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/1475157
6 UCW AUGUST 3 - 9, 2022 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM City leaders and staff tout America's Can Do City because it is unique and full of career opportunities for veter- ans, military spouses and children. e city currently employs some 1,800 people in a variety of public service industries. U.S. military veterans, spouses and children often find a transition to city government makes sense after a military service career or permanent change of station. With career op- portunities across a variety of disci- plines and fields available, the city of Fayetteville is a perfect place to enter the public service sector. Some serve as police officers, firefighters and telecommunicators. Bilingual staff members have found opportunities to help save lives with their communication skills. e work is not just on the front lines, heroes are behind the scenes too. Fayetteville Regional Airport Direc- tor Dr. Toney Coleman served a total of 25 years in the Army as an aviator and special operations officer. Day to day, Coleman manages airport terminals that are the background to military family reunions and a USO. Retiring Fayetteville Area System of Transit Director Randy Hume is a Navy veteran. Hume led his team through pandemic challenges, a 9% increase in ridership over the past year and he established a vision to transi- tion to an electric fleet by 2040. ere are more opportunities service members and loved ones can consider. Environmental Services Supervisor Darryn Bailey says he went from Los Angeles to the Army and eventually found a home in Fayetteville. "Once out of the Army, I worked various jobs," Bailey said. "When I was hired by the city of Fayetteville, it was the best job ever. I have been here for over 20 plus years." Fayetteville job candidates may consider themselves gatekeepers. Development Services is the first stop for people who want to build and do business in Fayetteville. "Our department is a great place for veterans because it deals with codes, regulations and assisting the general public," Planning and Zoning Division Manager Jennifer Baptiste said. "It gives them structure and regulations." e Development Services team includes veterans who served in the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy and Reserve component. Many of their stories can be read on the website www.fayettevillenc.gov/city-services/ human-resource-development/em- ployment-with-the-city/quotes-from- city-employees-who-are-military- veterans. e city promotes the Employer of Choice initiative which is meant to improve the quality of life for employ- ees making Fayetteville an attractive employment option. Fayetteville com- mits to investing in all employees so they can invest in our community. New federal funding was made available this year for the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation and the Community Development Foundation to develop an "HR Talent Portal" which will serve transitioning soldiers, military spouses and veterans as they leave the service, encouraging them to remain in Fayetteville for their next role. is connects service members and fami- lies to education, skills, talents and job opportunities in the region. New applicants are welcome to apply online for full-time or part-time positions. Ideal candidates have a Can Do attitude and are ready to ensure Fayetteville is a desirable place to live, work and play. Current benefits can be found online. e Fayetteville Police Department is also offering incentives for new officers, including one for those with military experience. e City of Fayetteville continues to support both active duty and retired service members by providing a welcoming community and reward- ing careers. For more information visit www.fayettevillenc.gov/. City of Fayetteville offers job opportunities for veterans a STAFF REPORT NEWS Dr. Toney Coleman Fayetteville Regional Airport Director Unresponsive leaders leave unanswered questions I asked Senator om Tillis why he voted along with the Democrats for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. I eventually received a lengthy boiler- plate reply. e wording is designed to sound good and convincing. But I found in it something that any critical thinker should find disturbing, if not downright frightening. What guardrails does this legislation put in place to protect due process for law-abiding North Carolinians? Here is a paragraph from that lengthy response: "I am very concerned about protect- ing and preserving our constitutional rights, which is why I fought to ensure strong due process protections were included in this legislation. For states that choose to use crisis intervention order programs, the legislation requires strong due process and evidentiary pro- tections to protect our constitutional rights and prevent abuse. at means new due process guardrails for states with existing crisis intervention order programs and for those that choose to implement new ones. is includes both pre- and post-deprivation due process rights that include notice, the right to an in-person hearing, unbiased adjudicators, knowledge of opposing evidence, right to present evidence, right to confront adverse witnesses, and the right to be represented by legal counsel. It requires heightened eviden- tiary standards to justify crisis inter- vention and requires penalties for those who attempt to abuse the program." Well, this reads pretty reasonable and convincing, until you get to the bit "unbiased adjudicators." Let's see, somebody that doesn't like you complains to the police. ey raid your house and confiscate your legally acquired (and licensed if applicable) firearms. So, you demand a hearing to get your guns back. According to this document from Senator Tillis, your claim will be heard by "unbiased adjudicators." So, who is going to appoint these "unbiased adjudicators" and by what criteria will they be judged to be "un- biased?" Will the officials that select these "unbiased adjudicators." be sub- ject to an equivalent requirement that they also be unbiased? Let's get down to the core of this: who is unbiased about anything these days? Will someone that is a member of the NRA be excluded owing to prima facia bias? Will someone that owns firearms be excluded? Will only people that do not own firearms be considered? Given the various statis- tics on gun ownership in the USA, it is very likely that the pool of "unbiased" people eligible to be appointed as ad- judicators will be constricted, and very likely among a minority of the citizens. I asked Senator Tillis to answer these questions. I got no reply. Draw your own conclusions from Senator Tillis' nonresponse. I wonder if he even read the text of this bill. He's got staffers that can write up an execu- tive summary in a couple of para- graphs, but just how unbiased are they when it comes to picking and choos- ing what goes into the summary? What really bothers me about this whole idea is that it echoes what went on in the former Soviet Union. Back in the day dissidents were denounced, hauled before tribunals, judged to be mentally deranged and committed to institutions. is so-called Bipartisan Safer Com- munities Act impresses me in the way it sets up a mechanism to deal with anyone deemed to be "dangerous" by bypassing due process and subject- ing anyone thought to be out of line to bureaucratic repression. What's next? Of course, if Senator Tillis disagrees, he can answer my earlier questions. Unless of course he thinks I am being out of line by even asking them. Gun violence is a symptom of a much bigger systemic problem. Good old "divide and conquer" politics is the bigger problem. Gun ownership is written into the U.S. Constitution, but our politicians seem to find it more of a nuisance than a guideline. Forget that " ... in order to form a more perfect union" bit. Instead of bringing this country together as Americans, they strive to emphasize class dis- tinction and racial conflict. ey are using COVID-19 to enforce top-down social control. And amid this, Senator Tillis and the rest of the senators and congressmen that foisted this bill on us expect "unbiased adjudicators" to right the wrongs. — Leon A. Goldstein, Retired U.S. Army, Fayetteville resident LETTER TO THE EDITOR