Aycock re-elected chair
By Steve Herring
Published in News on December 3, 2014 1:46 PM
Wayne Aycock and Ed Cromartie were re-elected chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the Wayne County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.
And while the process lacked last year's overt divisiveness, there were still signs of that fracturing as Republican Commissioners Bill Pate and Ray Mayo did not raise their hands when it came time to vote to re-elect Cromartie, a Democrat.
Commissioner Joe Daughtery, a Republican, nominated Cromartie. The vote was 7-0. Mayo and Pate did not raise their hands when the vote was called and in accordance with board policy were counted as yes votes.
At the start of the meeting, Aycock called on County Attorney Borden Parker to handle the election of a chairman.
Democrat John Bell nominated Aycock, a Republican. There were no other nominations, and Aycock was re-elected unanimously.
Aycock then assumed control of the meeting and asked for nominations for vice chairman.
Cromartie received the only nomination.
Aycock thanked the board for its confidence in him and Cromartie.
Both Aycock and Daughtery used the occasion to reflect on the board's accomplishments over the past year.
However, Mayo, who asked to speak last during the commissioners' comments portion of the meeting, questioned some of the things the board has done.
Mayo was vice chairman two years ago, but a coalition of Aycock, Daughtery, Bell and Cromartie bypassed making him chairman, opting instead for bipartisan leadership.
"Since we are being so honest today, this whole board as to what we have accomplished, my take is that it is not how much you accomplished," Mayo said. "It is not that at all.
"It is the path that you take to get there. And that is one of the things that I have questioned about some of the things that this board has done."
Mayo did not cite any specifics, but said that he wanted to recognize a former commissioner who is well thought of and to thank him for his service. He noted that Republican Andy Anderson had never been elected chairman or vice chairman during his 19 years on a Democrat-controlled board.
That was true even though Anderson was known for his ability to get thing done and for his hard work on many projects, Mayo said.
Aycock said that over the past year commissioners had approved 205 budget amendments, 23 resolutions, 13 proclamations, 71 committee appointments and 22 consent agendas.
"I think that speaks highly for the board," he said. "Also, one thing that I think we should be proud of, we acted on over 400 items.
"We had a unanimous vote on all of the items except for 10. I think that speaks highly for this board."
Commissioners worked to help draft legislative goals for the N.C. Association of County Commissioners that resulted in no additional unfunded mandates for counties, he said.
The board maintained funding for education and workforce development, protected the county's volunteer fire departments and supported the protection of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, he said.
It also approved a joint land use study with the base and two new radio towers for the county's communications system and passed a resolution for economic impact studies for U.S. 70 and the future Interstate 795.
Commissioners approved renovations for the Wayne County Public Schools central attendance area, Spring Creek Elementary School and Charles B. Aycock High School and the construction of new middle schools in the Grantham and Spring Creek communities, he said.
The board has hired architects to draft preliminary designs for the proposed agriculture center and a new jail, Aycock said.
During the commissioners' comments section of the meeting, Daughtery reiterated much of what Aycock had said.
"This is my second year anniversary today," Daughtery said. "I want to thank the chairman and vice chairman for keeping the board focused over the past year. Our meetings seem to be more productive, while reducing the time for each meeting.
"Our board, whether Democrat or Republican, works well to get things done. That is what it is really all about. As we look to Washington, we see firsthand how partisan bickering prevents a governmental body from handling the people's business."
Most people in Wayne County are interested in results, he said.
Daughtery said he was pleased to point to the board's many accomplishments.
"With so many votes on so many issues, it is great to realize that after all of the discussion, after all of the debates, that this board voted unanimously 97 percent of the time," he said. "Wouldn't it be nice if Congress could boast of the same accomplishment?"
He thanked commissioners on acting on some issues that were "dear" to him.
Those include approving improvements to the county communication system and the supplement agreement for the economic impact studies for U.S. 70 and future I-795, he said.
"The reason that was important is that we have to justify economic benefit for the funds to be spent to improve 70 and 795 to Interstate quality," Daughtery said.
Other issues included the school projects, he said.
Also, the board unanimously approved a budget after making more than $600,000 in cuts above what County Manager George Wood had recommended while providing for $500 bonuses for county employees and keeping the current tax rate, he said.
Daughtery said another accomplishment is the Health Department's new mobile dental lab that will be operational by the first of year.