Revisiting Wilson One Year Later - Dem Party Select New Chair

On a Saturday afternoon in late August 2010, Wilson County Democrats filled the second floor courtroom to elect a new Dem Party chair. Boykin was out. The WCDP needed a new person in.

Millicent Graves served as the first-vice chair for the Party and was unamiously voted in as the new chair. By default, Graves became the first African American woman to chair the position.

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Revisiting Wilson One Year Later - The Petition

"There is no mistaking the "Sound of Silence." Ponder the statement for a moment. It is profound. And the sound of silence is "deafening." As was the case in August 2010, when the Wilson County Democratic Party ignored the fact (or so it seemed) that Calvin Woodard won the May primary.

There was no open, public or official acknowledgement from the local party or its leaders congratulating Calvin Woodard on his victory over Wayne Gay and becoming the party nominee for Sheriff of Wilson County. So where was the support. Where was the congratulatory celebrations and endorsements from the "Party of the People" as they deemed themselves?

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Revisiting Wilson One Year Later - Chris Boykin FINALLY ... Resigns

Chris Boykin resigned. He did so amid controversy. A formal request by Gwen Wilkins and a formal petition from local citizens to the State Dem Party for his "immediate removal." What a sigh of relief. Finally, citizens of Wilson who wanted him out for "dereliction of his duties" in not abiding by the Dem party bylaws felt vindicated.

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Revisiting Wilson One Year Later - Chris Boykin Resign or be Removed

We're continuing our series on "Revisiting Wilson One Year Later" if you didn't read the first post follow the link.

August of last year was full of anticipation and excitement for the Wilson County Democratic Party. In our previous post, "Revisiting Wilson One Year Later," We're reflecting on how we got from there to here, one year later concerning the local party.

We're also looking back at some of the folks who were very instrumental in helping to open "closed doors." Those who have helped with bringing more inclusion of African American participation in the local chapter. What a difference a year makes.

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Word on the Street - The Mayor& the Councilman

Word on the Street is  . . . Prior to the City Council meeting, Mr. Mayor told a citizen concerned about the chemical plant, that the plant option was the better of two being considered. That "they" were getting the best deal going. REALLY. WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THAT.

On the other end of the spectrum, a Councilman said he wanted everybody to take the time to objectively evaluate their positions. He went on to say, he couldn't tell them what to do, but to really give it some thought and steer clear of opinions and look at the facts. "What's real and what's perceived."
WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT TOO.

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Chickens, Chemicals, City Council & The Community... What They're Saying Now

In the past few weeks, Pencco Inc., and City Staff members for the City of Wilson (COW) have been meeting with residents & business owners who work & reside in the Daniel Hill area, near 614 Park Ave. where the chemical company wants to locate.

Now, let's just go ahead and put it out there for folks who are not from here and don't know the area. YES. The Daniel Hill/ Park Ave area consist predominatly of African Americans and other minorities. Not surprised. Of course not. Well, we didn't think you would be. The chemicals they claim the plant will be using in particular are ferric sulfate and ferrous sulfate.

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The Choice between Chickens or Chemicals

A "CHICKEN" won't kill me, but "CHEMICALS" will.



Video: Courtesy NC Poultry Federation via Youtube

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MLK Jr Memorial Opens to Visitors

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Ricardo Dew addresses Council Concerns

In reading the recent article in The Wilson Times about “Council debates travel expenses,” it’s hard to know where to start. The article actually begins to uncover the need for an open and fair government in our city. Let’s start with the numbers that my councilman Mr. Blackman put forth. 

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Chemical Plant Decision Delayed...Why

Unlike when Sanderson Farms wanted to bring a poultry plant to the region, Mayor Bruce Rose is not purposing a resolution that would keep chemicals out of the backyards of Wilson residents. Instead, he's announced the rezoning request for a proposed chemical plant will be delayed 30 days supposedly at the request of the company's owners.The question is why?

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Word on The Street - AP Coleman

AP Coleman:
"We're going to vote on the plan that's been suggested to us that we think and the public thinks will be passed by the Department of Justice."

Council passed a resolution Thursday evening, that sets the stage for the adoption of an ordinance at the September 15th council session, when they will pick a redistricitng plan to submit to the US Justice Department. So mark your calendar now if you plan to attend.

