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: https://www.epageflip.net/i/742437
6 OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OPINION If there's an idiom reporters and their PR counterparts agree on, it's the "smell test." The "smell test" says something may be legal, but there's a question about its ethical, moral and just plain common sense application; enough so that someone thinks twice before fouling the air. That's the case when two Cumberland County Sheriff 's Office deputies — a sergeant and a lieutenant — participated in a political ad for state attorney general candidate Josh Stein. The deputies are in uniform and display a county patrol car. His political ad using Cumberland County deputies raised eyebrows at the local courthouse. It also begs the questions: 1. Why were deputies from Cumberland County participating in a campaign ad photographed at the Wake County Courthouse 65 miles away? 2. If they were off duty, why did they wear uniforms, carry side arms and drive a marked Cumberland County patrol car? 3. Who paid for the fuel for the roughly 130-mile round trip? 4. Why are deputies exempt from regulations that prohibit other county employees in official capacities from engaging in political activity? Especially while wearing uniforms that scream, "We represent Cumberland County"? It's all legal says the knowledgeable Cumberland County Sheriff 's Office legal advisor Ronnie Mitchell. He cited a January 2016 North Carolina Supreme Court ruling that says deputies work for sheriffs and not the county. The idea that deputies are sheriffs' chattels is based on the Young v. Bailey court case. Here's the story. In 2009, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Daniel "Chipp" Bailey wanted to beef up his campaign coffers. He mailed letters to deputies at their home addresses and asked for money for his 2010 reelection campaign. Capt. Terri Young and three other deputies decided not to pony up the cash. Sheriff Bailey won reelection in November 2010. In December he fired the four deputies. Happy holidays! Young and her colleagues believed not donating and staying neutral was their First Amendment right. So, they sued Bailey, claiming they were unjustly fired. They pointed to state laws that are supposed to protect local government employees from getting treated unfairly. Sheriff Bailey claimed sovereign immunity, which means the law didn't apply to him. His lawyers argued he could fire any of his 1,350 employees for political reasons. And on the last day of January, the sate Supreme Court ruled in his favor for all four lawsuits. Basically, it said: 1. The Sheriff 's Office is not a program or department of county government, thus deputies are not county employees covered by state law when it comes to political activity. 2. Deputies could be fired for political reasons, which ensures loyalty to the sheriff. 3. And the court didn't believe the four deputies were fired for not donating to the reelection campaign. On it's web site, the politically powerful North Carolina Sheriffs' Association says this about the ruling: "It's not about political purity...it's about having employees loyal to a sheriff and who respond to a sheriff 's priorities and getting rid of those who don't." So, does Sheriff Earl Butler or any of the remaining North Carolina sheriffs pay their deputies' salaries out of their own pockets? Nope. Taxpayers do. In Cumberland County's 2017 recommended budget, county taxpayers fork over almost $47.5 million to run the Sheriff 's Office. So, yeah, Cumberland County deputies who are not county employees but whose salaries, uniforms, guns, and cars paid for by taxpayers can legally participate in political activity. So hold your nose. See CumberlandCAN.com for a more detailed version of this article. The Smell Test by JASON BRADY Josh Stein JASON BRADY. Columnist. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910.484.6200. To some, The First Tee is a household name. To you, maybe it's a head scratcher. Perhaps you've seen a TV commercial while watching golf on Sunday afternoon or come across a Google ad when searching for 'youth golf camps'. Regardless, your knowledge is probably limited to a cool logo and an image of kids playing golf. Today, I'd like to set the record straight — very simply put, our mission is to grow good people through golf! See, from birdies to triple bogeys, errant shots to hole in ones, golf closely parallels real life through its highs and lows. At The First Tee, we look to help shape the lives of all kids by introducing them to the values of golf, helping prepare youth for success both on and off the course. And, it's not a light undertaking. Our local chapter, The First Tee of the Sandhills, has been tasked with positively impacting youth across Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson, Harnett, Moore and Montgomery counties. A positive challenge we are up for! Through community introductions, we've met with key individuals of various demographics and professions. Allowing for a greater understanding of your community and synergy with our programs. For each positive outcome we gain a new sphere of influence. So, where has this effort led us? To next week's point of lift off! Thursday, Nov. 2, we will host a series of community activities at Gates Four Golf & Country Club. First, a luncheon flagged the State of The First Tee, where around 30 pre-vetted community members will join us for a series of round table discussions providing education about The First Tee of the Sandhills, our goals and support needs for success in Cumberland County. Board members, volunteers and participants will come together to engage in these conversations with community leaders and advocates as we look to cultivate new relationships, grow prospective future committee and board members and build momentum. Then, later in the afternoon, we are holding a volunteer interest meeting at 3 p.m. This meeting is open to the public and will serve as a forum to educate individuals about the roles, needs and potential schedules for a volunteer in the community. Prospective and existing volunteers will have an opportunity to meet one another while we aspire to inspire each other to get involved. Our day at Gates Four Golf and Country Club will conclude with a community wide Kids & Family Night event from 4:30 – 6 p.m. Youth will get to participate in fun games and drills that are incorporated into The First Tee curriculum, enjoy a healthy snack and meet current participants. Parents will have the chance to speak with staff and volunteers about our existing programs and vision for Cumberland County in 2017. We are enthusiastically excited to make a large push for consistent programs and opportunities for youth through golf in the community. If one of our activities on Nov. 2 sounds like a fit please reach out so we can get you plugged in! We are looking forward to making new friends, building inroads and taking lift off with you on Nov. 2! First Tee Begins Cumberland County Program by COURTNEY STILES LETTERS COURTNEY STILES. Executive Director for The First Tee of the Sandhills. COMMENTS? cstiles@the- firstteesandhills.org or 910.255.3035.