other
elected offi cers. In the “chain of command,” elected offi -
cers report solely to the citizens within their jurisdiction.
There is no such entity as a sheriff’s department. In
county government, you will often fi nd a Health Department,
Human Services Department, Finance Department,
Information Services and Technology Department,
and Parks and Recreation Department. The head
of each of these departments is not an elected offi cial
but is an appointed employee of the county who is hired
by and supervised by the county manager.
Unfortunately, the Office of Sheriff is often erroneously
referred to as a sheriff’s department. Doing so is as
incorrect as referring to the Department of Governor
instead of the Office of Governor.”
This is by design – it enables the VOTERS to determine
who will be the “Chief Law enforcement Offi cer of
the County” and it is literally our constitutional right to
choose our own sheriff.
For those that don’t know – Perquimans County held
a commissioner’s meeting last night. This would seem
unusual since yesterday was a National Holiday – President’s
day. The public portion of the meeting was brief,
but interesting to say the least.
It all seemed rather straightforward UNTIL the chairman,
Mr. Wallace Nelson brought up item b) Reduction
in Sheriff’s Salary after election.
First off, there appeared to be a little confusion as to
what the commissioners were about to vote on. The
county Manager, Mr. Frank Heath, spoke up, saying
it was state law and they had to vote on this. This
provoked Mr. Nelson to concur; he too seemed to
mistakenly believe it was a requirement. That is when
I noticed a gentleman in the third row of the audience
shaking his head “No” vehemently. Non-the-less, Mr.
Joseph Hoffl er made a motion, and Mr. Edward Muzzulin
seconded it. The resolution carried 5-0, with Mr. Kyle
Jones being absent from the meeting.
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that citizens need to know, send it in.
At the conclusion, came time for public comments.
The gentleman who was wildly shaking his head got up
to speak. He asked why the pay is reduced for anyone
who is elected to the position of Sheriff except Sheriff
White? The gentleman pointed out that this undermines
the will of the people when the commissioners effectively
say – “Anybody elected by the people OTHER THAN
Sherriff White will be paid $49,181/year, approximately
31% less than the present sheriff”. Mr. Nelson attempted
to answer the gentleman when the county manager,
Mr. Heath, said this was not question and answer time,
it was public comment time, and they would not answer
why this was so.
This got me to thinking as well. I observed all this and
thought – yes – this is strange. The commissioners literally
just raised the pay of the county sheriff last month,
but now they say if we the people elect a different sheriff
utilizing our rights as citizens of North Carolina – they
will pay him/her less.
Sheriff White’s brand new pay package is $64,338/
year; a full 30% more than anybody else that may be
elected to the offi ce. The gentleman said that no matter
whom the voters pick – even a very highly qualifi ed
candidate, this vote means they will pay him less than
the handpicked candidate – Sheriff White. Remember –
Sheriff White has never been elected – he was appointed
by the commissioners last year. Is this nepotism?
Are the County Commissioners PURPOSELY trying to
dissuade candidates from running against their handpicked
candidate? Did the County manager PURPOSE-
LY manipulate the commissioners by telling them they
had to do this now? And fi nally – does it foster a “Good
ol’ boys” network when they actively try to discourage
outside talent from seeking offi ce in our community?
Why did Mr. Heath shut down Mr. Nelson when the gentleman
asked why? It’s true – it was not question and
answer time, but I have seen commissioners answer
questions during public comments before.
I suppose none of this REALLY matters. As of this
writing, no-one is running against Sheriff White anyway.
Besides, I am an optimist by nature, and like to see the
best in people. I want to think neither Mr. Heath nor any
of the commissioners is actually trying to undermine
our rights as citizens. But it does make one take some
time out to think, and think hard – something I don’t
normally do after leaving a Commissioner or Town hall
meeting.
Yours truly, Concerned Citizen
All I need to make a comedy
is a park, a policeman
and a pretty girl.
- Charlie Chaplin
Winslow Accounting
857 Halstead Blvd. PO Box 2386
Elizabeth City, NC 27909
Joseph S. Winslow, Jr.
Professional Financial Planner
Accredited Tax Preparer
Experience helping small
businesses since 1973
N.C. Society of Accountants
National Society of Accountants
winslowacct@gmail.com
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