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Continuing the Conversation: Bill Blackman

City Councilman Bill Blackman believes in this economy ...  the travel expenses of some council members are just too much. During a time when the city budget is limited and employees haven't had a raise in three years, Blackman has suggested "monitoring" by way of the City Council "approving" the travel plans of other council members. This has less to do with employees not getting a pay raise in the last three years and more to do with control and power.

Whether (some) city staff members have or have not had a raise in pay in three years is a matter of record. And the answer lies somewhere within the compounds of the corridors in City Hall. The information regarding the pay salaries of current City of Wilson employees has been requested by a sitting Council member. Yet it has not been released - not even to the City Council representative who has requested the information. WHY NOT?

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We Saw What You Did

Last week while crusing the area where the Texas corporation, Pennco wants to bring a chemical plant this is what we saw. Odd thing about it is we had just asked some of the local residents when was the last time they saw or heard a train come through this area - Guess what they said. They hadn't in quite a few years. So we found it pretty interesting that on the very day we asked this question this is what we saw coming down the track . . . Now the question is was this a "trial run" to see if the tracks were in good shape and stable enough to sustain traffic...

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Citizens Have their Own Version of cartoon

Credit: Citizen DanBarb

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Councilman wants to Curtail Colleagues Travel

Recently, Councilman Bill Blackman commented that during a time when the city budget is limited and employees have not had a raise in three years, he felt the travel expenses of his fellow colleagues was too much. He made the suggestion that Council take on the role of approving the travel plans of other council members.

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Cartoon Depicts Councilman as Wasteful

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Butterfield Moderates Forum

Did you get your invitation to come?

A Forum will be held today on the matters of senior issues and job creation. U.S. Rep. G. K. Butterfield will moderate the forum today in Wilson. A select few knew about this event prior to today's date. The forum will be from 2-4 p.m. at the Gee Corbett Village, at 1817 Butterfield Lane.

The congressman will be joined by Mary Bethel, advocacy director of AARP North Carolina. Local and state elected officials have been invited to participate as well. Wonder who will show up!

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No Chickens. No Chemicals.

If you're a local or live in the surrounding area, then you know exactly what this phrase means. If you don't then maybe not so much, but what you can get from this picture is that folks don't want a chemical plant operating in middle of their neighborhood. And rightly so.

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For The Record

In the past couple weeks, my name has been mentioned several times by a man who has been making comments in the local newspaper online comment section who has been identified as Daryl Barber. He's openly accused me of being a political hack and he's made false accusations that I've recently written comments on the following Wilson Times (WT) news articles: Please Redraw the lines & Do Away with Racial Lines or something to that affect if those headlines are incorrect. I've had friends share with me the things Barber has

                stated and the manner thereof.

I've ignored the rants, the name calling and negative comments until now. And let there be no mistake as to whether I did or did not contribute to comments written in the online comment section of the WT. I have not, but I am speaking out now.

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Revisiting Wilson One Year Later

Last year around this time the town was all up in arms. The atmosphere was very different then than where we are today. How so, well, we had just come through a heated contest concerning the Sheriff’s race here in Wilson County. Getting poised to have another one. The Chair of the Wilson County Democratic Party refused literally to back the Democratic party nominee.  There was no acknowledgement from the local Dem Party for the nominee. No endorsement and no cooperation from the Party Chair.

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Tear the Roof Off The Sucker - II

Community Blogger: K.Real 

To Raise the Debt Ceiling or Not to Raise the Debt Ceiling.
That Was The Question.

So, on August 2, 2011 the question was answered, by a vote of 269 Yes to 161 No in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday 1 August, and a concluding 74 Yes to 26 No votes in the U.S. Senate today August 2^nd and an approval signature by the President, Barack Obama, the United States avoided what would have been one of the worse events to happen to this nation since its conception. that being, defaulting on America’s financial standing in the free world economy.

Immediately, after the vote was in by the House of Representatives the cable networks were asking who were the winners and who were the losers in this ridiculous, childish, and unprofessional self inflicted crisis. A crisis created in the Congress of the United States of America by the very people we elected to govern our country. 

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