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/1466756
4 UCW MAY 4 - MAY 10, 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 WRITER Alyson Hansen Ashley Shirley Cindy Whitt MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister linda@upandcomingweekly.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER/SALES ADMINISTRATOR Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John Hood, Pitt Dickey, Kathleen Ramsey, Jason Brady COVER Design by Dylan Hooker 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. PUBLISHER'S PEN 82 64 82 83 79 82 63 64 83 66 64 65 THU MAY 05 FRI MAY 06 SAT MAY 07 SUN MAY 08 MON MAY 09 TUE MAY 10 86 65 84 65 81 56 71 53 75 56 78 57 Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Thunderstorms Thunderstorms Association of Community Publishers After attending the recent municipal forums, listening to the candidates on the radio and reading their social media posts, I can honestly and confidently make several assessments. For the most part, these candidates are honest, hard-working, and good-intentioned Fayetteville citizens with deep concerns for our city. Otherwise, they would not be seeking public office. However, I question the motives of several of the newbies and a few in- cumbents who are vying for reelection. e current configuration of districts in our city council does not allow for a cohesive community vision. After all, because of how the nine Fayetteville municipal districts are determined, it fosters an environment that encour- ages, protects, and disguises laziness, neglect of responsibilities, and gross incompetence while restricting our voice in local government. For more information on this issue visit, www. voteyesfayetteville.com. If history and past performance are indications of future leadership expec- tations, then why would anyone think these dysfunctional, uncooperative and uninformed city council place- holders would perform any differently if reelected? Tisha Waddell resigned her position in District 3 on November 9, 2022 after realizing, among other things, that it was impossible to work and achieve anything for the citizens of Fayetteville in such a hostile, dysfunc- tional environment. She resigned after realizing there was no path forward to improve or influence change for hon- est and transparent governance for all Fayetteville residents. As we listen to these political wan- nabes, everyone seems to tout public safety, the unhoused, storm water, infrastructure and the need to make Fayetteville a cleaner and more attrac- tive business-friendly city. All spew- ing words without substance that go primarily unchallenged by the general public. ese are ambiguous talking points and sound bites void of rem- edies, solutions, or plans to move our city forward. ey do not reflect a work- ing knowledge of how the city govern- ment operates. e Fayetteville Can Do BETTER campaign, funded by contributions col- lected from citizens who want a better Fayetteville, will run through the Gener- al election on Nov. 8. e campaign has two primary objectives: To remind and encourage people to vote in the upcom- ing elections and let the current city- elected officials know that we see and experience what they chose to ignore every day in our city. I am accepting contributions to the ad campaign and photos highlighting issues in our city from the commu- nity. Please email me directly at bill@ upandcomingweekly.com or send them direct to Fayetteville Can Do BETTER c/o Up & Coming Weekly, 208 Rowan St., Fayetteville, N.C., 28301. Fayetteville is a fabulous community with great potential for a bright and prosperous future, but only if we can elect leaders with integrity and a strong work ethic. Your comments are wel- come and appreciated. ank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly Join the Fayetteville Can Do BETTER Campaign by BILL BOWMAN BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. A graphic excerpt for the Fayetteville Can Do BETTER Campaign. (File image)