Up & Coming Weekly

August 28, 2018

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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AUGUST 29-SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 UCW 21 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM During the Aug. 20 Board of Commissioners meeting, Hope Mills received a plaque from the City-County Joint Appearance Commission, which recognized the dam at the 10th Annual Community Appearance Awards. On Sept. 10, Town Manager Melissa Adams will travel to Seattle, Washington, to accept a second award, the National Rehabilitation Project of the Year Award from the Annual Association of State Dams Safety Officials. Mayor Warner was approached by a representa- tive for ASDSO several years ago and was told the town and dam might be eligible for the award. Since then, she's worked with Melissa Adams to complete the lengthy application process. Warner announced the award during the board's July 23 meeting and opened the floor to discussion. Commissioner Jerry Legge made a motion to send Melissa Adams before any conversation was held. When Commissioner Pat Edwards asked them to consider sending Mayor Warner, the room fell silent. Commissioner Jessie Bellflowers suggested sending a citizen from the Lake Advisory Committee, but that, too, was rejected. Eventually, Commissioner Meg Larson announced that she supported the idea of sending one person. The board voted 4-1 to send Adams alone, with Edwards being the only member who voted against the plan. The July 23 meeting was contentious from the start. The Lone Survivor Foundation and its request to purchase municipal property was discussed through- out this meeting. Nearly two dozen citizens spoke in favor of the project when Warner suspended the rules to allow public comments. Several members of the board were opposed to allowing public com- ments, presumably comments about LSF. Tempers flared through the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Mitchell, Bellflowers, Larson and all had outbursts at some point. Bellflowers implied the process of bringing the proposal to the board was done incorrectly, then shouted at the mayor and accused her of interrupt- ing him while he was technically speaking out of turn. When Larson asked to respond to a citizen and Warner didn't allow it, Larson became agitated and spoke anyway. Mitchell insulted Robert van Geons, the president and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation, when he asked if it was a conflict of interest for Teddy Warner, the mayor's son and the director of business development for FDEDC, to be involved in partnering LSF with the town of Hope Mills. Mitchell also implied the LSF staff had col- luded with Warner and her son to facilitate the sale. There was a considerable amount of tension between the board members and the mayor by the time she broached the topic of the award. With the vote complete, Warner asked the board to give her permission to go and agreed to pay her own expenses. Mitchell, Larson, Legge and Bellflowers remained silent, heads down, refusing to make eye contact with Warner or the crowd. Edwards asked for a consensus, but the board refused to acknowl- edge even this small request. On July 27, the Board of Directors of the Hope Mills Area Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the town and the Board of Commissioners. They formally requested Jackie Warner be allowed to attend the award ceremony saying: "Mayor Warner has been working diligently and steadfast on the dam project for nearly four years and has played a vital role in acquiring the settlement to rebuild the damn and replenish the lake. Mayor Warner is the ambassador for the town of Hope Mills. It is only proper and fitting that she accompany Town Manager Adams in accepting this most prestigious and well-earned award." The Board of Commissioners have ignored the letter and refused to reply. Interestingly, there was a Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for Sept. 10. At the Aug. 20 meeting, the board voted to cancel it since Adams would be in Seattle and couldn't attend. There is nothing preventing Warner from attending the ceremony in Seattle, but she's chosen to not attend, citing a need to honor the wishes of the board members. Petty politics by ELIZABETH BLEVINS Hope Mills News & Views ELIZABETH BLEVINS, Creator of HopeMills.net. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. OPINION Jerry Legge Mayor Jackie Warner (left) and Town Manager Melissa Adams (right) worked together to complete the lengthy application process that led to the Hope Mills dam winning the National Rehabilitation Project of the Year Award. Photos of dam (far right) by Steve Aldridge. Jessie Bellflowers Meg Larson Mike Mitchell Pat Edwards

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