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.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1458054
4 UCW MARCH 9 -15, 2022 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com EDITOR Emily Sussman editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Hannah Lee assistanteditor@upandcomingweekly. com PRODUCTION MANAGER/ GRAPHIC DESIGNER Dylan Hooker art@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITERS Alyson Hansen MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister linda@upandcomingweekly.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER/SALES ADMINISTRATOR Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Pitt Dickey, Thomas Kelsey, John Hood, Jessica May, Ben Sessoms COVER –––––––––––- Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan St. P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: 910-484-6200- FAX: 910-484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and information on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Army Airfield, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. © 2020 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Various ads with art graphics designed with elements from: vecteezy.com and freepik.com. 82 64 82 83 79 82 63 64 83 66 64 65 THU MAR 10 FRI MAR 11 SAT MAR 12 SUN MAR 13 MON MAR 14 TUE MAR 15 68 49 72 55 68 32 54 35 65 43 70 45 Partly Cloudy Sunny Showers Showers Showers Mostly Sunny Association of Community Publishers PUBLISHER'S PEN Finally, we are scheduled to have a primary election on May 17. Candidate filings have faced incon- venient delays because of lawsuits over the establishment of congres- sional districts. ese districts are also used in county and municipal elections and were redrawn using information from the 2020 Census. So, let the games (primaries) begin! It's been a long time since this community has seen so much activ- ity and enthusiasm toward local elections. e many residents who have filed to serve public offices in Fayetteville and Cumberland Coun- ty reflect this enthusiasm. Every one of them should be commended for their willingness to step up and be a public servant. is enthusi- astic participation speaks volumes about what residents think of the City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County's leadership. And, by the candidates' turnout, these folks are not giving our current public servants very high marks in leader- ship. Just the opposite. Citizens are frustrated and discouraged by the way our local governments are run. Dissatisfaction runs the gamut. Our local governments lack transpar- ency in handling the allegations of incompetence and mismanagement leveled against Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins. And the reluc- tance of the City Council to call for an independent external investiga- tion of former councilwoman Tisha Waddell's allegations against the mayor and several sitting council members. Suppose there is, in fact, no truth to these allegations, as Mayor Mitch Colvin contends. en why resist the call for an indepen- dent external investigation? An independent external inquiry into Waddell's allegations would provide proof, reassurance and closure for the citizens of Fayetteville. Resi- dents are not happy with the way current leadership is running this community, and they are losing trust and confidence in them every day and for a good reason. e citizens of Fayetteville and Cumberland County love and care about this community, and they witness daily what our collective elected officials choose to ignore. e downtown encampments filled with people without homes are seen daily by city and county elected officials, staff members and employees without acknowledg- ment. People are homesteading under trees in our center city and camping out in our downtown parking lots using our trees and fence posts to hang their laundry and trash bags. In addition, we have a homicide rate that makes us competitive for the title of murder capital of North Carolina and one of the deadliest cities in the country. But, we boast a lower rate of petty crimes. e amount of trash and litter on our streets is beginning to speak vol- umes about people's lack of respect for our community. Yes, the election period is short. Yes, candidates seeking office must work fast and hard to raise money and name recognition. And, yes, most of the incumbents have a huge advantage. I doubt any challengers will displace Mitch Colvin or many of the other city and county offi- cials. However, the sheer number of candidates running for office in- dicates that people are not happy with the current leadership. And, those new folks who manage to win have the opportunity to provide a new and fresh leadership style that could help assure honest gover- nance to city and county residents. Review the candidates carefully and do your due diligence. Because, ultimately, in the end, we will end up with the kind of leadership we deserve. ank you for reading Up & Com- ing Weekly. BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. The Elections: We will get what we deserve by BILL BOWMAN Photo courtesy of Pexels.