The Original Hood-Rats!

Not very long ago, there was a group of men that felt that they had the right to use destructive measures to keep people in their place. Today, many have discarded their sheets and put on a new mask. The mask of anonymity. But this new band of cloaked individuals come from every race and socie-economic background. The want to keep the residents of Lumberton in their place--uneducated and outside the mainstream, but I am not going to let that happen. This blog is not here to serve as a platform for personal attacks, but it is here to show what is taking place in our city. This blog is a constant reminder that elections have consequences. For instance, when the City of Lumberton needed a new Chief of Police, the obivious choice to replace Hammond should have been Franklin. But the former mayor knew that he couldn't control Franklin, so he choose someone that was more reserved. Now, I am not saying that Chief Fortenberry wasn't a good choice. I am saying that he was not the obvious choice. Another instance of politics interferring with the work at city hall involves Betty Speights. Betty was placed on the agenda several times to be hired as deputy court clerk, and the former mayor vetoed the motion to hire her. Now, this was the perfect time for the board to phase out the job of deputy court clerk and eliminate this position, but it didn't happen. So, our former mayor insisted that the city hire Melissa Pack for the position. Again, he was making a choice that would benefit him and not the city. It is my belief that he wanted someone in the office that would be loyal to him, which would give him access to the information in that office.(That is my theory on the matter.) Another incident of politics in the work place occured with the last administration. When Bobby Gibson applied for the position of Public Works Director. The job was given to an individual that didn't have the experience for the job and this decision left the city in a vulnerable position. As a result, the city had to capitulate to the demands of its current Public Works Director in order to complete some guidelines of a grant. This just shows us that elections have consequences. The best individuals for the jobs are not always given the opporutnity to serve becasue they have been left out of the political process. Unfortunately, there are too many personal agenda behind the hiring of this person or that person. Instead of using their positions to place someone in office based on feelings, they should hire individuals that are best for the job. Our aldermen want all the benefits of holding their position, but they don't want any of the burdens. We can't continue to have all these expenditures without any revenue, and we can't continue to support the payroll as it now stands. There is so much tension within our board. When will they check their egos at the door and do what is best for the City of Lumberton? Despite what you may think of our mayor, one thing is for certain, she is well versed in the laws governing a code charter municipality. I am not a gambling man, but if the mayor veto an item or suspend a city employee, you better believe that she is following the letter of the law. Having someone on the board with this much knowledge of the law is one of the most valuable assets this city could have. The individuals that are referenced in this blog have taken the matters personally and now they are on the defensive. But I am only giving an observation about the things I see taking place in the City of Lumberton. So, if I am giving out false information, please, by all means, give me your version of what's going on and I will be more than happy to post your version of the events posted on this blog.