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/976488
4 UCW MAY 2-8, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM BILL BOWMAN, publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. PUBLISHER'S PEN STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ EDITOR Stephanie Crider editor@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Leslie Pyo leslie@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR Earl Vaughan Jr. EarlUCWSports@gmail.com REPORTERS Charles Bosworth, Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elizabeth Long art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Jason Brady, Lauren Vanderveen, Matthew Skipper, Shane Wilson SALES ADMINISTRATOR/ DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com ––––––––––– 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 wel- comes 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 Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. ©2018 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Cover art/Various ads with art graphics designed with various elements from: vecteezy.com and freepik.com. Last week the CARE Clinic held its 17th Annual Toast of the Town Wine and Beer Tasting and Auction fundraiser at Cape Fear Botanical Garden. It was an enjoyable and successful event. However, it lacked one significant thing: the support, pres- ence and participation of our local elected officials. I was disappointed that our city, county and state leaders all took a pass on this special occasion. It was, however, great to see District Court Judge Toni King and Fayetteville Astros general manager David Lane and his wife Lindsey at the event. ey get it! In November, the CARE Clinic will cel- ebrate its 25th anniversary of unselfishly serving the medical and dental needs of residents of Fayetteville and Cumberland County. I remember when the Catho- lic Social Ministries of the Diocese in Raleigh provided the $10,000 grant to es- tablish this free health clinic. e capital campaign that followed was led by Sister Jean Rhodes. She rallied the community and raised the money to renovate the building that is the clinic's present home at 239 Robeson St. She garnered the love and support of the entire community. From its incep- tion, anything the CARE Clinic was involved in seemed to become the most important and prestigious "who's who" event in Fayetteville. is is why I was so disappointed at last week's beer and wine tasting. Out of the hundreds of generous CARE Clinic supporters in attendance, it was conspicuously void of our local elected officials. is is troublesome for a couple of rea- sons. First, it should concern everyone that our elected officials are so disconnected from our community that they cannot rec- ognize the people and organizations who unselfishly work and sacrifice to enhance the quality of life of our citizens. Secondly, it should concern everyone that our elected officials do not seem to want to meet and mingle with their constituents. Do they see so little value in making their presence known in a com- munity that put them in office? irdly, it makes one skeptical of their real intentions for wanting to hold pub- lic office in the first place. After all, why wouldn't they want to mingle with and meet community residents? What makes them so bashful and elusive? Are they afraid people are going to hold them responsible and accountable? Are they skittish of people asking them questions like the following? Do you live in the district you represent? Have you paid your taxes? How do you feel about the $10 downtown event parking fee? What are you going to do about the panhandling issue in our community? When are we going to get a new perform- ing arts center? Why did you support (or not support) that zoning recommendation? Why do we need a baseball stadium? Why haven't my leaves and yard debris been picked up? Why shouldn't the state government continue to appoint District Court judges? When will we adopt a campaign to curb litter and beautify our community? Or, one of my favorites, how did that $5,000 West Coast confer- ence you attended benefit Cumberland County? Now, I am being a little facetious. is type and style of elusive political posturing and behavior have developed over the last decade. It wasn't al- ways like this. In fact, it was just the opposite. Major prestigious community events were the venues our dedicated leaders wanted to at- tend and be seen at. e CARE Clinic fund- raisers were one of many. Others included the Holly Day Fair, the International Folk Festival, Community Concerts events, the Greek Festival, Cape Fear Regional eatre performances, the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, the Fort Bragg Fair and anything sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. During the '70s, '80s and '90s, these events drew community movers and shakers from throughout the greater Fayetteville area. Now, not so much. Let this serve as a polite warning to everyone in an elected capacity – espe- cially those who have mastered the art of getting elected without serving the people or the community. Your nonparticipa- tion and lack of contribution are notice- able and conspicuous. Fayetteville and Cumberland County are coming of age. Bold leadership abilities, vision, razor- sharp minds and integrity top the list of attributes needed to manage and fuel our future growth and development success- fully. I suggest our leaders ask themselves a few questions before deciding to run for reelection – questions like: What have I contributed to this community? Can I point to any accomplishments for which I am responsible? Am I leading by example or just taking up space? Local or state elected officials who don't see the value of being out in public and showing up at major events held in high esteem by the community or who can't find time to attend important events like an economic development seminar, a Chamber of Commerce social or a Military Command Breakfast may have something bothering them – or something to hide. What other explanation could there be? Maybe it's a false loyalty to the commu- nity they swore an oath to serve. Perhaps it's merely a character flaw that's causing them personal discomfort and insecurity. Or, maybe it's guilt caused by clandestine improprieties and abuse of resources. Whatever the reason, actions speak louder than words. If they are not seen out in public at an event, they have made a conscious decision to be elsewhere. The beach, the mountains or at home, it really doesn't matter. They are not in the public's eye, and this diminishes the person and the office. Where would this community be without the vision and leadership of peo- ple like the late County Commissioner Thomas Bacote, Fayetteville's Mayor for Life J.L. Dawkins and former Fayetteville Mayor Bill Hurley? They were out there. These leaders were true public figures. To be a public figure, you need to be out in public. My final words are directed to this group of individuals: Leaders, you need to show up! Your absence is conspicuous, and your elusive behavior is as shallow as your contributions to our community. Step up or move out. Make room for people who want to make a difference in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. Serving in a public office is an honor and not meant to be a convenient landing spot so one can collect supplemental pay while getting their picture taken for the local news. e best way to get into the newspaper is to do something significant. e first step is to show up! ank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. Do our public officials even CARE? by BILL BOWMAN e late J.L. Dawkins served as mayor of Fayetteville from 1987- 2000, the longest tenure of any mayor in the city's history. He also served on city council 12 years prior to becoming mayor. He is an example of a true public figure. To be a public figure, you need to be out in public. 1935 - 2000