Waller, Chatman, Warrick won't seek re-election
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on February 7, 2012 1:46 PM
The Goldsboro City Council will have a distinctly different look come July as three current council members announced Monday night they will not run for re-election.
Those three seats, in districts 2, 3 and 6, will be open as Bob Waller, Don Chatman and Jackie Warrick said during the latter part of Monday night's meeting that they will not seek re-election.
Waller, who has been on the council for 10 years, quoted Scripture as he delivered the first announcement, saying there was a time for everything.
Chatman, who has served as a council member since 2004, then announced he would not be running for re-election again, prompting District 4 Councilman Rev. Charles Williams to speak on the matter as well.
"I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel just yet," he said.
Williams confirmed this morning that he intends to run for re-election.
Warrick, who began work with the city in 1968 as a police officer before rising to the rank of chief, then announced his time with the city was coming to an end as well. Warrick has represented District 6 since 2004.
The shakeup came just minutes after the council had a divisive vote on the Center Street Streetscape project, during which Waller, Chatman and Warrick voted against the project but were overruled by the majority 4-3.
The other item for individual action on the council's agenda, however, was approved unanimously.
The council voted 7-0 to allow for the rezoning of the southeast corner of the intersection of Wayne Memorial Drive and Tommy's Road, though the property owner's initial request was denied.
Instead of rezoning the land to general business as requested, the land was converted to shopping center, which carries more restrictions than general business but still would allow for the use suggested in previous meetings: the building of a Bojangle's on the corner.
The council also approved, unanimously, the refinancing of its debt, which will result in a net savings of up to $268,000, according to representatives from Davenport, the city's financial consultant, who were on hand at the council's work session.
The city's debt service projects -- the Paramount Theatre, two phases of City Hall and the automatic meter reading renovations -- were set to be consolidated, but the lending institutions contacted would not approve all of the refinancing options.
Finance Director Kaye Scott reported that the lenders said that the Paramount Theatre was considered to be a "non-essential building" and that none of the lenders were interested in refinancing it at the time.
Mrs. Scott explained that not including the Paramount project, which carries the highest interest rate of the city's current loans, would result in a substantial reduction in savings.
The prepayment plan for the City Hall Annex also meant that the refinancing of that loan would mean a loss of $45,000 for the city, so that project was left out as well, leaving the meter reading project, Historic City Hall and the possible Center Street Streetscape loan to be refinanced. Without the Streetscape project, the savings from refinancing would be $207,000.
The council also approved conditional use permits for an Internet gaming facility on New Hope Road and a private cemetery on South Slocumb Street.
Site and landscape plans were approved for Longhorn Steakhouse and the Community Church of Christ, as well as a site and landscape plan revision for Toyota of Goldsboro.
Mayor Al King also proclaimed February Human Relations Month and Feb. 11, 2011 Incorporated Day, honoring the Goldsboro Chapter of the Continental Societies while the council approved a resolution honoring Steve Lusk, a police sergeant, in his retirement from the city.